LINKS
Full Lesson Plan Document (Download)
INTERVIEWS WITH AUTHORS
MUSIC: Marcy Russell (Platteville Middle School)
DANCE: Chell Parkins (UW-Madison)
THEATRE: Susan Roepke (New Holstein High School)
VISUAL ART: Jennifer Dahl (Black River Falls High School)
MEDIA ART 4-5: Dustin Anderson (Grant Elementary, Wisconsin Rapids)
MEDIA ART 6-12: Jeanine Kleman (Wisconsin Rapids High School)
KOREAN PAPER ART: SeonJoo So
ABOUT
Dustin Anderson - Wisconsin Rapids Area School District Art Educator
Growing up in a small Northern Wisconsin town, I was a boy with big dreams. I majored in Art at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with an emphasis in Education. After teaching for a short time in Wisconsin Dells, the past 17 years I have called Wisconsin Rapids my home. I have a Masters in Education degree from Saint Mary's University in Minnesota with an emphasis in Technology. I love to Travel! From whale watching in Alaska to climbing the windmills in the Greek Islands, watching volcanoes erupt in Hawaii to scaling ancient ruins in Central America, traveling shaped me into the human being I am today. I love to share artifacts and cultural experiences from traveling into my art room. I was named WRPS Teacher of the Year in 2017, Wisconsin Elementary Art Teacher in 2020, and Wisconsin Teacher of the Year in 2023.
Jennifer Dahl - Black River Falls High School Art Educator
For the past 27 years, I have been teaching art. I aim to inspire students and teachers alike with my lessons that promote artistic growth and the ability to think and problem solve creatively.
My voice in the art world extends beyond my classroom and schools. I have served as the President of the Wisconsin Art Education Association and the National Art Education Association Elementary Director.
My passion for the arts follows wherever I go. I firmly believe that the best way to fuel the soul is through art.
Jeanine Kleman - Wisconsin Rapids Area School District Art Educator
Jeanine Kleman is an art educator with a vibrant passion for the arts who has spent 25 years working with high school students within the Wisconsin Rapids School district. She teaches a diverse range of artistic mediums including painting, drawing, photography, and digital arts to students in grades 9-12. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts and a Masters degree in Education from the University of Stevens Point. Jeanine's commitment to fostering artistic excellence extends beyond the classroom. She is an active participant in the local arts scene, showcasing her students work in local and state art shows. Jeanine has been a presenter at the WAEA state and NAEA art conventions, where she shares her lessons on integrating technology into art education, national board certification, and devising engaging lesson plans. At Lincoln High School, Jeanine serves as the department chair helping oversee the development of the art curriculum and mentoring student teachers. Jeanine is one of 4 faculty advisors for her school's award winning art and literary magazine, Bloodstone. Beyond her teaching responsibilities, Jeanine provides opportunities for the cultural experiences of students and adults alike through her annual European tours. These immersive journeys provide unique opportunities for participants to explore art, history, and culture firsthand.
Chell Parkins - Arnhold Director of Dance Education
Chell Parkins is a dance scholar, advocate, educator, choreographer, and performer whose research explores the experiences of Latinx communities engaged in culturally responsive-sustaining dance programs. Her recent documentary, WanderlustDance: Puerto Rico, invites audiences to look at the culture, politics, and people of post-Maria Puerto Rico through interviews set against footage of solo dancing at historical sites across the archipelago. She is a regular guest lecturer in national and international university dance programs and ongoing visiting lecturer for the child and adolescent psychiatry fellows at Oregon Health and Science University. She served as a scholar in residence and consultant to the community engagement director at Ballet Hispánico, has made numerous presentations and webinars at NDEO and DaCI, and served as a panelist for the Shirley Hall Bass Dance Educators Forum to discuss culturally appropriate methods for creating dance standards in the Bahamas. Previously, as the executive director of the Tennessee Association of Dance, a core member of ArtsEd Tennessee, and fine arts subject matter expert for the Tennessee Department of Education, she was a leading voice in statewide dance education advocacy efforts. As a full-time lecturer at Middle Tennessee State University, she helped create and implement the first and only stand-alone dance major in the state and co-directed a Maymester abroad program in the Guatemalan Highlands. From 2012-2015, Parkins directed the dance program at Manor High School, a predominately working-class Latinx high school in rural Texas. Her publication “Dance Media Collaborations: Engaging At-Risk Youth” details how her students used choreographic methods, technology, and social media to explore cultural identity and social issues. As a dancer and choreographer, she has performed across the United States, Northern Ireland and Spain.
Susan Roepke - New Holstein High School Art & Stage Educator
Susan Roepke has dedicated 25 years to shaping the minds and talents at New Holstein High School where she teach a diverse curriculum ranging from Drawing, Painting, Metal Art and Gemology course, and not limited to instructing Stagecraft. In addition to teaching high school courses, I teach multiple classes for Moraine Park Technical College where students can receive dual credit while in high school. Through visual arts and theatre, I aim to equip students with essential tools for a successful future, fostering self-reliance, dedication, perseverance, and determination. Receiving a Bachelor of Music, and Bachelor of Fine Arts from Lakeland College, where I received an Instrumental Music Degree and Studio Art. Continuing my education, I received my Bachelor of Art in Art Education from Silver Lake College. Previously, to New Holstein I held positions in Wrightstown and Kaukauna where I taught music to students in grade K-8. Susan has received numerous awards and leads multiple different groups at New Holstein HS including, National Art Honor Advisor, Forensics, Art Club Advisor, Auditorium & Technical Supervisor, Musical & Play Director, Key Club and more. In addition, she coaches multiple sports such as Cross Country, Track and more. When I am not in the classroom, I enjoy working at Roepke’s Village Inn, Assistant Scout Master for BSA Troop 834, gardening, hunting, camping, running, and cake decorating. I am passionate about advocating for community service, and emphasize the importance of volunteering, embodying the belief that we can change the world with a smile. My love of teaching stems from a desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of young adults by instilling values of kindness, self-empowerment, personal expression and creativity, all while fostering a positive and respectful impact on my students. These young talented adults are the future, and it is essential that we provide them with a variety of experiences that empower them to make choices that will positively shape their future.
Marcy Russell - Platteville Middle School Music Educator
Marcy Russell teaches students in general music and choir at Platteville Middle School. She has a Masters of Music in Music Education from Kent State University, and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and General/Choral Music Education from Lawrence University. Ms. Russell is an active member of ACDA and NAfME, and serves as the past-chair of the Wisconsin Music Educators Association’s Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance project (CMP). She has been a conductor with the Platteville Children’s Choir for over 20 years and is a past conductor with the Madison Youth Choirs.
Seonjoo Oh - Korean Paper Artist
My name is SeonJoo (sounds like SUN-ZOO). I am from South Korea, and I lived in Seoul, South Korea for 44 years. Since 2006, I have lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States. As an artist and educator, I enjoy making fun and valuable classes teaching something I know. Through my experience, fortunately, I got three master’s degrees in Biochemistry, Curriculum and Instruction, and Jong-ie Jupgi Paper Folding Art of Korea. My studies of Korean history and culture have kept me close to my heritage, and paper folding art has increased my creativity and wellness. I have been teaching art or Korean culture workshops in several Milwaukee Public Schools since 2009.
Jong-ie Jupgi paper folding arts help children to develop and maintain brain capacity and health. For young children, it can help to build hand-eye coordination and stimulate the loco-motor and cognitive areas of the brain with a strong link to math and geometry skills. For teenagers, it will be able to assist with manual dexterity, fractions, creativity, measurement, and reasoning. It also retains and builds sequencing, attention, math reasoning, visual and social skills.
I enjoy teaching how to make artwork using simple papers, and I find it to boost self-worth, pride and joy to create a calm, peaceful activity with affordable supplies. I also value encouraging multi-cultural awareness, tolerance, and peace, and sharing my culture and experience with my neighboring community. Whether transforming scraps of paper into flowers, birds, cars, trains, airplanes, boats, furniture, clothing, foods, simple baskets, or other objects, the joy and health from Jong-ie Jupgi is immense and contagious.