In her classroom, Deborah Kuntz has books spilling over with thank-you notes scribbled in shaky, oversized print, photos of children proudly displaying works of art and teachers laughing as they lead students in some funky dance moves or through the puppet-making process.

Saihou Njie dancing with a fourth grade class.

Kuntz, the gifted support and enrichment program coordinator at South Fayette Elementary School, uses the journals to chronicle the few weeks each year when local talent from the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts takes over the school as part of the Artist in Residence program.

While SF students do take art, music and performance classes as part of their regular schedules, Kuntz approached the elementary school PTA about giving them a little something extra throughout the school year. The PTA funds the Artist in Residence programs and member Cindy Hestad works closely with Kuntz to accomplish the (main) goals.

“The goal was that we would bring in someone who could do something we couldn’t with students,” said Kuntz. “We wanted the students to see that art is a profession.”

The program, which occurs once in the fall and twice in the spring and is in its third year at the school, lets children spend two weeks discovering their inner artist or just expressing themselves creatively. Artists work at the school for ten days with both a core group of children and groups that pass in and out of instruction.

A popular performer among the children is Laura Opshinsky, who teaches her puppetry profession to second grade students. With her guidance, kids create moveable creatures using dish soap bottles and papier-mâché.

“It’s phenomenal. The kids love them,” Kuntz said. “They cherish them. They carry them with such pride.”

Constance Merriman demonstrates and explains the process of stamping to a third grade class.

Students end the program with a presentation for parents, where they are the ones holding the strings behind the curtain.

Artist Constance Merriman walks students through the book-making process – everything from the plot to the binding. Tina Brewer teaches the art of quilt making and the products of her class line the entrance of the school.

“That’s something they wouldn’t experience unless their parents took them somewhere out of the school,” Kuntz said. “Students really come out of their shell — they’re amazed.”

Saihou Njie teaches batik, the method of hand-printing textiles by coating with wax the parts not to be dyed. But the artist tries to incorporate more than art in his lessons.

“I call myself an ambassador of peace,” said Njie, who originates from Gambia in West Africa. “When I work with the kids, I take the opportunity to talk about Africa in a totally new light than what they see in the media. I teach them to be accepting of all forms of life.”

Njie, who says he “becomes a kid when around kids,” grew up immersed in art. His mother was a local seamstress and his father always encouraged him to think creatively. He recalls talking to his father, eyes pointed upward at the open sky, about what each abstract cloud resembled.

After he came to America in the 1970s, art became both his passion and profession. It’s that passion he tries to pass on to every child he teaches.

“It’s great when children spend time doing something creative instead of watching TV and playing video games,” he said.

In addition to art, Njie incorporates African dance and storytelling into his lessons. He also makes his students promise to eliminate one word from their vocabulary: hate.

The students are always enthusiastic about Njie’s lesson, often wanting to create more than one piece of batik. Njie hopes his students carry the lesson with them throughout their lives.

“When I do shows at the art festivals and people stop by, I always hear someone say, ‘I remember doing that in grade school,’” he said. “If these kids today say the same thing years to come, it will really make my day.”