Beyond Walls has been an incredible community partner to work with over the past year. I began working with Beyond Walls last fall (2019) when I brought my Thurgood Marshall Middle School students on a mural tour. Several of my students stated that it was their favorite memory from last school year. Then, at the beginning of 2020, I reached out to Beyond Walls to see if we could partner for the spring LEAP DREAM MORE program. They were eager to help in any way they could and willing to partner in as many ways as possible. We had planned several ways for our programs to work together through the spring and summer. Due to COVID, we had to cancel the spring program.
Later, we decided to have a virtual LEAP DREAM MORE summer program. Beyond Walls connected LEAP with so many community partners for us to interview. They were an incredible community resource for my students to learn from and interview during the summer program. The students have stated repeatedly since then how much they enjoyed learning about the murals and talking with Beyond Walls about the artists. The students really enjoy the art that Beyond Walls has brought to their city.
As for this school year, I am looking forward to partnering with Beyond Walls through Lynn Public Schools and using the curriculum that Beyond Walls has created for my students. I am excited to use their adapted curriculum for remote learning so students can have opportunities to learn more about the murals, artists, and practice social-emotional learning during this difficult year.
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