By Traci Newell

Joe Hu/Town Crier Art docent Daphne Luong teaches a sixth grade class at Loyola Elementary School, one week before the Art Docents’ Student Art Show.

The students at Loyola ElementarySchool file in from lunch eagerly anticipating the academic break that awaits them. They take their seats, and a silence breaks out around the room as they wait for their instructor.

Today art docent Daphne Luong, with several other docents and parent volunteers, will teach the students how to make prints of creatures from the tidal zone. The students are planning a trip to visit a tidal zone in June.

The Los Altos Art Docents are an all-volunteer organization that began more than 35 years ago. The program consists of about 75 docents who visit the schools in the Los Altos School District. Each school receives 20 to 25 visits from the docents each month, each class sees the docents once or twice a month.

Beginning Thursday and running through the weekend, the community will have the opportunity to see the artwork of every student in the district. More than 3,000 individual and group projects will be showcased at the annual Los Altos Art Docents’ Student Art Show at Hillview Community Center.

“I think the program is important because it offers students something more than the core curriculum,” said Nan Bajka, program coordinator.

Bajka said the lessons often encourage the children to think in creative ways, which in turn can help them in other parts of learning in their classes. The art lessons are curriculum based and inspired by the expertise of the various docents. Bajka said the group includes a variety of skills including architects, artists, art historians and musicians.

“We come up with lessons based on knowledge from within the group,” Bajka said.

The students enjoy the lessons as well.

“I like being able to try different techniques and art styles,” said Torie White, a sixth-grader in Jennifer Steeds’ class at Loyola. Torie said she probably wants to do something further with art in the future.

Devon Zuegel, another student in Steeds’ class, said that if the art docents didn’t come to her class she would feel cheated. She said it was a break from the regular school lessons, but she also likes how the students still can learn while creating their art pieces.

Devon said she looks forward to the art show every year because it’s exciting to see the students’ work displayed and recognized instead of an adult exhibit.

“The artwork isn’t normally wonderful,” Devon said, “but I like it because the kids get to show their work.”

Volunteers collected art from all the teachers in the district, kindergarten through eighth grade. The docents will affix a ribbon to each piece because they believe every piece deserves a prize.

Gallery hours are 3-5 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.

Special hands-on art projects for children 3-12 are scheduled 1-4 p.m. Saturday.

This year’s show is dedicated to Nancy Marston, one of the founding art docents, who died in February.