My visit to Middle School Academy ...

Tuesday I had the pleasure of visiting Ms. Connie Bigony’s classroom at Middle School Academy. Ms. Bigony is a sixteen year veteran of the Boston Public Schools (And also a 2009-2010 TAA Fellow!). But, this is her first year at Middle School Academy, where she teaches visual arts to students grades six through eight. Middle School Academy is an alternative school located in Dorchester near Franklin Park. The school strives to ‘incorporate academics and behavioral/social components to meet the needs of all students.’ It’s a small school with a population of eighty students.

Upon arrival to the school I was greeted by a sign that read, “Welcome to Nicole Prefontaine Boston Arts Academy”, which immediately made me feel like an honored guest. The sign also instructed that I report to the office on the second floor. The secretary kindly directed me to the room…right next door. And there was Ms. Bigony with about six, eighth grade students; engaged in plaster mask making. A very messy situation! The room was adorned with various kinds vibrant artwork done by students; this was an exciting place to be.

While the students worked away, Ms. Bigony and I chatted about the school and the different challenges the students face. She enjoys being in her new school environment, where the class sizes are small; allowing her to make a more direct connection with students. Ms. Bigony says that the staff and other faculty are a wonderful group, who go above and beyond to help the school succeed. I can attest to this having met Ms. Yvonne Vest, principal of the school, who attended the TAA Fellows announcement to support Ms. Bigony and made an appearance during class just to say hello.

I snapped a few pictures of the students at work and several of them showed me their portfolios. One of the students even showed me another’s first! The portfolios were filled with beautiful artwork such as self portraits, paintings of Obama, prints, graffiti tags, and collages. One of the students, however, was unable to show me his work because it’s currently hanging in City Hall (for the BPS Visual Arts Festival). Wow! Ms.Bigony says students enjoy creating artwork in tribute to their favorite musicians and recently made cd covers for them.

Soon enough it was time for students to go to lunch…at 10:15 am. I suppose if I was in class starting at 7:30, I’d be hungry, too. I welcomed the students to visit me at Boston Arts Academy and come see the senior visual arts exhibition and I hope they do! Ms. Bigony and I talked a little bit afterward about class and she expressed the desire to expose them to more artistic and cultural opportunities. She has taken them to see the arts in the outside world by going to places like the ICA. She is very excited to be able to travel to Mexico through her TAA fellowship and share that experience with her students when she returns to her classroom in the fall.

We had a few visitors pop in, one sixth grader who is not only an aspiring visual artist but also a saxophone player. He is interested in possibly going to BAA… But, before we knew it, it was time for the next class and time for me to get back to the office. Overall, it was a wonderful experience to visit Ms. Bigony and her students at Middle School Academy. I look forward to visiting in the future, hopefully for an exhibition of their work. To Ms. Bigony, her students, Ms. Vest and Middle School Academy, I had a great time. Thank you very much for having me!!!

-Nicole