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Samantha Gilliam Presence

Art Teacher

Samantha Presence is an art educator with a passion for fostering creativity and critical thinking in young learners. She holds a postgraduate degree in Education and a Bachelor's degree in Multi-Media Visual Arts. Samantha has worked in both primary school and community arts settings, where she has developed and implemented engaging curricula designed to explore diverse artistic media and techniques.

Samantha is responsible for curating and delivering the visual arts curriculum for grades 1-4. She creates interdisciplinary projects that integrate art with other subjects such as history and literature, and fosters a collaborative, hands-on learning environment. She ensures students have the tools and support to express their ideas while learning key art skills.

Samantha is deeply interested in using art as a means to develop critical thinking, cultural awareness, and personal growth. Her hobbies include crafting, baking, and exploring art with her family in the city. She enjoys experimenting with different art forms, from painting and drawing to digital design.

Samantha hopes to inspire self-expression and cultivate empathy, resilience, and creativity in students. She views art as a universal language that can connect individuals across cultures and encourage deep personal reflection. At MSA, she aims to create an inclusive, supportive, and dynamic learning environment where learners can confidently explore their artistic abilities and express their unique perspectives. Samantha is committed to equipping students with the skills they need to become thoughtful, creative problem-solvers and to appreciate the value of artistic contributions to the world around them.

Projects2

Super Clean Life

Disciplines/Subjects: Language、Science、Social Study、Visual Arts Key Themes: Empathy、Clean life、Material change、Marketing and sales In this project, learners will act as an expert team to help "Stinky Princess" solve some of the problems she encounters in her life. "Stinky Princess" hopes to find a magical soap that not only makes her clean and fragrant but is also made from eco-friendly and healthy materials. During this learning journey, learners will be assigned the following roles: Bacteria Investigator: When they put on the white investigator's hat, they need to gather as much knowledge as possible about bacteria through various channels, create a set of bacteria profile cards, and make an "ID card" for the bacteria residents. Healthy Lifestyle Guardian: When they put on the green guardian's hat, they need to explore and experience a lifestyle that coexists harmoniously with bacteria and nature during their outings, and document their inspirations and creative ideas. Magic Experimenter: When they put on the blue experimenter's hat, they will use their knowledge of acids, bases, and changes in states of matter to conduct chemical magic experiments. Fragrant Clean World Inventor: When they put on the yellow inventor's hat, the most critical part of the project arrives, soap making! In this phase, they need to consider factors such as cleanliness, environmental friendliness, scent, safety, and user needs. Soap Company Salesperson: When they put on the red salesperson's hat, it means they need to find suitable customers to promote their product. At this stage, they must use specific sales techniques tailored to different clients to market their product effectively.

Fantasy Animals

Disciplines/Subjects: ELA/Visual Arts Key Themes: Animals, Surrealism, Creativity, Hybrid Creatures Learners played Exquisite Corpse to explore surrealism and creativity. They then brainstormed, sketched, and designed their own fantasy animals by combining features from at least three different animals. To prepare for their final artwork, learners participated in a watercolor techniques workshop, practicing wet-on-wet, dry brush, salt texture, and alcohol effects. They applied these techniques to create their fantasy creatures using drawing, watercolor, and ink. As an ELA component, learners wrote aproximately 50-word background stories describing their creatures. Sentence starters, vocabulary prompts, and peer feedback supported their writing. The project concluded with presentations, where learners shared their artwork and stories.