After an quarter of endless tests and never-ending homework students had the opportunity to release their stress by attending the Spring Art Show.

The art teachers thought that this was the perfect time to display the art that their students have worked so hard on and also give McLean students the chance to see their classmates’ creativity come alive in the art room.

“So I was talking with the other art teachers; we wanted to do something a little fun right before spring break. We just finished up our art show – we have an art show every year at the MPA (McLean Project for the Arts) Gallery – so we decided to take all of that art from there and actually showcase it in the school,” Digital Art and Photography teacher Jennifer Jensen said.

With the idea coming out only two weeks ago, the students and teachers had limited time to prepare the event before students were released for Spring Break.

“We’ve started at the beginning of the week, kind of building the trees and everything,” Jensen said.  

An extensive amount of planning and detail went into creating an interactive experience with beautiful spring scenery.

“We all worked on making the trees and flowers. The flowers are coffee filters which we dipped in watered down paint, so they got a very light pinkish hue. And we built the trees on the poles,” senior Alexandria Meuret said.

Each of the three classrooms had different decorations and activities depending on what art class it was. Not only did each room have remarkable pieces of artwork displayed for everyone to see, but there were also activities that students could get involved in.

“Since I teach photography we wanted to do a photobooth… and of course in the studio classroom they’re doing a lot of drawing,” Jensen said. “So it’s kind of based off what we teach; that’s why my room is dark and it has all of the lights everywhere.”

Students were able to explore their creative side as they participated in all of the different activities at the Art Show.

“I loved the cherry blossom theme and the interactive activities like the light art in the dark room and the henna,” junior Kara Tung said.

The light art exhibit was also a popular attraction throughout the event. Students went into a dark room with light rods and a camera compiled the motion into an image that the students saw when they returned to the main room.

Overall, the art show was a memorable experience for all students and teachers involved.

“It’s been a great success. We’ve had so many classes come in and everyone has been impressed by the artwork. It’s been a labor of love for the past like week,” Jensen said.

Although it did take a tremendous amount of work, the art teachers plan on continuing the art show throughout future years at MHS.

“It was a lot of fun to put together so we will probably continue through the next few years and sees how it grows,” Jensen said.