Visual Arts I
Visual Arts I is the prerequisite for all other art classes. Visual Arts I introduces art history, artcriticism, aesthetic judgment and studio production. Emphasis is placed on the ability to understand and use elements and principles of design through a variety of media, processes, and visual resources. The course explores master artworks for historical and cultural significance.

Visual Arts II
Visual Arts II enhances level one skills in art history, art criticism, aesthetic judgment and studio production. The course emphasizes and reinforces knowledge and application of the design elements and their relationships to the principles of design. Different two and three dimensional art media and processes will be explored. Students will investigate master artworks to increase awareness and to examine the role of art and the artist in past and contemporary societies.

Visual Arts III
Visual Arts III enhances level two skills in art history, art criticism, aesthetic judgment and studio productions. The course provides practice in applying design elements and principles of design. The course also provides focus on different two and three dimensional art media and processes and master artworks. Idea development through production and creativity and through the study of master artists will be stressed.

Ceramics/Pottery I
This course introduces students to ceramics as an art form and emphasizes each of the different types of hand building techniques, various types of surface decoration methods, firing processes, and basic wheel throwing techniques.

Ceramics/Pottery II
This course builds on the skills introduced in Ceramics/Pottery I. Students will continue developing competency in wheel throwing and more complex hand building techniques.  Students are encouraged to use a variety of construction methods to express original ideas and concepts three dimensionally. Basic glaze formulation, a variety of firing processes, basic sculptural processes, and surface decoration techniques will be stressed.

Ceramics/Pottery III
This course allows students to improve skills developed in Ceramics/Pottery II with an emphasis on clay as an expressive medium. Students will develop greater consistency and skill in throwing and will use the wheel and hand building processes to create original work. Students will also use clay as a sculptural medium and be introduced to careers in ceramics.

Drawing I or II
Drawing classes teach various techniques with regard to materials used and subject matter. The following will be covered: correct use of all dry media, correct use and handling of the pen and ink medium, working on varied surfaces, scratchboard, crayon/oil pastel relief, collage, and mosaic.  Students are required to explore many different subject areas, including life drawing, still life, landscape, and design. They must work in realism, expressionism, impressionism, and the abstract mode. Studies of famous artists are incorporated.

Jewelry and Metalcrafts I
Students will use the elements of art and the principles of design to create jewelry. A variety of techniques will be taught to fashion custom designed jewelry employing paper, clay, fabric, glass, leather, and metal. Simple traditional metal smithing will be introduced. Kiln work involving fused glass and precious metal clay will be explored. Other techniques used may include casting, beadmaking, enameling, and keum boo (gold metal foiling).

Painting I or II
While drawing is necessary in this class, most of the projects will consist of working with a combination of wet and dry media. Students are taught how to paint with various media. As with the drawing classes, the students must be introduced to and explore many different subject matters and artistic movements of the past and present.

Sculpture I   This course enhances level one skills in sculpture and offers opportunities to apply sculpting techniques in a variety of media such as clay, wire, paper, paper maché, found objects, stone, plaster, and wood. Students study various sculptors, cultures, and periods of art history in which three dimensional Artwork played an important role. Art history, aesthetics, and art criticism, in addition to art production, are addressed.

AP Art History
This college level course allows students to fully understand human existence through the oldest form of communication. By first learning to “look at art” through developed critical thinking skills, visual analysis, and sound judgment, the student can intuitively reveal the historic, cultural, and conceptual influences in a specific work of art.  By building a mental library of images and examples from the course, the student will also be able to recognize and correlated themes found throughout centuries of art from Western approaches as well as beyond the European tradition. The course covers Prehistoric to Contemporary 21 st century artistic trends. There is a strong emphasis on writing about art as the proper vocabulary, penmanship, content, and artistic context becomes the basis for evaluation of written assignments. 

AP Studio: 2D Design Portfolio
Content of this course conforms to College Board standards for the Advanced Placement Studio Art 2D Design Portfolio Examination. Students are asked to demonstrate a conscious and deliberate application of the principles of design: unity, variety, balance, emphasis, contrast, proportion, scale, and rhythm in works of art. Any two dimensional media may be submitted, including (but not limited to) graphic design, typography, digital imaging, photography, collage, fabric design, weaving, illustration, painting, or printmaking.

AP Studio: 3D Design Portfolio
Content of this course conforms to College Board standards for the Advanced Placement Studio Art 3D Design Portfolio Examination. The 3D portfolio is intended to address a broad interpretation of sculptural issues in depth and space. The issues may include mass, volume, form plane, light, and texture. Such elements may be articulated through additive, subtractive, and/or fabrication processes.

Band and Orchestra Courses:

Intermediate Band
This course offers opportunities to develop performance skills on a wind instrument. No prior instrumental music experience is required. Music is of grade I, II and III. Students must make their own arrangements to purchase an instrument.  Students are required to be in both semesters in order to qualify for the ensemble.

Ethnic Music Studies / Guard & Dance Class
Provides opportunity to develop skills necessary for performance in Guard and an appreciation for the multiple forms of expression of music in a visual way.. Covers how to identify and execute the basic principles of composition (i.e., design, improvisation, use of qualities and musical forms). Concentrates on the development of themes and performance of multiple phrase composition. This is a performance class which emphasizes individual creativity, musicality, movement, staging, and the use of props and equipment in performance.  Students are required to be in both semesters in order to qualify for the ensemble and an audition is also required.

Beginning Orchestra
This course offers opportunities to develop performance skills on a string instrument. No prior instrumental music experience is required. Music is of grade I, II and III. Students must make their own arrangements to purchase an instrument.  Students are required to be in both semesters in order to qualify for the ensemble.