Project Based Learning Electives provided by the Berrien Springs Virtual Academy
Cassandra French Art Classes Fall 2025
All students must complete a project for these classes.
Instructor: Cassandra French
Phone: 269-228-6085
Email: Cassandra.n.french@gmail.com
Location: Hope Community Church of Niles2390 Lake St., Niles, MI 49120
Introduction to Art
Grades: 3-5
Day & Time: Mondays and Wednesdays, 1pm-2pm from September 8 - October29th. (The week of November 3rd will be for make up days in case of cancellations due to inclement weather)
Course Description: Students will learn the fundamentals of art from graphite pencil to acrylic paint, three dimensional art and textiles. Each week students will have an opportunity to explore various media, and try their hands at various projects. This course is designed for students who have had little to no formal art instruction, and for beginning artists who want to experience a range of approaches and a variety of mediums.
Art Around the World
Grades: 6-8
Day & Time: Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:30am-12:30pm from September 8-October 29th. (The week of November 3rd will be for make up days in case of cancellations due to inclement weather)
Course Description: In this course students will spend eight weeks learning about the quintessential art forms found in a variety of countries from around the world. Students will create Argentinian art in the style of Fileteado, experiment with Norwegian Rosemauling, practice their hand at French Impressionism, create their own Amate Bark Paintings and more! With each country explored, we will also discuss the history of the art form, the location of each country of origin (geography) and discuss other samples of each type of art form.
Introduction to Potraiture
Grades: 9-12
Day & Time: Mondays and Wednesdays, 10am-11am from September 8 - October29th. (The week of November 3rd will be for make up days in case of cancellations due to inclement weather)
Course Description:In this course students will learn the basic canon of the human face. We will begin with the frontal view, followed by a portrait in the frontal perspective, followed by the side profile and the 3/4 view, each with their own portraits to follow. Students will use both graphite and charcoal as they gain the foundational skills used in creating life like portraits. Time permitting, students will finish the course with either a self portrait, or the portrait of a family member or friend of their choosing.
*Please note: it is important to make as informed a decision as possible when choosing your student's Community Resource classes. Most locations will allow a student to drop a class after one meeting, at no charge if it wasn't a good fit for the student, but not all. Some classes plan ahead based on the number that have signed up and have purchased materials, hired teachers, etc. and there might be a fee for class time or materials given to the student if the student drops after one or two meetings. The school cannot pay for classes that students do not complete, so choose wisely; if you do not take the class off of your student's schedule by the deadline, you may be asked to pay for the class time incurred prior to dropping the class.
Teacher of Record: Lisa Van Plew-Cid
