Art Grant Recipients Show Spirit

We spent our first night in South Korea’s capital, Seoul. From there, we took a bus to Caroline’s countryside town. We spent a couple of days with Kayleigh, a middle school English teacher from Australia. These teachers shared their experiences and introduced me to their students.

We also met and dined with locals Hyewon, who teaches Special Education and Guyeol, a homeroom teacher. Homeroom teachers play many essential roles and teach all subjects except English, PE, Art and Music. Hyewon and Guyeol discussed their responsibilities and students and gave us traditional Korean rice wine.

Next, we flew to Jeju, Korea’s largest island, known as the Hawaii of Korea. We explored the volcanic landscape, visited a museum to learn about the island’s history, and spent an afternoon at a green tea plantation. We learned about Jeju’s haenyeo or diving women; an ancient tradition still practiced today. The story is that, in the past, Jeju men went to the sea to fish, but boats were easily shipwrecked. As more men were lost at sea and women had to dive to get seafood, women’s sea diving became part of the local culture and is now a symbol of the island.

Back on the mainland, we visited Busan, where we sampled street food and ate various local cuisine, including hotteok (a sweet pancake-like dish) and dakgalbi (a spicy chicken, cabbage and rice cake dish). We spent a day immersed in history as we visited the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. This beautiful fourteenth-century temple is dedicated to the Goddess of Buddha and is one of few located along the coast. We lit candles to have wishes fulfilled and tossed coins in the Lucky Coin Divination.

In Busan, we were lucky enough to be invited to dinner by Jinhyang, another native Korean homeroom teacher. She introduced us to a delicious dish called duck bulgogi, and we discussed the differences between Korean and American school systems. For example, in Korea, the school year begins around March first. My visit was during the mid-year break in July, the month when ESL teachers held English camps for their students. Caroline’s camps always have a fun theme. This year it was Pokémon Camp. Year-end vacation begins in late December.

At the end of our journey, Caroline and I returned to Seoul. We rented traditional Hanbok dresses and visited Gyeongbokgung Palace, one of the largest and most beautiful royal palaces. The main grounds were closed due to heavy rains and flooding, but we were able to walk the perimeter and see the historic buildings.

I am blessed and thankful to have spent time in this beautiful country with several young and enthusiastic teachers. If you want to read more about my journey and view photos I took along the way, please visit my travel blog at https://dianaptravels. wordpress.com/.

Fine Arts Grant Recipients Show Spirit

Heather Cockrell, VA Gamma Alpha, exudes A∆K spirit with lifelong learning and involvement. Within her first month of membership, Heather applied for the 2022 Fine Arts Grant and was awarded a $5000 grant.

First, she visited the robotics club at her school and saw the excitement of students using 3-D printers. Then she attended an Art Educators Conference where a teacher developed a projectbased learning (PBL) project in her art room by having her students design innovative shoes and then create them from paper mâche. Heather took the idea to the 21st Century by “building off others’ ideas and thoughts” and then thinking of ways to take the concept a step further.

Heather’s A∆K spirit led her to the Fine Arts Grant. Her application followed the guideline’s goals and objectives related to her curriculum. She knew what she wanted her students to achieve by purchasing a 3-D printer. She wanted her students to problemsolve and create while developing 21st-century skills in her rural middle school art classroom.

Heather’s advice to Fine Arts Grant applicants is “to attend as many professional development opportunities as you can. You never know where your next inspiration might come from. Seeing and hearing from other like-minded people is a good place to start.” Heather took “a month to put everything together before having a fellow educator and A∆K sister proofread and provide feedback.” Then, she felt confident in submitting her application.

Sharon Wisinger, VA Alpha Zeta, is a guidance counselor who saw the need for social-emotional training in her middle school students to improve academic and behavioral development. Sharon used her Fine Arts Grant to help her students’ engagement in the arts. “Integrating clay in the visual arts class will help students gain a kinesthetic learning experience through developing a skill that could be used in their community. The kiln that will be purchased will turn their creations into resources for the community and build self-esteem. The tools and techniques for ceramic creations will help students express and create as they problem solve,” Sharon explained in her application. “Our Fine Arts grants help us gain materials to create innovation in the classroom,” said Paula Lindsay, chairman of the Fine Arts Grants Board.

“If you are involved in a project, go to the Scholarships and Grants page on the A∆K International website and explore the tools to produce your creative ideas. Please be sure to follow the guidelines. The first applications to be discarded are those with errors and missing information. Becky Walker, Robin Leebardt, and I look forward to reading your innovative application in February 2023.”

Article by Fine Arts Grants Board members Paula Lindsay, FL Chi, Becky Walker, AL Beta Kappa, and Robin Leebardt, AZ Sigma.