At the start of the Ripon High 2024-25 school year, students are noticing how many changes are prevalent on campus. Mr. Pool has moved to the P buildings, and Ms.Castle has moved from the Multi-use Building’s stage to Mr. Pool’s old room! Ms.Castle getting an actual classroom has changed, but what else about Castle’s and Mr. Bowers’ art classes has been altered? What has been planned for these creative classes for the school year?
Bowers, the teacher for Art I, Art II, Art III, and Ceramics, comments on future plans for art classes this school year. “Art One’s final is a portrait. So, they do the whole year, or the whole fall semester in pencil. So, that way their final is drawing a person’s face,” explains Bowers. “My Art Two class, their big project is doing a stipple, which is all dots. And then Art Three, their final that they’re building up to is where they’re going to be doing what they did in art one, but instead of it being an eight by ten piece of paper, it’s going to be a twenty by thirty piece of paper.”
When senior Brylee Trask was asked what she is most excited about concerning Bower’s plans, she states, “I’m the most excited for doing dragon heads because it mostly focuses on texture, and mixing skill with creativity.”
Trask has luckily gotten the opportunity to take both Art II and Art III, so she can experience first hand the differences in the classes, and take her art skills to another level. Trask comments on the difference between the two classes and how they are taught.
“In Art One, we had a lot more guidance, but with Mr. Bowers, he lets us have our creative time. Ms. Castle focused more on the skill part and Bowers is about creativity.”
Deagan Nobles, a senior in Ms. Castle’s Art One class, considers art to be a different environment than his other classes. “Art is a way more conversative class and makes students feel more comfortable and free.”
So far, this school year for Art seems to be one of the best yet. With more iterative environments and creative projects, Art is such an important class because of all the new challenges it opens up to Ripon high students.
