E D U C AT I O N
ARIN LEARD
SETTING UP: Originally from Syracuse, New
York, Arin Leard worked as a textile designer
before starting a family and getting a master’s
degree in art education. Eleven years ago, she
filled a vacant position for a retiree at Mount
Hebron, and never left.
FULL STEAM AHEAD: After Mount Hebron
was designated the Science-TechnologyEngineering-Mathematics magnet school, Leard
opted to make all her lessons cross-curricular,
lending the A-for-art to the acronym. “The
students do lessons in symmetry, which brings in
the math,” she says. “We create grids, and make
symmetrical butterflies. There’s a science of
color, which comes from light; the color wheel is
the artist’s calculator. We build technology skills
using 3D printers.”
GOALS THROUGH GRANTS: Two years ago,
Leard, a prolific grant-writer, attended a workshop in Yellowstone Park. “Ten of us were chosen
from all over the country,” she says. “We spent a
week doing tons of art and science labs, and I
blogged about it.” Last year, the Montclair Fund
for Educational Excellence fulfilled her request to
sponsor a STEAM garden at Mount Hebron. “I
had gone to an educators’ conference, and seen
sand sculptor John Gowdy work on the beach
down the shore,” she says. “We built an outdoor
classroom with a giant sandbox, where we can
build sand sculptures, learn about architecture
and hold science labs.”
THE BIG PICTURE: “The kids get really
creative, and we laugh a lot,” says Leard.
“When they’re happy and into a project,
they’re so much more productive.” ➤
LOVELY SCENE:
“In Ms. Leard’s class,
I just get this vibe of
confidence where I feel
like I can try things
I’ve never tried, or never
do.”
thought I could EL
L
FIONA CAMPB
44 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE BACK TO SCHOOL
FO RM ER ASTRON AU
T BU ZZ
AL DR IN WI TH AR IN
LE AR D
CHALKBOARD ART: THINKSTOCK; BUZZ ALDRIN: COURTESY OF ARIN LEARD
FINE ART TEACHER,
MOUNT HEBRON
MIDDLE SCHOOL