Detroit Student Artists Exhibit Their Work From CTB/McGraw-Hill's 2010 Student Art Project at National Conference on Student Assessment

MONTEREY, Calif., June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- This year, for CTB/McGraw-Hill's annual Student Art Project, young artists from the Clippert Academy in Detroit have created a series of paintings celebrating Earth's aquatic treasures with the theme "Oceans, Lakes, and Rivers." The students' work will be presented at the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) National Conference on Student Assessment June 20-22 at the Detroit Marriott. A silent auction of the art is also being held, with proceeds going to benefit Detroit Public Schools. More information about the CCSSO conference can be found at ccsso.org/projects/national_conference_on_student_assessment.

CTB/McGraw-Hill, a leader in PreK-12 and adult education assessment, sponsors the annual Student Art Project to encourage the artistic nature and creativity of students. Established in 1994 with Monterey California artist Jim Sarno, CTB's Student Art Project promotes the arts in education and advances CTB's founding mission - "to help the teacher help the child."

Each year CTB conducts art workshops in schools across the country to give students an opportunity to explore their artistic talents and create wonderful works of art. This year, 25 5th-8th grade students from the Clippert Academy in Detroit participated in the Student Art Project.

"My students were extremely excited to be part of this project, and I am very proud of the outstanding art work that they created," said Ruth Goldfaden, Art Teacher at the Clippert Academy. "We very much appreciate the opportunity to showcase the exceptional talent, skills, and accomplishments of the children of Detroit, and in particular of my students at Clippert Academy."

"The Clippert students have created some truly inspiring images celebrating rivers, lakes, and oceans," said Ellen Haley, president of CTB/McGraw-Hill. "As a Detroit native myself, I am especially pleased that CTB could bring Jim Sarno to work with the students of the Clippert Academy, and I'm very impressed with the paintings the students have created."

The Clippert students created 24 individual pieces, and worked together on a spectacular 5' x 10' oil pastel banner illustrating many denizens of the deep, such as bat rays, octopus, jellyfish, and more. During the workshop, students also learned about the ecology, wildlife, and conservation of the earth's rivers and oceans - in fact, the students coined the term "STOP – Save The Oceans Please" as the title of their banner.

This year's theme was inspired by the work of Detroit-born artist, Robert Wyland, renowned for his murals of sea life and efforts to protect the oceans. Mr. Sarno and his student-artists applied a "Monet-Meets-Wyland-Underwater" approach to their work, which resulted in wonderful impressionist visions of the aquatic world.

Designed to bring creative enrichment to students and promote the arts in public schools, the Student Art Project also brings student artwork into CTB's Monterey headquarters and facilities across the country, integrating the company's business focus – students and education – with employees' daily work environment.

About CTB/McGraw-Hill

CTB/McGraw-Hill has an 84-year record of innovation and excellence in assessment, and serves more than 18 million students in all 50 states and in 46 countries. One of the first American publishers to introduce objective, standardized achievement tests to schools, today CTB/McGraw-Hill is a leader in testing with recognized products for online formative, adult, and language proficiency assessment. Dedicated to advancing the use of student performance data to inform instructional decision making, CTB/McGraw-Hill's innovation continues today with technologies that include Web-based assessment and reporting, student response device (clicker) software, and artificial intelligence for automated scoring of student essays. CTB/McGraw-Hill is part of McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP). McGraw-Hill Education is a leading global provider of instructional, assessment and reference solutions that empower professionals and students of all ages. For more information, visit CTB.com.

SOURCE CTB/McGraw-Hill