2 EDCAL February 11, 2019
SPI commends new K-12 California Arts Standards
Superintendent Tony Thurmond praised
the recent adoption of new California Arts
standards by the State Board of Education,
stating it is a critical step in enhancing cre-
ativity in students and preparing students
for California’s “creative economy.” The last
update to the state’s arts standards was in
2001.
“This was long overdue,” Thurmond
said. “Creativity and appreciation for the
arts is important for all students to have
a well-rounded education, exposing them
to new ideas and perspectives. Arts educa-
tion boosts school attendance, academic
achievement, and college attendance rates;
improves school climate; and promotes
higher self-esteem and social-emotional
development. In addition, proficiency in
the technology related to creative work is
becoming an important skill for students as
they progress into college and career.”
According to a 2018 report by the Otis
College of Art and Design, California’s
creative economy generated $407.1 billion
in economic output and 1.6 million jobs,
resulting in $141.5 billion in wages earned
statewide. In the Los Angeles region alone,
the creative economy generated $198 billion
in economic output with $59.6 billion in
wages earned.
In 2016, Gov. Brown signed AB 2862,
which directed California’s Instructional
Quality Commission to recommend revised
visual and performing arts standards.
Shortly thereafter, AB 37 directed the addi-
tion of media arts as a fifth discipline.
Adding media arts as a discipline
addressed its diverse categories, includ-
ing photography, digital imaging, video,
animation, sound production, web design,
graphic design, virtual design, interactive
design, multimedia, and virtual reality. In
addition to this new discipline, the new arts
standards also update teaching approaches
to the artistic disciplines of dance, music,
theatre, and visual arts.
The state met with focus groups and
later convened a Visual and Performing
Arts Standards Advisory Committee of
classroom teachers, and other educators.
That group developed the standards using
the National Core Arts Standards before
being adopted by the California State Board
of Education.
The standards can be found at www.cde.
ca.gov/be/st/ss/vapacontentstds.asp.
Architecture program offers teens a place to explore careers
In one of several bays of computers
Walnut High’s advanced computer aided
design students are putting finishing touch-
es on a guest house project using REVIT
software.
Senior Jack Chuang seamlessly clicks
the toolbar to drag and drop in walls for
a spacious kitchen, main living room, and
bathroom. Next, he makes his architectural
visualization come alive with animation and
by choosing paint, tile, and wood flooring
materials in the 3D Lumion program.
Students add measurements, including
the height of the future homeowners, to
help test volume and determine the design
of stairs for the home plans.
“I’ve already learned a lot about drawing
and composition while experimenting in
this class,” Chuang said.
Everything is animated and realistic with
virtual walkthrough tours using the render-
ing software, according to ROP teacher
Mike Moore.
“The trees move, you can make the stars
twinkle in the sky, and even make it rain,”
he said.
Sophomore Scotty Liu shows how he
angled his home design and added a wall of
glass so that the living room could take full
advantage of the sunset.
“You can do some cool stuff in Lumion,”
he said, while changing the color of the sky.
“It’s the software that professionals use and
I get a chance to use it too.”
For the past 14 years, Moore has headed
up the 150-student career technical educa-
tion program that offers a blend of engi-
neering and architecture skills. The classes
Walnut High senior Jack Chuang works on a home design in the advanced CAD class.
are offered through a partnership with East
San Gabriel Valley Regional Occupation
Center.
Every student builds an impressive port-
folio of projects that include design, 3D
printing, and animation. Students kicked off
the new year with an assignment that could
benefit their own school.
The advanced CAD class has been tasked
with creating an amphitheater covering to
offer protection during sunny Southern
California days and rain storms. The space
may also include a charging station for cell
phones and plasma screens to promote
upcoming schoolwide activities.
These teens are reaching for the sky as
they work in teams to measure the outdoor
space, research products, and create design
options using REVIT architectural soft-
ware.
“Our group wants to cover an existing
electrical box with a display to showcase
student art,” said senior Justin Lopez.
“These students are getting great real-
life experiences by working together and
utilizing leadership and conflict resolution
skills,” Moore said.
The class will vote on the best design and
present the ideas to school administration.
“It would be so cool to see our ideas
implemented,” Lopez said.
The kids start at ground zero in the
entry-level CAD classes while learning how
to create two-dimensional coordinates and
basic shapes, according to Moore.
They rapidly move into more advanced
assignments, like designing a dream car with
orthographic projection and multi-views, in
the 3D AutoCAD Inventor program.
For the popular dream car project, stu-
dents chose their favorite roadster, then
imported an image to trace in Corel Draw.
They personalize and add logos for the
high-end speedsters in the AutoCAD pro-
gram.
“We use the arc tool to follow the curves
of the car,” said freshman Howard Wang
while working on a BMW drawing.
“And we use this circle tool to draw the
wheel,” said freshman Nicholas Heng, while
working on his fantasy car, a Tesla. “Later,
we can cut it out on the laser printer.”
“It’s more fun than doing drawings from
a textbook,” Wang said. “We’re learning
good skills for architecture and graphic
design.”
The large workroom is chock full of
computers, industrial supplies, 3D printers,
and a glass-encased CNC printer that uses
a drill bit to carve photos, plaques, or other
projects.
While using the 3D printer, Moore’s
advanced students are able to create prod-
ucts, like caster wheels, by drawing the part
to size, printing it, and then assembling to
check for accuracy.
“This is engineering – and we can do it
fast on these printers,” Moore said.
Last month, Moore partnered with
applied arts teacher Mike Yamashiro to
create a special gift to commemorate the
school’s 50th anniversary. They surprised all
160 teachers and staff members on campus
with personalized laser-printed plaques for
the milestone event.
After three decades in education, Moore
is still passionate about introducing his sub-
ject each year.
“I’m just the messenger who opens the
door for students to learn about the field of
engineering,” he said.
One former student, who now works at
Raytheon, recently came back to thank his
teacher for his patience as he struggled to
become proficient with the CAD software.
“If you become more successful than me,
then I’ve done my job,” Moore said to him.
This article was submitted by Walnut Valley
USD.
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