When browsing courses to select for next year’s schedule, students may notice something just a little bit different– Piedmont High School has added four new classes for students: three arts courses and one social studies course.
According to the Piedmont High School Course Catalog, Digital Photography and Digital Design are two single-semester classes meant to give students an introduction to the techniques and concepts in photography and graphic design. The courses count for arts credit.
“The classes are meant to build off of each other, but they don’t have to be taken in the same year,” visual arts teacher Gillian Bailey said. “You could take a semester of digital photography or digital design one year and the other the next and still move up in the art curriculum.”
Bailey, who is planning to teach both courses, said that Digital Photography will focus on the use of both cell phones and DSLR cameras to create technically skilled and visually interesting photographs. Digital Design will also cover the use of both Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
Another addition is AP Art History, a year-long course. According to the Course Catalog, the class will examine the history of art, design, and architecture across the world chronologically. The only prerequisite is students must be juniors or seniors.
“It’s a great course for any student who is interested in learning why people make art and understanding the timeline, reasoning and history behind art making,” Bailey said. “We’ll be studying how we have evolved from cave paintings to the Renaissance to modern, more conceptual art.”
Bailey said that she is optimistic about the new classes, and she hopes that they will appeal to students that may not otherwise be enthusiastic about getting their arts or elective credits.
“I’m really excited about the addition of the courses, not just because they are expanding the arts credit options, but [also] because we haven’t had new classes added in a while,” Bailey said.
Junior Clara Castronovo said that she is planning to take AP Art History next year.
“I love art, and I love history, so this course seems really interesting to me”, she said. “I’m looking forward to learning about things that aren’t usually covered in history classes.”
Lastly, a semester-long social studies course, Ethnic Studies, has also been added to the lineup. The class will be covering the concept of ethnicity and the experiences of ethnic groups that are traditionally glossed over in American history, social studies teacher Gabrielle Kashani said.
“I’ve wanted to teach this course for much longer than it has been offered,” she said.
Last spring, when it was announced that the school would be adding Ethnic Studies as a possibility, Kashani went to a workshop on teaching the course at a high school level.
“I learned a lot,” she said. “I’m looking forward to putting some of my plans for the class into action.”
Students will also have the opportunity to explore their own ethnic identities through research and projects, Kashani said.
“I really think there will be something for everyone,” she said.
