B-Smart
Organizations can spend untold time and money in trying to perfectly capture a phrase or sentence that describes a program. In the case of B-Smart, the Promising Practices In After School System did that work for us when they recently recognized the B-Smart program on the national level for its practice of "Developing self-respect through learning new skills that combine the arts and technology." In a nutshell, that is the goal of B-Smart and what it strives to do every day.
How B-Smart Works
The B-Smart after-school program was created in partnership with the Bethlehem Area School District's ASPIRE After School Partnership for Instruction, Recreation and Enrichment) program for at-risk youth. The program is seeded with funding from a combination of foundation, corporate and government grants, including Pennsylvania's Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program. The annual cost of the 26-week program is $110,000.
The B-Smart program represents the arts and education enrichment component of the Bethlehem Area School District's ASPIRE program. Low income, disadvantaged youth from Broughal and Northeast middle schools first receive one hour of academic intervention at their school and then are transported to the Banana Factory where they choose from five different classes daily. B-Smart offers an integrated arts curriculum five days per week for a total of twenty -six weeks of programming throughout the school year and summer.
The traditional arts of pottery, drawing and painting are taught by resident Banana Factory artist instructors. B-Smart students study digital photography in the Olympus Digital Imaging Center at the Banana Factory. A small, select group of B-Smart students have the opportunity to blow glass with world-class glass instructors in our recently opened GlassWorks Studio at the Banana Factory.
The B-Smart program mirrors the school district's calendar year with a 10-week session in fall, a 10-week session in winter/spring and a six-week summer camp. A small class size of 6-15 students ensures quality instruction and personal attention. All classes have a teacher assistant from the Bethlehem Area School District to support Banana Factory artist educators. Classes are one hour and 40 minutes long and include a healthy snack to energize the students after their full day at school. Once refreshed, students shift gears and experiment with different artistic disciplines and create individual and group projects during their 10-week session.
The B-Smart program targets at-risk youth who may not be traditional learners. The visual and tactile senses involved in the arts transform academically challenged students and offer an environment in which to succeed. Creative critical thinking is stressed in all classes and offers the students a new visual language and an enhanced sense of worth and accomplishment.
Measuring the B-Smart Impact
At the end of each school year, Broughal and Northeast middle schools release final grades and attendance reports to ArtsQuest on each participating student in the B-Smart program. This data along with special achievements and honors are kept on file for assessment and evaluation purposes. We recently evaluated a blind sampling of 28 students who had participated in the B-Smart program. These statistics are directly related to B-Smart Project Goals.
- 65% increase in grade point average
- 54% absenteeism down in school
- 89% were able to create an arts/technology program from start to finish
- 92% established viable job skills
- 85% reported increase in self-esteem
- 100% described B-Smart as a positive after school environment
- 57 % were introduced to new technology
- 86 % were able to complete and artist portfolio
A significant aspect of the B-Smart curriculum is the creation of art works in all media for exhibition in our Banana Factory Gallery. Teachers, school administrators, students, family and friends attend the special opening reception that is celebrated during the First Friday event, which includes many other Southside Bethlehem galleries and businesses. Hundreds of people from the neighborhood and beyond attend the exhibition and the press features the show along with personal anecdotes from the B-Smart students. This strong community involvement enhances a strong sense of accomplishment and the B-Smart artists feel a sense of pride in themselves and their community arts center.
B-Smart Intangibles
Mentoring relationships are stressed between Banana Factory artist educators and students. Students who have previously performed poorly in academics find that they can succeed. They have the ability to create beautiful works of art, compelling photographs, dramatic videos, decorative pottery and glass flowers. The dynamic sense of self-worth that ensues from recognition of "I can do this" translates into a heightened teacher/student relationship and fosters a positive experience with adults and authority. This results in a heightened sense of self-esteem.
All B-Smart classes stress teamwork and the creation of projects from start to finish. The skills that are instinctively learned via the arts offer students a new and constructive way to problem solve and opens up a world of new possibilities in their personal lives. Whether it's the filming of a video, or a group working together to create a mosaic mural that grace public spaces, students integrate skills that prove integral to career development, academic achievement and personal growth.
B-Smart Instructors: Uniquely Qualified
Banana Factory resident artist educators are accomplished professionals in their own right, with exhibitions around the nation and age specific teaching experience. B-Smart artist educators have been trained to work with at-risk middle school youth, with special in-service teacher training sessions and the Art as a Way of Leaning® program. Art as a Way of Leaning® professional development strategies are based on current research and the expertise of practicing classroom teachers, art specialists, college faculty and artists-in-residence. Developed in a business education partnership between Northampton Community College and Binney and Smith, the program is consistent with the National Visual Arts Standards and applies the elements and principles of visual language, artistry and curriculum.
Support for B-Smart
Want to sponsor this program? Contact Jeff Parks at jparks@fest.org or 610-332-1300.
B-Smart is made possible by the support of ArtsQuest Members. To learn more & become a member, click here.
B-Smart is supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
B-smart is a qualified program under the Pennsylvania Education Incentive Tax Credit program.
