Aaron Brengard, Principal at Katherine Smith Elementary School

The story of Jesse Ramirez and his connection to K. Smith School represents another layer to our relationship with the community. Jesse was hired because of his talent and our need to improve the bare walls of the campus. However, that’s not where it ended.

The first time Jesse shared one of his idea to a group of upper graders was the moment Jesse truly became part of the K. Smith family. For two of his works, Jesse has worked closely with students to design and even paint. Like any artist, he has his creative process. And as an adult, taking feedback from children – even kind, specific, and helpful – can be a humbling experience. But, Jesse took the ideas and, like anyone part of this culture of continuous improvement, made his work better.

Jesse’s business is thriving now and his work is featured in a number of schools across the city – it even made it to an Edutopia post.

This blog is a ten-day series by Aaron Brengard, Principal of Katherine Smith Elementary School in San Jose, Ca as part of the New Tech Network Back-to-School series. Katherine Smith School is a public, neighborhood New Tech elementary school in the Evergreen School District in San Jose, CA.