Inside the Art Room: Dawn King (Part Two)

We are back this week with Dawn King, art teacher at Glenwood Elementary School in West Plains, Missouri. This week, Dawn is giving us her thoughts on the Art to Remember fundraiser. You can check out the first portion of Dawn’s interview here.

How did you discover Art to Remember (AtR)? I saw an ad in an art teacher magazine.

What was appealing about partnering with AtR? This is my 18th year and it is a school tradition. I have worked with Patty since the beginning and she is great to work with! The beauty of this fundraiser is the parents buy keepsakes. It is not like buying a small bag of popcorn for $10 and then it is gone and nothing to show for your $10. The products are good quality and new items are added each year. The quilt blocks are a big hit and so many moms make me promise that we will participate because they want to make their kid a quilt with nine blocks. The magnets are reasonable for the families that have multiple children or that may be more budget conscious during the ordering period. My 8th graders were unsure about creating art at first, but then I started to encourage them to make a Glenwood graduation picture. I even let them trace our mustang mascot/logo and let their classmates and teachers sign their artwork. It has worked wonders since I introduced the idea of making a Glenwood souvenir.

How do you plan to use your funds? Over the years I have bought cabinets for the art room and lots of art supplies.

Did you need to convince a principal or administrator to let you participate? If yes, how did you accomplish that? The first time I asked, it was no problem. Since it has become a tradition, I usually don’t ask, I just remind them. They like the idea of the profit helping with the art budget.

Do you have any advice for teachers that are currently participating in a fundraiser or that are considering running one? This fundraiser is easy but takes a few years to get used to it and to increase sales. I start my school year with AtR. It helps me to concentrate on one art project since I teach K-8 grade.

Any additional comments? The AtR lesson plans are really helpful. It has been nice to see new ones and the STEAM ones are awesome!

Thanks Dawn! We cannot wait to see your students’ amazing artwork again this year!

If you are interested in starting an Art to Remember fundraiser at your school, click to Get Started.