In Bonita Vista High (BVH), there are various art programs and projects offered. Within the halls, there are murals depicting the pride and creativity the students have for the school, closing the bonds students and staff have with each other. To further close these bonds, teachers have allowed student art to be displayed proudly within their classrooms to show the progress they have made and what accomplishments they have achieved.
“I have posters that a student from [Assistant Student Body (ASB)] made two years ago, they’re all One Piece related and I’m a huge fan of One Piece,” International Baccalaureate (IB) Literature, English 9 Accelerated and English Language Development (ELD) teacher Raymond Chhan said.
Chhan has numerous student art within his classroom plastered along the walls with references to anime, video games, shows and in class projects that students are proud of. One of these projects was most notably mock propaganda posters that were based off of a book Chhan read, where propaganda was spread in the story itself.
“I have posters of propaganda that was made for a book that I bought a couple years ago called Animal Farm. It’s based on a moment in the text where they’re spreading propaganda. I’ve had students create posters themselves,” Chhan said.
Similarly to Chhan, BVH teachers connect with students in numerous ways through art. One of these ways includes students drawing their interests within the subject they learn. From drawing their favorite animal and explaining a fact about it, to drawing topics they are interested in, teachers find ways for students to be more comfortable in the classroom. For Biology, Advanced Placement Environmental Science and IB Environmental Systems and Societies teacher Jennifer Ekstein, she hangs up student-made projects of organisms and species related to her lessons.
“The art [in my classroom] is very symbolic of an animal that they liked or chose, an animal that they connected with. So they were able to choose any endangered species or extinct species so they could showcase which one they wanted to talk about,” Ekstein said.
Ekstein is able to combine her interests of environmental science and nature with artistry in order to connect with students that relate to the subjects and art itself. Having students express their creativity and add their very own decoration in the classroom is a great way for her to relate environmental science with the students. Students get to express themselves while Ekstein gets to have a number of items to add glamor to her classroom.
“For me, the artwork is a reflection of what they really got out of the material and you can see some of them are absolutely gorgeous,” Ekstein said.
Classrooms show the creativity of students with postered art peppering the walls with their creations. Although it leans towards an artistic side, this does not create a hurdle in their academics; instead it gives a more creative incentive on doing these projects like assignments especially when students connect their memories or past with art. History—personal or not—is recorded with art when it is made, leading to long lasting hobbies of artistic ability.
“The oldest painting artwork predates the oldest writings, so humans were drawing before writing,” Digital Arts teacher Nicholas Braunn said.
Braunn’s grandfather gave him an inherited love for art, allowing him to have a personal connection to share with all of the student artwork. Although the majority of students’ artworks are drawings using a paper or canvas, Braunn views artistry as a tool to assist him in grading assignments, comparing them to their older works for any improvement.
“Everybody will eventually have to put their artwork up [in the classroom]. I put the artwork on the walls because it is better to evaluate them,” Braunn said.
Although the classrooms have a set subject to focus on, teachers find ways to encapsulate the students with artistic projects to make their classes as special to the student as can be. Teachers like Chhan hope to make their classes more interesting and fun for the students so as to not bore them or lose their interest in the subject.
“I mentioned that there isn’t as much creativity as we’d hope during the academic experience and showing that is special. Showing students that I admire the work that they do, not just for a grade purpose, I really appreciate it,” Chhan said.
Chhan expresses his delight for student art when teaching. He sees that students gain a sense of pride when they find their work on the walls as well as feeling this same sense of pride himself. Like other BVH teachers, he finds himself to be moved and inspired by the projects that his students create using their creativity.
“I’m not the best artist and when I can see students create really cool art, I think it’s impressive for me too. I find it to be special to be recognized for that,” Chhan said.
