My kids are kicking butt!

So Thursday night, we had our Annual High School Spring Exhibition where the 5 local high schools compete in a range of media. This what our kids work toward all year, and Norview did really well!!
I teach introductory classes-photo and general art, and one 1st year Drawing/Painting class. So these competitions are intimidating to me because my kids will compete with AP students, advanced level classes, but I believe they can hang with the best of them!
Thursday night, 5 of my students won top awards, and I couldn't be prouder! It's kind of vindication of all my hard work. Below are the winners! One of my favorite things is that I had representatives from each of the classes win, so it makes me feel I give strong attention to all classes.

In other good news, I was chosen to present at the State Conference for Art Teachers in November where for 110 minutes I will be speaking to educators and administrators on teaching animation! This has really been a good year for me! I also got an award from the School Board for my work with starting and the community service work for the National Art Honor Society!

This one won Honorable Mention for Printmaking. It's 2 shoes on a turntable because she loves to dance! It's linoleum block printing.

Honorable Mention painting. This kid despised me in the beginning of the year. Gave me the worst attitude, but I was determined to get through to him. He had such a gift in art, and in working with his guidance counselor and teachers he DID click with, we ended becoming buddies, and he worked so hard and got in this show (after failing 1st semester). His technique of watercolor and blowing on the paint won him this award! Today he apologized to me for his behavior and thanked me for not giving up on him. He asked to be in my class next year.

I taught screen printing for the first time this year. They had to choose a word that represented them and he chose LIFE and all the different directions it takes us. Students printed on shirts and paper, but they were required to make a collage and print on it as the final assignment. He won FIRST PLACE!!

She didn't win anything, but I thought this print was cool. I went to a local paint store and asked them for leftover wallpaper books. They donated 10 to me. I had the kids print on this wallpaper and it really accentuated their artwork! This is is a tree where the branches form a heart. She loves nature.

This was from the same assignment as above. He chose great wallpaper and it really helped his piece. He won SECOND PLACE in printmaking! Both linoleum block printing.

My favorite subject to teach is photography. It's my favorite medium and I really try to get the kids to get creative, even though they are just learning the manual cameras and darkroom. This was her 2nd ever assignment and her idea was to project a transparency she made of leaves from a plant in the classroom and make him look like a man from the wild! I was shaken to the fact there was a boy with his shirt off in the photo studio, but she had a vision and we had to go with it! She won FIRST PLACE PHOTO! Beating out advanced photographers, this was her 2nd assignment on lighting and burning and dodging.

**Sorry the quality of photos are bad, the images are covered in acetate and it creates a glare.