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Hendrick Hudson highlights K–12 visual arts expansion and new individual-arts graduation pathway
Summary
The district’s art teachers showcased an expanded K–12 visual-arts program and a new Individual Arts Assessment graduation pathway; middle-school curriculum now integrates Project Lead The Way, coding, 3D design and traditional media.
The Hendrick Hudson Central School District Board of Education meeting opened with the district’s annual art show and a presentation from the art department on expansions to the K–12 visual-arts program, including a new graduation pathway for high-school students.
High-school staff announced a new Individual Arts Assessment pathway that allows students to work with an art teacher to build a personalized portfolio to meet graduation pathway requirements and support college or career applications. The district credited support from staff including Miss Spellman for helping develop the pathway.
At Blue Mountain Middle School, art teachers described the redesigned art-design program launched for the 2023–24 school year. That program combines traditional fine art with Project Lead The Way computer science modules, animation, graphic design, and both digital and traditional 3D design. Students are coding apps, designing video games, building and testing miniature catapults and musical devices, and producing 3D-printed prototypes while continuing drawing, painting and ceramic work. The middle-school course is co-taught and uses creative scheduling to simulate real-world team assignments and promote collaborative skills, teachers said.
Teachers thanked the board and administration for continued support of the art-design program and the K–12 visual-arts curriculum. Board members and attendees praised the student work on display and the annual tradition of the show; one board member noted a long personal history of attending the event and the effort required to install the exhibition.
The program expansion at the middle school included mention of using existing industrial-art space on the ground floor to create a consolidated visual-media suite near exterior access and 3D-printing resources. District staff said the plan is still being refined with teachers, and that the current upstairs art spaces would be returned to general instructional use.
The teachers and board presenters emphasized that art instruction is intended to build creativity, critical thinking and communication skills with clear links to career opportunities as well as college preparation.
