As we start the new school year, it is important to remember all the groups that are part of the school atmosphere. A prominent program that often gets overlooked, especially during the beginning of the school year, is the visual arts program.
While there are no new art classes this year, there are some relatively new classes or classes that have very recently been updated. One example of this is the Graphic Art and Design class, which despite having been at the school for a few years, now takes advantage of the new Mac lab down in the art department.
Similar to the teacher portraits that were in the hallways, the art department has another big project they are planning on starting. The art department plans on painting murals around the schools to brighten up the rather drab hallways. This project will be headed by the new and upcoming art club.
Starting this year, there will be an art club after school, where students can work on art projects for the school, but not directly tied to grades. The art club would help the school with miniature projects for events around the school, such as t-shirts for special events. The art club will also bring in middle school students to help with some of the projects. This will be a perfect opportunity to get the students involved and looking forward to the arts when they come up to the high school.
A big focus of the visual arts program this year is getting the students out of the classroom and doing art for more than just a grade. For example, there have been talks of collaborating with art museums outside of the school for the art students to work with. There have also been some talks of finding real world applications for students’ art and potentially selling. These would not only help the students and increase interest in the arts, but it would also give the art students connections and potentially career opportunities.
The art department has a lot of projects coming to fruition this year. As the year goes on, don’t forget to stop and look at the amazing things that the art department is doing. If you are looking to get involved with the school, don’t be afraid to consider helping make the school a prettier place, one mural at a time.
