PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS AWARDED FOR
THEIR ARTISTIC FLAIR
and Awards Ceremony
Miami, FL –March 22, 2006—The Education Fund’s Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials Annual Art Exhibit and Award Ceremony will take place on Saturday, March 25 at the Miami Museum of Science from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. at 3280 South Miami Avenue in Miami. At this event, more than 50 students and their teachers will receive awards. The majority of these young artists are elementary school age. Additionally on display will be the winning art, including a 20-foot snake, a 3-D dragon, a Chihuly-inspired bowl, a large gold-gilded 3-D tribute to Frida Kahlo and a number of other visually stunning pieces.
The Education Fund’s Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials annual art exhibit stretches students’ artistic talents by asking them to create pieces from found objects. Sponsored by Ocean Bank and The Education Fund for 13 years, this year’s exhibit features almost 130 striking pieces submitted by students from 19 Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
All of the pieces were created from materials recycled by the Ocean Bank Center, a program of The Education Fund. Students used their imaginations to create stunning pieces from tools, milk jugs, scrap metal, cardboard tubes, tin foil, acetate, Styrofoam, music CDs and many other objects that were donated to the Ocean Bank Center.
“We have been involved in this project for 13 years now and each time, the artwork gets better and better,” said José A. Concepción, President and CEO of Ocean Bank. “We are truly impressed by the level of talent and creativity these school children possess.”
The annual art exhibit combines the power of a child’s imagination with the ultimate recycling program. The project helps to fuel a child’s mind and generate creativity in the classroom by giving kids the opportunity to use everyday objects and convert them into works of art. Students used a combination of traditional sculptures, mixed media, 3-D pieces and a large number of paintings and drawings in this year’s exhibit.
A number of this year’s entries represent schools located in some of Miami-Dade County’s low-income neighborhoods. Students, teachers and classes represent Banyan Elementary, Rainbow Park Elementary, Miami Norland High, and Biscayne Elementary among many others.
Ocean Bank has donated more than a half million dollars since 1993 in support of The Education Fund’s Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials and its art programs. This investment has leveraged in excess of $5.2 million in goods donated to the Ocean Bank Center by companies throughout South Florida and the United States. Teachers from nearly every public school in the district visit The Education Fund’s Ocean Bank Center on a weekly basis to obtain classroom materials such as paper, incentive items, books, tapes and art materials for their students.
The Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials is a warehouse and distribution program sponsored by Ocean Bank and run by The Education Fund. The Ocean Bank Center collects surplus inventory and supplies from the business community and makes them available for free to Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ teachers for their students. The OBCEM is located at6890 NW 76 Street in Medley, FL.
The Education Fund is an independent non-profit organization established in 1985. The Education Fund’s mission is to design and implement initiatives that involve the private sector in improving public education. Since its inception, The Education Fund has raised more than $28 million to support and improve our local public schools. For more information, logon to www.educationfund.org.
Ocean Bank: Chartered in 1982, Ocean Bank is the largest independent commercial bank headquartered in Florida. It operates a network of 21 branches throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The community bank is recognized as a leader in fueling South Florida’s economic growth by providing its customers with quality financial products like commercial real estate lending, corporate lending and small business lending all of which have attributed to growth and new employment opportunities in our community. With more than $5.6 billion in assets and $4.6 billion in deposits, Ocean Bank is a true local bank that reinvests 100 percent of local and foreign deposits in South Florida. It has received numerous recognitions for its support of local charitable organizations and for its commitment to helping those who are most in need. For more information logon to www.oceanbank.com.
The Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials 2006 Art Exhibition
Student Winners
Grand Prize: Tribute to Frida…A Celebration of the life of Frida Kahlo
By: Kristina Just, Alina Perez, Nicole Perez, Kaitlin Phillips, Yanelis Morales, Antonio Riverol, Brooke Nelson, Lorian Sharp, Cristen Nelson, Jadan Garcia, Lanya Valles, Elon Wallace, Christian Marroquin.
School: Jack D. Gordon Elementary; 5th grade
Art Teacher: Michael Flaum, Marcy Werner & Paige Karaboyus
Best of the Best: Jungle Drawing
By: Gabriel Lopez/8th Grade
School: South Miami Middle
Art Teacher: Herb Summers
Award of Merit: The Dragon "Ron Rico"
By: Jose Fernandez/4th Grade
School: Banyan Elementary
Art Teacher: Peter DeMercado
Honorable Mentions:Flower Frenzy
By: Allyson Escobar, Atika Meer, Victoria Figueiredo
School: Doral Academy Elementary; 5th grade
Art Teacher: Erika Reboucas
Snake
By: Kendrick Ballard, Jabari Bowen, Quiynteria Brown, Devin Fuller, Luis Gonzalez, Robin McFarlane, Luis Mojica, Melvin Saens, Myesha Smith, Terry Stacey, Keion Stanley, Julissa Vera, Ricardo Jerome, Eva Saens, Wendy Moreno
School: Rainbow Park Elementary; 4th grade
Art Teacher: Elena V. Rodriguez
Freedom
By: Juan Rozo/8th Grade
School: Mays Middle
Art Teacher: Ms. Beard
Special Recognition
Nature, Group/9th Grade, Miami Norland Senior High
Who We Are & What We Like, Group/6th Grade, Biscayne Elementary
Bowl After Chihuly, Gleiby Vidal/4th Grade, Charles R. Drew Elementary
The Face of Many, Mario Williams/4th Grade, Renaissance Charter Elementary
Hot Dots, Diana Otero/2nd Grade, Ernest R. Graham Elementary
Teacher Winners
Grand Prize:
Blue Ox 'Ide on Brown Box-Side
By: Peter DeMercado
School: Banyan Elementary
Best of the Best:
Urban Sprawl
By: Erika Reboucas
School: Doral Academy Elementary
Award of Merit:
Tree of Life
By: Sara Alfaro
School: Renaissance Charter Elementary
Special Recognition
Regeneration II, Betty Ann Packler, Snapper Creek Elementary Iron Head Iggy, Peter DeMercado, Banyan Elementary A Portion of Life, Sara Alfaro, Renaissance Charter Elementary Silver Star, Joyce Merkle, Charles R. Drew Elementary
Top School Awards
Jack D. Gordon Elementary South Miami Middle Banyan Elementary Doral Academy Elementary Rainbow Park Elementary Mays Middle
