Student Artwork to Hit the Road this Winter on County Snowplow

Artwork produced by school children is often displayed in classrooms, on refrigerators, and sometimes even art galleries, but a special piece of work by Fortis Academy scholars will be on the roads of Washtenaw County in Michigan this winter. Students in Amanda Boore’s art class had the opportunity to paint a large snowplow blade as part of the county’s Paint-a-Plow program.
 
The biggest challenge for Boore wasn’t the size of the plow, nor the type of paint to use, it was something more meaningful.
 
“The most challenging part of the plow project was making sure as many Fortis Academy students got to participate as possible and having that many students feel like they made their mark on the project,” Boore said. “I wanted it to be a great memory for all of them.”
 
Middle school students worked diligently on the design, and a contest was held to determine what font would be used. Students voted for their favorite and it was used to spell out the message on the blade: Fortis Academy Snow Day!



The project took a few weeks and many students contributed to the effort. Middle schoolers painted most of the larger areas, while K-5 students each added a snowflake to the effort. That type of teamwork happens often at Fortis, which has outperformed the local district for the past 13 years.
 
“The students were extremely excited and loved watching the artwork on the plow evolve as they all worked on it. Many students learned so much about art murals, collaboration, and even what a snowplow is.”
 
When the county driver arrived to pick up the completed plow blade, Boore’s kindergarten art class was able to watch and even got to sit in the big truck.



Great job connecting students with art, Ms. Boore!
About Fortis Academy
Fortis Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Ypsilanti, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.

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