Drawn to Ellen DeGeneres

During tough economic times, one program in the East Valley School District is looking for creative ways to raise money to keep it alive.

Sami Perry is the artist-in-residence at Skyview Elementary School. She wheels her cart into different classrooms, teaching the students about artists and art techniques.

The program is funded by the school’s parent group, which contributes around $10,000 every year to pay for Perry’s time and supplies.

“The moms and dads recognize the importance of art within the classroom,” Perry said.

During Christmas break, Perry was at home watching “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” one day and the daytime talk show host was giving away money. Perry went to the show’s Web site and saw an opportunity for her art program.

The students in Stacy Brown’s first-grade class had been learning about making self-portraits. She decided to have the students make portraits of DeGeneres, send them to the comedian and cross her fingers.

“My kids just had a lot of fun with it,” Brown said.

The students spent some time learning about what DeGeneres does on her show. They know she loves animals and did the voice of Dory in the movie “Finding Nemo.” Perry said many of the students made whale noises when they talked about the movie, since Dory claimed to “speak whale.”

“They know she dances, that she loves to dance,” Perry said.

The students added those details to the pictures they made. One student drew a picture of Ellen with a small dog sitting on her shoulder.

Perry said she chose Brown’s class to send portraits to DeGeneres because they are very creative and get excited about their art. Perry teaches art in several classrooms at Skyview and also teaches at Trent Elementary.

“First-graders know how to draw,” Perry said.

Shortly after sending the portraits to California, an employee called Perry and asked for pictures of the children to go along with the portraits.

Although she received the call, Perry said that the employee of the show was very clear that nothing had been decided.

“I don’t want to jinx this,” Perry said.

During a recent class at Skyview, the students looked at pictures of pieces by pop-artist Jim Dine, who is known for his brightly colored hearts.

The students cut out paper hearts and learned about primary, secondary and complementary colors.

The class used oil pastels to make hearts with complementary colors next to each other.

“This one looks perfect,” one student exclaimed.

Perry said the students often learn about a particular artist and create their own masterpieces using what they’ve learned from the artist. The artwork the students create is proudly displayed in the hallways of the school.

“We try to keep our halls filled with art,” Perry said.

Perry said the parents’ group is still holding fundraisers for the program and they are not counting on any support from DeGeneres. She said the parents’ group is looking to businesses in the community for sponsorships and donations.

“We hope to find money for it any way we can,” Perry said.