Art in Schools

Students learn geometry, geography, self-confidence and discipline through art education

STORY BY BREANNA MANLEY

Schools in the Elmore County area encourage students to tap into the creative side of their brains with available resources that include art classes, clubs and the occasional art competition. With school-provided resources available at all age levels, students build up a creative background and learn the art of selfexpression.

Wetumpka High School is dedicated to providing extensive outlets through which students have opportunities to showcase their art. The high school’s art teacher and art club sponsor, Adriane Duvall, loves showcasing her students’ work through the club’s Instagram, @theartofwhs.

Wetumpka High offers six art classes for students, including Painting 1 and 2 and Art 1 through Art 4. Students who want to explore art more deeply could participate in the art club.

“The art club has about 25 to 30 members, and the kids participate in several community projects throughout the year. So far this year, we’ve done murals, painted paddles for the Great Alabama 650 and collected canned goods for the Elmore County Food Bank. The most recent community project we’ve participated in was the Coosa Candy Crawl,” Duvall explained.

Though the school offers a wide variety of classes, students all start at the beginner’s art class to build upon foundational skills before advancing to the other art classes. If students choose to continue art classes, Duvall said, they could be doing much more than drawing and painting.

“Currently in my advanced art classes, I have kids that are painting, woodburning, whittling, sewing, painting with beads and even generating art,” she explained.

Another school that offers students multiple art classes, as well as an art club in which to participate, is Elmore County High School in Eclectic. One of the unique classes offered at this high school is art history, which gives students a look into the history of art and famous artists. Visual arts teacher and club sponsor Marie Gates believes having art in schools is benefiting students greatly following the pandemic.

“Here lately, it’s been interesting because other classes are using art to help reinforce what students are learning. Again, the kids have gone through a couple of bad years with the pandemic, and I really feel like visual arts and the performing arts are really giving the kids ownership and helping them learn new things,” Gates said.

After a break from arts-based field trips due to the pandemic, Gates planned for her students to take a trip to the

Montgomery Museum last year to expose them to even more forms of art.

Though students could choose to continue art classes as they grow older, elementary-aged students are exposed to art early to teach them about shapes, lines and other elements of art. According to Tallassee Elementary School art teacher Tara Battles, art also helps students learn about geography.

“I usually pick projects based on artists, and they learn about those artists. They learn about their techniques. They learn about where they are from in the world. They get a little bit of geography,” Battles said.

At such young ages, it’s important for students to learn about the basics, often shown through the seven elements of art: shape, texture, space, color, line, value and form. Battles said even though the seven elements are split up between grades, they often overlap.

Another elementary school in Elmore County adds a twist to their art resources. Coosada Elementary uses an online art program, Abrakadoodle, to give students a chance to immerse themselves in creative outlet. Abrakadoodle, which has been around since 2002, is known for providing arts classes, camps, parties and events for students of all ages.

Through the mobile art program, the company provides trained art teachers and a variety of lesson plans that delve into the seven elements of art. Students who use Abrakadoodle explore different art forms and styles while also learning about artists from around the world.

Though art is an elective in most school systems, it could help students cultivate self-confidence and discipline, as well as other traits when it comes to developing the brain further. With so many promising programs, classes and extracurricular opportunities laid out for students within the county school system, the possibilities are endless for students to explore their creative side. Elmore County Public Schools Superintendent Richard Dennis said he hopes to further expand programs offered throughout the county, specifically targeting the elementary and middle schools.

“I think problem solving is the greatest benefit from taking art classes, but if you ask my kids, they might tell you that it is learning to fail. You have to fail a lot in order to be successful and to be okay with failing so that you don’t just give up. Art is hard. Making fine art is really hard. At risk of sounding cliche, you really do have to enjoy the process, as you don’t always end up where you had planned,” Duvall said.