Oakhurst Elementary School Fort Worth Independent School District A MODEL PROGRAM FOR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN LEARNING: INTERNATIONAL ARTS-SCIENCE-MATHEMATICS FESTIVAL Involving the community in the promotion of quality learning outcomes recently proved to be highly successful for Oakhurst Elementary, an Arts Partner School in the Fort Worth Independent School District. More than 500 students and their chaperones participated in an evening International Arts-Science-Mathematics Festival that provided 20 interdisciplinary hands-on and interactive learning stations for the participants. The entire faculty and staff of Oakhurst joined forces with parents and other members of the school's community to develop and present the event. Elizabeth Willett, Oakhurst art specialist, encouraged student-chaperon teams who visited her learning center to design a flying machine, build the device using minimal tools and materials, launch it, and measure the flight distance. Elizabeth was enthusiastic about the many resourceful results produced by the teams. All of the educational activities at the evening Festival, she said, demonstrated to students, parents, and the community that meeting learning objectives in diverse and interesting ways assists students in becoming responsible and lifelong learners. Among the other activities included in the International Arts-Science-Mathematics Festival were learning centers for fashioning a working flute from drinking straws, constructing a geometric shape creature, and using intricate small symbols to create a large design. Students and their chaperones rotated through each learning center, worked in collaborative teams, and completed each activity together. Bringing the community together for the Festival reiterates the importance of cooperative involvement in education. Tapping human resources both inside and outside traditional school boundaries provides a broader base for quality educational experiences and allows those off-campus resources to develop ownership in the future of the community's children and thus help with creating stronger schools and better programs. by Pamela Geiger Stephens