News

Using Their Artistic Skills To Design Set For Middle School Play

Into the forest of Narnia! The Honors Art class, composed of students Aaron Caddell, Davis Johnson, Gabe Clark, Blaise Sorensen, James Righter, and Haley Tyler, under the guidance of their art teacher, Nicole Seitz, spent the past 3 months taking large lengths of foam board and creating what would turn into the wintery forest set of Naria.

“Students in Art 2 Honors were tasked with painting the set for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe this year,” explained Art teacher, Nicole Seitz. “Planning began in second quarter when Mrs. Brown and I discussed her vision for the stage. In January, Art 2 students primed the panels with Kilz, covering over previous sets of yesteryear. Next, the designs and collaborative painting began. Gabe's love of science fiction lended itself to his design of the White Witch's palace. Davis' affinity for architecture and construction allowed him to bring Cair Paravel to life. And Haley's ability to design and render things in 3D helped to create the feel for most of the set, the forest scape. Every student worked tirelessly for weeks until the panels were complete, using and improving their skills of working with acrylic paint, mixing colors, adding light and shadow, and pulling together a cohesive theme.”

“It was really cool to see all our art be put together into a set that will now be used by the play,” said Junior Aaron Caddell.

Come and see these works of art for yourself during the Middle School production of “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” on March 9 and 10 at 6 pm and March 11 at 2 pm. Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased here. We hope you will make plans to join us and experience the magical world of Narnia!

Building Complex Machines To Understand Force & Motion

Pulleys, levers, and inclines, this was the world that Mrs. Liz Jarvis’ 5th graders entered when Mrs. Liberty Cosseti from HighTouch HighTech visited PCA with the goal of creating an intensive scientific experience. Mrs. Cosseti brought all the components needed for students to learn about, and create, a complex machine. “A machine is something that makes work easier,” explains the HighTouch, HighTech website. “The cool thing about machines is that the simplest machine and the most complicated machine work off the same principles.”

Getting into groups of four, Cosseti walked the students through a lesson on the 6 types of simple machines – Inclined Plane, Wedge, Pulley, Wheel and Axle, Screw, and Lever. Students worked together to try and figure out how various components could be put together to create a complex machine, and by the end, and through excited squeals, each group of budding engineers had put together a system where a pulley helped to raise a lever. 

This in-house field trip was a “rising” success!