With an increase in the number of students enrolled in them and adequate funds from the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, Dougherty Valley art classes have been provided with all of the new technology that it needs.

One class that has required more funding over time is Computer Arts and Graphics. Teacher Mrs. Nancy Iler says, “This class has been growing because students are signing up, so our technology needs are  met. More kids have been taking this class, and in return, I have gotten more iMacs.”

She continues by saying that although Dougherty has a STEM-based mindset, the school has enough funding to give both art classes and STEM-based classes the technology they need so that no one misses out.

“We have the computer science classes, and next door we have digital photography, and his [Mr. Silverman’s] business classes and yearbook class. Here at Dougherty, the students are interested, and that’s when the funding comes in. I don’t think we’ve ever had a scenario where the students are interested [in a class] and we haven’t been able to give it [technology] to them.”

Indeed, the number of students in computer graphics had increased so much that Ms. Iler decided to write a new course curriculum for a second level to computer graphics.

Right now, Ms. Iler is in the process of providing her students with tablets for  their artwork. She is waiting for approval from the PTSA, the same group that provided her with two digital cameras a year ago, on the grant she filed.

“I understand there are so many classes to fund, but hopefully they see the need for tablets in here!” she said.