Every year, Washburn University’s art department hosts a workshop for high school seniors so they can try out different media andw experience firsthand what the school has to offer them.

The event offers approximately 16 classes for local high school students to choose from. Classes range from drawing and painting to photography and etching.

Senior day workshop is one way the department reaches out to students to attract their attention.

Members of the art department produce catalogues of their work to show the students they are not simply teachers.

“They can see what the faculty does and it opens it up to them,” said Michael Almond, a professor at Washburn with an established artistic career who participated in the senior day classes. “What makes Washburn’s art department special is the accessibility and experience the faculty brings to each classroom. It’s very good. We have much better contact time than most of the university has to deal with.”

Instructors also reach students through their services in the community. Almond and his fellow instructors volunteer to teach classes for organizations such as Shawnee County Parks and Recreation and the Mulvane Art Museum. Local high schools use Washburn professors as judges for their art competitions.

Almond said he is pleased overall with the students Washburn attracts.