Wren's Nest: Wrenshall celebrates the arts on Friday

Molly Kidd can't remember the last time her art students at Wrenshall School were able to show off their work to family and friends, but colleague and school music teacher Tim Rahkola knows exactly when it was. "We were planning for a spring Grandparents Day in 2020," Rahkola told me, "when everything got shut down."

The two arts specialists have been planning a return to the spring tradition this Friday, May 6, as a way for students to celebrate creative pursuits and show off the newly renovated spaces at the school.

Kindergarten through third-grade students will perform in the gym at 1 p.m. and grades 4-6 at 2 p.m. Refreshments will be provided for guests in the commons area between performances. The K-6 art exhibition will also be set up in the commons area.

"I have kids going on stage who have never performed in front of other people before; this is going to really be testing out our sea legs," Rahkol said. The fourth- through sixth-graders have been doing instrumental work and there will be recorders, guitars, and bells on the program. The fifth-graders have been doing bucket drumming.

When I asked if the excitement level was high, Rahkola answered that mostly there was just a lot of "not knowing," given that kids, teachers, and parents alike all are a little out of practice with performances.

Two years ago, Molly Kidd was honored with the Art Educators of Minnesota teacher of the year award. The pandemic put her skills to the test, given that not every student was going to have a well-stocked art studio at home.

"It really was an equity issue that was frustrating as a teacher," Kidd said. "I tried to find activities that used materials everyone might have access to."

Now that students are back in one building, Kidd is thrilled to be able to show off what they can do in a classroom setting. "Students can get messy, work together, and have fun."

Kidd said students are doing a lot of collaborative work, especially the upper grades. The fifth-grade students did a group project with Star Wars-themed pixel art pieces. In addition to pop culture references, Kidd also tries to integrate literacy into her projects. The fourth-graders made ceramic robots after reading "The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot."

Works by the students will be on display in the commons area of the school for guests to enjoy after the concert in the gym.

"Usually, I keep all the work in their portfolio and then they bring it home at the end of the year," she said. "They really love the opportunity to show off what they've been working on."