Creative Festivals Job Descriptions

Job Descriptions Overview

At the parish level, the Church School Director (or another designated person) implements the Creative Arts Festival, providing lesson plans to the teachers and discussing with them when and how the students will work on their projects. The teachers review the rubrics with the students, teach the lesson plan, and provide guidance to the students as they create their entries.

The Creative Festivals Chair (CFC) is in charge of the Creative Arts Festival on the Diocesan level. The Chair recruits a Coordinator (FC) for each of the Festivals. The Festival Coordinators receive the entries, secure judges, and conduct the judging, keeping track of the winners and reporting them to the Chair, who in turn, reports the winners to the parishes. There is a Christian Education Coordinator for each diocese who can work with the Fellowship of St. John the Divine to help recruit the Creative Festivals Chair.

On the Archdiocesan level, there is a Christian Education Coordinator (CEC) for each diocese who can work with the Fellowship of St. John the Divine to help recruit the Creative Festivals Chair. The Christian Education Coordinator and the Creative Festivals Chair can report any suggestions or address any problems with the Festivals to the Department of Christian Education, which authors the lesson plans, provides resources, and determines rubrics for the Creative Arts Festival.

Christian Education Coordinators (CEC)

• Check the website for the most recent information regarding the Creative Festivals (e.g. theme, guidelines, rubrics, lesson plans, etc.).
• Work with the Fellowship President of your diocese to recruit the Creative Festivals Chairpersons (CFC).
• Gather chairpersons’ contact information and send to the Department of Christian Education (AODCE) within one week of annual Diocesan Parish Life Conference (PLC).
• Ensure that CFC has access to Diocesan contact information including email lists.

Creative Festivals Chairpersons (CFC)

• Check the website for the most recent information regarding the Creative Festivals (e.g. theme, guidelines, rubrics, lesson plans, etc.).
• Recruit coordinators for each Creative Festival category.
• Send coordinators’ contact information to Christian Education Coordinator (CEC).
• Gather contact information of all parish priests and Church School Directors in your diocese and email a copy to the Department of Christian Education at aodce@aol.com
• In early fall, using email list obtained from CEC, email theme, deadlines, website info, mailing instructions to all Festival Coordinators, CSDs, and parishes.  See sample mailings.
• Send notification of winners to their parish contact persons, as well as parish priests and CSDs.
• Order 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place awards. Achievement Level Ribbons will be ordered by the Department of Christian Education, so contact the Dept. with the number of ribbons needed.
• Ensure that awards are available for each Festival’s winners.
  • Ideas: either at PLC or available to take home for parish award ceremony
• Submit bill for awards, certificates and judges gifts to your diocesan Fellowship of St. John.
• Submit report to your diocesan Fellowship of St. John.
  • Ideas: Can include thank you recognition, naming of coordinators, numbers of parishes participating, number of entries
• Arrange for display space for each festival category with PLC Chairperson.
  • Ideas: Walls of registration area, separate room, tables, free standing display boards with pushpins, tri-fold displays on tables
• Confirm PLC Awards Presentation set-up with PLC committee.
  • Ideas: Ask all children who won for each festival to come forward, call names individually
• Conduct PLC Awards Presentation.
• TWO WEEKS BEFORE PLC, SEND EMAIL TO PARISH PRIESTS AND CHURCH SCHOOL DIRECTORS ASKING FOR THE NAME OF THE PERSON WHO WILL TAKE THE PROJECTS HOME!

Festival Coordinators (FC) (Art, Writing, Poetry, Photography)

• Check the website for the most recent information regarding the Creative Festivals (e.g. theme, guidelines, rubrics, lesson plans, etc.).
• Select Judges and Schedule Judging Dates. For Art and Photography, find one or more helpers. Assign a helper to the Ribbon Project.
  • Preferably a few months in advance
  • One clergy, two “experts”
  • Schedule time and place for art & photography, provide deadline for writing & poetry
• Receive entries by deadline date.
  • Postmarked by April 1st
  • Open packages and check for any missing information or errors.
  • All forms are to remain in each package.
• Purchase small gifts for judges (if approved by CFC – discuss who will pay for these gifts).
• Print the judging suggestions and review them. Discuss procedures with the judges prior to judging.
• Hold judging. Set up entries for judging organized by grade.
  • For art & photography, entries may be arranged on chairs or tables
  • Grading Scale:
    

    Procedure for Art and Photography Ribbon Project Helper:

    1. 1) Add the totals from the 3 rubrics. A score of 43-48 earns a gold achievement level ribbon. A score between 36-42 earns a silver ribbon. A score of 1-35 earns a bronze ribbon.
       

       ART & PHOTOGRAPHY (48 possible) ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL RIBBON SCORES

       43-48 Gold | 36-42 Silver | 1-35 Bronze

    2. 2) On the entry’s Standard Identification Form, circle Gold, Silver, or Bronze achievement level ribbon.

    Procedure for Writing and Poetry Ribbon Project Helper:

    1. 1) At the time of judging, score completed rubrics as follows: Add the totals from the 3 rubrics. A score of 54-60 earns a gold achievement level ribbon. A score of 45-53 earns a silver ribbon. A score of 1-44 earns a bronze ribbon.
       

       WRITING & POETRY (20 possible) ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL RIBBON SCORES

       54-60 Gold | 45-53 Silver | 1-44 Bronze

    2. 2) On the entry’s Standard Identification Form, circle Gold, Silver, or Bronze achievement level ribbon.
  • In order to qualify for the top 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place award, the student must have met GOLD or SILVER placement. The additional award for this extra honor is to be determined by each diocese.
• Total the judging rubrics. On the Standard ID form, which is on the back of the entry, check GOLD, SILVER, or BRONZE achievement level. Circle if the entry has received 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place overall.
• Give each judge his/her gift.
• Indicate on Record of Participants Form which ribbon the student will receive.
• Report to the CFC the number of entries from each parish.
• Submit bill for judges’ gifts to Creative Festivals Chairpersons (CFC) or Fellowship Treasurer.
• Send list of winners to the CFC.
• Fill out participation certificates (some use ribbons instead).
• Display winning entries at PLC.
• Award prizes at PLC for your category.
• Take photos before or after the judging for the slideshow.

Church School Directors (CSD)

• Check the website for the most recent information regarding the Creative Festivals (e.g. theme, guidelines, rubrics, lesson plans, etc.).
• Decide on how to implement Creative Festivals.
• Implement. (Many church schools have a coordinator that does this job instead of the CSD.)
  • Idea: With a copy of the eligibility requirements, each class can work on their projects whenever it’s convenient; the teacher can refer to the OCEC Curriculum Cross-Reference Chart to coordinate the dates with lessons of a related theme.
  • Ideas: The entire church school can work on projects on set dates, which may include:  several church school sessions, an all-day Saturday event, or a lock-in.
  • Idea: You can have someone with an art background work with the students.
• Attach a Standard Identification Form securely to each entry and make sure it is filled out completely.
• Pack the entries.
  • Mail all entries together.
  • Students’ work may be mailed separately if working from home.
  • Package properly to avoid damaging the entries.
  • Package in a sturdy box or envelope so that entries can be re-packaged in the same box or envelope.
  • Return receipt requested.
  • Pack entries in the order listed on the Record of Participants Form so that the Festival Coordinator can double check the entries. (Make sure they are placed in order of grade level.)
    
• Fill out a Record of Participants Form for each category and submit it with your entries.
• Mail entries to Festival Chair by deadline.
• Notify winners and encourage their attendance at PLC Awards Presentation.
• Fill out the student’s name and festival category on the back of the ribbon. (Optional)
• Be sure that entries are brought back to your parish from PLC.
• Fill out a participation certificate for each student from the PreK/K level.
• Distribute certificates of participation and awards.

Church School Teachers

• Review the background material and lesson plan.
• Implement the Creative Festival lesson plan.
  • Begin with the 40 minute lesson plans that introduce the theme. It is best if this is done by the individual teachers. The four levels for which they are written are: Preschool-Kindergarten, Grades 1-3, 4-5, Middle School, and High School.
  • Have students brainstorm together on creative projects for the theme.
  • Have paper ready for students to write down their ideas for creative writing, poetry, photography, and art.
• Review resources, “cross reference” OCEC texts with the theme so that art and writing projects can be used throughout the year.
• Download the rubrics and explain to the students the criteria that the judges will be following during the scoring process.
• Review the Eligibility Requirements with the students and remind them that they will be signing a form to verify that their entry is their own work.