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Environmental Entrepreneur

Wings of Inspiration: A Journey into Public Art with Carmen Recio and the Audubon Mural Project

November 15, 2023 by msnyder

In the vibrant art scene of New York City, having a public art piece comes with prestige. We are proud to share that Ms. Carmen Recio (Visual Arts Subject Expert Teacher, PreK-5) has her first artwork on display through The Audubon Mural Project, and it is on display in Washington Heights. Through a unique blend of passion, community engagement, and avian inspiration, Ms. Recio shares her experience with us, the community, and her students.

Initiation of Inspiration
In the fall of 2021, Ms. Recio participated in the Audubon Mural Project’s 5K one-of-a-kind art run that stopped at various murals where runners were met by artists and advocates who shared facts about the murals of painted birds. The inspiration went full circle as Ms. Recio first drew on this experience to do collaborative bird drawings with her grade 4-5 students, which she shared with the organizer of the Audubon Mural Project, Avi Gitler. From there, Gitler offered Ms. Recio the opportunity to paint a mural for the project.

The Artistic Process
Ms. Recio first chose an endangered bird species – the Spruce Grouse – and made preliminary sketches before transferring the design onto Polytab, a canvas-wallpaper hybrid. Days of meticulous painting followed as she used a stepstool to reach the large artwork that had to be mounted on her bedroom wall. Ms. Recio said it was a joyful project and very fun to paint. Once completed, Gitler and his team took charge of installing the masterpiece at its location on 158th St. and Broadway.

Connecting Art to Education
As an educator, Ms. Recio seamlessly integrates her artistic endeavors with her teaching. Her unit on street art empowers students to create large gridded drawings of birds. They vote on a species, measure out a grid, and piece together their drawings as a class. This hands-on approach not only fosters creativity but also imparts valuable lessons about collaboration and environmental responsibility.

Beyond the classroom, Ms. Recio has integrated real-world experiences into her teaching. Past collaborations with the Wild Bird Fund brought rescued pigeons to the school, creating tangible connections between students and the broader efforts of organizations like Audubon.

Conveying a Message of Awareness
Ms. Recio’s mural features the Spruce Grouse, a symbol of the project’s mission to raise awareness about endangered bird species. Several students and Wildcat community members have ventured to visit her artwork which helps spread a message about the impact of climate change and habitat loss on these creatures.

Through her creation, Ms. Recio hopes to inspire change in simple ways, urging people to reconsider their interactions with wildlife, from choosing appropriate bird feed to taking steps to prevent window collisions during migration season.

Our school is fortunate to have an educator like Ms. Recio who uses her passions to creatively transform art into awareness and inspire her students and the public. Stop by the mural for a photo opp and tag her @art_with_carmen and @basisindependentmanhattan to show your support of our fabulous Wildcat faculty who continue to show their passion inside and outside of the classroom!

Filed Under: Environmental Entrepreneur, Faculty & Staff, Visual Arts

BASIS Means Business: Wildcat Edition

February 17, 2023 by msnyder

Upper School students were invited to participate in a new initiative across all BASIS Independent Schools introduced earlier this year.

BASIS Means Business encourages our students to create and innovate as they develop an entrepreneurial business idea and present it in a Shark Tank-style competition.

One finalist from each network school will compete in the finals on Saturday, Feb. 25 (held via Zoom) and the winner will receive $10,000 toward their charity of choice.

On Wednesday, Feb. 15, Pierce B. (’24) and Scarlett S. (’24) presented their ideas to the Upper School student body and our three judges.

The panel of judges included Kirk Murphy (Intro to Business elective teacher), Paul Kim (Wildcat parent and businessman), and Ms. Ermakova (Subject Expert Teacher, Math & Economics).

The presentations were on:

Biowrap – an eco-conscious replacement for plastic wrap (Pierce)

GardEco – Gardens for the urban home (Scarlett)

Both students showed impressive composure and professionalism. As far as the judges were concerned, high marks for both students were given regarding their public speaking. During the Q&A portion, the judges didn’t hold back from asking critical and pointed questions not to be too harsh but because they saw the potential in the students and their ideas. For example, they challenged the students about R&D, the cost of having a zero-carbon facility, and how to monetize online content behind a paywall.

The benefit of this project extended beyond the participants to the audience of high school students. The presenters demonstrated to their peers what it means to lead and set the tone for future competitions. It is clear that while marketing strategies and overall business acumen will always grab everyone’s attention, the foundation of success relies on the manner in which you present yourself and your ideas.

…and the Wildcat advancing to the BASIS Means Business finals is:

Scarlett S., Class of ’24

Now, the judges agreed that Scarlett has what it takes to go against her competitors from BASIS Independent Brooklyn, McLean, Fremont, Silicon Valley, and Bellevue and bring home the big prize. She has access to all of the resources and support offered by the BASIS Independent Manhattan community to prepare her for success. We look forward to the finals this month, but even more, we are eager to watch this program grow over the years to come.

Filed Under: Awards & Recognition, Clubs & Activities, Electives, Environmental Entrepreneur, High School, Student Achievement

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