John Muir PSAs 2018: Keeping our Community Waters Clean
In the spring of 2018, Jackie Osborn, Maria-Elena Velasquez, and Karen McHegg’s fourth grade students at John Muir Elementary School worked with Jack Straw’s artist team to create Keeping our Community Waters Clean, 17 original public service announcements about preventing pollution in Lake Washington and Puget Sound. Students explored the question, “How can we keep our water clean?” Working in small groups, the students identified a problem, researched possible solutions, and collaborated on scripts that include a call to action.
Jack Straw vocal coaches Alyssa Keene and Katya Landau visited the students in the classroom to help them work through their scripts and use their voices to tell their stories. Students recorded their PSAs in Jack Straw Cultural Center’s professional recording studios, working with Alyssa and Katya and audio engineers Daniel Guenther and Joel Maddox.
Making a Difference 2018: Keeping our Community Waters Clean was produced by John Muir Elementary School, Jack Straw Cultural Center, and YMCA Powerful Schools with the generous support of Creative Advantage, the Washington State Arts Commission, and individual contributors.
Our thanks to John Muir fourth grade students, fourth grade teachers Jackie Osborn, Maria-Elena Velasquez, and Karen McHegg; Julie Trout, visual arts teacher and arts team lead, and John Muir Principal Brenda Ball Cuthbertson. Our special thanks to Lydia Jurcys, YMCA Director of Youth Development Outcomes & Impact, who makes this partnership a reality.
The Jack Straw artist team included vocal coaches Alyssa Keene and Katya Landau, audio engineers Daniel Guenther and Joel Maddox, photographer Sherwin Eng, web designer Levi Fuller, and Jack Straw Executive Director Joan Rabinowitz.
