LEADERSHIP IN PUBLIC EDUCATION PAGE 4
Anoka Middle School’ s Jolanda Dranchak recognized for administrative excellence
Her paintbrush held delicately in her hand and dancing across the canvas, Jolanda Dranchak creates colorful and lively images— images celebrating life and illustrating the intricacies of emotion and experience.
The Anoka Middle School for the Arts( AMSA) curriculum integrator grew up dancing, singing and drawing and soon felt the magical embrace of the arts.
Dranchak believes that dance, music, illustration and theatrical performance allow an expression of ideas and emotion, encourages analytical thinking and enriches life experiences.
Her passion for the arts and her work at AMSA was recently recognized with the 2016-17 Art Educators of Minnesota Administrator of the Year award.
Jolanda Dranchak, of Anoka Middle School for the Arts( AMSA), works with students.
“ I am so excited and honored to receive this recognition. It really validates how important the arts in our life is— but really it takes all of us. It’ s not just me. I work with students to inspire ideas, but the teachers implement those ideas to work with students. It really speaks to the dedication of the teachers. I share this with all of them,” Dranchak said.
Dranchak grew up surrounded by and engaged in the arts and said that is the key to her understanding of the value the arts bring.
“ Learning to sing, dance, act and draw were activities I was encouraged to participate in at a very early age,” she said.“ Access to see music performances of various cultures, operas and theater plays was part of my growing up. Those experiences helped me to realize the power the arts hold.”
Immersed in the beauty and vitality of the arts, Dranchak studied arts education at the University of Pennsylvania and Boston University and is currently pursuing her doctorate in arts integration.
The administrator of the year describes the arts as something more than a simple adornment but something that has value for all of life. That is a message she endeavors to instill in the hearts and minds of students.
“ Arts helps us develop collaborative, multi-disciplinary and creative thinking skills. Whether one is showing a story through dance, music, illustration or theatrical performance, these qualities are at the heart of it all,” she said.“ What is more important to remember is that
Jolanda Dranchak, of Anoka Middle School for the Arts( AMSA), was recently named Art Educators of Minnesota Administrator of the Year.
all of these skills are valuable in any career and are sought out by employers in all fields.”
Dranchak urges students to practice their artwork with consistency, kindle their curiosity and keep their artistic passions burning.
“ Like anything, you need to practice your art, otherwise you kind of stifle yourself,” Dranchak said, adding that she continues to practice her own artwork, as well.
“ I do art when I need an outlet, or to escape or relax, get my mind in a different creative place. Art is so valuable, such a cherished experience. It really enhances life, brings such value to every day,” she said. ■
Roosevelt Middle School’ s Pam Schwandt named art teacher of the year
Pam Schwandt believes creating artwork exercises creative problem solving, provides a safe place to express feelings and emotions and allows endless opportunities for discovery.
“ You hear people say you’ re born to make art or you aren’ t; you’ re artistic or you’ re not. I don’ t believe that. I believe you might not be born able to do art yet but there is endless possibility. You just haven’ t acquired your artistic ability yet,” she said.
Schwandt instills that belief in her students at Roosevelt Middle School( RMS) in Blaine, and delights in seeing smiles emerge as they recognize their own creativity.
“ That’ s my greatest joy— seeing these fabulous little people find the beauty and artistry that exists within. That is my greatest reward,” Schwandt said.
Another reward was recently bestowed on Schwandt when she was named the state’ s Middle Level Art Teacher of the Year by the Art Educators of Minnesota.
“ It’ s so humbling to be nominated— it’ s not just about me. Without these students I couldn’ t be an art teacher,” she said.“ And I’ m still learning and growing every day. These little people, my students, are always showing me something new.”
Schwandt, who graduated from Burnsville High School and earned her bachelors and masters degrees in art education from the University of Minnesota, has taught art in Anoka- Hennepin schools for more than three decades.
She began her career at Lincoln Elementary School in Anoka where she taught 13“ years before accepting a position at RMS 18 years ago.
“ I always knew this is what I was meant to do, and now just think— for 31 years I’ ve gotten to do what I love,” the art teacher said, smiling at the gift of teaching she so enjoys.
Art is an outlet. It’ s a safe place to express yourself, to investigate, to solve problems.
For Schwandt, art is therapeutic, refreshing, joyful and essential.
As she grew up assisting her dad as he tinkered on cars, the creative little girl exercised creative thinking and ingenious problem solving. Her artistic mind worked and whirled and creative juices nourished artistic seeds taking root in her heart.
Tinkering on cars wasn’ t artistic— far from it, her concretesequentially thinking dad would say – but the elements of artistic creativity she saw at work in the garage sparked more imagination and creativity and further affirmed her desire to work with art someday.
Her dad eventually recognized the value of her“ abstractrandom creativity” and presented his artistic daughter with a Christmas gift of a drafting table, art portfolio and sketchbooks.
“ That meant so much to me— he recognized my passion and encouraged me,” Schwandt said.
Today, Schwandt wants more than anything for her students to recognize their own passions, to see their own creativity and to embrace their own artistry.
“ And artwork is so much more. Art is an outlet. It’ s a safe place to express yourself, to investigate, to solve problems,” she said.
Though she never had a favorite art form to teach, Schwandt said she loves combining media whenever possible. For her own artistic creations, Schwandt especially enjoys mosaic.
“ Because I can take broken things and create something new,” she said.“ It is tedious and time consuming, but so rewarding when complete.”
Another reward comes when
” she hears from former students about the enduring value of art
in their lives.- Pam Schwandt, RMS art teacher
Roosevelt Middle School art teacher Pam Schwandt compliments one of her students on his Kabuki painting.
“ Not every art student will be an artist. One of my former students became a meteorologist, another builds bridges. They may not be artists but they are using creative thinking and problem solving in their work, so really they are doing artwork,” Schwandt said. ■