Literary Arts
Rooftop’s Art Program guides students in exploring the written and spoken word as a powerful form of artistic expression. Every year, works of poets and authors are included in the “Art Is…” curriculum for students to study and inspire their own creative writing. Past studies have included the works of author Maurice Sendak, and poets Homeris Aridjis and Kay Ryan.
Every spring, Rooftop hosts two poetry nights for our Fourth and Fifth Grade classes where students recite their own poetry. The students’ written works are compiled into hand-bound poetry books that are treasured keepsakes of their year’s experience in developing their creative writing skills.
The 2011-2012 school year marks the inauguration of Rooftop’s literary magazine, published three times a year in the Fall, Winter and Spring.
Media Arts
Rooftop’s Art Program also embraces the role of technology and new media in artistic expression and communication.
Through a partnership with the SF Film Society, students have enjoyed film screenings and filmmaker meet-n-greet sessions at school. In 2010, animator and director Tomm Moore presented his Academy Award nominated film “The Secret of Kells” to the Mayeda Campus students. In 2011, young filmmaker Tamarind King shared with all grades her film, “El Salon Mexico,” that she co-created with retired filmmaker Paul Glickman. At both screenings, students had the opportunity to interact with working, professional filmmakers and discover insights about their craft.
At all grade levels, students explore digital photography as a means of capturing and expressing student experiences. Classes have also explored their own filmmaking through a variety of techniques including stop-motion animation, shadow puppetry, and digital storytelling. Rooftop student films have frequently been selected for public screening at the deYoung Museum as part of Young at Art, SFUSD’s youth arts festival.
In Grades 3 and up, students have the opportunity to continue their exploration of media expression in Technology classes offered through Andi Wong in grades 3 and 4 and Tony Zidek in grades 5-8. Participation in projects like the Blue Marble Project, a global initiative that uses art, empathy and media to promote ocean conservation, engages students in cross-curricular learning through technology. Students interact and problem-solve with real world scientists and artists on important global issues. Inspired by these interactions, the children engage in creative ways of promoting ocean conservation: they write poems, compose songs, paint pictures, shoot photos and videos and create Podcasts.
