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Struble Art Club Donates 25 Paintings to PAWS Adoption Center
Members of the Struble Art ClubThe students at Struble Elementary are giving back to the community in a major way. This year, fourth and fifth grade students in the Struble Art Club created and donated 25 paintings to the PAWS Adoption Center in Monroe, Ohio, in order to help the no-kill, non-profit animal shelter raise money. 

This year’s theme for the program has been centered around giving back to the community. Janne Rossman, the Art Teacher at Struble, chose the animal shelter not only because of her own love for animals, but also to teach the students in the program about the importance of using art to benefit those around them. “I believe in adoption and I have such a big heart for animals. It’s good for the kids to be mindful of animals and other creatures on the Earth. I really hoped that this class project would teach our students to purpose their hearts to think about others and to give back to the community,” said Rossman. 

The project, which is called  “Sketch and Fetch,” required students to create paintings of the sheltered pets that were currently living in the PAW’s facility. The inspiration came from Heather Galler, a contemporary artist who uses pets as subjects for her painting. 

“We observed the artist’s work in a slide show and later viewed examples of Heather’s work as constant inspiration as we worked. The students were then tasked with sketching and painting the photos on their canvases with brightly colored acrylic paint,” said Rossman.  The finished paintings were then given to PAWS to be sold for donations. Each painting, which are currently being displayed at the Shelter, can be obtained for a minimum of a $25 donation. Several parents have requested to donate for their child’s painting.  

“We’ve received so many positive responses about the student’s artwork. Our students are thrilled, our parents are pleased, and PAWS is super happy about the work that has been done. Recently, Juli Nimitz, Paws Board of Directors VP and President gave us a shout-out on the news for the work the children did to help the shelter,” said Rossman.

The Art Club started for the first time this year as an after-school program that allowed students to further develop their artistic skills. Janne hopes that this program is one that continues for years to come.  

“Art creates an opportunity for students to engage their critical thinking and problem solving skills. Art and creativity are used in so many different careers: architecture, graphic design, cooking, landscaping, furniture design, even our dishes that we eat off of utilize art”, said Rossman. “I hope the students in the program continue to develop a higher appreciation and a broader understanding for art and how it affects so many things in our world.” 

For more information about the Struble Art Club, please contact Janne Rossman at [email protected].