By Tim Reaves
BCS Communications Department
For T.C. Roberson High School's multi-language learners of English, the Asheville Art Museum was a beautiful opportunity to explore the language of texture, color, shapes, and light.
On Wednesday, they walked around the galleries to view exquisite paintings, innovations in traditional basketry, handmade items, and other representations of cultural, historical, and artistic moments.
“It's a cultural experience that everyone should see and a great way to describe what they see and increase vocabulary,” said English for Multilingual Language Learners teacher Brian Dockery. “A learning-by-doing approach that is interactive, fun, and just for a day, gets them off campus to a new environment that they may not have had a chance to know.”
Augustine, an 11th grader, was impressed by the craftsmanship on display.
“One art piece looks like a dress made of glass; that was cool,” he said. “Making something so fluid from a material that is usually so stiff and solid, very cool.”
School Social Worker Ami Greene received a grant from the Buncombe County Schools Foundation that helped make the trip possible. The Asheville Art Museum field trip is part of the school’s effort to welcome newcomers with informal learning opportunities and connections to each other and more established BCS students. That effort also includes trips to AB-Tech and
UNC Asheville for students interested in college and a trip to Self-Help Credit Union to cover topics surrounding financial literacy.
“They get hands-on learning, allowing them to make connections to topics being covered in their classrooms,” she said. “And they expand their vocabulary through frontloading and question preparation before each field trip. These are great opportunities that will help our students feel more connected to the school and each other.”