ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, February 26, 1991                   TAG: 9102230268
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: NF1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: TAMMY POOLE NEWSFUN EDITOR
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium


ELEMENTARY PUPILS' ART TELLS STORY

ARTWORK from area elementary school pupils is on display at 350 Roanoke Times & World-News newspaper racks and on library bulletin boards around the area through March 4.

The theme was based on reading and the newspaper. Pupils were asked to draw pictures involving either or both of these things, said Kathleen Lunsford,the Newspaper In Eduction coordinator for Times-World.

One of the five schools involved in the project was Highland Park Learning Center and Magnet School.

"We talked about the newspaper, what it is and why we read it," said Sherlie Doherty, who teaches art. "I was surprised at how much they knew about the newspaper. They were very knowledgeable. We had 150 students in grades first through fifth participate in this project."

Doherty asked the pupils to draw a picture of someone at home reading a newspaper. "We used lots of cut-out sections of the newspaper for collages. They also used markers, crayons and some water colors."

The pupils were eager to participate in the project, she said. "They were really excited about having their work displayed in the newspaper racks," she said.

"Many of the students have their newspaper delivered to their homes, so they weren't sure what a rack was. I took a picture of one and showed them," she said.

In Roanoke city schools, teachers are supposed to use different methods of teaching with different materials, such as a newspaper "so this was a good lesson," Doherty said.

Doherty said she put an item in the school's newspaper to tell the parents about the project so they would know to look for the drawings.

"I think this was a real good project. It correlated well with Newspaper In Education week [which is March 4-8]," Doherty said.

Every child's picture was used. "This was not a contest," Lunsford said.

About 350 kids drew pictures for the project, Lunsford said. Like the pictures at Highland Park,"most of them focused on reading or a picture of them reading the newspaper," she said.

The pictures were laminated (coated in plastic) so they wouldn't be harmed by the weather, Lunsford said.

The pictures will not be returned.

Schools involved included Highland Park, Burlington Elementary School, Fallon Park Elementary School, Penn Forest Elementary School and G.W. Carver Elementary School.

With NIE week coming up, pupils in participating schools will focus on activities in the newspaper, including some celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. Prizes will be awarded, Lunsford said.



 by CNB