Taft High School has many great electives; robotics, video production, and graphic design just to name a few. One elective that seems to be underdeveloped and underfunded is the drawing class.

There are many students in our school that have a passion for drawing. Whether they specialize in digital or traditional, cartooning or realism, it varies from person to person. These students need guidance to help improve their artwork and foster their passion for art, but Taft only offers one art class, Drawing. The class is a fun elective for people who want a simple relaxing period in their schedule. But there are students on campus who want to pursue art in their future, and the one drawing class is not providing the education they need to advance and to improve their skills.

Art school is very different from a traditional academic university or college. Applications require a portfolio, with specific portfolio requirements for each college. It’s up to the students to learn what to make for these portfolios, but some work samples and art samples would require guidance for learning, such as perspective pieces or life drawings. Art colleges admit students based on skill level rather than grades. While grades and traditional academics are important, providing a place for students who are interested in pursuing art need to also focus on specific skills related to their future that may not include advanced sciences or math.  Our school’s only art class isn’t ideal. Especially the course being drawing, students are missing out on opportunities that are available at other schools, classes like digital drawing or animation.

An interview was conducted recently with the drawing teacher, Mrs. Cleary. She says she would like to bring in more art classes to Taft, such as painting and figure drawing, but with her already tight schedule of four math classes and two drawing classes, it would be hard to squeeze in something new. When asked about what she would like to see offered in Taft, she suggested ceramics.

With a STEAM magnet on campus, it is important to support the art programs as well as we are supporting the math and science programs. We should make sure that our art courses offer as many opportunities as possible for the students who are interested and are considering pursuing art in the future. Art is a serious focus for many students and in following with Taft’s mission to prepare students for college and beyond, these classes would develop skills students currently must master on their own.