With its clean-white and light-filled interior, the arts atrium at Princeton Day School is “very sleek and modern; it’s better than any other school I’ve ever seen,” in the words of sopho
By Malavika Rajagopal
With its clean-white and light-filled interior, the arts atrium at Princeton Day School is “very sleek and modern; it’s better than any other school I’ve ever seen,” in the words of sophomore Uditi Karna.
As a number of arts credits is a requirement for graduation, a heavy focus is placed on the arts in the PDS Upper School. Ranging from furniture design to architecture, the student body at PDS is offered a wide selection in visual and performing arts, woodworking and design, as well as music courses.
Spanning from introductory classes to more advanced ones, the curriculum offered allows students to pursue their interests further if they would like. In fact, some students opt to take arts classes as a “major” or core class (like science or English). While the interests of Upper School students at PDS are varied, courses like photography, drama, and architecture remain popular options.
”I think the arts at PDS are very advanced. We have projects that are difficult, yet not difficult enough to make us fall behind on our other schoolwork. We have first class studios with great supplies,” said introductory ceramics student Carina Dhru.
This year, during the first trimester, students of this class were asked to design specific cups — whether they be functional or decorative. The point of the introductory class is to build foundational skills for more complex work in the future.
As for the advanced ceramics class, they had an exhibition for the community on Nov. 25, showcasing the class’ designs.
As advanced ceramic student sophomore Tess Gecha says, “I definitely think different people get different things out of ceramics, but for me it’s something that I kind of use to distract me from other stressful things.”
Another fun but, as sophomore Devika Kumar put it, “definitely challenging,” design course at PDS is architecture. With his blue-rimmed glasses and pensive smile, architecture teacher David Burkett takes great care in the progress of his students.
”A good design student is not afraid of taking risks,” he says.
Architecture students are easy to pick out in a sea of students. Carrying small white boxes and carefully cutting shapes with pointed exacto knives, these students often stay after school — diligently working on their projects to complete them in time.
”[Architecture] is a tedious and time consuming course that required a lot of patience to complete,” said Kumar, but looking back, she highlights that architecture was more than just a course. “As a freshman [taking] Intro to Architecture, [it] prepares you for the kind of work ethic you will need for your entire high school career.”
A very popular arts course in the PDS Upper School is photography. The class is taught by experienced professional Eileen Hohmuth-Lemonick, whom the students fondly call “Ms. H.”
Photo students take care in preserving both the beautiful prints they make as well as the fragile cameras they use. The photo lab itself holds both a modern, digital lab as well as a state-of-the-art dark room in which students follow an elaborate process to create their prints. After school, photo students can be found in the dark room, listening to music as they work on their prints. When another person enters with even a glimmer of light, they quickly tell you to switch it off, shielding their works in progress, in fear of their prints becoming damaged.
”Coming to PDS, I wasn’t too interested in arts but [I] took photo because it sounded the most interesting to me. But now it’s my favorite class,” says sophomore Helen Healey. She adds, “Anything I need to grow and succeed are available to me through the impeccable facilities and teacher, Mrs. H! Photo has become such an important part of my life since taking art classes at PDS.”
While ceramics, architecture, and photography are specific courses offered at Princeton Day, the Upper School arts do not simply end with exploration in the classroom. In fact, theater and chorus remain some of PDS’ largest components in Upper School life. With both the play as well as the musical, students spend hours rehearsing their lines while having fun with their cast.
”I love [the theater program] at PDS. We have an amazing department, with amazing people (faculty). The talent at PDS is off the charts, and we’re lucky to have a theater program that can highlight that and make some great shows,” sophomore theater student Katie Sanderson enthusiastically says.
With a staff of passionate, experienced teachers, and frequent, new, clever projects, students are consistently challenged in both their art courses, as well as their extra-curricular choices. The arts at Princeton Day School provide students with a good break from a rigorous academic schedule, and for many, a newfound passion.
Malavika Rajagopal is a sophomore at Princeton Day School.