Sweetser News & Events

Saco & Biddeford Savings Sponsors Learning Arts Fair

Posted on 04/21/2008 at 08:27 am

Executives at the Saco & Biddeford Savings Charitable Foundation presented a $2,500 gift to the School at Sweetser April 18 to support the 24th annual Learning Arts Fair.

Students will celebrate “Roots & Shoots” and other environmentally responsible activities Thursday, May 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sweetser’s Saco campus.

The Fair is the culmination of three months of interdisciplinary study around a program sponsored by the Dr. Jane Goodall Institute. Several students will travel to Boston May 9 to meet Dr. Jane Goodall.

The students have been researching “Roots & Shoots,” the youth-driven program that teaches children to take action to improve our world through service learning projects that promote the care and concern for animals, the environment and the human community. In the weeks leading up to the fair, each class studied a curriculum inspired by this theme.

The annual event celebrates the creative expression, pride and hard work that the students have put into these projects, said Art Teacher Lisa Freeman, who coordinates “go green” activities at the school. “This will be a time for art displays, music, food, prizes, guests, and hands-on presentations,” she said. As in previous years, visitors may attend the fair, along with students and children from Sweetser’s crisis and residential programs.

Said Freeman, “We have found that students with special needs and learning disabilities benefit most from instruction that is experiential, visual and auditory.” The Learning Arts Fair plays a key role in the school’s efforts to promote academic success for students.

The School at Sweetser can serve up to 140 students age 5-20, whose behavioral, emotional and learning problems prevent them from succeeding in traditional academic settings. The school provides these students with individualized, therapeutic instruction that they would not receive anywhere else.

For many years, the support of Saco & Biddeford Savings Charitable Foundation has made this fair possible. This year’s award of $2,500 will help cover the cost of art supplies, exhibits and presentations. All are invited to attend!

Melissa Boilard, left, Assistant Branch Manager at Saco & Biddeford Savings Bank, hands Sweetser Art Teacher Lisa Freeman a check for $2,500 to help cover costs of the 24th annual Learning Arts Fair.