Mrs. Deena Elm

Dear Parents,

Hello, I am Bishop Ryan’s Middle/High School Art Teacher. I am also the chair for the Fine Arts department at Bishop Ryan. I have a BA in Art and Design with a Teaching Endorsement, and I've been involved with teaching art at some level since 1990. I have taught students from preschool all the way through adults. I enjoy teaching art mostly because I love to inspire students to “be creative”. Before becoming a full-time art teacher seven years ago at Bishop Ryan, I was a potter for many years. Although I love working with clay, I can honestly say that teaching has been much more rewarding. I love going to work every day to witness the growth of students, how they work through their frustrations, and to cheer for them in their “aha!” moments when they produce something which they thought they were not capable of.

I teach all art classes in grades 7 -12. Seventh and eighth grade art courses are leader programs, exploring a variety of mediums, designed for the student to achieve greater success in high school art. At the high school level, the art program consists of a variety of elective courses starting with the prerequisite class, Art Fundamentals. Students have the option to explore art courses in drawing, design and color, crafts, and advanced art. Each of these courses enhance and build on the Art Fundamentals class. Art lessons foster creativity that is in line with Christian tradition of what is good, beautiful and true. I introduce Art History as an aide to understanding, reasoning, and exploring art and its meaning throughout history. Each art endeavor develops technical skills, artistic interpretation and unique quality artwork.

As an art teacher, I realize that all students have a different level of artistic ability. I consider those when evaluating student work. I emphasize the importance of giving me your best, working hard, staying on task and turning assignments in on-time. I will constantly work with the students to get their “best” out of them. I care about every student and I will guide him or her to believe in themselves as much as I believe in them. The Art room is a relaxed, yet sometimes energetic, atmosphere. The students interacting with each other can be a very enthusiastic time as they develop their own ideas.

I love the Christian environment at Bishop Ryan, being able to attend Mass, and the ability to speak openly about our faith. I, my husband, and seven of our eight children, have graduated from this school. It means a lot for me to be able to teach here, and I am thrilled to teach your child the same love and appreciation I have for art, as well as my faith. I look forward to challenging your child to find their inner artist.

Sincerely,
Deena Elm