If you drop into Holyoke High School’s Opportunity Academy at the right time, you might catch a lesson on oil pastels, perspective drawing, or creating a Post-it Note® masterpiece.
Art lessons typically begin with warm-up exercises utilizing journals, which students keep throughout the school year to track their progress as they learn and develop new skills. Students explore new techniques with instructor Natasha Colón Ortiz, adding warm-up entries to their journals. The Paper City Art Kids founder encourages her students to express their own creativity and interests in both their sketches and finished pieces.
When ready, students move beyond their journals into other mediums as they explore elements of art—such as color, value, and shape—through drawing, painting, collaging, printmaking, and sculpting. When they have completed their artwork, students craft an artist’s statement, which allows them to self evaluate how well they executed a technique and what their piece communicates. At the end of a lesson comes a bit of extra fun for the students: Contributing a decorated Post-it Note to an ongoing collage that will keep growing throughout the year, uniting the artistic stylings of each student into one “Post-it Masterpiece.”
This is the second year of art lessons at OA, which were introduced during the 2023-24 school year. Ms. Colón Ortiz, who taught and tutored at OA in years prior, was approached by former OA principal Geoffry Schmidt to create a new art curriculum for students to recover elective credits.
“I said yes, let’s give it a shot!” said Ms. Colón Ortiz. Since she was familiar with OA’s structure and students, she felt confident designing a curriculum that includes foundational art skills while leaving plenty of room for flexibility. “I let them have a lot of creative freedom. It’s very open, very loose, and laid back.”
OA students have a variety of opportunities to earn high school degrees or certificates of attainment in a personalized, non-traditional setting through one of three pathways. While students can recover core credits in subjects such as math and English language arts, Ms. Colón Ortiz’s art class gives students the option to attain an elective credit, as well.
“I break lessons down into bite-sized pieces so that it’s possible for students to complete the course, earn credits, and earn their certificate of attainment,” said Ms. Colón Ortiz. “But the course is about more than that. It’s also about learning skills like collaboration.”
In art class, students learn to give and receive constructive criticism, coming together at the end of projects to discuss what worked and what didn’t in a piece, she explained. At the end of the term, student artwork is displayed in the OA hallway accompanied by artist statements to spark discussion from students, staff, and visitors.
What is the best part of art class, according to Ms. Colón Ortiz? When a student gains confidence through art.
“When a shy or less confident student is engaged and asks questions, and then says, ‘Oh, I get it!’ and just flies forward, that’s what it’s all about.”