Families at Smith Street School in Uniondale picked up their paintbrushes Sept. 30 for the school Parent Teacher Association’s first family paint night, an evening designed to bring students and parents together.
Held in the school cafeteria, the event began with a pizza dinner at 5:30 p.m., followed by painting at 6. Tickets were sold in advance for $15, and the PTA had additional supplies available for families who decided to participate that evening.
For PTA President Miranda Van Ommeren, the event was part of a larger effort to strengthen connections among Smith Street families.
Van Ommeren, now in her second year as PTA president, is an alumna of Smith Street and has a son in first grade at the school. She works alongside a board of about 10 parents to plan activities and encourage more families to become involved with the PTA.
Rather than focusing primarily on fundraising, Van Ommeren said one of her priorities is building a stronger school community. The PTA has organized free and low-cost events where families can meet one another, become more comfortable visiting the school and build relationships with teachers.
The group meets monthly and aims to organize about one event each month. Once members settled on the idea of hosting a paint night, plans came together quickly. After receiving approval from the school, the PTA promoted the event through flyers and word of mouth.
Leading the budding artists through their paintings was Mia Prescod, a first-year art teacher who previously worked at Smith Street as a student teacher.
As families finished their pizza, Prescod prepared palettes using paper plates, placing seven colors of paint around the edge of each one. Long cafeteria tables were covered in plastic and lined with easels, with a small canvas waiting for each participant. Students also received paintbrushes and cups of water.
At the front of the room, Prescod displayed a completed fall pumpkin scene that served as inspiration for the evening’s project. She guided participants through the painting one step at a time, demonstrating each technique before walking around the cafeteria to offer help.
Along the way, students learned basic painting techniques, including how to create lighter shades by mixing white paint with colors such as green and blue.
With Smith Street serving students from pre-K through fifth grade, organizers wanted to make sure children of different ages and skill levels could participate. The pumpkin still-life painting was selected as a project that younger children could follow while still allowing participants to put their own touches on their artwork.
By the end of the evening, Smith Street students and their families headed home with their own fall pumpkin paintings — and another opportunity to connect with their school community.
