The Course: The Middle School Graphic Novel intensive course for 7th and 8th grade students focuses on the conception, design, and production of a visual narrative piece. Students read examples of comics and graphic novels. Then they develop their own characters and storylines, write and draw their stories, and produce an anthology distributed at UPrep.

The Goals: English Teacher Sean Patella-Buckley hopes his students “leave the classroom knowing that they are capable storytellers with stories worth telling.” This goal underscores the heart of the class, where students not only hone technical skills like storytelling techniques and drawing in three-point perspective but also cultivate their own creative voices. Whether learning the fundamentals of visual narrative or exploring the complexities of perspective and composition, students gain the confidence and the tools to tell compelling stories.

Hands-on: For the sketchbook scavenger hunt, students split into small groups and leave the classroom with a list of items to sketch. Each item on the list is assigned a point value. For example, a quick sketch of a teammate might earn just one point, while drawing a detailed and recognizable portrait of someone like Head of School Ronnie Codrington-Cazeau—if you can manage to find her and get her to pose—would score five points. “This activity forces them to draw at a moment’s notice and requires that they work as a team to practice all of the skills they've been learning over the previous several days,” said Sean.

What I’ve Learned: The comic that 7th grade student Sonam P. created follows the journey of her main character, Aria, as she transforms from a villain into a hero. “I’ve learned perspective drawing in this class,” she said. “It’s also made me more passionate about drawing and telling stories.”

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