The WCHS art program: a sanctuary like none other, tucked in the anterior of the Social Studies department. An alluring representation of passion and creativity floods out from the classroom and into the hallway, showcasing pieces by amateur and experienced artists alike, welcoming all who wish to venture into a world of color and charm. A space that encompasses skills for all grade levels, offering boundless opportunities to grow one’s prowess as a creator.
The art program once offered something for anyone and everyone who wanted a place. Imagine students’ horror, then, when their cherished class didn’t appear on their schedule this year. Furthermore, envision the shock that came with finding out that the five most advanced courses out of the previous eight were cut, leaving fewer art classes than grade levels—with no prior warning.
“It was so frustrating. I’ve been trying to work on a portfolio for college applications and scholarships, and I was reliant on having an AP art class to give me time to work. Having that class suddenly disappear means I don’t have time to finish everything I need to do while managing the rest of my schedule,” stated Harper Beasley, a WCHS senior and Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA) alumni. At GSA, Harper was offered a look into the visual artist’s college life—but now, the high school no longer offers a continuation of the progress made during the summer. “It’s hurting my chances to get scholarships and continue doing art in the near future. I won’t have material to submit.”
Not only did removing advanced programs detrimentally affect those in them, but it also backlogged the lower-level classes, too. Sophomore Lena Clayton, a young though passionate connoisseur of all things creative (and Art II aspirant), shared that “I was completely cut. I got my schedule expecting to have at least one art class… but there was nothing […] it sucks because I need to start my portfolio. I tried to get my schedule changed, but everything was full. What I’m trying to say is it’s hard for me to do art at my house, and having that breakaway to be creative at school was everything. I don’t have that anymore.”
This accumulation of low-level artists is nothing new: in fact, it’s something to be celebrated. Art is a venture to be cultivated, after all; however, in previous years, there has been an opportunity for especially fervent artists to move ahead and skip the classes they didn’t need to thrive. Usually, students like Clayton would be offered the opportunity to jump straight from Art I to Art III, completely omitting Art II if there were no open spots—but now, Art III simply doesn’t exist, meaning that she was forced to compete with others who don’t necessarily share her abject passion for a spot in an already over-filled roster.
Unfortunately, cutting courses was going to be hard to avoid. Ms. Burge, the beloved teacher who used to embrace all eight art classes (Art I, Art II, Art III, AP Studio Art, AP Drawing, AP 2D Art, AP 3D Art, and Ceramics), left WCHS as of the 2025-2026 school year and had to be replaced on extremely short notice. Finding someone with her same qualifications so suddenly in a state already suffering from a teacher shortage would’ve been a near-impossible task for Woodford administrators, and the result was only three offered courses (Art I, Art II, and Ceramics).
This is no one’s fault in particular: Mr. Tyler Reed, WCHS’ principal, weighed in on the changes when presented with the outline for this article: “Last school year we were striving to grow our Art Department,” he said, citing WCHS’ ongoing aspirations to hire a second art teacher. “Unfortunately I have not found success in doing this as our staffing has been cut by the district each year I have been here, and making space for an additional art teacher amongst cuts would be losing a teacher in another department. Aside, we wanted to take a try at growing the department through justification of interest, but SBDM was hesitant. […] When we did not gain a position this left us to determine which courses to seat and which ones to not seat. This decision was made fully off of student requests.” Reed went on to declare that SBDM—the council tasked with advocating for policies, progress, and staffing to the high school—had presented the ultimatum of choosing between a business teacher and a second art teacher, and for the sake of maintaining a wide variety of courses, the administration was obligated to choose the former.
Thus, the issue lies not in the loss of the courses themselves, but in the lack of communication about the cuts. “There was no warning, and no help to find an alternative art class. When I received my schedule before school started, I realized that I had no art class, so I quickly submitted a schedule change request. I was met with a simple ‘we don’t have that class this year’ and no information about what classes they did have. With the school ignoring emails, I had no choice but to submit another request with a different AP art class, but I was met with the same unhelpful answer. I had to physically go to the office just to figure out what classes were actually being offered, as there were no resources available online,” said Beasley. Both they and Clayton agreed that the absence of any assistance was infuriating, especially considering they’d been promised the classes were indeed being offered during the previous year’s scheduling period. If the courses had to be cancelled during the summer, regardless of how little notice administrators and counselors had, both students said they would’ve appreciated some sort of communication (email, Infinite Campus announcement, Parent/Student Square notifications, etc.) so they could find outside programs to substitute for ones no longer offered in school. Supplying forewarning could’ve given them a greater chance at finding an alternative that might not be available after the school year’s opening. “In hindsight we as an admin team and counseling office have recognized the need to implement a system of communication to students and families for clarity on these processes and decisions, especially when offerings are posted in hopes of growing a program. We are taking full assessment of our scheduling process, and with the experience we have in the counseling office this school year and the expertise [the new counselors] bring from their previous schools, I am confident we will have a smoother and clearer process for the 2026-2027 school year,” stated Reed.
Now, both Beasley and Clayton—as well as any other artists throughout the school who were relying on any of the cut classes—are grappling with the reality that their future in art is suddenly, at least temporarily, stunted. They lack time, the most important tool in any creative endeavor. Not to mention: even if students can find space in their schedule to work, there’s no guarantee that they have the materials—ones once offered by the school—on hand, meaning that they may have to dedicate unnecessary amounts of money to honing a craft promised to them before summer break. It’s a dismal new reality for WCHS artists. “It’s devastated a lot of people I know. It devastated me. Any opportunity to bring those classes back would be perfect,” voiced Clayton. “Anything. I just need that time to be creative.”
For now, options are sparse, and artists are adapting. This instance has provided not only a challenge to students, but a moral to admins: communication is key, and what changes are made should have an update provided alongside. Looking to the future, administrators are aiming to reestablish lost classes alongside their ambition to hire a second art teacher, so long as SBDM provides the support—an endeavor which could put an end to the tumultuousness within the department. Until then, artists are cast to chase their creative journeys individually, navigating the world of the creative as they strive to find a new sanctuary all their own.
