Joanne da Luz

Life Learning Academy students come from troubled backgrounds and are generally disenchanted with learning. To engage students, teachers usually collaborate and teach using experiential learning, and modeling learning as it happens in the real world. Da Luz saw a chance to use geometric and artistic principles and created the "Tessellating Tiles Mosaic Project" and had her students design a large-scale mosaic, visually enhancing the school's campus. The project originated last year with a smaller scale assignment of a 2x2 mosaic, and she recognized the potential interest from students if the project were to be expanded. Together with the school's art and construction teachers, 30 students each year will create a wall-size mosaic. Da Luz, who lives in Orinda, will use the grant funds to invest in materials that will allow the project to be self-sustaining and beautify the campus year after year.