"This year, Digital Media, Literary Arts, Production Design, and Fashion Design were added to the collection of arts available to the middle school. Every teacher who teaches these emphases in the middle school have experience teaching them for high school. However, teaching middle school greatly differs from teaching high school."
-Charlotte Porter
“Working at OSA is like having one perpetually untied shoe,” Jordan Karnes, the OSA Literary Arts teacher says. “I love it, but you’re constantly working on something, and every time you get something done, something else needs to be done.” People can see why this is true, since this year OSA decided to add four new emphases to the middle school, putting an extra workload on the teachers. These emphases had been a part of the high school for several years, but are brand new to the middle school for the 2018-19 year.
This year, Digital Media, Literary Arts, Production Design, and Fashion Design were added to the collection of arts available to the middle school. Every teacher who teaches these emphases in the middle school have experience teaching them for high school. However, teaching middle school greatly differs from teaching high school. “I’m trying to really make sure that the curriculum is very different,” Linda Ricciardi, the fashion design teacher, says. “My goal is not to have middle school be a slower version or a washed down version of the high school program.” Although the skill sets and curriculum of the middle schoolers may be different, Mr. Revon, the production design teacher, says his middle school students “ are just as eager as the high schoolers to learn about production design.”
At the end of the 2017-18 year, many people were auditioning to switch into a new emphasis. Those who were once very passionate about their art form when they were eleven or twelve, now let that go to move onto their next dream. “Did I know what I wanted when I was in sixth grade?” Ms. Karnes asks. “I think it’s great that students at OSA get to try out different things.” Along with this, several of the teachers said that they weren’t surprised by the fact that people switched into their emphasis. “I assumed that a lot of visual artists are interested,” Mr. Revon says. “Production Design really feeds those students into this kind of career.” As a whole, it seemed like many people switched into an emphasis that somehow related to their previous one.
Contrary to what many may think, the new teachers seemed very happy with the added emphases, and not very overwhelmed. “I think it’s the natural growth,” Mr. Revon says. OSA students know that the school is constantly changing, from new policies to new locations. These new emphases were exciting, but not a huge surprise for many, considering how many changes are made to the school every year.
For any class, the first quarter is definitely the most rocky. Most of the teachers said that the first quarter was a lot of getting used to their new class and the new curriculum. “A lot of it was just team building and making sure they felt like a class together,” Ms Ricciardi says. After talking to the teachers, it was clear that the first quarter was filled with new territory, making mistakes, and learning from them. Now, however, it seems that the teachers are getting the groove of the new class, and having a good time with more smooth sailing.
Most of all, the teachers seem to be excited by how the emphases are growing. They were happy to get to know their students over the course of seven years, rather than just four. They were glad that their program was growing and more and more kids were showing interest. We all can say for sure that Oakland School for the Arts will continue to grow and change each year.
This year, Digital Media, Literary Arts, Production Design, and Fashion Design were added to the collection of arts available to the middle school. Every teacher who teaches these emphases in the middle school have experience teaching them for high school. However, teaching middle school greatly differs from teaching high school. “I’m trying to really make sure that the curriculum is very different,” Linda Ricciardi, the fashion design teacher, says. “My goal is not to have middle school be a slower version or a washed down version of the high school program.” Although the skill sets and curriculum of the middle schoolers may be different, Mr. Revon, the production design teacher, says his middle school students “ are just as eager as the high schoolers to learn about production design.”
At the end of the 2017-18 year, many people were auditioning to switch into a new emphasis. Those who were once very passionate about their art form when they were eleven or twelve, now let that go to move onto their next dream. “Did I know what I wanted when I was in sixth grade?” Ms. Karnes asks. “I think it’s great that students at OSA get to try out different things.” Along with this, several of the teachers said that they weren’t surprised by the fact that people switched into their emphasis. “I assumed that a lot of visual artists are interested,” Mr. Revon says. “Production Design really feeds those students into this kind of career.” As a whole, it seemed like many people switched into an emphasis that somehow related to their previous one.
Contrary to what many may think, the new teachers seemed very happy with the added emphases, and not very overwhelmed. “I think it’s the natural growth,” Mr. Revon says. OSA students know that the school is constantly changing, from new policies to new locations. These new emphases were exciting, but not a huge surprise for many, considering how many changes are made to the school every year.
For any class, the first quarter is definitely the most rocky. Most of the teachers said that the first quarter was a lot of getting used to their new class and the new curriculum. “A lot of it was just team building and making sure they felt like a class together,” Ms Ricciardi says. After talking to the teachers, it was clear that the first quarter was filled with new territory, making mistakes, and learning from them. Now, however, it seems that the teachers are getting the groove of the new class, and having a good time with more smooth sailing.
Most of all, the teachers seem to be excited by how the emphases are growing. They were happy to get to know their students over the course of seven years, rather than just four. They were glad that their program was growing and more and more kids were showing interest. We all can say for sure that Oakland School for the Arts will continue to grow and change each year.
