Osborne Observer
Osborne Middle School
Digital Learning Highlights: Virtual Choir
With the decision on April 1st, 2020 for all Georgia public schools to close for the remainder of the school year, a wave of sadness hit teachers (and students) across our nation. During this time, people have chosen how they will respond to this challenge in a variety of ways. I am thankful that our staff has chosen to put the needs of others above their own each day as they help our children and families during these difficult and challenging times. It is the soul that pushes us to do our best and the hearts and minds of our team of teachers and army of support staff that have made such a difference for so many. Thank you!
With this in mind, our fine arts students and teachers have been impacted by the closure of school. These classes provide our students more than just a creative outlet; they invoke socialization, expression, and beauty. As many scrambled to plan online lessons, virtual chats, and digital tools to keep the four core academic areas strong, our fine arts teachers recognized their performances for the remainder of the year were sadly canceled.
Just prior to March 12th, Ms. Mayo’s 7th and 8th grade chorus students received Superior scores at their Large Group Performance Evaluation (LGPA), and they were ready to start learning new, fun “tunes” for their Spring show. Ms. Mayo picked the song, “Sing,” by Pentatonix right before digital learning began and kept that focus in the hearts and minds of our students. As a result, students were given an opportunity to be a part of our first-ever Virtual Choir project. Ms. Mayo provided weekly “checkpoints” where she could listen and assess what they had learned as well as provide feedback to improve their memorization and vocal techniques. Finally, students submitted videos of themselves singing their part from beginning to end, and a colleague engineered the video you see today.
The efforts of our fine arts community mean so much to our purpose during these unprecedented days. Music is a universal language, and we hope that keeping this passion alive in our students will bring joy to all who listen. We are very proud of our students and teachers in band, chorus, orchestra, theater, and art. Thank you also, parents, for supporting these programs and their teachers throughout the year.
With Much Appreciation,
Kenney Wells
Principal
SEE THE VIRTUAL CHOIR PROJECT BY CLICKING THE YOUTUBE LINK BELOW:
Osborne Students Create "Art With Nature"
~Laura Hoyt, OMS Visual Arts Teacher
“We often forget that WE ARE NATURE. Nature is not something separate from us. So when we say that we have lost our connection to nature, we’ve lost our connection to ourselves.”
― Andy Goldsworthy
Click HERE to view our student creations!