San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
SENDING A MESSAGE, ONE ARTWORK AT A TIME
Class at Hilltop High created a business by painting windows
David Kerr has taught his nine students in his Hilltop High School special education classroom how to make a pizza, ride public transportation and budget money. Once the pandemic forced schools to go virtual, teaching those hands-on life skills became far more challenging.
“There were no more field trips,” said Kerr, who has taught special education for five years at the Chula Vista school. “I was teaching kids how to ride the bus by having them go on the (San Diego Metropolitan Transit System) website and I tried to get creative with Powerpoints, but I couldn’t wait until (the pandemic) was over.”
As someone with ADHD who grew up drawing, Kerr envisioned art as the perfect hands-on form to re-engage his students once they returned to the classroom. He bought 6 gallons of paint and let them get creative by painting the back windows of the room.
The students were onto something larger than they had imagined. Their art was capturing a lot of attention on campus, so much so that they were commissioned by dozens of teachers.
“We did Christmas, Earth Day, Valentine’s Day,” said student Amy Seufferheld.
It quickly became an oncampus business, with teachers donating up to $40 per window art.
Last week, they launched their “Kindness is Cool” series. Using removable paint, sponges and stencils, the group quickly completed two medium-sized windows with the phrase “Practice Kindness” and framed it with large sunflowers and blue, vibrant doves.
The scene outside the classroom appeared like organized chaos, with paintsplattered aprons and gloves, and students bumping into each other as they maneuvered around paint buckets and supply tables, but they knew exactly what to do with a little help from Kerr and his aides. The tallest student, Dorian Hooks, didn’t hesitate to take care of the top portion of the window; below him was his classmate Michael Aguayo, who covered the bottom half.
“It’s been really fun and it’s inspirational,” Aguayo said. “I think, personally, that for people who are new to art, it’s a good opportunity for them to learn more skills.”
Starting the window-painting business and knowing how to handle revenue has been a fun and rewarding new skill for the classroom, Kerr said, adding that they’ve raised several hundred dollars.
“We’ve had enough money to go out on outings,” he said. “We all decided to go to Little Italy and get pizza. I told everyone, ‘How’s that pizza taste? You bought that pizza yourselves.”
Students, many of whom are 19 years old, had jobs at local businesses as part of Sweetwater Union High School District’s transition program, which supports students with disabilities while in school to prepare them for life outside of school.
“Because of the pandemic, though, we had to pull everybody back out of the community because everything was shut down,” said
Hilltop Principal Karen Hernandez. “This really gave students the new opportunity to have a job and put their skills to work in a beautiful way on campus.”
Besides the business aspect, Kerr said the students are sending a larger message.
“These students are saying, ‘We’ve got edge, we’ve got goals, we are just as important on this campus and we’ve got a certain set of skills.’ I’m really proud of them,” the teacher said.
The goal is to create a large mural on campus and eventually expand the window-painting business out into the community. That will all require funding, said Kerr. He recently applied for a $3,000 grant with a new arts grants program Chula Vista launched earlier this year.
He’s waiting to hear back from the city.
tammy.murga@sduniontribune.com