This school got creative with family night.
Parents and students enjoyed a night of painting during Roy H. Mann Junior High School’s first-ever family art night on April 9.
“It was awesome — it was an opportunity for families to get together and do something creative,” said parent Norma Popoca, who painted with her daughter Stephanie Lopez.
About 60 people came to the free shindig, which was open to students and their siblings, as well as parents, said art teacher Lee Lindgren.
Families painted a blooming cherry blossom in the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, because it’s cherry blossom season, Lindgren said.
Junior high students usually try to find ways to assert their independence, but Lindgren said the night bred harmony between the generations.
“It was nice because the students got to socialize with their parents over painting,” she said.
Some of her long-time students also volunteered for the night to show attendees how to mix and apply paint.
Everyone got to take home their finished piece, and Popoca said she knows exactly where she’s hanging hers.
“I’m redecorating my house, and Stephanie gave it to me for my room,” she said.
School leaders dreamed up the art night to encourage parent engagement and bolster the arts, said Parent Teacher Association president Christine Kroening, whose son Ronald made a masterpiece of his own.
Lindgren said creating an event that would be entertaining and engaging was key.
“We thought it would be a fun event to come to, instead of another report card night,” she said.
