Artist Sarah Gualtieri Uses Her Creativity To Inspire Her Students For An Artistic Venture
Artist, Sarah Gualtieri has been involved in the local visual art scene, showing in area galleries. Focused on her teaching Special Education, she has not recently exhibited any of her own artworks (for which she won an award of this article in The Rickie Report). The Rickie Report shares what Sarah’s students are creating and selling for a School-based Enterprise project. We hope you will support their efforts! 
Growing up, Sarah Gualtieri took painting, photography and clay classes. She also made cards and presents for friends and family. She tells The Rickie Report, “I learned how to work with wood in Shop in middle school and also with my dad at home. I took architecture classes in High School. I went to Rhode Island School of Design for landscape architecture and while I didn’t finish, I learned some amazing things in my foundational art classes there. I ended up majoring in Sociology at Guilford College and kept on with my art interests”.
Sarah was a case manager/support coordinator for individuals with disabilities and she loved this. She shares,” I also did direct care. I started facilitating some art workshops for these populations and really enjoyed this. I realized that I loved to teach! Exceptional Student Education was the best fit for me because of my background working with vulnerable populations. I love to focus on abilities and empowerment”.
A Transition teacher, with students between 18 and 22 years old who have already graduated through the 12th grade, Sarah’s focus is life skills, such as Pre-Vocational Job Skills, Social Skills, Personal Care and Health, Safety and Community. “I wanted my students to create items that they could make and sell as they increased their Pre-Vocational Job Skills, so I developed the wooden fish concept after practicing some methods over the summer. The staff in my room have been very helpful in putting the project together with me”.
She sees her students smiling and focusing as they are sanding wood and painting the wood. “Some prefer to create designs on the fish instead of sanding or painting. Some prefer to paint over sanding. Some have surprised me with their amazing abilities to sand. I continue to make adaptations to the process of making the fish so that the students can do as much on their own as possible. This is really exciting for the students. Almost everyday, students and staff all put on smocks/aprons, cover the tables and get to work. Pre-vocational job skills is a regular lesson and with this project they continue to get more and more skilled“.
Students are reminded of who is getting the fish that they may be working on that day. Students are really proud to bring fish home to family and friends. They carry them down the hallway with pride to their ride home. It’s also fun for them to sell fish to the staff at school when we have visitors to our class showroom!
Sarah tells us, “We use the money to buy more supplies ( 1/4 plywood, paint, brushes, glue, sandpaper, jute rope, etc.). We also are able to use money that we have made on pizza parties! When The Rickie Report asked if anyone can donate supplies, Sarah said, “Yes! Donations are welcome!”
For more information about purchasing a single fish, a school of fish, or donating supplies please contact:
Sarah Gualtieri (Ms. “G”): (561) 558-5464
ESE Transition Teacher, Royal Palm School, room 2-123
@sarah_gualtieri, Follow us on Twitter @RoyalPalm_RPS
