Student Expo Features Cooper High School’s Fine Arts/I.B. Program

Cooper High School teachers say people would be amazed at the caliber of student projects in the International Baccalaureate (I.B.) program. The program requires critical thinking and self-motivation to produce in-depth projects and thoughtful essays. For the first time since the program started in 1998, the school invites the public to take a look at some of those projects.

“The range of ideas is just amazing,” says Jodie Meyer, the I.B. administrator at the school. “We have so many talented students at Cooper High School and this is a great opportunity to showcase that. We see it every day. But we hope the greater community comes in to see their work and experience the things the students do.”

Several students have produced writing projects, but one student built a ukulele and another rebuilt a car engine.

Sampling of Cooper High School’s I.B. student projects

Photography/Essay exhibit: Through this exhibit, Taylor Shaw shows teenagers aren’t self-absorbed or just addicted to their smart phones. Instead, some high school students excel at school, home and community. “I worked pretty hard since the personal project was a year,” says Shaw. “I worked a year taking pictures, writing journal entries and writing essays.”
Dystopian Novella: It took Lou Vang 14 drafts of her novella before she felt like it was in the right place. It’s called “Before they catch me” and about a girl who lives in a society where free thought is restricted. “I like dystopian,” explains Vang. “I was searching for answers when I was writing a story. Dystopian is a genre where a lot of people are looking for answers to the real world and their stories.”
Writing and singing his own song: John Brownell used his training and talent to create a song called “Your Everything.” The experience required experimenting with music in ways he hadn’t before. “I decided to create a song because I love music,” says Brownell. “I wanted to explore what music was for me and what could be in my personal life.”

The public is invited to the Cooper High School Fine Arts/IB Expo on May 29 in the cafeteria from 6-8 p.m. Besides viewing students’ personal project exhibits, there will be musical, theater and improve performances in the cafeteria and front foyer.

Shannon Slatton, reporting