VariQuest Super Schools | VariQuest Tools: Cutout Maker 1800 | Academic Subject: Arts and Music | VariQuest Tools: Perfecta 3600STP
We're coming up to the month of March, where [we hope] spring is springing and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) celebrates Music in our Schools Month.
Jennie Nichols, music teacher to 650 K-5 elementary students at Covington-Harper Elementary School in Virginia, has a busy March every year, as they celebrate the month's distinction. In 2019, Ms. Nichols was putting on six grade-level concerts in just one week, and she thought, wouldn't it be great to recognize all the students' hard work and document the days with a fun photo booth?
With the help of the school's art teacher, the VariQuest® Perfecta® 3600STP Poster Design System, and the VariQuest Cutout Maker 1800 Digital Die-Cut System, Ms. Nichols created a step-and-repeat photo booth for use with the spring concerts and performances - and students and staff alike had a great time!
“Our students worked diligently to prepare for their concerts, and I wanted to treat them like the rock stars they are in my eyes,” said Ms. Nichols. “I thought it would be nice for the students to have a step-and-repeat background often found at celebrity events.”
The Perfecta 3600STP’s fully-integrated scanner was used to scan an original document of the school's mascot, a cheetah, and print to banner size, which, after a few pom pom embellishments, served as the backdrop for their photo booth. To create the selfie frames, she used the Perfecta 3600STP again to print posters, then cut and glued to the frames on either side. The final touch came using the Cutout Maker - to cut letters spelling their school’s name, which hung behind the photo booth proudly displayed on the auditorium stage. And just like that, Ms. Nichols' vision was open for business!
“The photo booth turned out to be a hit with students, families, and staff.”
Beyond the photo booth, Jennie uses the Perfecta 3600STP and Cutout Maker daily! She creates and laminates posters for reuse during classroom instruction with the Perfecta, and designs posters with the school song and school behavior incentives to display throughout the building. She uses the Cutout Maker to cut heart shapes to represent beats for music, using music notes on the ‘heart’ beats to help understand steady beat and rhythm. The rest of the staff at Covington-Harper love the VariQuest Tools as well, using the Cutout Maker constantly for engaging bulletin boards and creating letters and shapes for student learning manipulatives.
Read more about how Covington-Harper Elementary School uses their VariQuest Perfecta 3600STP Poster Design System and Cutout Maker 1800 Digital Die-Cut System, or contact us right now to request a no-obligation demonstration to see how the VariQuest Visual and Kinesthetic Learning Suite could benefit programs in your school!
