In May 2024, the Skirball’s team of artist educators partnered with LAUSD's Maurice Sendak Elementary in North Hollywood. In conjunction with the Skirball’s exhibit Wild Things Are Happening: The Art of Maurice Sendak, Skirball educators collaborated with local teachers and administrators to customize a weeklong arts integration program highlighting the life and work of Jewish American artist Maurice Sendak. This hands-on, values-based program at the school site included storytelling, music, movement, and artmaking – all with a goal of connecting students to Jewish arts and culture, history, and most of all, to one another.
The program began with Maurice Sendak Elementary’s own Gina Debuque on the ukelele, leading students in kindergarten through 4th Grade in an original song.
“My school's mission is for ALL students to reach their full potential, and we aim to do that by creating a respectful and compassionate community,” said Debuque. “Skirball educators spoke to our students with those values, shared universal themes found in Maurice Sendak's stories, and created communal experiences with them.”
For Debuque, a Skirball Teacher Advisory Council (STAC) member, incorporating the arts and multimedia into her daily lessons translates to happy and eager students. Students listened to the acclaimed children’s book Where the Wild Things Are read to them alongside Sendak’s classic illustrations appearing on large screens. When asked “What does rumpus sound like?”, the students followed along by making a beat and then repeating back to everyone. “Having a shared experience across all grade levels made all students truly feel part of the school community,” Debuque noted. “Also, it's just plain fun! Fun should always be part of school, or students won't want to come to class.”
The story time was followed by crown making and a wild rumpus, with the students forming a big circle while wearing their crowns, waving scarves, thinking about what their wild thing would look like (bears, cheetahs, eagles, etc.), and concluding with a transformation into their own wild thing, dancing and parading around the auditorium.
“This feeling of joy became even more pronounced on the day of the visit, as they listened with excitement to Maurice Sendak's story and created their own wild rumpus,” Debuque observed. “These all tied in with our school's mission. Giving students and their families free access to the museum's exhibit extended the learning even further…. Even after the visit, I'd see students still wearing the crowns they created. I even had a student excitedly ask, ‘When will they be back?’”
Opportunities to be with students at Maurice Sendak Elementary are a part of Skirball's ongoing commitment to actively engage with communities through tailored educational programs. By collaborating with schools and creating immersive learning experiences, we continue to expand our reach and impact, ensuring that these enriching opportunities are available to students throughout the year.