Artistic Profile: Alyssa Wigant

To most students at Pres, senior Alyssa Wigant is the girl on the Panther Report, but many don’t know that she is also a very talented artist. From a young age, Alyssa was passionate about art and that interest has grown to a number of activities. Alyssa has dedicated her four years at Pres to being the best artist she can be. She plans on pursuing art in college and building her career around it as well. The Voice had a chance to sit down with Alyssa to talk about her artistic background and future.

The Voice: When did you first become interested in art?

AW: Ever since I picked up a marker and started drawing horses and Power Puff Girls as a toddler, I knew art was going to be a part of my life. Of course, my artistic style has greatly transformed since then.

The Voice: How does doing anything artistic make you feel?

AW: In a word, I feel accomplished. I love the feeling I get when I look back on a piece I made because I can specifically recall where my struggles were and what was going through my mind during the process of making it. A lot of thought, hard work and sometimes even mistakes get put into my art. Being able to finish successfully despite all of that makes the experience rewarding…along with the compliments I get afterwards.

The Voice: What or who has impacted your artistic life the most?

AW: Any art teacher I’ve had in my life has had some kind of impact on my artistic life. They’ve provided me with critique, guidance, tips and outlook on my work to ultimately shape the artist I am today. I’m very appreciative of them.

The Voice: What is your favorite type of art to do?

AW: I really love creating mixed media art where I incorporate a little bit of everything: Sharpie drawings, paint, collaging, Photoshop, photography and pastels.

The Voice: If you could pick one piece of your art work as your favorite which one? And why?

AW: My favorite would probably be “Alternative,” a doodle I drew and colored last year for an Advanced Art assignment, because it sums up my artistic style and thoughts all in one picture. It’s hard to choose a favorite art work though; I’m too critical of all of them.

The Voice: Who is your favorite artist?

I’m torn between Frank Stella, Andy Warhol and Banksy. I like Frank Stella’s work because it’s colorful and chaotic; much like my creations. I like Andy Warhol because I like the bright yet vintage feel of his famous works. I also love the look of stenciling and graffiti, and that’s why I like Banksy’s street art.

The Voice: Are you doing something art related in college? If so what?

AW: Yes, I’m set on studying graphic design/media arts in college because I want to incorporate my love for computers, art and media. My dream job is to work at Pixar to design advertisements and products based on their movies.

The Voice: Do you see yourself doing art throughout your life?

AW: Yes! I don’t think I can ever give up on my artistic abilities. Even if I don’t get famous for my art like I aspire to someday, I’ll still do it for fun and for the sake of expressing myself. No matter what happens in my life, I’ll always need expression.

The Voice: How had Pres helped you grow as an artist?

AW: Pres has helped strengthen my skills. Before taking three art classes at Pres (ceramics, drawing and painting 1 and 2, and Advanced Art), my art lacked meaning, fullness and balance. Through Pres, I learned the technicalities of drawing and art so now my work looks more aesthetically pleasing and complete, in a way. Pres has also given me the resources and supplies I’ve always wanted but had no space for—like paint, paintbrushes, canvasses and easels (thanks Ms. Purdy!).

 

 

History of the Senior Gift

Each year, the graduating senior class leaves a gift behind for the students and faculty of Presentation. We all see these gifts around the school, but you may not even know that seniors donated them. Did you know that the water machine in the center was a senior gift? How about the tile crest on the new building and the banners in the gym? All of these were chosen by seniors to leave behind for other students and staff to enjoy.

While we all know a senior gift is customary, have you ever wondered how the senior gift is chosen? The Voice went to Ms. Colvin, the senior class moderator, for answers.

“The Class Officers and Homeroom reps collect ideas from their homerooms and contribute their own ideas about the gift to bring to the Class Level Meetings. The ideas should somehow improve the school or meet some sort of need that the school might have,” she says. Ms. Colvin also told us that a voting process chooses the top three ideas.

Once the top three ideas are chosen, they are presented to the administration. “This is because they may know about information that would make some of the ideas irrelevant – for example, several years ago, the girls really wanted to get projectors for more of the classrooms,” says Ms. Colvin. “However, when we passed this idea to the administration as our top choice, we found out that the school was already planning on installing projectors in all the classrooms and didn’t need the money from the senior gift for this.”

Have you ever wondered where all of that chocolate fundraising money went? Well, it turns out that some of the money goes to senior gift. “The money for the gift is raised by the class fundraisers over their four years at Pres, but the majority of the money comes from the senior candy bar sales. Usually each class has about $5000 – $8000 to spend on a gift,” says Ms. Colvin.

While this year’s senior gift has yet to be chosen, Ms. Colvin has informed us that the gift is going to be “green.” No matter what the senior gift turns out to be, one thing is for sure: Presentation students and faculty will enjoy it for years to come.

Dancing Queen: Jackie Lee

The adrenaline rushes, center stage spotlights, makeup, spandex and sequins galore. The fabulous life of a dancer sounds so glamorous and girlie to the outside eye. But the life of a Presentation High School Dance Team dancer is not just about the sparkles and sunshine. Imagine practicing for hours on end, stretching and pushing your body to run choreography over and over almost every day all year round, including summer. These girls are amazingly tough but still remain outstandingly graceful and poised.

Though every dancer on the team contributes something unique, appreciated and valued, one dancer in particular has awed audiences across the United States. Like a typical Pres girl, she watches One Tree Hill, eats chicken nuggets, and loves her photography class. But unlike most of us, Jackie Lee been dancing for nearly 14 years and has won a numerous amount of prestigious dance titles.

Recently she’s claimed the title of Miss Dance of California 2009 and this year alone won first place at all USA regional competitions for her solo, fifth place for her solo at the Contest of Champion Nationals in Florida, and placed top 10 in solos at USA Nationals in Los Angeles.

She says, “Whenever I perform, I’m always nervous but really happy to just be on stage. Dancing and performing is my outlet. My favorite part about dancing is going on stage and just forgetting about everything.  Whenever I dance, I completely forget about all my problems and fears.”

But unlike an attention seeking diva, Jackie remains true to her Pres team. When asked how she would describe Pres dance she simply stated “Fun. Family. Dedication.”

“My favorite part about dancing at Pres is being a part of a family.  The dance team is so tight knit and close, it makes dancing that much more special and enjoyable.”

As a dedicated part of the team, she works hard as part of the captain team with seniors Courtney Quinn, Erin Kelm, and Nicole Olerich. “We’ve grown so close over the past few months and I know I can go to them for anything.”

Jackie has decided to continue dancing after high school. “I’m hoping to go to a college that has a really good competitive dance team, but if that doesn’t happen I’ll probably just take classes at a studio wherever I am,” Lee said, ”I do plan to try out for So You Think You Can Dance next year when I’m 18 though!”

So girls, this isn’t the last you’ll see of this stellar senior. Watch out for Jackie Lee because one day you just might see her name in the spotlight!