Sarah Siertle
Age 17, senior at Bishop Chatard High School
Junior Board President and Classroom Mentor at Art With a Heart
Award winner Sarah Siertle, a senior at Chatard High School, has learned just how much her efforts mean to the children she serves as a volunteer at Art With a Heart, “I truly value giving children the love and encouragement they need to grow up to be great people, and I see a star in all of them. Through Art With a Heart, I have seen the phrase “Actions speak louder than words” come to life, and it has become extremely important to me. It is important to show the children in the camp that each one of them is unique and absolutely incredible, and that they really make a difference.”
Siertle has been volunteering at Art With a Heart for the past four years – both on the Junior Board and in the classroom as a classroom mentor. As President of the Junior Board, she has worked with the other board members to raise money, write grants and recruit volunteers, but her passion is in the classroom. “I consider interacting with the children in the classroom my most important job,” said Siertle. “Helping a child achieve a small success during class rivals the feeling I get when I finish a large art project or something I am extremely proud of.” This is evident — Sarah chose to volunteer the entire summer instead of seeking paid employment.
Andrew Lee, Executive Director at Art With a Heart, says that Sarah leads and encourages by example. In one case, the students did not seem to be interested in the class. “She realized that she had to earn their respect, so she started doing her own drawings and pastel landscapes,” said Lee. “By the end of the week, the students were all asking her to show them how to do those beautiful landscapes and proudly exhibited theirs on the last day. Sarah did not try to become either their buddy or teacher, she just set an example of art excellence and the students followed her.”
Art With a Heart's mission is to provide hands-on-visual arts experiences that educate and inspire Indianapolis children at risk. Our vision is to foster the personal development of Indianapolis youth who are at risk, and to build stronger communities, through hands-on art education.
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