Local artists in several different media have launched a new series of art classes for Joseph students in grades 7-12 as volunteers in the Charter Art Program (CAP).

The five-session program started Jan. 18, and is being held for two hours every other Wednesday through March 14.

“The kids are coming up to me and saying Thank you,” said principal Sherri Kilgore, who found herself teaching a scrapbooking class in the program. “They love the program.”

The Joseph Charter School has intended to get artists more involved in the school for the last two years. With student input into what classes they’d like to take, the CAP venture is now underway.

“The kids put down their top three choices. Most of them got their top pick, and all of them got one of their top three” said charter school teacher Lance Homan.

While a charter school grant is paying for all supplies, the instructors are all volunteering.

Classes and their teachers are as follows:

Introduction to Culinary Arts, with five different volunteer chefs (Randy Garnett, Christine Eaves, Apryl Eaves, Bruce Reininger and Wendy Grace): Principals of Basic Design, Deb Schenk: Scrapbooking, Sherri Kilgore; and Painting Made Easy – Life as Art, Whitney Ferre (see creativelyfit.com on-line).

Additional classes are Wet Chemistry Photography, Steve Roundy; Digital Chemistry, Ron Osterloh and Joe Whittle; Drawing, Leah Johnson; Introduction to Jewelry Fabrication, Stewart Jones (in his downtown studio); and Beginning Guitar, John Moro.

“We want to thank all the artists. We couldn’t do this without them,” Homan said.

He invites anyone interested in teaching a future CAP class or suggesting artists to contact him at lhoman@joseph.k12.or.us.