June 14, 2016 | Events
Mountain Park is known for being more than just a community health center. It’s a place many of our patients and staff call home. It’s a place where smiling faces welcome you at the door and colorful art hangs on our clinic walls. Because for the past five years we’ve partnered with local schools to celebrate our talented young artists!
“The Art in Schools Program is truly an outstanding community outreach tool for both students and their home schools,” said Rachel Rich, Art Teacher at Andalucia Middle School.
We began our Art in Schools program five years ago to help create a stronger connection in our communities. Every May we invite families into our clinics for a reception celebrating the children’s artistic talents.
Our goal is to have families to get to know us as more than just a doctor’s office. We have always been about creating trust within the community, and this event allows r us to show kids, and their families, that going to the doctor doesn’t have to be a scary experience.
Each year students meet during school hours or in an after-school club setting and brainstorm ideas for health-themed works of art. At the end, each student has a final design that is ready to be presented and displayed for a year at our Maryvale and Gateway clinics.
“This program is a great opportunity for the children to use their natural ability as artists and to be recognized publically for it,” Jon White, Crockett Elementary Art Teacher told us. “Students enjoy being a part of a positive message that is being spread throughout their own community.”
This year we were given a total of 118 pieces of art that we professionally framed and hung throughout our Maryvale and Gateway Clinics. We celebrated each individual student, presenting them with a Featured Artist recognition certificate. We also awarded three top artists from each school a gift card to a sporting goods store, and thanked each school with a small grant to continue making art in their school possible.
“Watching the students’ faces light up when their name is called and when all their hard work and effort are recognized is definitely a highlight of the event,” Cheryl Ross, Art Teacher from James W. Rice Primary School, added in. “They feel somewhat famous.”
Next time you’re near one of our clinics make sure to stop in and admire the art created by these young artists!
For more information, please email info@mphc-az.org
