By Dylan Grismer ’22
Of the over 90 clubs and after school activities here at Chaminade High School, several have been consistently popular among the student body: culinary club, social studies club, business club, and Sodality, to name a few. An organization once overshadowed by these bigger clubs, but currently experiencing a substantial growth in popularity, is the art club. Led by fine arts faculty members Mr. Justin Accordino and Mr. Domenick Ciaccio ’00, the club helps students use their creative skills in a variety of ways.
The beauty of art club is that it allows the students to work without boundaries and to explore their own personal interests. While they meet regularly once a week, students frequently stay after school every day with Accordino and Ciaccio to continue their projects or get some assistance.
“Allowing the students to work creatively gives them the opportunity to explore different artists, techniques, and creative skills that they usually don’t find in an average classroom environment,” said Accordino. “It really lets them engage their inventive and open-minded sides.”
In addition to all of the art that students do “for fun,” the art club also held an art contest during the month of March. The contest allowed students from all levels of skill to showcase their work. Accordino added that, as an open-ended contest, “it gives many students an outlet that they may not have in, for example, a math or history class.”
Combine this with a little competition and the submissions were sure to follow. Several students found that this contest not only gave them an opportunity to work on something they were passionate about, but also encouraged them to put in hours of work towards their goals.
As a group centered around being creative and unique, art club makes a positive impact on Chaminade’s student life. Even if students had never before thought of themselves as artists, they are free to express themselves through whatever might interest them. It gives so many of our students a place to chase their own personal interests without barriers, which is an impact that cannot be measured.
chstarmac.com 