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Approximately four years ago we, at the Mt. San
Jacinto Continuation High School ,decided to totally revamp our Visual Arts Program.
Our current focus is on the creation of an Advanced Placement (Advanced Portfolio) course
for students who show promise in the visual arts. Since we are setting this high
standard, we have also raised the quality of arts education at our school. First,
instead of centering our curriculum on "projects," we have developed one that is
more content based. We are using the standards set forth by the National Art
Education Association. The practice of Discipline Based Art Education is also a
factor in creating a well-rounded visual arts program for our school. All entering
students must complete Art I, Two-Dimensional Arts and Graphics, and Three-Dimension Art
and Design, in order to qualify for the AP Advanced Portfolio. However, students
with exceptional ability may enter the advanced course with the instructor's
approval. The goal of this sequential program is to have the students create a
portfolio for review by the College Board and to be placed into their Senior
Portfolio. There is an added advantage for these students when they show this work
to potential employers, especially in art related fields. Creating this sequenced
program, which leads the AP Advanced Portfolio, has had some side benefits, especially in
winning awards for the school.. In the fall of 1994, we won a grant from the
Anderson Children's Foundation to help set up a printmaking workshop. Several
students have won major cash awards from the Palm Springs Desert Museum, Arts and Creativity Awards Exhibition, which is
highly competitive. For the third year in a row, our arts magazine, Dimensions,
has won First Prize at the Riverside County Fair. The magazine features a custom
fine art print for each cover, therefore, making each edition a unique piece of
art..
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