What does January 1st mean?
It means resolutions made to be broken, New Year’s kisses still lingering on lips, and, of course, the traditional Rose Parade in Pasadena.
But this year’s parade, the 127th edition of the annual New Year’s Day event, had a special twist.
Teaming with the Tournament of Roses, the National Park Service hosted a virtual Rose Parade, encouraging National Parks and their affiliated groups to create miniature floats and post images of the projects on social media.
In partnership with Channel Islands National Park, Ojai Valley School students at the Lower Campus – who in early December had all been sworn in as Junior Rangers by the Park Service – took on the challenge.
Led by Lower Campus art teacher Patty Campbell, the students sculpted a “virtual float” that highlighted the various offerings at the Channel Islands, from kayaking to wildlife viewing. The float was featured with dozens of others on the Park Service’s Twitter feed, and was named Best Entry by Junior Rangers during the Rose Parade.
“It was wonderful to have our students recognized by the National Park Service – they created so many magical things on the float,” Mrs. Campbell said. “We had little ones in pre-K making barnacles all the way up to the 8th graders painting island foxes and drawing scuba divers. The entire school got so involved and excited!”
The Rose Parade entry was the latest in a series of collaborative efforts between OVS and the Park Service.
Last month, for example, the school, in partnership with the Channel Islands National Park, was awarded a federal grant that will allow students to access the islands for environmental education and restoration projects. The $4,000 Hands on the Land grant is part of a national effort to connect students, teachers and volunteers with public lands and waterways.
OVS plans to draw on the funds over the next six months to access the islands and use them as living laboratories, tackling projects including working on-site in nurseries, removing invasive vegetation, and gathering and compiling plant restoration data.
The native landscape and natural beauty of the Channel Islands were on full display in the OVS virtual float entry.
The idea initially was pitched by OVS parent Vahagn Nahabedian, a National Parks volunteer and recent addition to the board of the Channel Islands Park Foundation. He thought the project would be a perfect marriage between the park service and the art program at the Lower Campus.
“I feel OVS is the perfect partner for the Park,” said Mr. Nahabedian, whose fifth-grade son, Tigran, a student ambassador with the National Park Trust, rode on the lead float in this year’s parade.
“I have long been impressed with the OVS outdoor education program and often wish I had attended a school like OVS,” Mr. Nahabedian added. “The new art building is unbelievable and the art work that OVS students produce continues to impress me.”
The theme for this year’s parade was “Find Your Adventure,” which was chosen to celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service.
Mrs. Campbell has a knack for bringing people together using art as a conduit, and the virtual Rose Parade float was a perfect example. With a lot of support, she brought together the Channel Islands National Park, the National Park Service and OVS student community as a whole at the Lower Campus.
“She is great at inspiring children,” said Mr. Nahabedian. “I love how happy all the young artists seem with their project.”
Along with having most of the student body involved in the construction and decoration of the float, Mrs. Campbell built the entire display out of almost all recycled materials – much like a phoenix out ashes. The badges of the OVS Junior Rangers also adorned the virtual float.
Throughout the construction of the float, Mrs. Campbell utilized class time, art club, and weekends with students to maximize the time students could work on their art.
Although not every student was physically involved in the building of the float, the entire student body was involved as a community in this project.
“The kids continue to stop by with their parents to take a look at it,” Mrs. Campbell said. “This was a very special project and we’ll be enjoying it for a long time.”