Community Update

Two Sonoma residents, members
of the St. Vincent High School Class of 2013 received college credit for their
College Board Advanced Placement Studio Art portfolio review.  Charlotte Cooper and Spencer Morton of Sonoma earned scores of 3 and higher to receive
college art credits.

 “I am so proud
of how hard these students worked and I am delighted to see their efforts
recognized in this highly competitive review process.” Says art department
chair and AP Art instructor Amy Waud Reiter. 
These students worked for two years on their portfolios.

 Each AP Studio Art course is designed for students who are
seriously interested in the practical experience of art. AP Studio Art is not based on a written exam; instead, students submit
portfolios for evaluation at the end of the school year. The AP Studio Art
Program consists of three portfolios — 2-D Design, 3-D Design and Drawing —
corresponding to the most common college foundation courses. Curriculum surveys
conducted by the AP Studio Art Development Committee show
that they are each equivalent to a
two-semester college art course.

 AP Studio Art aims to:

●      Encourage creative and
systematic investigation of formal and conceptual issues.

●      Emphasize making art as an
ongoing process that involves the student in informed and critical decision
making.

●      Help students develop
technical skills and familiarize them with the functions of the visual
elements.

●      Encourage students to
become independent thinkers who will contribute inventively and critically to
their culture through the making of art.

St. Vincent high School offers AP Studio Art:
Drawing course along with AP Literature & Composition, AP Spanish 1V, AP French Language and
Culture, AP Calculus, AP US History, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics.

The Drawing portfolio is intended to address a very broad interpretation
of drawing issues and media. Line quality, light and shade, rendering of form,
composition, surface manipulation, the illusion of depth and mark-making are
drawing issues that can be addressed through a variety of means, which could
include painting, printmaking or mixed media. Abstract and observational works
may demonstrate drawing competence. The range of marks used to make drawings,
the arrangement of those marks, and the materials used to make the marks are
endless. There is no preferred (or unacceptable) style or content.

Portfolio must include:

Quality —
Section I       Five actual works that demonstrate mastery of drawing in
concept, composition and execution

Concentration — Section II         Twelve digital images; some may be
details

Works describing an in-depth exploration of a particular drawing concern

Breadth — Section III          Twelve
digital images; one image each of 12 different works

A variety of works demonstrating understanding of the principles of drawing
issues 

In addition to the Advanced Placement courses,
St. Vincent offers Honors
British Literature, Honors Spanish 1, Honors Spanish III, Honors French III,
Honors Algebra II, Honors Pre-Calculus, Honors World History and Honors
Chemistry.