Right Brain Initiative:

The Right Brain Initiative aims to bring real artists into classrooms to work with teachers to deepen and enrich learning.  Both artists and teachers go to staff development trainings to learn how to better use the arts to teach required content.  Eastwood is in its fourth year of whole school implementation. The first year, two classrooms had stop motion animation tied in with their social studies units on the Oregon Trail.  The second year, Aaron Nigel Smith shared music and movement with all grade levels centered on the text, Let’s Talk About Race.  Last year, Eastwood was fortunate enough to hire visual artist Lulu Moonwood Murakami as its Artist in Residence for grades 3-6. Lulu and teachers designed an art experience around the guiding question: “How do you persevere when times get tough?” This year we have hired Mo Phillips who will start his residency this spring.