• Students build problem-solving,
Higher Order Thinking Skills,
including Interpretation, Translation, Application,
Evaluation, Analysis, & Synthesis through Inquiry-based
projects; students are challenged to find & develop solutions
based on their own personal interpretation of various art inquiry projects.

• Students employ and develop their ability to draw inspiration
from multiple sources including
Direct Observation, Imagination, and Remembered Experiences. 

• Working from the imagination, students develop fluency in originating ideas, and
work-habits that utilize risk-taking in order to move "outside of the box" and pursue
new ways of seeing and doing things, while adding complexity and increased personal value.

• Working from direct observation, students develop their observation skills,
as well as, their ability to translate & interpret what they see.

• Working from Personal Experience, students connect the art-making process
not only with their own lives but with the world as a whole; artwork based on
Personal Experiences provides the platform to examine complex social issues,
including those that relate to the student intra-personally (self-smart),
or inter-personally (people-smart), while giving a personal context
from which to examine global & cultural issues that affect
students personally, as well as, the world as a whole.  

• Utilizing the Elements of Art and Principles of Design, students develop art making skills
in a progressive manner, each step & grade building upon one another.

• The study of Art History reinforces and expands upon
students' prior experience & knowledge;
art history is related to students' personal artistic experiences,
as well as, examined for it's cultural and historical contributions.

• Through the Critique Process, students examine in-progress
and finished artwork as part of the process of examining and sometimes modifying
artwork in order to better communicate ideas visually; through this dialogue,
Critical Thinking Skills, and, Verbal Communication Skills, are developed
while vital information is shared and a sense of community nurtured.

~ A. A. Schorsch