Pouder High School
The School Community:
Poudre High School (PHS), established in 1964, included a combination student body from three separate high schools. In order to take the first step towards building a community among the students, the principle left it up to them to decide the mascot for the new school. Rumor has it that the impala first came to light when a student drove up to the school in a cool car, called impala. But what is known today is that the student body got the idea from a national geographic article and later Dr. Robert Parke donated a stuffed Impala from Africa after he had returned from a safari. To this day, PHS is the only high school with that mascot.
The school’s crest has three chains in the middle, representing the three original high schools, and on each corner you have a symbol representing the foundation of the school: academics, performing arts, athletics and service and leadership. This crest is the foundation for the high school we see today.
The student body is considered to be the most diverse in the city of Fort Collins. Race and SES (socioeconomic standards) are just a couple pieces that make the student body diverse. The radius in which students travel to go to school here is comparable to the size of New Hampshire. Poudre High School is the most Northern High School in the state of Colorado; therefore the student body reaches to the top of the Colorado–Wyoming border. Because of this truly unique aspect of PHS, the staff understands and wants to help students be a part of that unique experience.
The support of the school is tremendous, from the student body supporting each other to the teachers, staff, and administration supporting the students, each other, and the parents and guardians of the students as well. PHS focuses on SLC’s, which are smaller learning communities, AP courses, an IB Program, and students getting involved in their school with extra curricular activities and encouraging students to develop something new if they are not interested in an existing one. The support extends beyond the students and is there for the parents as well. The website is just the beginning and has a parent tab that is informative, helpful and allows guardians to get in touch with the school and ask questions in a comfortable setting.
Another support group comes from the parents, getting involved in may different ways that suit the needs of the students and themselves. Some examples include: Parents of Poudre Students (POPS), sports, music, and drama events, Moms-in-Touch, parent/teacher conferences, after prom committee, and many more! There is also a site-based team that focuses on providing input about budget, goals and accountability- this is a team effort between students, teachers, parents and staff.
Overall, Poudre High School has learned to become a learning community that is not only supportive in academics, athletics, performing arts and leadership/service, but this school has a community like family. There is always someone ready to help out, encourage or give support in a variety of subjects and activities.
Poudre High School (PHS), established in 1964, included a combination student body from three separate high schools. In order to take the first step towards building a community among the students, the principle left it up to them to decide the mascot for the new school. Rumor has it that the impala first came to light when a student drove up to the school in a cool car, called impala. But what is known today is that the student body got the idea from a national geographic article and later Dr. Robert Parke donated a stuffed Impala from Africa after he had returned from a safari. To this day, PHS is the only high school with that mascot.
The school’s crest has three chains in the middle, representing the three original high schools, and on each corner you have a symbol representing the foundation of the school: academics, performing arts, athletics and service and leadership. This crest is the foundation for the high school we see today.
The student body is considered to be the most diverse in the city of Fort Collins. Race and SES (socioeconomic standards) are just a couple pieces that make the student body diverse. The radius in which students travel to go to school here is comparable to the size of New Hampshire. Poudre High School is the most Northern High School in the state of Colorado; therefore the student body reaches to the top of the Colorado–Wyoming border. Because of this truly unique aspect of PHS, the staff understands and wants to help students be a part of that unique experience.
The support of the school is tremendous, from the student body supporting each other to the teachers, staff, and administration supporting the students, each other, and the parents and guardians of the students as well. PHS focuses on SLC’s, which are smaller learning communities, AP courses, an IB Program, and students getting involved in their school with extra curricular activities and encouraging students to develop something new if they are not interested in an existing one. The support extends beyond the students and is there for the parents as well. The website is just the beginning and has a parent tab that is informative, helpful and allows guardians to get in touch with the school and ask questions in a comfortable setting.
Another support group comes from the parents, getting involved in may different ways that suit the needs of the students and themselves. Some examples include: Parents of Poudre Students (POPS), sports, music, and drama events, Moms-in-Touch, parent/teacher conferences, after prom committee, and many more! There is also a site-based team that focuses on providing input about budget, goals and accountability- this is a team effort between students, teachers, parents and staff.
Overall, Poudre High School has learned to become a learning community that is not only supportive in academics, athletics, performing arts and leadership/service, but this school has a community like family. There is always someone ready to help out, encourage or give support in a variety of subjects and activities.
Students and Classroom:
The classes I have an honor of teaching are two sections of Drawing 1, two sections of Ceramics 1, and aiding in an IB Theory of Knowledge Class (TOK).
The drawing class is focused on introducing the students to materials, techniques, and the elements and principles of design that apply to the drawing mediums. My main project is in the form of a triptych consisting of a chalk pastel portrait, and two supporting drawings: one digital and another chalk pastel drawing. The big idea is to not only understand the human facial proportions, but to send a message through a body of work allowing the viewer to gather information from separate drawings that act as a whole.
The ceramics class focuses on diving into the 3-dimensional world of clay, where the students learn the process and techniques of throwing and hand building clay pieces. My project for this class includes two simultaneous final projects: a hand built teapot and two matching mugs thrown on the wheel. In addition to the building of this project, the students will add a decal to either their teapot or mugs that ties into their overall theme.
The Drawing classroom is set up with seven pods of drawing desks and one big flat table. Each student is assigned a seat at the beginning of each project. This helps with keeping the students perspectives fresh, learning names and taking attendance. There is a smart board on one wall, and a large screen and projector on a neighboring wall. Presentations are often used to give students example of artwork, artists, vocabulary, techniques and processes.
The ceramics room has split sections allowing for two projects to be going on at one time. This helps give more opportunities for students that want to take the class, because there would not be enough equipment for all students to be working on one project. The room has three big tables in the middle of the room for hand building, wheels and storage for students on one side of the room and a glazing station and more shelves on the opposite side. The students are very self sufficient in the work space and take the time to learn and respect how the studio space best serves them.
The Drawing class spent a portion of the project time in a computer lab across the school with a digital program called ArtRage. The project finished back in the classroom with students working hard to get their final piece of the triptych finished. The ceramics class also spent some time in the computer lab, initially researching and and brainstorming ideas for their final project. The demographics of both classes are very diverse. There is an even split of races among the students, along with certain interests and personality styles. Right away I could tell who liked to be heard in class, the students who enjoyed what they were doing and others who needed a push of motivation or a more challenging task.
These classes are also diverse in age because they are just one level above the introductory class, therefor any student who has passes the intro class may take Drawing 1 or Ceramics 1. Based on observation, practice, and reflection, the students start to uncover the realization of their own skills, both technical and content based, and continue to develop and grow their knowledge and drawing skills throughout the triptych portrait project and the final ceramics projects.
The classes I have an honor of teaching are two sections of Drawing 1, two sections of Ceramics 1, and aiding in an IB Theory of Knowledge Class (TOK).
The drawing class is focused on introducing the students to materials, techniques, and the elements and principles of design that apply to the drawing mediums. My main project is in the form of a triptych consisting of a chalk pastel portrait, and two supporting drawings: one digital and another chalk pastel drawing. The big idea is to not only understand the human facial proportions, but to send a message through a body of work allowing the viewer to gather information from separate drawings that act as a whole.
The ceramics class focuses on diving into the 3-dimensional world of clay, where the students learn the process and techniques of throwing and hand building clay pieces. My project for this class includes two simultaneous final projects: a hand built teapot and two matching mugs thrown on the wheel. In addition to the building of this project, the students will add a decal to either their teapot or mugs that ties into their overall theme.
The Drawing classroom is set up with seven pods of drawing desks and one big flat table. Each student is assigned a seat at the beginning of each project. This helps with keeping the students perspectives fresh, learning names and taking attendance. There is a smart board on one wall, and a large screen and projector on a neighboring wall. Presentations are often used to give students example of artwork, artists, vocabulary, techniques and processes.
The ceramics room has split sections allowing for two projects to be going on at one time. This helps give more opportunities for students that want to take the class, because there would not be enough equipment for all students to be working on one project. The room has three big tables in the middle of the room for hand building, wheels and storage for students on one side of the room and a glazing station and more shelves on the opposite side. The students are very self sufficient in the work space and take the time to learn and respect how the studio space best serves them.
The Drawing class spent a portion of the project time in a computer lab across the school with a digital program called ArtRage. The project finished back in the classroom with students working hard to get their final piece of the triptych finished. The ceramics class also spent some time in the computer lab, initially researching and and brainstorming ideas for their final project. The demographics of both classes are very diverse. There is an even split of races among the students, along with certain interests and personality styles. Right away I could tell who liked to be heard in class, the students who enjoyed what they were doing and others who needed a push of motivation or a more challenging task.
These classes are also diverse in age because they are just one level above the introductory class, therefor any student who has passes the intro class may take Drawing 1 or Ceramics 1. Based on observation, practice, and reflection, the students start to uncover the realization of their own skills, both technical and content based, and continue to develop and grow their knowledge and drawing skills throughout the triptych portrait project and the final ceramics projects.
Topic and Rationale
Topic Taught:
Drawing- A triptych self portrait focusing on facial proportions and expressing multiple views of oneself through imagery. The students were given a demonstration on ideal facial proportions, activities for practice, warm up exercises practicing individual features, and teaching their peers the correct facial proportions. Photos were brought in or taken in class of each student in a way that showed individuality. Students then altered their photos using an online tool called Pixlr. This is another way students were able to individualize their photo.
Techniques used for taking the photo consisted of harsh lighting to generate more contrast, then editing consisted of desaturating the photo, adjusting levels, and adding artificial color. Students who felt their skin tone and colors of the picture were important left the photo and became a way to differentiate the lesson. The students used the grid technique from their previous project to help with guidelines and they mapped out, and filled the page with chalk pastel. The second drawing is done completely on the computer using a program called ArtRage. Students use reference images and various manipulating tools to create a drawing that supports their portrait. The final piece to the triptych uses chalk pastels with the ideas from the digital drawing. A second supporting drawing allows students the ability to show multiple sides of themselves along with creating unity among all three drawings.
Ceramics- A hand-built teapot and two matching thrown mugs are the final assignments for this class. The students have had experiences in hand-building and throwing on the wheel. The goal of this project is to take the skills the students have already learned throughout the semester and apply them to a more complex finished piece. The students will learn to pull and build handles, spouts and lids; along with the physical composition, students will add a decal and explore the conceptual side of ceramics.
Techniques used for this project include throwing mugs- cylindrical shaped vessels, adding handles to all mugs, hand building a teapot which includes attaching a spout, lid and handle, creating detail that conceptualizes a personal meaning, glazing all pieces, and adding a decal to at least one of the two.
Drawing- A triptych self portrait focusing on facial proportions and expressing multiple views of oneself through imagery. The students were given a demonstration on ideal facial proportions, activities for practice, warm up exercises practicing individual features, and teaching their peers the correct facial proportions. Photos were brought in or taken in class of each student in a way that showed individuality. Students then altered their photos using an online tool called Pixlr. This is another way students were able to individualize their photo.
Techniques used for taking the photo consisted of harsh lighting to generate more contrast, then editing consisted of desaturating the photo, adjusting levels, and adding artificial color. Students who felt their skin tone and colors of the picture were important left the photo and became a way to differentiate the lesson. The students used the grid technique from their previous project to help with guidelines and they mapped out, and filled the page with chalk pastel. The second drawing is done completely on the computer using a program called ArtRage. Students use reference images and various manipulating tools to create a drawing that supports their portrait. The final piece to the triptych uses chalk pastels with the ideas from the digital drawing. A second supporting drawing allows students the ability to show multiple sides of themselves along with creating unity among all three drawings.
Ceramics- A hand-built teapot and two matching thrown mugs are the final assignments for this class. The students have had experiences in hand-building and throwing on the wheel. The goal of this project is to take the skills the students have already learned throughout the semester and apply them to a more complex finished piece. The students will learn to pull and build handles, spouts and lids; along with the physical composition, students will add a decal and explore the conceptual side of ceramics.
Techniques used for this project include throwing mugs- cylindrical shaped vessels, adding handles to all mugs, hand building a teapot which includes attaching a spout, lid and handle, creating detail that conceptualizes a personal meaning, glazing all pieces, and adding a decal to at least one of the two.
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Significance of Topic:
Global: This topic allowed for students to practice problem-solving for a hypothetical situation with many possible solutions. They developed the skill of generating a variety of solutions and choosing which would be best. Additionally, students created their own personal meaning by applying their interests and values to making decisions about what to include in their portraits-both in drawing and ceramics. They gained a solid universal understanding that artists gravitate towards making art about what they like, as well as about the things that they know well or have experience with.
Personal: Joining these high school classrooms halfway through the semester was tough, but the subject of self helps both students and teachers learn more about each other creating an open and willing environment to express through art. I enjoy conceptual natured art, with personal meaning behind every detail- something you may not even notice as a viewer, but it’s important to the artist. I took this idea of the conceptual self (a more abstract idea of self expression) and decided to challenge these students to this task. Allowing myself to share with the students helped them dig deeper and understand the concepts I wanted them to explore.
For this population: My co-teacher had this topic already on the books, and allowed me to make changes to incorporate a digital aspect along with creating a triptych rather than just one piece. This particular topic is something students find very interesting to consider, themselves. Especially in the stage of life high school has to offer, students are working for themselves, and just starting to grasp the idea they will be moving on past high school. This could mean college, finding a job or taking an adventure somewhere new. Exploring the topic of self expression through conceptual means is different than flat out stating what their interests are. However, the relevance extends far beyond my own interest and experience, so we decided it would be a successful and effective vehicle for addressing the required standards.
Global: This topic allowed for students to practice problem-solving for a hypothetical situation with many possible solutions. They developed the skill of generating a variety of solutions and choosing which would be best. Additionally, students created their own personal meaning by applying their interests and values to making decisions about what to include in their portraits-both in drawing and ceramics. They gained a solid universal understanding that artists gravitate towards making art about what they like, as well as about the things that they know well or have experience with.
Personal: Joining these high school classrooms halfway through the semester was tough, but the subject of self helps both students and teachers learn more about each other creating an open and willing environment to express through art. I enjoy conceptual natured art, with personal meaning behind every detail- something you may not even notice as a viewer, but it’s important to the artist. I took this idea of the conceptual self (a more abstract idea of self expression) and decided to challenge these students to this task. Allowing myself to share with the students helped them dig deeper and understand the concepts I wanted them to explore.
For this population: My co-teacher had this topic already on the books, and allowed me to make changes to incorporate a digital aspect along with creating a triptych rather than just one piece. This particular topic is something students find very interesting to consider, themselves. Especially in the stage of life high school has to offer, students are working for themselves, and just starting to grasp the idea they will be moving on past high school. This could mean college, finding a job or taking an adventure somewhere new. Exploring the topic of self expression through conceptual means is different than flat out stating what their interests are. However, the relevance extends far beyond my own interest and experience, so we decided it would be a successful and effective vehicle for addressing the required standards.