What a fantastic experience to be back in person working with students after the long extended school closure due to COVID-19.    We chose the theme “Moments of Joy” as an opportunity to encourage students to find Moments of Joy in the midst of challenging times.   Enspire Arts provided an hour long session to each K-5 class.  Each session began with 30 minutes of expressive arts activities and 30 minutes of art.

Using the power of music, dance &  mime, Sarah Lightfoot led activities exploring the power of our emotions and the opportunity to find calm, peace, and happiness even when things around us are tough and confusing.   Artist Jennifer Neal, led an art activity where each student decorated a butterfly using oil pastels and a combination of circles and lines.  The circles represented joyful times and memories, while the lines were a symbol of everything else happening in our lives whether that was confusing, challenging or difficult. l.  A powerful visual that both good and difficult emotions can be experienced at the same time. All of the butterflies were gathered together to create an all-school community art project.

This truly was a week of joy and connection.with so many wonderful students and teachers. A memory that will stay with us forever is the story of a volunteer parent who came in to observe the session and cautiously came to join in our circle activities.  As we moved through our activities exploring the power of our emotions and looking for moments of joy, she began to have tears in her eyes.  As she worked on her butterfly, she told us “You do not know how much I needed this.”  It was a powerful and reassuring moment that the arts

have tremendous power to heal, to give space for who we are, where we are, and connect deeply to one another.