Baxter Community Center and the Periodic Table

With a generous grant from the Wege Foundation, Mosaic Film Experience hosted eight after-school programs for students in Grand Rapids. Each program’s curriculum was designed to teach students about storytelling as well as how to utilize filmmaking and editing techniques to create a mobile project. The workshop experiences were all very unique due to different class sizes and students’ interests.In January 2018, Mosaic Film Experience partnered with Baxter Community Center for one of the after-school programs.“Not long after we gathered together, we found the direction of Baxter students’ film project,” said Mallory Patterson, Mosaic Film Experience lead and owner of Wrinkle Creative. The Baxter students were excited about their teacher’s vision to create a film based on the periodic table of elements.This project was anything but another educational science tool. The students had a blast using a table of elements song they already knew to guide their film.Students learned how to cut in elements like animations, science experiment clips, and interviews with Lady Science, a character they created.“We also showcased the center’s student talent in the film by including a karate routine and two dance steppers,” said Patterson.As the project came together, one student was particularly interested in creating a unique beat for students to sing along to, making the periodic table song more their own. After instructors introduced him to the Garageband tool, he began mixing his own beats within minutes. Soon the whole class had downloaded the app and was making “sick beats” in a program they had never used before.“Once you open the door of possibility for many of these kids, it’s really cool what they end up doing with it,” Patterson.That’s true for every aspect of Mosaic. Whether it’s Mosaic Experience, Mosaic Mobile, or Mosaic Community programs, we utilize digital media to provide students with an opportunity to tell their unique stories and equip them with critical thinking, collaborative and creative skills all while educating them about new career possibilities.