Some Sketchy News Hits the Art Department

Hold on to your sketchbooks, AP art may be drawing to an end.

According to Karen Gingerich, who teaches AP art, her class may be eliminated because not enough kids are taking the course and there aren’t enough art teachers in the school to teach other art classes.

“Our fear is if it goes away next year that it won’t be brought back,” said Gingerich.

Many students who plan to major in art in college are itching to get into AP Art,

Emily Miller practices her artistic abilities. Photo by Gabby Myers

“ In AP art, (students) are working like real artists,” Gingerich said.

According to collegeboard.com, The AP art program offers three portfolios: Drawing, 2-D Design, and 3-D Design. The portfolios share a basic, three-section structure, which requires the student to show a fundamental competence and range of understanding in visual concerns (and methods).

In other words, like all AP classes, AP art is a very in-depth class and requires a lot of work.

Some students who signed up for AP Art next year are upset to hear the news about the class being eliminated.

“We are starting to have AP languages classes, its not fair that we can’t have AP art classes,” said Emily Miller, a  junior at Penn Manor.

Not only students who are planning to take this class are upset but students who have already taken and experienced the class believe it should be offered to enrich the art experience of other students.

“Juniors are very talented, they need this AP art class,” said Kira Klaassen, a junior who knows a lot about the class. “Students will benefit from the different use of mediums.”

One student in particular, Faith Walauskas, circulated a petition and made a group on Facebook to spread the word the class may  no longer be in existence.

Walauskas founder of Facebook group and the petition. Photo by Gabby Myers

The petition, that is floating around, has at least 132 signatures from students attending Penn Manor. The Facebook group was a popular hit, within 36 hours it had 200 members, according to Walauskas.

“Future art students can easily benefit from an AP art credit, it could determine if you get into college,” Walauskas said. “ If it (the petition) doesn’t work, at least everyone will know how angry we are.”

Penn Manor’s administration is trying to find ways to keep the class in the face of belt-tightening measures across the district.

The reasons the class may be cut is that only eight students signed up for it and a teacher will be dropping to elementary school level, thus causing a shortage of teachers.

“Its tough to assign a teacher to teach eight students, two blocks a year,” said Phil Gale. “I’d prefer to keep it if we had a teacher to teach it and kids to take it.”

Whether or not the class will stay is yet to be determined, however the concerned students will continue to work for their art class next year.

By Mike Bouder and Gabby Myers

3 thoughts on “Some Sketchy News Hits the Art Department”

  1. GO ART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  2. I think that this could be a good change, after all we already have a ton of art programs…

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