Grade 7 | Credits: 2.5

Art Exploration is the art elective course offered to seventh grade students.  Art Exploration provides students with an opportunity to experience in greater depth the many varied methods and materials of art media.  Exploration and development of line, color, form, texture and space in both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional projects help to develop individual growth and personal expression.  The program consists of projects in drawing, painting, 3 dimensional design, printmaking and graphic design.

Grades 8-9 | Credits: 2.5

This course is designed to be an introduction into three-dimensional art world, working with both additive and subtractive techniques to explore various materials and mediums of production. Students will investigate problem solving techniques to create both representational and more abstract art forms while producing aesthetically pleasing 3-D structures such as kaleidocycles, geodomes, mobiles, and origami. Materials that may be explored, but are not limited to include paper, cardboard, wire, foam core, Styrofoam and Paper Mache.

Grades 8-9 | Credits: 2.5

This course is designed to be an introduction to ceramics as a sculptural medium.  Students will learn about the history of ceramics and pottery as well as related vocabulary. Attention will be focused on basic hand-building techniques as well as glaze and underglaze finishes.

Grades 8-9 | Credits: 2.5 | Prerequisite of B+ or better in Ceramics Exploration

This is a limited offering class (20 students x 2 semesters) for students meeting the prerequisite. Students learn basic hand-building techniques for forming clay and treating clay surfaces, including ceramic staining and glazing. Throwing techniques on the potter's wheel will be demonstrated. This course serves as a prerequisite to High School Ceramics Workshop.

Grades 8-9 | Credits: 2.5

Basic materials, techniques, and  processes  employed  in  drawing are introduced. The proper  use of drawing media and composition is emphasized to develop technical skills. Drawing is a skill and this course introduces students to the basic concepts that develop this skill. Students are taught to see their environment through observational studies and represent it in their own artistic manner. Drawing pencils, pen & ink, charcoal, colored pencils, ink wash, and pastels are used. Techniques such as light and shade, perspective rendering, line usage, texture, pattern, crosshatching, and stipple are explored.

Grades 8-9 | Credits: 2.5 I Prerequisite of B+ or better in Drawing Exploration

The proper use of drawing and painting media is emphasized to develop technical skills. This course utilizes skills and techniques developed in the Drawing Exploration course to explore in more depth the artistic uses for wet and dry media. Students are taught to see their environment through observational studies and use these to represent it in their own artistic manner. Students will be responsible for maintaining a sketchbook as a means for gathering ideas and planning projects to develop growth in their skills and work. Drawing pencils, watercolor, acrylic paint, ink wash, and pastels are used. Techniques such as light and shade, perspective rendering, line usage, and color theory are explored.

Grades 8-9 | Credits: 2.5 I No Prerequisite

The course introduces the basic principles of digital photography and photographic composition. Composing images when taking pictures is emphasized. Students use computer applications such as the Adobe Creative Suite to edit, adjust and finalize photographic images. Cameras are supplied for basic assignments.

Grade 8-9 | Credits: 2.5

Students explore the world of Graphic Design and Digital Art through projects that emphasize Visual Communications. Basic to advanced activities, along with the layout principles are introduced and explored through the newest version of Creative Cloud Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. The course highlights the importance of visually exploring and discussing the creative process through skill development and critique. Coursework is 100% computer based on Macintosh computers. Projects may include, but are not limited to layout and lettering design, black & white ornamental designs, personal logo and skateboard designs, album covers, stamp design, PSA posters, and the Bio Poem collage. A grade of A or higher in this course serves as a pre-requisite to Digital Graphics Art and Design Workshop at EBHS.

While our program offers something for everyone and many opportunities to “dabble” in a variety of art media, a sequence of two-dimensional classes, each covering a wide range of artistic media including drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, and mixed-media (and leading to the Advanced Placement Studio Art course) has been designed for students who desire to develop their skills over time.

While these courses are not only for students desiring to take AP Studio Art, successful completion of a sequence of these courses including Studio Art (1 or more of the semester offerings in Grade 10), Honors Studio Art 2 (full year grade 11), will prepare students with an appropriate portfolio for application for AP enrollment. It is suggested that students complement these with other art courses offered including additional two-dimensional courses (listed under the Introduction and Workshop headings below) as well as our 3-D courses such as Ceramics and Sculpture).

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 2.5

This semester course offering is designed for all students seeking a strong art foundation and an outlet for creative expression. It is a foundational course with a focus on drawing with dry media and the keystone in a sequence of courses that will enable all students to develop conceptual and technical skills in preparation for greater success in all visual art endeavors. Students can take one of the other semester offerings of Studio Art (wet media or printmaking) to complete a Full Year experience.  All three semester offerings of Studio Art will run concurrently. The course is recommended for, but not limited to, students preparing to apply for future enrollment in Honors Studio Art and/or Advanced Placement Studio Art. It is also highly recommended for students with an interest in art or an art-related career.

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 2.5

This semester course offering is designed for all students seeking a strong art foundation and an outlet for creative expression. It is a foundational course with a focus on painting with wet media and the keystone in a sequence of courses that will enable all students to develop conceptual and technical skills in preparation for greater success in all visual art endeavors. Students can take one of the other semester offerings of Studio Art (dry media or printmaking) to complete a Full Year experience.  All three semester offerings of Studio Art will run concurrently. The course is recommended for, but not limited to, students preparing to apply for future enrollment in Honors Studio Art and/or Advanced Placement Studio Art. It is also highly recommended for students with an interest in art or an art-related career.

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 2.5

This semester course offering is designed for all students seeking a strong art foundation and an outlet for creative expression. It is a foundational course with a focus on printmaking and the keystone in a sequence of courses that will enable all students to develop conceptual and technical skills in preparation for greater success in all visual art endeavors. Students can take one of the other semester offerings of Studio Art (dry media or wet media) to complete a Full Year experience.  All three semester offerings of Studio Art will run concurrently. The course is recommended for, but not limited to, students preparing to apply for future enrollment in Honors Studio Art and/or Advanced Placement Studio Art. It is also highly recommended for students with an interest in art or an art-related career.

Grades 10-12 | Credits: Credits: 5 | Prerequisite: Grade of B+ or better in any of the Studio Art offerings or application process including interview and samples of prior work.

Studio Art II (H) is for the student who has a strong command of the fundamental elements and principles of art and a proficiency in drawing skills and techniques, has explored thematic ideas and is ready to prepare a professional portfolio for presentation to college admissions, prospective employers and/or the general public.

The semester introductory level courses offer an in-depth study of individual art areas. Some of these courses also serve as prerequisites for higher level.

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 2.5

The course introduces the basic principles of photography and photographic composition. Thirty-five mm and digital cameras are used. Composing images when taking pictures is emphasized. The basic darkroom techniques, developing film, making proof sheets and enlargements are experienced. With digital photography, students use computer applications such as Photoshop and InDesign. Cameras, film photo paper and chemicals are supplied for basic assignments. This course is a prerequisite for Photography Workshop.

Grades 10-12 | 2.5

Students are made aware of the varied occupations and careers that comprise the commercial art field through projects that emphasize visual communications. Basic and advanced activities along with layout principles are introduced and explored through Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and digital tablets. The course highlights the importance of visually exploring and discussing the creative process through skill development and critique. The course is 100% computer based (Mac). Projects may include, but are not limited to layout and lettering design, corporate and personal logos, posters, invitations, CD covers, cereal box covers, soda cans, business cards, and contests for meeting the needs of the client. This course serves are a pre-requisite to Digital Graphic Arts & Design Workshop.

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 2.5

This course will focus on two- and three- dimensional animation, the elements of art and principles of animation. Skill development emphasizes the interactive use of drawing and design fundamentals, 
story boarding, set building, composition and imaging, editing, lighting, audio and sound creation, as well as discussion of the creative process and critique. Students will be introduced to the 12 principles of animation and will stress their importance while creating original story-driven work. The techniques of still framing, stop motion, and claymation will be used with Mac computers and Creative Cloud Adobe Photoshop, large Wacom digital tablets and digital cameras. Why just watch cartoons when you can learn to create your own?

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 2.5

Students learn to create living spaces by designing floor plans and elevations to scale. Principles of design such as color, pattern, and texture are then applied to the students’ designs to complete the process. Board work as well as computer aided design will be used.

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 2.5

Students will design and create 3D forms using additive and subtractive methods. A variety of materials such as paper, board, wire and plaster may be used to explore relationships of volume, texture and space. This course serves as a prerequisite to Sculpture Workshop.

Grades 11-12 | Credits: 2.5

Within this course, students are introduced to the basic functions and proper use of the airbrush.  Masking methods, freehand illustration techniques and design principles are applied to class projects.  Care and maintenance of the airbrush are stressed.

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 2.5

Students learn basic hand-building techniques for forming clay and treating clay surfaces, including ceramic staining and glazing. Throwing techniques on the potter's wheel will be demonstrated. This course serves as a prerequisite to Ceramics Workshop.

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 2.5

Students will develop miniature sculptural forms as functional jewelry. Students gain basic sculptural and body adornment skills using various materials.   Embellishment of both 2 and 3D surfaces through selected materials and techniques are accomplished.

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 2.5

The art of storytelling through pictures comes to life in this exciting new course! With comic books, editorials, caricatures and children's books, you’ll interpret a variety of texts - short story, poetry, interview, editorial non-fiction, essay – through the techniques and media of a professional illustrator. You’ll get a chance to experiment with painting, drawing, printmaking and design tools to develop a personal style. Whether you are interested in pursuing illustration as a career or just have a story to tell, Illustrating the Written Word is for you!

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 5-5

The course helps the student to become a film critic and to develop an awareness of film’s special language—the terms with which screenwriters, directors, and directors of photography speak.  Classics, contemporary cinema, foreign films, short films, television shows, and documentaries are shown to expose students to a variety of genres.  Films from the birth of this technology to the present are screened, compared, analyzed, and discussed.  The class focuses on both the history of the film and the style in which the production was shot.  Film clips will also be utilized to show examples of certain types of filmmaking techniques.

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 2.5

This course will afford students the opportunity to explore the uses of science fiction in the movies from the beginnings of filmmaking until today. Unit topics will include: “Humans and Technology," “Knowledge Isn’t Always Power," “The Search for Meaning," “Strange Phenomena," "Science Fiction as a Critique of Society,” and
"People in Time and Space." Film clips and full feature films will be shown from a variety of different Science Fiction movies. This is the perfect course to complement the full year Film Appreciation course or to be taken all on its own! 

Workshop level courses are for those students seeking to intensify their study in a specific area of the visual arts. These courses build sequentially on technical skills and concepts introduced in the prerequisite courses. Students are expected to work independently and think critically throughout the art making process. Classroom discussion, outside assignments  and  art  journals are vital components of these courses. Students can continue their work in a given area of study by taking workshop levels two and three.

Grades 11-12 | Credits: 5 | Course prerequisite: Publisher's Workshop

In Part II of Publisher’s Workshop, students will continue to collaborate with peers and teachers to find, write, photograph, design & publish stories for the Yearbook & EBHS Bear Hub, with a special emphasis on developing workplace leadership skills.  Students will explore higher level concepts involved in publishing including topics like media/photojournalism law, news literacy, story package planning, and how to grow readership. Students will be required to take on a leadership role and delegate journalistic and publishing assignments while also completing editorial review of peer contributions.  Students will continue to hone their chosen specialties within the course and seek to discover their personal writing, photography, and/or graphic design style by presenting a culminating thesis presentation showcasing the growth and development of their chosen specialty. This course will run concurrently with Publisher's Workshop.

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 5-5

In this innovative, workshop-based course, students will collaborate with peers and teachers to find, write, photograph, and publish stories for school periodicals with special focus on the creation of the Yearbook.  The course will have two teachers; one who focuses on photography & graphic design, and one who focuses on journalistic writing.  Students may select a focus of either graphic design or writing, or may explore both.  All students will produce material that is ultimately published in a school periodical.  Students should be self-motivated, self-directed, independent, and of high integrity.

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 2.5 | Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in Digital Graphic Art & Design Level I (or grade of A in 9th grade Intro to Digital Graphic Art & Design)

A second step to the precursor Level I class, students will continue to be made aware of the varied occupations and careers that comprise the commercial art field through projects that emphasize visual communications. Advanced activities along with layout principles are stressed and explored through Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, digital tablets, and digital cameras. This course is 100% computer based instruction (Mac) and is designed for students looking to build a portfolio in order to major in the Graphic Arts as well as the student who just enjoys the creation of digital art. Projects include, but are not limited to typography, 100 triangle composition, metalwork and coin creating, photo mosaic and photo colorizing composition.

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 2.5 | Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in Introduction to Photography

Photography Workshop is a sequential course that builds from the basics in the introductory course. Students are introduced to photographic accessories including lenses, different format cameras, use of color filters and studio lighting.  Conceptual images, as well as digital and computer enhancement, will be explored. Emphasis is placed on photographic techniques found in the works of the experts, unique images and mastery of composition through shooting and printing.

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 2.5 | Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in Introduction to Ceramics

This course provides a greater concentration in all areas, including hand building, glaze chemistry, kiln loading and firing, clay making and the potter's wheel.  Instruction is individualized, allowing students to develop their own ideas and areas of concentration. Advanced students are expected to help in the introductory classes and to produce quality work on the potter's wheel.

Grades 10-12 | Credits: 2.5 | Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in Introduction to Sculpture

The  Sculpture  Workshop  is  for  students  with  a  strong  command  of  the  fundamental  elements  and principles of art who are interested in further developing visual artistic sensibilities in 3-dimensional artwork. In building a portfolio and by maintaining a sketchbook, students experience a variety of concepts, techniques and approaches designed to encourage creative as well as systematic investigation of formal, technical, and expressive issues in a 3-dimensional format.  This course will provide an opportunity for students to continue to develop original sculpture by exploring the plastic possibilities of various concepts, forms, and processes.  Among the materials that may be used are stone, clay, plaster, wire, metal, plastic, wood, Styrofoam, foam core, and found objects.

Grades 12 | Credits: 5-5 | Prerequisite: Students must satisfy an application process including interview, written statement, and samples of prior work.

This course is designed for the advanced visual arts student and attempts to help students qualify for credit in Advanced Placement in colleges. Students will be required to create and submit an extensive body of 2-dimensional work.  It requires a high degree of commitment to studio work and to the purposes of a program designed to meet college standards. Students can choose to prepare for either the AP Drawing Portfolio or the AP 2D Design Portfolio.

Grades 11-12 | Credits: 5-5

This course examines the developments in painting, sculpture and architecture from ancient times to the 21st century.  Designed to foster student understanding and enjoyment of works of art, this course aims to develop their ability to examine art intelligently, acquainting them with the major forms of artistic expression in their own time and cultivating an understanding of art from other times and cultures.  No prior experience in art is assumed.  Indeed, students who have done well in other humanistic studies such as history and literature, or in any of the studio arts, are especially encouraged to enroll.  The course attempts to help students qualify for credit and advanced placement in colleges.  It requires a high degree of commitment to academic work and to the purposes of a program designed to meet college standards. However, the course may be taken for high school credit only.  Students electing Advanced Placement Art History have the option of receiving high school credits in either art or social studies. 
Meets NCAA Core Course Requirements.

Grades 12 | Credits: 5-5

Humanities is a once-in-a-lifetime, seniors only arts course where we talk about human experiences that everyone who has ever lived dealt with. Through wacky activities, hands-on explorations and collaborative play, you will experience the arts, performances, history, philosophy, cultural figures from the past and present and learn something about yourself in the process.  Don’t leave high school without taking this class! 

A Sampling of What We Study:

• Get rebellious by joining a Punk Band
• Create beauty by sculpting the human form with Play-Doh
• Emote through Live Poetry Performances
• Relate to nature through a Recycled Fashion Show
• Explore musical diversity by creating a Song Remix
• Combat intolerance through Graphic Design
• Express your opinion through Protest
• Give back to your world through a Community Service Start-Up
• Follow society’s rules through 18th Century Dance
• Connect with your inner child through Outdoor Play
• Find Society’s boundaries with Graffiti Tags

Meets NCAA Core Course Requirements.