City, suburban kids get creative together
January 19, 2018-Local-Tagged:Greater Waterbury,Taft SchoolTowns:Waterbury CT,Watertown CT-no comments
BY LARAINE WESCHLER REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
WATERTOWN –Waterbury elementary students are working with students from a Watertown private high school to create a collaborative art project.
Just under 100 kindergarten through fifth-graders each made a leaf. The Taft School students will assemble them into a tree representing each class at the elementary school, according to Lynn Curless, Director of Development at Children’s Community School.
The students will showcase their work at an art show on Jan. 26 in Taft’s choral room.
“It ends up being a project that represents each individual student, but then puts them all together as a whole,” Curless said. “It becomes kind of a mystery to us until we see it unveiled again at this show.”
It’s the third year the two schools have worked together on the project. Children’s Community students wanted more art, which is not a formal program at the school, while Taft students were looking for ways to serve the community.
“We just married those two things together,” Curless said.
Children’s Community serves children from inner-city Waterbury whose families live at or below the federal poverty level. Most of them come from single parent households and pay $360 in tuition each year, according to the school’s website. Meanwhile, Taft students come from 33 states and 44 countries. Taft tuition is $59,000 a year in tuition.
“These are two completely different worlds we’re talking about here. The Taft students get an appreciation for what it’s like to be outside the ‘Taft bubble,'” Curless said.
For Children’s Community students, the collaboration may plant the idea in their heads that there’s a bigger, wider world out there and they can go for the best, she said.
“This opportunity for them to go to Taft and to meet Taft students. It is a world that a lot of our kids have never seen and can’t imagine,” Curless said.
Like Taft, Children’s Community families come from all over the world. Part of the event will feature a world map marking the places the two student bodies represent, and wine to match those locations.
The event will raise money for Community School, which costs about $11,000 per child to run. More than $400,000 must be raised from private grants and donations each year. Last year, the art event raised almost $6,000. Curless is hoping to raise $8,000 this year.
The event includes wine tasting by NeJaime’s Fine Wine and Spirits, which will donate a percent of its profits from sales that night. Bravo! Waterbury students from CCS will perform songs related to the theme.
“It’s a great opportunity for people to just mingle and talk and meet each other,” Curless said.
Curless said she is expecting a big turnout this year, with close to 200 attendees. About 60 attended the first year and 125 last year, she said.
The event is open to the public and tickets are available at the door. Those interested in attending may call Curless at CCS at 203-575-0659 ext. 212 to RSVP or go to to make a donation.