Collaborators
- Brooke Imber, Art Teacher, Keister Elementary School
- The School of Media Arts & Design at James Madison University
- James Madison University Faculty Senate
- City of Harrisonburg Department of Public Works
- Harrisonburg Education Foundation
- Virginia Department of Forestry
Press
Project Overview
Spending time outside during the school day has been proven to improve both educational and social-emotional learning outcomes for school-age children. Through this collaboration, university and elementary-age students worked together to produce signs, posters, and stickers that celebrated mindfulness practices in a new outdoor learning space at Keister Elementary School called the “mindfulness meadow.”
The goal of this project was to empower elementary school students by amplifying their voices through design. The collaboration also gave university students the chance to engage with and learn from their local community and promote social-emotional learning through their creative work.
As a result of this collaboration, over 500 students at Keister Elementary School will be able enjoy a collaborative art gallery and practice mindfulness activities outside. In May 2024 nearly 200 parents and students visited the school to celebrate the opening of the mindfulness meadow.
Final Images
Final deliverable: Illustrated Sticker Sheets
Selected final sticker sheet designs
Final deliverable: Haiku Posters
Selected final haiku poster designs
Final deliverable: Outdoor Signs
Selected final outdoor signs for the mindfulness meadow
Process
Initial brainstorming with KES students
Mindfulness Meadow opening event
Collaborator Feedback
I’ve had the absolute pleasure of working with Elisabeth Kvernen this past school year. Throughout the entire process, Elisabeth was incredibly proactive, professional, and full of incredible ideas. To see over 100 elementary and college students spread out on picnic blankets in our new outdoor learning space, laughing and seamlessly bouncing ideas off of each other melted my heart. This happened because of Elisabeth’s dedication to this project, the thoughtful and kind hearted guidance that she gave her students, and her persistence to connect the two different communities of people together.
—Brooke Imber, Art Teacher, Keister Elementary School