Celebrating it's 11th year Anniversary! . . . this Van Go! story began in 2001
For the first year of operation, the Van Go! Mobile Art and Reading Program was a grant-approved program initially set up to offer art lessons with the inclusion of a story of a famous artist from a series of great books written and illustrated by Mike Venezia.
The program is now sustained by being included in the Fine Arts budget.
The Van Go! teachers travel to nearly 60 schools seeing an estimated 4,200 third graders each visit, for a total of three to four visits in one school year.
Our lessons always encompass other areas of curriculum, consequently, establishing lesson and life experience connections. Mary Jane Gunn travels in a "UPS-style-van." Mrs. Gunn's vehicle, Van Go! II, mainly serves as publicity and transportation because she teaches her lessons in the schools. The other Van Go! art teacher, Ms. Kapilevich, travels in an RV-style classroom that accommodates most class sizes in the "van," pictured above.
MORE PHOTOS FROM THE VAN GO! PROGRAM
The program is now sustained by being included in the Fine Arts budget.
The Van Go! teachers travel to nearly 60 schools seeing an estimated 4,200 third graders each visit, for a total of three to four visits in one school year.
Our lessons always encompass other areas of curriculum, consequently, establishing lesson and life experience connections. Mary Jane Gunn travels in a "UPS-style-van." Mrs. Gunn's vehicle, Van Go! II, mainly serves as publicity and transportation because she teaches her lessons in the schools. The other Van Go! art teacher, Ms. Kapilevich, travels in an RV-style classroom that accommodates most class sizes in the "van," pictured above.
MORE PHOTOS FROM THE VAN GO! PROGRAM
This website is for the elementary teacher...
This site is another extension of the Van Go! Art Program.
We hope this site gives you ideas that will assist you in teaching art lessons throughout the year. Some lessons require one art period and some might require a little bit more time. We can not provide materials, but if you have questions about this site or the lessons, you can reach us at our EPISD email address...Thank you!
Mary Jane Gunn
Lena Kapilevich
We hope this site gives you ideas that will assist you in teaching art lessons throughout the year. Some lessons require one art period and some might require a little bit more time. We can not provide materials, but if you have questions about this site or the lessons, you can reach us at our EPISD email address...Thank you!
Mary Jane Gunn
Lena Kapilevich
Van Go! Art Teachers
Mary Jane Gunn
...has been a teacher for more than 20 years. She has truly enjoyed teaching art to third graders with El Paso Independent School District's Van Go! Art Program. She estimated teaching to more than 7,100 third graders each year. Anyone can tell that Mrs. Gunn stays in excellent physical condition, but you may not know why? (Oh, other than hopping in and out of classrooms toting, at times, 30 + pounds of art supplies.) One main reason is that she hikes almost every weekend with her husband of 36 years. They have three grown children. She loves spending time with their grandchildren.
Mrs. Gunn earned her BA in Art and Art History from The George Washington University in Washington D.C. |
Yelena KapilevichI graduated from University at Buffalo with a B.A. with a concentration in Photography, and went on to get my Master's Degree. I completed an M.S. of Elementary Education from Niagara University a year later. I completed my second Masters at UTEP, this one in Administration. I am currently enrolled at UNT in pursuit of my third (yes, I love learning) degree, in Library Sciences.
After graduating from NU, I spent a few years traveling with my job in Marketing. After traveling the county and parts of the world, I then decided that it was time to settle down, and get back to my love - teaching. I have worked with students in grades K-8th since graduating, and since moving to El Paso, I worked as a 5th and 2nd grade teacher, and as an Art teacher at Lundy for 3 years. I have been married for over 2 years and we have a wild and crazy little boy that keeps our hands full. This year has been a great one so far and I can't wait to see what the rest of the year holds. |