Ashley Sekel » Schick Staff Directory

This is my sixth year as the Loyalsock Township Middle School Art Teacher,  High School Photography Teacher and Middle/High School APALACO Yearbook Advisor!

I received my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Photography and Certification in Art Education K-12 from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 2008. I earned my Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership with Principal Certification from Wilkes University in 2015.

My passions are academics (life long learning), athletics (watching, playing and coaching sports) and the arts (applied media and fine arts and crafts)!

In art class my students will learn to integrate knowledge and processes from many subjects to create and understand the world around them. Research has proven that involvement in the arts improves academic test scores as well as developing the holistic child.

The Elements of Art: Line, Shape, Form, Color, Value, Texture and Space

The Principles of Design: Balance, Movement, Rhythm, Contrast, Emphasis, Pattern and Unity

PHOTOJOURNALISM 
(8th Grade)

Purpose: Photojournalism will consist of imaginative ways to tell stories using photography.

Description: Photojournalism can be an art itself. It introduces students to the world of photography and journalism.  The law, ethics, and history of photography will complement the units of study to focus on aspects of the middle school yearbook sections including sports, academics, clubs/activities, teachers, students and community.  Students will also learn operation and care for multiple cameras, photo editing techniques and teamwork/ management skills.

Students will be asked to do their own research and use programs such as Animoto, PhotoStory, Prezi, and PhotoShop to begin sharing their work.

We will be using the Loyalsock Township School District’s moodle site to access and submit all of our work!

Make Up Work

If you miss a day or more in art class here are some ideas you can choose from to make up your 5 point participation grade per class period.

1. Pretend that you are a fashion designer.  Design an outfit.  Draw you image in pencil first then add color to your work.  Make sure when coloring your work, that you indicate not only what the fabric will look like but label that fabric as well.  In other words, if the shirt will be silk and the jacket and pants will be denim, you need to label that on your final piece.  I also want you to draw a background behind the model to show where the best place is to wear the outfit you design. Do not forget accessories that go with the outfit.  Draw those on the side of your paper large so I can see what they would look like up close. Then, label what the accessories will be made out of and color these in as well. When finished I would like you to write 100 words on why you created the outfits you did and how you came up with your ideas.
2. Pretend that you are a locomotive engineer.  Design a car, boat, plane, motorcycle etc.  Add interesting gadgets or features to the item you are drawing.  Examples could be how a car could also become a plane and the buttons that make that change happen.  Make detailed drawings of the exterior (outside) interior (inside), the dash, and other features that are needed for your moving vehicle.  When completed write a 100 word essay on what this vehicle does and how you came up with the idea.
3. Use your imagination! Draw an animal in a strange environment.  The animal may be real or imaginary.  I have seen elephants in fish bowls and I have seen cows flying in the sky.  On a second page draw what the animal eats as well as in 100 words tell me about the animal’s habits.  I want to know when the animal sleeps, how many babies it has during the year, whether or not the animal lives in a heard or alone, etc.  Be creative but give me all the information to understand the creature and its living habits.
4. Pretend that you are a cartoon animator.  Draw yourself and/or someone you know as a cartoon, a background must be included.  I want a 100 word story on the back of your work telling me what is happing in the cartoon.
5. Fold your sketch paper in half.  On the front cover draw the front of your locker and any decorations it may have.  On the inside two sides, draw what the inside of your locker looks like, the left side is the inside door and the right side is what’s inside.  Be sure to include everything that is in your locker.  Color in the work completely.
6. Your favorite environment.  Draw an everyday scene, such as a day at the zoo, park, game, carnival, etc, but add 5 hidden pictures or draw 5 things within the picture that are bizarre, but not immediately obvious to the viewer.  One the back of the paper and describe to me the items I need to find.  Think of the Where’s Waldo games, make it difficult!

Online Enrichment Activities

Try these apps!… Sketch, Paper, PotteryLife, ToonTastic, iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand

Go to the National Gallery of Art for kids to use art software.
http://www.nga.gov/kids/kids.htm

Decorative arts and crafts resources.
http://www.decorativeceilingtiles.net/decorative-arts-and-crafts-resources/

Make your own graffitti-style name.
http://www.graffiticreator.net/html/creator5.htm
Explore the tools that artists use to build works of art with The Artist’s Toolkit.
http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/index.html

Create an Abstract drip painting just like Jackson Pollock.
http://jacksonpollock.org

Create your own Pablo Picasso head!
http://www.picassohead.com

This is the home page of the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.  This is an amazing museum.  If you ever get to DC you should check it out.
http://www.nga.gov

This is a link to the Metropolatan Museum of Art in NYC.  There are lots of great things on this site too!
http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/museumkids.htm 

Send a card to a US soldier for free.
http://www.letssaythanks.com

Art is Valuable in Schools

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

• 1.25 million Americans work in the visual arts.
• 1 in about 100 jobs is in art and design.
• The economic impact of art/design exceeds that of sports worldwide.
• Jobs in design have increased 43% in the past ten years.
• Yearly sales of art reach an estimated $10 billion in the U.S.
• There are over 532,000 designers working in the U.S.
• More people are employed in the visual arts than in all of the performing arts and sports industries combined.
• 200,000 people are employed in the film industry.
• People spend approximately $55 billion annually on video games.
• The computer animation industry generates $33 billion annually.
• Jobs and employment in many creative industries are growing faster than the labor force as a whole and make up 30% of the work force by some estimates.
• America’s nonprofit arts industry generates $134 billion in economic activity every year.
• By 2016, jobs for artists and designers are predicted to increase by 42%.
• Arts-related businesses in the country’s largest cities represent 4.3% of all businesses and 2.2% of all jobs in the United States.
• There are 3 million people working for over 600,000 arts-centric businesses in the United States.
• Employment growth by arts-centric businesses since 2007 was 12%, more than four times the rise in the total number of U.S. employees.
• Designers are the single largest group of artists, followed by performing artists such as actors, dancers, musicians, and announcers.
• Employment of interior designers is expected to grow 19% from 2006 to 2016.
• Median salaries of: Creative Directors–$90,000, Art Directors–$86,505, Fine Artists–$48,870, Multi-media Artists and Animators–$61,555, Graphic Designers–$46,925, Set and Exhibit Designers–$49,330, Producers and Directors–$86,790, Broadcast Technicians–$40,270, Photographers–$38,090, and Film/Video Editors–$66,715.
• Wage and salary employment in the motion picture and video industries is projected to grow 11% by 2016.
• Animators, film and video editors, and others skilled in digital filming and computer-generated imaging have the best job prospects in future of the motion picture and video industries.
• There are about 94,000 computer artists and animators working in the United States.
• Jobs for photographers have increased 38% in the past four years

The arts are not just a past time but provide a future and jobs for thousands of American’s around the world.  It’s a way for people to express their feelings, ideas, passions, likes and dislikes.  It has the power to bring people together of all races and religions.  Just imagine how dull a world we would have if there were no such thing as the visual arts.

Sources: Americans for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Entertainment Software Association

Donations

As like any artist, I myself am a scavenger.  I will use anything I can get my hands on to help create or enhance art projects.  However, I could use your help.  Bellow I have listed several things I could use for the art room.  Please do not buy anything simply give me things that are lying around the house.

1. Egg Cartons
2. Old Large Button-up Shirts and Towels
3. Forks, Spoons and Butter Knives
4. Scrapbook materials
5. Beads, Buttons, Old Jewelry and Small Found Objects
6. Old Magazines, Newspapers and Picture Calendars/Cards
7. Small Wood/Paper Scraps and Aluminum Foil

* If you are interested in donating any of these items, please have your child bring them during art class or in between classes.

Thank you