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Briscoe Elementary S.M.A.R.T. Spaces

Hello there!

My name is Yvette Benavides, Director of S.M.A.R.T. We believe that the arts are essential in education, and students are most productive when they are creatively engaged. Our nonprofit focuses on building community through arts education. Since 2005 we have partnered with Briscoe Elementary School. It is the ONLY public school in Texas where students leave their campus (during the school day) to study art in a professional studio setting . Working together with our Briscoe family, we shifted the school from a zero art curriculum to a school that is now a recognized Fine Arts and World Music in-district charter school! The partnership has been transformative for the school, kids, families, and the broader San Antonio community! We seek to raise funds for S.M.A.R.T. Spaces, our latest design-build project inspired by our student's observation that they wanted to have creative spaces on their campus.

What is a S.M.A.R.T. Space? S.M.A.R.T. Spaces give students a place to gather socially, create, exchange ideas, practice, read and hold discussions. These spaces are where students will collaborate to enhance their education. For our current project, students identified locations on their campus where kids naturally congregated. They determined these spaces needed a more defined environment, whether a stairwell or outside or sitting in the hallway. In collaboration with our local architect firm, Alamo Architects, students began the journey of designing and building. Twenty students (ages 3rd - 5th grade) worked with their architects to assess their proposed locations, design, consider lighting, and use of space. The architects shared creative process and their designated Fifth-grader led each team to develop a theme for their Space and decide how it would be utilized. Students learned how to use the architectural scale, conducted site visits, and were interviewed by the local news station to share their experiences. We are ready to build now that designing is DONE, materials have been researched, and budgets have been finalized. We are reaching out for budget support to bring our students' visions to reality.


Why is this important? We believe providing new platforms of study that reach the community is essential for the well-rounded development of the whole student. Partnering with industry allows students to express their voices in a new realm, getting guidance from and learning alongside industry leaders. This educational process on the foundation of art challenges our students. Concept development designing, leading the project with their voices, learning real-world skills, having access to professional mentors and embracing new terminology are experiences they will not forget and skills that will serve them well.

What do we need? Materials cost has gone up significantly since we began last October 2021, and we need you to help realize this project. Our original budget was 7,000.00. The funds will purchase the necessary materials to complete the BUILD stage. Materials vary from printed graphics, lumber, foam/gator board, paint, hardware etc. Here is the breakdown of costs per Space:
  • Space 1 $3,000
  • Space 2 $1,880
  • Space 3 $2,140
  • Space 4 $3,200
  • Space 5 $2,560

Any contribution amount is appreciated and gets us closer to our budget. Please consider our project and know that you are supporting the vision of our future community builders. Thank you for your time, and thank you for being S.M.A.R.T.!









Donations (4)

  • Tony Hass
    • $100 
    • 2 yrs
  • Anonymous
    • $250 
    • 2 yrs
  • Debra Guerrero
    • $100 
    • 2 yrs
  • annette alaniz
    • $100 
    • 2 yrs

Organizer

Yvette Benavides
Organizer
San Antonio, TX
SMART Fair Inc
 
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.

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