The ROHS Art Department is offering an improved art curriculum with more options for the 2024-25 school year. The courses being offered this year include: Painting and Drawing, Ceramics and Sculpture, AP Ceramics and Sculpture, Visual Imaging, Photography, Art Foundations 1&2, and HL/SL DP classes. Each class will be led based on whether it’s a higher or lower-level class. All

classes have modules where teachers will build on prior knowledge, while covering the elements of art and principles of design. Higher-level courses like AP or DP will be more student-led, with less teacher involvement. The inspiration for improving the art courses stemmed from wanting students to be able to have subject-specific classes and rooms. Before this change, ROHS had the materials for subject specific rooms such as ceramics and sculpture; however, there was no specified course for this medium.

Engaging in art courses at ROHS has resulted in a multitude of positive reactions from students and teachers.

“Art courses allow students to develop the life skill of problem-solving, thinking through multiple solutions, and reflecting on what does or doesn’t work.

It allows students to develop a more positive approach to life,” said art teacher Alicia Duncan. Duncan believes all art courses at ROHS provide a scope for imagination and creativity, but it’s the level that determines effectiveness. For lower level/beginning art students, she recommends taking an Art Foundations class, which is an exploration of all mediums, so students can experiment and see what they enjoy. For higher-level/advanced art students who already have the technical skills, advanced classes focus on the creative process of making art. Art teacher Nancy Sly also recommends that students consider taking Ceramics and Sculpture.

“I prefer Ceramics and Sculpture because it has a quicker payoff,” said Sly. “Kids see their skills improving rapidly. In ceramics, you build on those skills and get instant improvement.”

Taking these art courses offers a great number of opportunities for students, Sly requires every student from her advanced classes to enter one piece of theirs into the Scholastic Art Competition, where students can be rewarded with art scholarships and cash rewards. Gretchen Dao, a freshman who is taking Ceramics and Sculpture, believes that the new art courses offer more opportunities than ROMS.
“There are more options for what you enjoy doing in art, and there’s always a place for you,” Dao said.