Maple Grove Senior High School art teacher Erin Boe with a student. Photos: Julie Demos
An award-winning educator is bringing Special Olympics Minnesota to the classroom.
At Maple Grove Senior High School (MGSH), one art class is in high demand for students, with 71 students competing for just 15 spots in the first trimester. Unified Art pairs general education students with students with disabilities receiving educational services and support to work together on individual, partner and group projects. The popularity is welcomed by MGSH art teacher Erin Boe, but it isn’t a surprise.
“I believe it’s because [the class] ignites something inside of them that’s much bigger than just academic growth,” Boe says. “We live in a very individualist society which is all about, ‘How far can I get? How much can I achieve?’ This is very different. It’s collaborative, and if the person sitting next to you is not succeeding or is being left behind, we need to address that.”
Boe began working on her Unified Art curriculum during her graduate program at Augsburg University and during her first year teaching at Park Center Senior High School. She also reached out to Special Olympics Minnesota to write a 12-unit curriculum for other Unified Art teachers. When she began teaching at MGSH, a Unified Champion School that already taught Unified P.E., she brought Unified Art with her.
Now in her second year at MGSH, Boe is starting off the new academic year with the Minnesota Art Educator of The Year award under her belt for her work in Unified Art. She plans to speak at upcoming conferences to spread the word about its impact. “This class benefits every student, it doesn’t matter who you are,” she says.
We sat down with Boe to learn more about how her classroom operates and what her students gain from the program.
Student “artists” and “partners” work together during class.
What does being a Unified Champion School mean?
EB: The program is aimed at promoting social inclusion through intentionally planned and implemented activities, affecting systems-wide change. These are school climates where students with disabilities feel welcome and are routinely included in and feel a part of all activities, opportunities and functions. Art is being used as the vehicle to teach skills of empathy, leadership, inclusion and belonging.
How did you develop your curriculum?
EB: I made it extremely intentional. It’s 12 units. The first three units are “Who am I?”, which are identity-related projects like self-portraits. The next three are “Who are you?”, which is me learning about who you are as a person, and maybe we’re creating an abstract portrait together. The next three are “Who are we?”, and that’s developing and fostering connections within our classroom. The last three are “We are unified,” which are community-based outreach projects, and “How can we think bigger than ourselves?” Last year, that was social justice murals and we created a ceramic tile mosaic.
Unified Art students display their work.
What does a typical Unified Art class look like?
EB: In a perfect world, I’m not doing much in the class because my students have become leaders who understand how to move things along for their partners. We call our students “artists” and “partners,” and the artist is the student receiving special education services and the partner is the student in general education. I give them everything they could possibly need and more, I give them the empowerment to understand that the supplies belong to them, how to take care of those supplies and then they usually take it and run. These students are hungry to lead—they’re hungry for responsibility. I can stand back. It’s not easy to get to that step. It takes a ton of planning on the forefront.
Unified Art classes are predominantly run by the students themselves.
This is your second year at MGSH. What are your favorite moments in this program so far?
EB: The gallery show was incredible, to just stand back and watch students welcome guests that were there to celebrate their accomplishments. These students receiving special education services maybe haven’t had any general education friends or experiences before this moment. [I watch] these students walk in with their parents and their eyes just light up when they see their art on the wall, ushering their family over, proudly showing them. Then they see a friend, and they’re introducing their friend, and then it’s just all smiles and hugs and parents are tearing up. It’s a profoundly beautiful thing to be a part of.
Maple Grove Senior High School
9800 Fernbrook Lane N.; 763.391.8700
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