PHS Friday Letter

At school we are ramping up for one of my favorite events—Art for Kids’ Sake. Every class is making art to donate to the event, and WOW are they doing a great job. We have a lot of clay in the lower school this year—from the traditional big clay bowls and trays made by the first grade to a large clay sculpture of stacked animal creatures by the fifth grade. There will also be framed paintings and monoprints, embossed metal and several quilts.

As well as the unique works of art, there will again be beautiful class books created with artwork by every child, thanks to the leadership of Mary Austin. Many of these feature self-portraits created in art. These range from Eric Carle inspired collage self-portraits by the third grade to reduction process multi-color block prints by the eighth grade.

I am also getting very excited about all the great art you are bringing in! We will have some incredible items. Get ready to hang/install some fresh art at home—it will make your heart happy.

My personal news is that I have committed to riding in the AIDS/LifeCycle bicycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. As many of you know, my interest in cycling has grown during my time at PHS, but what you may not know is why I would want to ride 585 miles in 7 days. There are many answers, starting with my desire to do something to support those living with the HIV virus and AIDS, and support research to find a cure. Another reason is that although I grew up donating time and money, I never felt athletic enough to fundraise for a big challenge like this. While at PHS I have gained the physical confidence to try long distance biking—now if only I had had teachers like Sara or Sharon, maybe I would know how to catch a ball!

If you are interested in learning more about my ride, please visit my webpage. The ride is June 4-10, and as the date approaches I will be talking to my classes more about what I am doing. I will also be out on my bike more and more—I rode around 154 miles last week!

Adra