The 2008-2009 School Year In Review

As I often do in the waning moments of the school year, I’ve been mulling over everything that has happened since September. The more I think about this year, the more I am filled with pride. We really did have an excellent year of art making and creative thinking. Throughout the course of this year, we successfully exhibited work in a prominent downtown gallery, earned more awards at scholastics than ever before, created a fundraiser "pup" for the Fetch-a-Cure foundation, successfully collaborated (almost daily) with Shawn Gross, and were visited by several prominent artists from Richmond.

Not only did we succeed in creating thoughtful artwork, but we also grew closer as a family. One of the things that I love most about teaching art is the atmosphere that it can provide for learning. Let’s face it, what we do in the art room doesn’t necessarily “look like” learning in the traditional sense of the word. We listen to and learn about great music, spontaneously break into improvisational dance, learn from experimentation with a variety of media, and support one another with constructive and thoughtful feedback. Though it happens from time to time in “core” classrooms, it is not the norm. Somehow, we all manage to stay incredibly challenged without sacrificing any fun at all.

As I begin my plans for next year, I find myself almost giddy with its anticipation. Don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to relaxing and making some artwork this summer, but I will also be working hard on making sure we have some new creative challenges for the upcoming year. Next year really does have the potential to become the best year of my career in teaching. We have so many talented students in all of our levels, and I cannot wait to witness how each of you rise to the challenges that I set forth. I have a good feeling that many more awards will be earned by the DRHSART program over the next year.

As you prepare to leave for the summer, please do not forget that you are an artist. Live as an artist daily. Whether you make art everyday or not, each day should be approached with the eyes and ears of an artist. Practice keeping in touch with your creativity by maintaining a small visual journal. Don’t wait until the last two weeks of summer to begin your summer work. Try to remember that the summer work is essential to the overall quality of your portfolio. Spending time on the summer artwork will only make the college application process easier.

I also want to mention that students who do not plan on going to art school will also greatly benefit from completing a quality portfolio. I’ve had a lot of students include a supplemental portfolio when applying to college, and most of those students swear that the portfolio was instrumental in being accepted to the schools that they sought. The time you put into your summer work will certainly pay off in the long run.

I wish you all al safe and relaxing summer break. Please enjoy everyday that you have, and never let yourself become bored. If you get bored, you are the only one to blame. There is always art to be made, or something new to learn.