ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Even in retirement, a former high school teacher and guidance counselor remains dedicated to her students.
Seminole resident Patty Brewer now uses her talents for creating upcycled art to raise funds for nontraditional students as they move forward in life, whether it’s earning their GED diploma or entering their first year of college.
She taught high school and served as a guidance counselor for Pinellas County Schools for years before moving into adult education at the Tomlinson Adult Learning Center in St. Petersburg.
Brewer was drawn to the returning students seeking their GED. Many of them, often, had been out of the school system for years at this point.
“These are people who, for whatever reason, couldn’t make it through high school,” she told Patch. “A lot of times it was because maybe their mom had to work and they had to watch their baby brother or sister too much and couldn’t keep up with their school work or their mom’s sick and this is a teenage kid who now has to help out. Sometimes it was because they were bullied. There was always something that would keep them from making it.”
Now, though she’s retired, she still finds ways to help these returning students.
While Brewer sometimes works as a tutor, most of her efforts go into her art business, which she’s dubbed ReJuvelant.
“The best part of being retired is I still get to do what I like to do,” she said.
She’d always been creative, especially in the classroom.
“I always say I’m not an artist; I’m a crafty individual,” she said.
She takes unused materials — jewelry pieces, scarves, fabric scraps — “to design something different with them and sell them,” Brewer said. “People give me back these lost and broken pieces of jewelry and in my head, I design something cool and I can’t stop until I’m done with it.”
All proceeds from her art sales benefit students.
“Students I’ve known. Students I learn about from teacher friends in the system,” she said. “It could be money for food or tuition or books.”
These funds are transformational for some students who just need a little extra help to get ahead, Brewer added. “These aren’t students who just chose not to go to school. They’re not lazy; they’re not sitting at home and watching cartoons. Now, when they get a second chance, it’s magical.”
She sells her work during most Second Saturday ArtWalks — including this Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. — at the ArtsXChange campus, 515 22nd Street S.
Her work can also be found at Cozy Corners Antiques & Collectibles, 6491 66th Street. M., Pinellas Park, and Resale Oasis, 11171 Seminole Blvd., Largo.