Jenna Bleeker This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. Good ol’ days again | lawrence.com

   www.lawrence.com/news/2006/aug - [Cached]

   Published on: 8/28/2006   Last Visited: 11/26/2006

   Exhibit A: Jenna Bleeker, teacher's aide at Lawrence Arts Center Preschool.
   
   "It's got to be the most fun volunteer thing ever, getting to go hang out with kids every Friday," says Bleeker. "On campus, I don't see kids at all, and I'm an only child, so it's good for me to be with them.
   
   "It really keeps you young, being with the little kids," she says.
   
   Lawrence Arts Center Preschool teacher's aide Jenna Bleeker.
   ...
   Lawrence Arts Center Preschool teacher's aide Jenna Bleeker.
   
   The KU junior in theater heard about the opportunity to volunteer at the preschool through her sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta, and it immediately struck her as a perfect fit.
   
   "I've always enjoyed volunteering, but I really relate to the job because I love to draw and paint, and I just think it's so awesome that they have a program like this for kids this age. I'm from Mankato, which is a really small town, and we didn't have anything like that. I just think that's so cool."
   
   Bleeker will also soon be able to use her experience and interest in theater to inspire budding actors in the classroom.
   
   "I try to help out whenever I can," she says.
   ...
   Through her work with the Arts Center Preschool, Bleeker is able to relive the experience of discovering art for the first time with the children, something that she believes will give them a head start on their education.
   
   "They're exposed to so many different things in the classroom â€" they're always playing music, they learn to appreciate beauty, and they learn about colors and how to put things together," she says.