Teacher: ‘I felt privileged to be invited into their family. I know I left with a full heart’
WOODBINE — The Ocean City Arts Center is a popular destination upstairs in the Ocean City Community Center. There is a gallery and studios for classes in the fine and performing arts.
For some students who can’t get to the Arts Center, the Arts Center goes to them.
For the second summer in a row, the OCAC has conducted a summer camp at Woodbine Elementary School, courtesy of funding by Sturdy Savings Bank.
They provide exposure to the arts in camps that are as fulfilling to the teachers as they are for the students.
“I feel like it’s almost more rewarding for myself than it is for these kids because they have such an appreciation for everything that we bring to them,” said Aaron Bogushefsky, a former longtime art teacher in the Ocean City School District.
“I’m not completely sure of all their opportunities that they have here, but I know that some of the things we bring are completely new to them,” he said. “To watch their eyes light up and to see their excitement doing it makes it more than worth it for me. And I hope they’re getting as much out of it as I am.”
“I think I learned as much as the kids. It was beautiful,” said the teacher from the other session, Ocean City resident Theresa Kennish, who recently retired after 32 years as a public school educator at the Ventnor Educational Community Complex.
“I thought it was a really special and unique experience, getting to work with all of the students, with all of their different backgrounds,” Kennish said. “It was extremely motivating.”
The age group was right up her alley.
“I like teaching art to children because you get a chance to see their unique expression and style develop from their first paint stroke,” she said. “I’m using this time in my life to really explore my artistic expression and have the opportunity to help other people paint and grow as an artist as well.”
Chase Jackson, executive director of the Arts Center, explained why it has expanded its reach.
“OCAC’s mission strives to enrich lives and hopefully build a stronger community through art education and outreach. We aim to be an inclusive home to the greater Cape/Atlantic area beyond the island,” Jackson said.
“The Woodbine enclave is rural and faces transportation challenges, especially for youth and families trying to access services beyond school and church activities. OCAC saw the need and opportunity and made the leap to make it happen,” she said.
This year the camp taught two different groups of students.
“Expanding the camp to middle school-aged youth this year was crucial. We know that art can help tweens stay focused by engaging their minds in a creative process that encourages mindfulness, leading to improved concentration in other areas,” Jackson said. “The Arts Center’s hope is that all the youth in our Woodbine camp not only created beautiful or fun projects, but that the youth also came away with a renewed feeling of appreciation for the arts.”
When asked why they fund and help fund programs like the art camps, Gregory Matuson, president and CEO of Sturdy Savings Bank, responded that it is part of their mission.
“Sturdy Savings Bank is proud to support the Ocean City Center for the Arts Summer Art Camp at Woodbine Elementary School. We believe programs like this foster creativity, build confidence and enrich the lives of young people in our communities. Supporting initiatives that inspire and educate our youth aligns with our mission to invest in the future of the communities we serve,” he said.
“As a community bank, we’re deeply committed to giving back,” Matuson continued. “Whether it’s the arts, education or local events, we view our support not as a donation, but as an investment in the people and places that make our communities strong.”
Arts in education
Bogushefsky and Kennish explained why they feel the arts are important and go beyond just creating an appreciation.
Over the years, Bogushefsky said he has looked at research and all of it shows that children who study the arts, whether music or visual, will do better on standardized tests.
“As I was explaining to the kids … art uses one half of your brain and math and English and writing, these are things on the other side. And if we’re only ever stimulating half our brain, I don’t think we’re ever using it completely. It makes them all more well-rounded and better able to problem solve,” he said.
“I find that it’s really a cool area is that we can see kids excel in other ways than just academics. But I don’t want to separate it from academics because I think it’s so closely related. I think it’s actually essential,” Bogushefsky said. “There’s a practical side of problem solving, but also waking up the creative side of the brain, I think, is so important, especially for problem-solving skills for young kids today.”
Kennish said the arts are “really important, especially for children that may or may not have the opportunity for art in their personal life to be able to go someplace to have a program that allows them to explore their own creativity and see what’s possible out there and to give them a space where they have the freedom to be themselves.”
Both teachers in the July program said they appreciated the opportunity to work in Woodbine and work with the staff there.
Bogushefsky noted the Arts Center has numerous art camps for students throughout the summer in Ocean City, but he found something special in Woodbine, where he has some family history.
“It’s like a shot in the arm for me. There is a genuineness to the teachers who are here, who have a real love and care for these kids. I’m not saying that doesn’t exist elsewhere, but there’s something special here in this smaller school setting,” he said.
“I really love being a part of that for a short time. And to work with the kids, it’s been really amazing. They’ve been nothing short of amazing this whole time,” he said. “The level of appreciation is incredibly high here for what I’m doing and it’s definitely reciprocated from me back to them.”
“I thought it was such a huge success because Sturdy Savings Bank was kind enough to put their part into it, and because of the teachers who Aaron and I both got to know here. You could see it, you could feel it, how happy they were to be here. I felt privileged to be invited into their family,” Kennish said. “I know I left with a full heart.”
– STORY and PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
Editor’s Note: Nahan is on the board of the Ocean City Arts Center. Additional photos courtesy of Theresa Kennish.