by Michaela Ranniello (2016)
The highest level art class Wethersfield High School offers is AP Art, taught by Andrea Haas. The class helps students prepare portfolios in order to apply to art schools. The class gives students of various levels of experience about four hours total throughout the school week, plus the occasional open studio time after school, to work freely on their pieces. Opposed to how the other art courses in the school work, AP lets students create multiple compositions at once and at their own pace. Students who work their way up to taking AP art seem to really enjoy how the class works. Emma Walsh said “AP Art is more fun because you have more freedom. Plus everyone in AP art actually cares about art and isn’t just there to get their fine arts credit out of the way”. Katie Flynn adds “I don’t like to work on the same thing for too long. I like that I can take a break and work on whatever I want other pieces. I can have multiple things going at once”. Ms. Haas explains why the class is so unique by saying, “This is where the artists get to develop their own style. Students must also be able to talk about their work and be able to constructively discuss the work of others. I act more as a facilitator. The course is run more like a college studio class than a high school art class”. The students appreciate the different environment and the feeling of taking a college level class. Agnes Ning says “You can inspire each other by walking around and looking at what everyone else is doing”. The students’ assignments are all leading up to a finished portfolio consisting upward of twenty pieces. “There are three parts to the AP Portfolio, Quality, Concentration and Breadth", describes Ms. Haas. Students are graded on “personal vision, originality and technical skill”. The final exam of the AP class includes a review of the show the students will put together in the school, after the portfolios are due on May first.
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by: Alyssa Lojko (Class of 2016)
I recently interviewed Mr. Martin, an English teacher at Wethersfield High School. I was able to ask him some questions about how and why he decided to become a teacher and ultimately come to Wethersfield to do so. When asked about what made him decide to be a teacher, Mr. Martin said, “I’m not sure if I ever actually decided I wanted to be a teacher. I think my teachers in high school decided it for me. They used to pull me aside after class and say, 'You're not the best student, but you can become a great teacher.'” After that response it makes you think that anyone around you at this moment can have an influence on your future and what you become in life. Originally, Mr. Martin is from Lowell, Massachusetts. When asked why he started teaching in Connecticut, his response was very honest and to the point. “I’m dating a girl, and she was living in Connecticut. When I graduated with my Master's degree, I knew that I wanted to move from Lowell to Connecticut to be closer to her.” When it came to becoming an English teacher at Wethersfield High School, it was very easy for him to make a choice. He was offered many other jobs from different schools throughout the state, but Wethersfield High School stuck out to him. He responded by saying “I went to a job fair at University of Hartford and I met so many schools from all over the state: Hartford, Waterbury, Glastonbury, Simsbury; and I got a lot of offers. The one thing that kind of brought Wethersfield to the top was when I met Mr. McKenna, the science teacher. He was so nice and he was so welcoming, and everyone else I talked to from Wethersfield were also welcoming. Wethersfield High School really has a reputation for wanting to challenge students mentally and really take things above and beyond, and that’s what I really wanted to do in my classroom, so that's why I chose here over everywhere else.” Mr. Martin teaches World Literature (English 10), American Literature (English 11), and Journalism (Elective Course). Mr. Martin really enjoys teaching at Wethersfield High School, and it’s good to see teachers who are so dedicated and interactive with their students. Mr. Martin is a very passionate teacher, and absolutely loves his job here at Wethersfield High. When asked about his experience, he said, "I love it! I've taught at three different schools and this is easily the most fun and the most rewarding of the experiences I’ve had so far.” |
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