FORT STEWART, Ga. - Students from Fort Stewart's Kessler Elementary School had an opportunity to show off their artistic talents at an Art Show/Art Forum and display the results of the Great Pumpkin Book Character Contest during the quarterly Parent-Teacher Organization meeting, Nov. 5.
Students, teachers and Family Members were greeted by a ceramic art display as they entered the school foyer. Straight ahead of them in the library/media center, they found even more artwork in the form of decorated pumpkins. Some were so cleverly decorated they no longer appeared to be pumpkins at all.
According to Cheryl Cook, the school's library/media specialist, the pumpkin displays were in no way related to Halloween. Students in each of the school's pre-kindergarten through 6th grade classrooms selected a favorite children's book character then decorated a pumpkin, donated by PTO, to look like that character. With a little paint, markers, construction paper, fabric, pipe cleaners, yarn and glue, the children, with help from their teacher and the school's art teacher, Sonja-Lee Pollino, converted these huge orange squash into pieces of art.
"This month's post-wide literature theme is 'fall,'" Cook explained. "The competition (Great Pumpkin Character Contest) is intended to promote reading and generate excitement for books. We also hope to increase student, parent and teacher visits to the library/media center. The goal is for the media center to be the hub or heart of the school."
Although a winner has yet to be decided, some of the more impressive displays included "Ralph, the Mouse," "Tiger Tiger," "Charlotte's Web," and "Skippyjon Jones." The Charlotte's Web display by Tracey Fairfax' 3rd grade class, depicted a plump, pink piglet - Wilbur - covered in tiny black spiders - Charlotte's hatchlings.
Cook said the top three pumpkin characters would be chosen by an independent panel of teachers and parents later this month
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