This art experience provides all of NA's elementary students with an additional opportunity to develop 21st Century Skills, such as creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking. This program also supplements our existing art education curriculum by introducing the children to more famous artists, styles of art, and different cultures. The T.A.G. program goals are to enhance each student’s interest in art, develop vocabulary, and stimulate his/her ability to form an opinion about a wide variety of works of art. Hopefully T.A.G. also helps foster a lifelong interest and appreciation for the unique human language of visual art.

The original forty T.A.G. prints were selected by a committee, chaired by Suzanne Carson and Francie Cech, former NA art educators. Currently, the TAG program is being revitalized. The new collection will still feature artists from the Renaissance period to current times, while incorporating more diversity in the type of art and artists. Many of the works and artists represented have connections to the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, and/or Pennsylvania. The current selection committee was comprised of all of the NA elementary art educators along with T.A.G. Parent Volunteer Coordinators, Sue Gaertner, and Malinda Notoro.

Funds for the acquisition of the original 1990 set of prints and framing were provided through a grant from the North Allegheny Foundation for Excellence. Additional sets were funded through a partnership comprised of the Foundation, North Allegheny School District, and the seven P.F.A.’s/P.T.O.’s.

The current T.A.G. revitalization is being funded through yearly grants from the North Allegheny Foundation as well as generous donors, including the seven elementary P.F.A.'s/P.T.O.'s and individual NA families.

Volunteers present a particular art print to a homeroom classroom (preferably multiple classrooms) for a given grade level on a monthly basis. The print remains in each classroom for approximately one month and then “moves” with the volunteer to another classroom.

Each volunteer develops a presentation with an accompanying activity or discussion (ideally 30 minutes in length, but no longer than 40 minutes) based on the print assigned to him/her to be presented to that specific grade level. Materials and supplementary artwork are available to each volunteer to assist him/her in developing their presentation. Volunteers can receive assistance from the art teacher in their building, if needed. A training session is held prior to schedule presentations to orient the volunteers and distribute prints and materials.

T.A.G. is organized through a network of parent volunteers. It is essential that each building participating in T.A.G. have a parent volunteer coordinator(s) as well as a volunteer for each classroom.

The parent volunteer coordinators responsibilities include:

• Prior to presentations:
• Recruiting volunteers.
• Organizing training sessions for volunteers.
• Assisting and distributing prints.
• Working with building principal(s) and teachers to develop a presentation schedule.

• At conclusion of presentations:
• Overseeing collection of prints/folders.
• Distributing and collecting volunteer and teacher evaluation forms (if applicable).
• Checking the general condition of the prints, wrapping and labeling prints.
• Placing prints in designated storage area (Spring) or coordinating transportation to partner elementary school (Fall). (Storage and transportation information provided by Andrea Jaecks, 724-935-4044 at Marshall Elementary / ajaecks@northallegheny.org.

• Developing a presentation for their one assigned print.
• Organizing any necessary materials for the presentation and checking with the classroom teacher (or art teacher) for available materials in the classroom (ex. iPads, scissors, crayons, paper etc.).
• Contacting the classroom teacher prior to the scheduled presentation to briefly review plans and solicit “helpful hints” on making the presentation successful.
• On the first T.A.G. day, bring the print to presentation – on subsequent T.A.G. presentations, volunteers will need to locate/pick up the print and transport it to the next destination.
• Volunteers are asked to share a brief description of their presentation with the coordinator, to potentially be included in the T.A.G. Digital Folder. You may also wish to share digital copies of articles, websites, images, etc. that you found helpful in preparing your presentation.

NOTE: If you cannot make a scheduled T.A.G. presentation, PLEASE contact your classroom teacher as soon as possible to reschedule presentations at a mutually convenient time!