You begin creating little designs in your notebook and on the backs of handouts you are given in class. You try to pay attention, but you get lost in your own little world and begin to illustrate your ideas. It is funny at first. You are just releasing your boredom through your pen, but then it becomes something you turn to every time you get bored. Your little stick figure cartoons grow to become cartoon characters in an imaginary world. This is when you realize you have become a doodler.

Some say it is easier for them to learn when they are doodling, and others just do it to detach themselves from the lecture at hand during class. In a delightful new study, which will be published in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology, psychologist Jackie Andrade of the University of Plymouth in southern England showed that doodlers actually remember more than non-doodlers.Studies show that the certain people who doodle during class are more prone to remember the conversation or lecture. The reason for this is that the brain is functioning at all times, and when you day dream or doodle your brain is processing the next step you are going to take in your drawing and when your brain is constantly processing it gets used to it and is able to process more information at the same time. This allows doodlers to retain more information while doodling.

Doodlers are everywhere. People are constantly creating new ideas and expressing them through creative doodles when they are stuck in class. From simple doodles to intense designs and optical illusions, doodling has no limits. Not only does it keep your brain occupied during mind numbing lectures and meetings, it also improves your brain function when dealing with multiple situations. So the next time you are confronted by your teacher about your doodling simply explain that you are only trying to better your overall brain function.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1882127,00.html#ixzz1JKsItqbA

In reality, the art room is not far; it is just down the hill and to the left. It’s pretty obvious which one is the art room, since it has a patio full of wild projects. The classroom is a kaliadascope of colors and drawings; like a skittles rainbow exploded into a masterpiece of talent.

Art is an important aspect in many LJA students’ lives. Students are always in there madly creating and getting one step closer to their dream. They are inspired by different things, but they are all working towards something similar – to become the world’s next biggest artist.

Everyone strives to do art for different reasons. Tori Wilcox, a senior, wants to become a fashion artist. You may have noticed some of her dress designs outside the art room. What motivates her to this?  Tori explains, “My great grandma is an artist and she inspired me to do art.” Tori also agrees that the students and faculty of LJA are not as informed as they should be on the arts. “No one knows how much people work and how much effort is put into art, and people should know.”

I mean, come on, don’t you want to know who made a body cast with a tree coming out of it? Well that’s Jacob Blau, another senior artist who is inspired by experimenting. “During the summer I was experimenting with different ideas, and I wanted to explore different types of art other than those I’m used to. So I wanted to explore the field of accessory design. But I still wanted to have my edgy and couture style embedded into it. So when I decided on making a ring I knew I wouldn’t make a ring you would wear every day, and that’s how I stumbled upon the idea to make a bird cage ring.”

Ms. Devitt says, “The student population at Le Jardin Academy is very creative and it’s not just the visual arts, but it is also the singing and drama.” Pay attention, listen close, and open your eyes because these people, your fellow classmates, may be famous one day and you’ll regret not knowing and seeing the progression of their art when you had the chance.

Applications have already been sent out to high schools around the island, and the deadline for the application is March 1^st.  For applicants who will be performing, the auditions are in March, and April.  On Sunday, April 25, the awards will be presented to the contestants in a public concert and exhibition, and award checks will also be awarded at that time.  Also, the best part is the $300 and $150 awards they will be giving out to the winners.  Thanks to the Harold K. L. Castle Foundation, individuals with gifts, and the WAC funds for the awards!

If you are interested in applying, ask your art teachers, and if they don’t have any application forms you can get them from Anne McKay at annemckay@hawaii.rr.com.  You can also write to Windward Arts Council, Box 1704, Kailua HI 96734.  There are some excellent artists here at Le Jardin, and hopes to have some applicants (maybe even some winners) All you fabulous artists should consider applying!

Mr. St. John will attempt to transform a group of students, which mainly consists of new members, into a cohesive cast.  But, Mr. St. John’s optimism never fails, even in a time of uncertainty, “We have a great cast.  The play has a lot of potential.”

Potential.  This word and the meaning behind it was the first step in Mr. St. John’s Drama career.  “I was hanging out after school,” Mr. St. John recollects, “and a friend said, “Do you want to go to the Drama Club meeting with me?”  Mr. St. John replied, “Why would I want to do that?”  When Mr. St. John showed up for the meeting, play try-outs were being held.  He obtained a small role, coincidentally for, “The Servant of Two Masters.”

The plot is centered on a clever servant who tries to double his earnings by working for two masters.  This causes confusion and pandemonium.  “This play was written as a classic Italian comedy”, but with the help from the Creative Writing club and the guidance of St. John, it will be updated.  It will be tweaked to fit a modern setting, “plus, we changed the gender of a couple of characters, split one character into two, and added a narrative aspect that lets the audience in on some of the comic conventions of the original form,” says Mr. St. John, unshy of giving away important details before opening night. 

Mr. St. John chose this play because he felt that, “it is instructive in the ways of ‘Comedia dell Arte,’ the most influential of all comic styles in theatre history.”  The altered script is wacky and full of slapstick, “since we’re writing it, we can make it as inappropriate (or appropriate) as we choose,” explained St. John.  The audience consists of middle and high school students, and the public. 

So spread the word about the ‘up and coming’ play, “The Servant of Two Masters”, and support our school’s Fine Arts program by watching our talented actors perform.

The octopus assignment is to take the song “Octopus’s Garden”, a portrait and incorporate the song into your art work. 

The Art 3 and A.P. Art students have just finished the Octopus projects.  So go check them out they are in Ms. Devitt’s room, 308.

Now held on September 21^st of every year, the United Nations’ International Day of Peace was originally established by a UN resolution in 1981.  It wasn’t until twenty years later though that the United Nations’ General Assembly decided on September 21st as the annual date.  The UN International Day of Peace is a global holiday that consists of individuals, communities, nations, and governments highlighting efforts to end conflict and promote peace.  It is a full 24 hours of peace and ceasefire during which any and all wars come to a halt. 

When the Lower and Middle School held their own peace ceremony with their principal PJ Foehr they held a moment of silence for those around the world.  From there, each of the different grades chose to celebrate Peace Day in their own way The sixth grade class in particular (with the help of Mrs. Manso) decided to take on a peace project all their own.  Each sixth grader developed and constructed a four-piece pinwheel that represented what peace personally meant to them.  One section was dedicated to an influential quote, while another what each kid thought they could do to make a difference, another for their interpretation of a peaceful world, and the last one consisted of a collection of peaceful words.

Among the sixth grade were different versions of what peace meant.  For Zina Simpkins it means “to be calm, and not rude or crazy,” while for Sophie Bruno it means for “no war or violence.”  Ryan King also added that each pinwheel was painted in the style of Jackson Pollack where the colors they used created a more abstract feel to their designs.  For him peace is “no killing, bright colors, and hippies.”

It doesn’t matter how old you are to be able to convey a message, and the sixth graders helped to prove that.  Even if it’s one small step, like creating a peace pinwheel for all to see, by helping to observe September 21^st of every year we can help to bring our world one day closer to total peace.