Simmons-Marshall Mega Magnet School
SIMMONS-MARSHALL MEGA MAGNET SCHOOL
Training: January 25 - February 29, 2008; Simmons-Marshall Elementary; Chinyere E. Oteh, Instructor
Exhibition: Simmons-Marshall Elementary School
April 11 - May 27, 2008
Simmons-Marshall Mega Magnet Elementary School, now closed, was home to 260 students. It was established in 1891 and originally named for Charles Elleards, founder of The Ville -- one of the first African-American communities in St. Louis. At that time, schools in The Ville provided a quality education and places of employment for African-American teachers, who were prohibited from teaching in other school districts because of segregation. Built by architect and building commissioner for the St. Louis Board of Education (1897- 1915), William B. Ittner, Simmons-Marshall School, on the National Register of Historic Places, exemplifies one of fifty public schools designed and built from 1897-1929. If you are familiar with St. Louis, you can easily identify the many schools designed by Ittner by their elegant and similar lines. Working with Principal Carey Cunningham, a small group of fourth- and fifth-grade students were selected from the after school program to participate in the Photography Project. Participants began their training by making a K-W-L chart on which the students shared what they Knew about photography and What they wanted to Learn. We talked about self-portraits and read The Best Part of Me, by photographer Wendy Ewald. The young participants wrote poems and worked with partners to photograph one another's faces, hands, legs, and feet. Darrion wrote that his feet "are rough like stone" while Lauren included, "My legs are as smooth as a glossy floor." We concluded our workshops focusing on self-portraits in different locations inside the school and on the playground.
--Chinyere E. Oteh, Photography Project Instructor
Text by Participants:
About My Feet
Feet are big and I love them
Even too
Equal size
Top, front, strong
My feet are strong because
I can pick up pencils with them.
If I didn't have any feet I would not be able to walk.
They are rough like stone.
--Darrion Peppers
The Best Part of Me
The best part of me are my legs. My legs are smooth. My legs help me walk. My legs are soft like a pillow. They are strong like Michael Jordan. They are light skinned like a caramel apple. They are nice like me. My legs are for me and only me.
-- Makayla Wilkins
Just 4 Me
My hands keep me happy.
They're not too long or Flappy.
Without my hands I couldn't hold things.
Everlyday I wake up I remember how much joy they bring.
They're soft like cotton.
My hands are as stron as a heavy rock.
My hands are brown like a snickers bar.
I make my hands look good by painting my fingernails red.
I love my hands, and I always will.
-- Alexis Aaron
Me, Myself, and I
My legs are as smooth as a glossy floor. They are sleek and thin like a pencil or pen. If I didn't have my legs, I couldn't walk, run, or bend. My legs are unique and special. They are like my best friend.
-- Lauren Hargrove
PARTICIPANTS: ages 10 - 11 years
Alexis Aaron
Lauren Hargrove
Darrion Peppers
Makayla Wilkins
COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
Simmons-Marshal Mega Magnet Elementary School