It’s 8 a.m. in Ooltewah High School art teacher Carrie Cook’s classroom and strewn across the tables are piles of construction paper that students are cutting into shapes.
On the white board at the front of the classroom there’s an image of the Obama 2008 campaign poster with the president’s likeness in red, white and blue and the word “Hope” underneath. One student sips from a Starbucks cup while cutting pink paper to add to her own likeness of Whitney Houston.
In honor of Black History Month, the students are working on their own images of influential African-Americans in the same style as the Obama poster by artist Shepard Fairey.
“I feel like we have such a diverse group of kids at this school and it’s important to realize how big of an impact African-Americans have made on our society,” said Cook. “It’s also a great opportunity to have students work together.”
From Bill Cosby to Martin Luther King Jr., students worked in teams to select different figures for their projects that will be on display in the school throughout February along with information about how the people represented impacted American society.
Student Makayla Summerow said she chose Rosa Parks for her project since she contributed so much to the Civil Rights movement. Sam Stovall said he chose Michael Jackson because he was someone he recognized.
As art programs dwindle across the county, particularly in elementary schools, Cook said she is glad that OHS students still have the opportunity to learn through art.
“I try to include them in projects and contests they won’t forget,” she said. “I love it when my kids come back from college and say that they remember doing a certain one or that it helped them while they were in school.”
The art teacher also said recent conversation with executives from Volkswagen about the importance of a creative workforce has reminded her of how important art can be for her students, especially those who have never taken it before.
“When we study art we talk about math and history and so many of their subjects,” said Cook. “I think it is so important to have arts in schools. It’s such a vital part of their education.”