Grand Island Central School System unveils new art opportunities for students

Story and photo by Senior Contributing Writer Alice Gerard

The Grand Island High School art department unveiled new opportunities for art students to explore their creativity and discover their artistic vision as high school students. The two new programs are the Grand Island High School Visual Arts Academy and the New York State Individual Arts Assessment Pathway. These programs were presented at the Grand Island Central School District Board of Education’s Sept. 8 meeting, held at Eco Island.

“The guiding principles is that we want our students to be engaged and immersed,” explained Cindy Wynne, who teaches art at Grand Island High School. “We want them to participate because it is performance-based. Even though you’re putting your work out there, even if you’re not with your work, you are still performing in the sense that is what you’ve done. To prepare for college, the opportunity to serve in the community, cooperative learning, and more exposure to the visual arts through field trips, guest speakers, working together within classes and collaboration with other departments.

“These are our graduation goals: That they gain a deeper understanding of the arts, based on four core values; that they develop multiple skills sets so they don’t come out saying, ‘I’m a draw-er’ or ‘I’m a potter’; That you have skill sets that transcend art and are intrinsic to art. They’ll be exposed to diverse artistic cultures. Through this, we’ll explore college applications and direct-to-work applications. Here, they will gain personal experience through practice and exploration.”

The four core values are awareness of historical and cultural contexts, observation and critical analysis, creative expression and production, and understanding resources in art research.

Students will be required to participate in community service, as well as to be a member of an Academy of Visual Arts art club. Students will also be encouraged to participate in the art club, which is open to all students. They will be required to visit one art museum each year, and to maintain a sketchbook for each of their art classes.

“The sketchbook looks different for each course. Some of them are digital. Some of them are standard. They have to participate in a senior art show. We haven’t made one yet, but there will be one. We promise. And they have to apply for the individual arts assessment pathway,” Wynne said.

Jackie Carpenter, a graduate of Grand Island High School who now teaches art at the high school, said, “I used to try to tell people when I was in art school that I was an art major in high school. I couldn’t back that up. I wasn’t an art major in high school. I just took a lot of art classes. This is a way that our students can have some ownership and be an art major in high school. You can also get the seal of civic readiness and the seal of biliteracy. Something that my own children are really proud to have accomplished in the past couple of years. So, I’m really excited – as a former student, as a parent and as a teacher – that we’re offering this opportunity, because I think it is multifaceted. It is not only going to prepare them and be beautiful on a diploma or a resume, but make them well-rounded people, as well.”

Paul Thompson, an art teacher at the high school, talked about more opportunities for students to exhibit their work.

“We had a space, probably about 7- or 8-feet-wide by about 15-feet-deep. I looked at it one day, and I was like, ‘Huh. We could turn this into a student gallery here.’ And so, what I did was I painted the walls. It had to be gallery white. For the past couple of years, I’ve really been using it as a place to display student artwork. I think it’s a really neat place for kids to see each other’s work up and being displayed outside of, say, the district show. It’s a place to display student work during the year, in addition to the bulletin boards and things we have in the high school. It’s working really great right now. It’s a display of my own work, and that’s not a narcissistic thing. I show them work from when I was in high school and when I was in college and what my current body of work looks like.

“I just opened it today. As soon as we’re in the room, the students are like, ‘Wow.’ That’s what I was like in high school; that’s what it was like now. It shows growth over time. I really think that’s important for students to see.”

“In order to become a candidate (for the New York State Individual Arts Pathway), you have to take studio in art,” Wynne said. “You can take that in advanced eighth grade or in ninth grade or, possibly, even in 10th grade. We’d like to get kids on the path early. Then, they have to choose an art pathway. So, right now, we’ve broken it down loosely into 2-D and 3-D and design. That could evolve and change. Then, they will have to take four additional full-year electives. Most of them do, anyway. These kids are fully immersed in art, and they’re ready to go forward. Then they have to complete the application process and submit it. The three of us would work together to go through the applications.”

A few students spoke about their chosen art pathways at the meeting.

One said, “My favorite medium is definitely acrylic paint. I love to paint. I paint all the time. I’m really excited about this program, so art students can have more opportunities.”

Another said, “My favorite medium is mostly anything 3-D. … I did a collage, but I made it 3-D by adding in newspaper and article clippings. … I’m really excited because I know a lot of kids who are middle schoolers who go to the Nike Base art studio, who would do great in this program. I’d like to see it grow.”

Grand Island High School Principal Hillary Kretz-Harvey said, “Throughout the last school year, our art department had put a great deal of time and thought into the vision of these opportunities for our students with the goal of creating a meaningful pathway for students to pursue with their specific interests in the visual arts, while also preparing for what is next to come for them. We are very excited to bring this work to life for our students this school year.

“I just appreciate these three teachers so much. As the kids said, this is giving them a whole new opportunity and a focused opportunity. Instead of a smattering of different elective opportunities, this will get them a little more focused. I also appreciate that all three of these teachers are active, engaged artists. What a great opportunity that is for our students to see active artists who are out there still producing. I could not be more proud of these kids, but also my teachers.”

Trustee Mike Madigan said, “It sounds like you’re very engaged, very enthusiastic. I’m very grateful for the effort you’re putting in. Great job.”

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Graham said, “Under (the three teachers') leadership, we’ve added the seal of biliteracy; we’ve added the seal of civic readiness; we’ve added a technology pathway to graduation, and now a fine arts. I’m very proud of you and your team. This is really transformative. It aligns so well with the Portrait of a Graduate. Is there anything else you’d like to share with the board?”

“We are not forgetting music, right? Next up, music is on my radar. That’s where we are headed for our next academy,” Kretz-Harvey said.