During the summer of 2019, the City of Farmington Hills Department of Special Services, Cultural Arts Division piloted a new program as part of the annual summer camp roster. “Wild at Sea Art Camp” guided youth ages 8-12 in exploring the wild life living in our world’s rivers, lakes and oceans. Participants learned all about whales, sharks, fish, and vegetation while also exploring different artistic mediums such as drawing, painting, sculpture and more.
This camp was led by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) 2018 Teacher at Sea, Stephen Kade. Staff from the Cultural Arts Division provided letters of recommendation for Stephen’s 2018 NOAA application and committed to collaborate with him for future programming in which Biology and Art could merge to create an arts-based learning program. During his residency with Teacher at Sea, Stephen had the opportunity to work on the NOAA ship OREGON II where he aided in the surveying of sharks and data collection in the Gulf of Mexico and in the southeast Atlantic Ocean. As an Art Teacher at Smith Middle School, he used these experiences and the science based research to create an arts-based curriculum that could be offered to youth in his classrooms at Dearborn Public Schools. As a long-time participant of the annual Art on the Grand art fair coordinated by the City of Farmington Hills, the Cultural Arts Division worked with Stephen to create an exciting and unique one-week summer art camp to also share the NOAA experience with community youth.
Wild at Sea Art Camp was a great opportunity for youth that wanted to take a deep dive into the world of marine life and art!
Congratulations Mr. Kade on your award and all your amazing accomplishments!
