Woodside School District

... that our fabulous Art Teacher, Ms. Bev Iverson (who retired in 2022), had been teaching art to the students of Woodside School for 28 years?! Read on to learn more about Ms. Iverson' s art program and what she does outside the classroom!

What do you want your students to gain from your program?
I want my students, from Transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade, to experience the wonder of art and how it relates to what they are learning in their other courses.  Art is also a wonderful place for kids to explore their creativity and have a safe place to express themselves. 

How did you get started teaching art?
At my first job, I was “the” art teacher for the Oakland School District.  I taught at over 80 schools over the course of the year!

You're part of our school's SEL Committee. What's involved? 
Our SEL team, comprised of myself, Ms. Batlle and Ms. Pierce, strives to promote SEL learning at our school. We have set our school’s SEL norms, trained new teachers and do continuing education with the staff. We are in the beginning stages of planning a Labyrinth for our school community. For more details about our school's SEL program, click HERE.

Tell us about the Original Art program at WES.
This is a PTA-sponsored program where all proceeds supports supplies for the art program. This year’s theme was Design Thinking and our students were asked to design an image during their art class time that was meaningful to their family. 

You help judge the art submissions for the WSF's Grand Auction Art Contest every year. 
Yes, it's lots of fun getting to help with this project. I am an extra set of eyes helping to choose from all of the wonderful student art for the Grand Auction for the past several years.

What do you do when you aren’t teaching art at WES?
I paint landscapes plein air with a group of local painters, you might see us out painting on Saturday mornings. My husband, Michael, is a local winemaker and we spend lots of our free time attending wine industry events. We live up on Skyline and early morning hikes are our favorite way to start the day.

Outside of school, you sit on the town of Woodside's Arts and Culture Committee.
I volunteer to be on the town’s Arts and Culture committee, where we produce an Arts event every First Friday of the month at Town Hall. We have writers, artists, historians ... and even our own students will be the guests on April 6th. They will present their documentary films produced in their WES middle school elective class. For more info on the Arts and Culture Committee events, click HERE. 

Tell us about your Art & Games Summer Camp.
This upcoming summer will be my 26th year of offering a more extended art experience for kids at Woodside School. Ten years ago Ms. Jones joined me to create Art and Games which combines the fun of sport games with the creativity of a theme-inspired art project. We offer three weeks of the camp that start right after school lets out for the summer. For more info, click HERE.