Painting III has recently been introduced into the 2024-2025 curriculum, offering students the chance to complete the course during their high school journey in 2024. This addition has stirred a range of emotions among both students and teachers.
This year, the Curriculum Council, composed of parents, teachers, and students, has decided to present Painting III as an elective option for the upcoming school year at The Columbus School. The intention is to provide students with the opportunity to engage in the painting class throughout their high school experience, eliminating the need to change paths and start a new in the 11th grade.
“This class is a great way for creative students to come together next year when we are seniors and create something that will last, even if it’s for each of them individually,” shared Emilia Velez, an 11th-grade student.
Moreover, this decision ensures that students can nurture their creativity without disrupting their chosen academic paths. It opens up opportunities to explore classes with different objectives and perspectives, which can positively influence our sense of psychological well-being.
“This class will help me a lot because the classes I’m in are mostly analytical and fact-based, whereas we all need a balance, so this class helps me explore my creativity and relax,” added Velez.
Gloria Isabel Vélez, the teacher for this class, recognizes the importance of continuing a part-term in students’ artistic skills. This continuity allows them to perform with more confidence and personal creativity, leading to more personalized artworks and creating sentimentally valuable pieces.
“I think that beneficial aspects are that students have the option of a Painting III course where they can create more of their own pieces, not so much copying images but developing their own artistic or intellectual process,” stated Ms. Vélez, the painting teacher.
While students have various elective options regarding art skills, many classes differ significantly in techniques and materials. Hence, students often prefer to stick with a particular path to develop more skill in specific techniques, rather than starting a different one in the last school year.
“To be fair, I am not the most artistic, and neither do I want a career in the arts, but for me, painting is kind of like getting away from the stress of the other classes and being able to be creative,” explained Velez.
A common concern about this opportunity for the next school year is that students might repeat the exact same as the previous year. To address this, there are expectations and strict grading processes in place to ensure continuous learning throughout the three painting courses, ultimately raising the artistic level for everyone at the end of the course.
“The evaluation would be under the rubric or scale of proficiency that we are working on from the arts department. An important part of the evaluation process would be the portfolio and the pieces, between 10-15, depending on the student’s process. Their conceptualization and responsibility in their preparation,” clarified Ms. Vélez.
Not only students, but also teachers, have shown a positive initiative and attitude toward starting this course next year. Teachers are excited for students to continue following their paths, and students demonstrate a positive attitude toward learning and progressing.
“I am inspired to see that there are students who have painting skills, and their options are limited. For this class to be attractive and dynamic for the students, it depends a lot on them, since each of the students who takes the course will go at their own pace in the preparation for their paintings,” shared Velez.