Kim O'Connor, a lovely poet and mother and Lighthouse Young Writers instructor, really outdid herself this spring at the Denver School of Science and Technology. Between caring for her three-year-old and working on her own collection of poetry, she commuted three days a week, all the way out to a school near the airport, to teach a graphic novel class. Graphic novels intimidate me. The idea of teaching graphic novels to a room of high school students makes my hands go a little clammy. Kim's report is below--a great view into what Lighthouse is up to in the schools, and in the lives of young artists:
For their last elective of this school year, fourteen students at the Green Valley Ranch campus of the Denver School of Science and Technology gave graphic novels a try. After learning about the basic features of graphic novels, exploring elements of short fiction, experimenting with personal narrative, and practicing lots of drawing, the students became studio artists, choosing, planning, and creating their own graphic pieces.
As the course winds down, the students are proud to present their final pieces, as well as a class mural, to their school. Below are some highlights of their projects, as well as our "Studio Superlatives"--the way each student stood out as they independently forged their own projects.
Estefan Acosta was the Best Muralist, as along with Theanysla Edwards (pictured above and below) he led the creation of the class mural. Estefan's contribution to the mural stands out for its excellent artwork and the way he created a graphic piece with a single word, "good-bye."
Theanysla Edwards wins the award for having the Most Ideas. From the creation of an entire clothing store on paper to the story of a camping trip involving a giant bug, Theanysla was never short on creativity. The class mural was her idea as well!
Enrique Gutierrez (above) is the winner of the coveted Most Random award. Enrique often demonstrated his creative talent by soliciting random words from the rest of the class ("Donuts! Tigers! Eggshells! Flying!") and creating small, funny pieces based on these words. One of his sketches is below.
Mark Murrah (below) stands out as Most Talented. Mark was extremely committed to his work and practiced drawing every second of each class. One of his many pieces is pictured below.
Jordan Mitchell (above) was our Most Experimental artist. A talented poet, Jordan gave graphic poetry a try, and created many drawings to go along with his words.
Tiajuwan Randle (above) was another very talented graphic novelist and wins the award for Most Committed. Tiajuwan plans to pursue becoming a graphic novelist as his career. He consistently asked questions, practiced drawing, planned new stories, and started over when necessary, showing all the signs of a young writer who will succeed. Look for his name in bookstores in a couple of years! Some of his work is pictured above and below.
Ana Maria (above, center) wins the award for Best Personal Story. She created an extensive, engaging piece about the ways her dreams for her future collide with her parents' plans for her career. Part of her story is pictured below.
Corinne Strong wins the award for Most Intriguing Ideas. From a story about evil cats to the entertaining tale pictured below, Corinne's pieces never failed to bring on laughter and surprise.
Speaking of ideas, Richard Gillet wins for Most Willing to Try New Ideas. From a story about young chickens fighting their arch enemy, KFC, to a piece depicting the top funniest moments at DSST of 2013, Richard was always willing to try out something different.
Simply put, Jadyn Michael was Best All Around, hardworking and talented at both drawing and story-making. Part of Jadyn's "Meteor Man" piece is below.
Fiona Quiban stands out for creating the Best Fictional Story. Part of her suspenseful horror tale "In the Dark" is pictured below. Don't read it alone, especially at night!
Speaking of reading, Imari Bishop (above, right) was our Best Reader. A voracious and thoughtful reader, Imari offered insightful feedback on her peers' stories and created some very entertaining pieces of her own, including a tale about a young woman searching for love in the online age.
Kenwyn Kamara wins for Most Work Created in Shortest Time. Kenwyn joined our class late in the trimester but still managed to create a trilogy featuring his character, Fire Man. Excerpts from both Imari and Kensyn's stories are below.
(from "Fire Man")
(from "Online Love")
And last but definitely not least, Dimas Hornbuckle (below) wins our award for Most Creative. A talented artist, Dimas worked diligently on his story and drawing day in and out to produce one of the best pieces of the session. An excerpt from his manga-style tale about a mysterious new dimension is pictured below.
To read the complete graphic pieces, students and teachers at DSST should see these students, who have multiple copies of their work. Be on the lookout for our mural on campus, and keep your eye out for all these students' names in bookstores or comic websites for years to come!
