From kindergarteners making their first brush strokes to high school seniors preparing college portfolios, the Oyster Bay-East Norwich School District offers students a comprehensive fine arts education that builds progressively from elementary through high school.
School is all about learning, and taking an art class is a great environment to learn and explore in a space where there isn't one right answer but many, says Mr. Erik Chocianowski, who teaches at Oyster Bay High School. Everyone has a voice and a perspective, and the artistic license you have to create and find your way are encouraged in art classes in a way that is unique to other subjects.
Visual and media arts give our students a powerful way to express thoughts and feelings that they may not yet have the words for, said Ms. Erica Giglio-Pac, Director of Fine, Performing, and Media Arts (K–12). For many of our learners, this is the part of their day when they can engage a different part of their brain, think creatively and work tactically with their hands. That combination of emotional expression and hands-on making is essential to their growth, both as artists and as human beings.
At Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School, art teacher Ms. Meredith Brustman introduces prekindergarten through second grade students to color, texture and storytelling. “I love art because it’s a place where every single student can succeed. For many students, this is where they shine,” she says. Kindergarteners experiment with primary colors and pattern. First graders explore texture and color temperature to share personal experiences. Second graders move to form and movement while studying artwork from different cultures and time periods.
The curriculum expands at James H. Vernon School, where art teacher Ms. Stephanie Miley leads students in grades 3 through 6 through more advanced explorations. Third graders study Cubism and create mixed-media portraits. Fourth graders examine facial proportions and the cultural history behind Mexican amate paper paintings. Fifth graders experiment with abstraction and Aboriginal art. Sixth graders study emotional expression through exaggerated portraits inspired by Edvard Munch. “Creating visual arts gives our students a chance to engage in problem solving while exploring various mediums. Engaging in the arts also exposes students to various artists and techniques as well as art from many cultures. It’s rewarding to see students excited to create art,” Ms. Miley says.
At the high school level, students dive into specialized courses that range from computer art and graphic design to photography, ceramics, sculpture, drawing and painting. Renovated facilities support this work with two Mac labs equipped with Adobe Creative Suite and a sculpture room with a kiln and professional tools. “I love teaching ceramics and sculpture,” says Ms. Maria Randazzo, who has taught various courses at OBHS. “It is so rewarding to see how students have to problem solve in a three-dimensional perspective. Also, students love getting to work with clay for the first time, and it makes the class very exciting.”
Students interested in advanced study enroll in AP Studio Art. Photography teacher Mr. Scott Boris, now in his 27th year at OBHS, takes students on field trips across New York City. Students exhibit their work through the Art Guild, Heckscher Museum, the All-County Art Show and the Media Arts Show at Five Towns College.
The arts connect to other subjects as well. Sculpture and ceramics classes examine the science behind clay processes. Drawing and painting builds concept development and writing. Social studies gains dimension when students study artists and cultural contexts. “In a project where we explored cultures and the connections that masks had with different groups of people, students learned about and discussed the importance of masks for various communities,” Mr. Chocianowski says. “We had a rich exploration of color associations, texture and material usage too, which created a deeper sense of understanding for why people make the things that they do.”
Small class sizes allow for individual attention and space for students to take creative risks. “Making art and developing concepts can be very intimidating, but we use the time we have to make them want to stand out through their work,” Ms. Randazzo says. For Mr. Chocianowski, the heart of art education lies in its impact on personal growth. “Sometimes we see a very cultivated persona that people project, and in the art-creating space, we are allowed to express and examine our vulnerabilities in a way that can be therapeutic and freeing. There aren’t many other ways that you can create something from nothing that really reflects who you are as a person.”
From early childhood through high school, the district’s fine arts program gives every student the opportunity to explore, experiment and discover their creative voice. Whether students pursue careers in the arts or carry these skills into other fields, their experiences enrich both their education and their lives.
Click here to view the Students discover their creative voice through OBENs Fine Arts program slideshow.