By Karissa Rivera / Staff Writer

By Karissa Rivera / Staff Writer

Riverside City College students enrolled in Windy Norris’ speech and communication class were given a special opportunity Dec. 1.

Norris was able to give her students a chance to display their hard work inside the Riverside Metropolitan Museum for the night.

At first Norris said the idea was really just a dream.

“A really good friend of mine is the educational director at the museum and at dinner one night, I told her it would be interesting to have the opportunity to display some of my students’ creative works,” she said. “After explaining to her some of the projects students do in my class, she thought it was interesting and worked out the details to get a small gallery room that was available for the night.”

Now that Norris was halfway from completing her goal of making the idea come true, the next step was finding a way to make her students buy into the dream.

“I proposed the idea to my students and at first not many responded,” she said. “After discussing it more in depth and creating an assignment from it to them; it began to take shape.”

 “My students’ reactions ranged from confused (at how it was possible),” Norris said. “Some didn’t believe me or think I was seriously going to make it happen and others just jumped on board with glee!”

Soon after Norris and her class was making preparations to follow through with the idea as they began creating fliers, organizing and setting up the details of the project, finding tables and other items they needed to pull off the dream.

 “As I got excited, the students got more involved,” she said.

 Norris said the students pulled together and donated much of their time to make sure the night at the museum happened.

“What an honor to have this opportunity presented to me,” said Cecilia Mayorga, one of Norris’ students. “I am proud to bring my family along to see my project.”

“I feel privileged to have time and space to share my music,” said Josh Estrada, another student of Norris. “It’s one thing to play for my family, but to share in the setting of a museum is a bit more epic.”

“Ms. Norris’ interpersonal class is both creative and interesting, and for that I am thankful,” he said.

Norris’ goal of having the event was to give her students a full experience of communication.

“I hope the students feel a sense of community connection and of course be proud to say that they had an opportunity to display their course masterpieces in the gallery at the Riverside Metropolitan Museum,” Norris said.

Norris said over 400 people attended her students’ event.

“I hope when guests attend this event, that they see past just another poster board or project and are able to engage their minds with the same connection to this course that the students have,” she said.

Norris said the event was a big deal to her.

“What started out with about a dozen students interested, turned in to over 50 projects to be displayed and so many others anxious to attend, and support their fellow classmates,” she said. “I am glad I could reach the students on a more interesting level.”

“This is truly education in action,” Norris said.