by Laura Garcia | Oct 9, 2019 | Art Start, Brooks, D97 Schools, Featured, Julian, News, OPEF Organization, OPEF Programs, Spoken Word
Brooks Middle School 7th graders are being encouraged to write poems about what’s important to them in their daily lives. Spoken Word teaching artist Mo Santiago, one of our latest Oak Park Education Foundation additions to the team, led last week’s class with... 
by Laura Garcia | Sep 9, 2019 | Art Start, BASE Camp, D97 Schools, Featured, News, OPEF Programs
NEW MOSAICS GRACE THE WALLS OUTSIDE FOUR D97 SCHOOLS It’s always inspiring to see creative ideas burst into fruition for all to enjoy. This school year you will find original mosaics by renown artist Tracy Van Duinen gracing prominent exterior walls of Hatch,... 
by Laura Garcia | Jul 11, 2019 | Art Start, BASE Camp, D97 Schools, Featured, News, OPEF Programs
Folk Art fun with BASE Camp’s Guillermo Delgado Guillermo Delgado is the kind of OPEF instructor that makes campers feel instantly at ease. When visiting his BASE Camp Folk Art classroom, Delgado had familiar classical soundtracks from top movies like Harry... 
by Laura Garcia | May 29, 2019 | Art Start, D97 Schools, Featured, Longfellow, News, OPEF Programs
Children from Mr. Podlasek’s second-grade performed at Oak Park’s Belmont Village last week, sparking smiles and warming hearts for the residents. The students have been working with OPEF’s Art Start artist John Milan, who taught them songs to sing and perform on... 
by Laura Garcia | May 17, 2019 | Brooks, D97 Schools, Julian, News, Poetry Slam, Spoken Word
OPEF Spoken Word students shook the house at the School of Rock with their raw honesty and powerful words last week. The poetry slam, titled Respect the Mic, fostered creativity and self-expression while giving kids the opportunity to speak about their lives in a... 
by Laura Garcia | May 10, 2019 | Geared Up, Julian, News, Vex Media, VEX Robotics
Six teams of VEX Robotics students at Julian Middle School designed robots, then built and battled each other in a Robot Rumble, exploring the various aspects of technology in competitive fun. The hands-on projects were organized in small groups, and kids...