A STAR-tist is Born

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One of the best parts about being a teacher is being a cheerleader for your students. And being a teacher for teenagers, you sometimes need to cheer louder and longer.

We are always trying to think one step ahead (keyword: trying). Sometimes we attempt lessons, tests, projects, and harebrained ideas with little success. And sometimes, we strike gold.

At the end of last school year, we were looking ahead to the fall. What was something we could introduce into the art department that would get the kids excited, that would make them look at their artwork—and themselves—in a different light? The idea was staring me in the face. How many artists, illustrators, graphic designers, and photographers did I follow on social media that all had one thing in common: they sold stickers of their work.

It’s an ingenious idea. A product that you can make cheaply and fairly fast, that is basically a walking advertisement for your work. What if we applied the same idea to a student's work? And what if every two weeks we chose three new artists that we believed showcased the best of not only the art class students, but students in our Art Club as well.

And SCA’s Star-tist of the Week was born.

It’s been quite successful. Not only are the girls taking more care of their work and sharpening their ideas, but their classmates love to support their friends. All the money we make goes right back into buying supplies to keep this project going, and hopefully we will be able to purchase an art vending machine to utilize by the end of the school year.

We don’t choose who our artists are at random. We look at the work ethic, dedication, skill, and creativity that a student has applied to a project. We never pick the same student twice. We’re lucky to offer a variety of classes at SCA that we can choose from a range of work, from painting to ceramics to linocuts. We’re also fortunate to have a student body that is ready for whatever type of project we throw at them.

It’s a joy to quietly place the sticker in front of the artists that we chose for the week and watch their faces go from confusion to disbelief to amazement. And it’s fun to hear the girls talk about it in the hallway as they pass our rooms, reminding each other to bring 50 cents to buy their friend’s sticker.

But perhaps most of all, it’s an honor to cheer on these fantastic young women. To place their work proudly in the hall, on our doors, on the water bottles and laptops of their peers—to remind them that “you are capable.” You were always capable, and now it’s time to start believing that.

About the author:

Catherine Hug is in her fourth year of teaching and third year at St. Catherine of Siena Academy. She holds a BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design and an MFA in Screenwriting from Pepperdine University. Fun fact: she has dual citizenship in the United States and Ireland!