You walk into a room unlike the others in the school. There’s a faint smell of paint, and there are brushes drying in the corner. It’s the kind of room where one can escape. It’s 502, the iSchool art room.

Ms. Smith, the current iSchool art teacher, teaches multiple art electives more than three times a week. Some of them include Intro to Drawing, Intro to Painting, and fine art advanced classes. She also teaches quarter-long modules, such as picture book creation.

An art class is one of the most important classes a person can experience,” Ms. Smith says, “Everybody has something to say and express about the world. Art is the perfect way to do this.”  

The iSchool has had an amazing art program since the school’s birth, 10 years ago, and the program will keep growing. Here at the iSchool, the arts are thriving thanks to the support of the administration. New classes and programs are constantly being added to an already rich curriculum.

Still, when asked about what he’d like to change about the art program, Mr. Laurro, a former art teacher and artist said, “more of them! We need more diversity in what people are learning.”

“It’s an escape from the stress school has on you,” says Lily Krug, an iSchool sophomore.

Not only can art give people a venue to express themselves and convey their inner thoughts, but it can even help with other subjects like history, current events, and political modules. Even math subjects such as geometry and visualization.

Mr. Laurro said, “Art is a catalyst for documentation, social change, and awareness. It’s an unlimited resource.” It’s a form of expression not encountered in “traditional” classes.

The students use their own thoughts and ideas as starting points for projects. “It’s perfect,” Simon Mandel, a junior at the iSchool says, “there are guidelines but people just mostly get to draw whatever they want as long as it’s within the topic.”

So for any student who is interested in signing up for classes, Ms. Smith says, “You’ll learn a lot and enjoy what you’re learning. Just start off with your intro classes!”