Creativity Among Us: More on Pepper Pike Resident Bryan Pflaum & His Work

After reading about the award Pepper Pike resident Bryan Pflaum received for his very unique work in education at the Cleveland Clinic, I wrote him a congratulations email and asked a couple of questions.  With his permission, I'm publishing his description of the work he does that is having a direct effect on Orange School district kids and students around the region. 

Thank you so much for the thoughtful email – and for the nice article on your web site! Your interest in the work we’re doing in the Clinic’s Office of Civic Education Initiatives is greatly appreciated.

I am still the artistic director of the Cleveland Clinic Theatre Company, and we are still in operation, although on a limited, project-by-project basis. Our latest initiative was adapting an original Cleveland Clinic Theatre Company children’s play into an animated video for healthCARE™ (Cultivating Acceptance and Respect through Education). This is an educational program that provides free online resources designed to promote inclusion and self-esteem among children ages 5 through 10. The video, The Story of Mr. Oak and Miss Reed, can be viewed here: www.clevelandclinic.org/healthCARE.

As a resident of Pepper Pike – and as a father of three children in the district – I’m happy to report that Orange High School has participated in our eXpressions™ line of programs. Launched in 2005, eXpressions™ is an interdisciplinary initiative that utilizes creative expression to engage high school students in the world of scientific research. Through project-based, peer-to-peer learning, students produce interpretations of research studies conducted by Cleveland Clinic science interns. Award-winning projects from the eXpressions™ Art and Language programs (several from Orange High School students) are currently on exhibition at the Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC). The exhibit at GLSC comes down on March 15; at that time, though, we’ll launch the 2010 virtual eXpressions™ eXhibition on our web site. You can view last year’s award-winning projects (including several from OHS students) by clicking here: http://www.clevelandclinic.org/civiceducation/eXpressionsGallery/eXpressionsGallery09/.


Orange High School student and 2009 Cleveland Clinic summer science intern Adaeze Okafor was also featured in another Civic Education program – mRi™: myRESEARCH illuminated. This is a student-produced, web-based, TV-style video series that illuminates the groundbreaking research of our summer interns. To access Adaeze’s episode from the 2009 season, click here: www.clevelandclinic.org/mRi.

The Cleveland Clinic Theatre Company, healthCARE™, eXpressions™, and mRi™ are four of the programs I’ve created for Cleveland Clinic’s Office of Civic Education Initiatives under the “Creative Learning” umbrella. To learn more about Creative Learning and its other offerings, please visit the web page here: www.clevelandclinic.org/CreativeLearning.

(Are you sorry yet you asked for additional information?)

Again, I appreciate your kind email, and I wish you continued success in the year ahead.

Thank you, Bryan, for sharing this information.  Readers, have you had a chance to experience anything related to his work? What did you think?