At North Battleford Comprehensive High School, a vibrant art studio serves as more than just a classroom—it is a sanctuary where students discover their identities and build self-assurance through creative expression. For over a decade, visual arts teacher Becky Tucker has transformed this space into a dynamic environment where young people learn to take artistic risks, explore diverse mediums, and develop trust in their own abilities. The studio itself tells a story, with towering canvases leaning against walls adorned with student-painted murals, doors blooming with colorful scenes, and workstations equipped with pottery wheels, clay tools, and projects in various stages of completion. This immersive atmosphere reflects Tucker's core belief that art education should empower students beyond technical skill, fostering personal growth that extends far beyond graduation.
The program's three-tiered structure guides students through increasingly sophisticated artistic journeys. In Art 10, Grade 10 students embark on broad experimentation, working with dry media, ink, watercolor, linocut printmaking, hand-built clay, and acrylic painting. This foundation year emphasizes exploration without fear of failure. By Art 20, Grade 11 learners tackle larger, more personal projects such as self-portraits and public art installations, selecting their own materials to realize individual visions. Notable collaborative works include murals by Von Slater, Berk Iverson, and Coleby Yuzicappi celebrating school activities, and a GSA-themed mural by Karlee Butt and Moss Charabin giving voice to student representation. The capstone Art 30 course for Grade 12 students challenges them to conceive and execute complete art exhibitions around self-designed themes, which they publicly display in the school library for community engagement. As Tucker explains, 'The sky is the limit—they can create whatever they want.' Recent exhibitions featured compelling pieces by Miguell Martin, Samantha Muzyka, Mackenzie Seth, Layla Lehman, and Paige Hill, demonstrating mature artistic voices.
A standout feature that distinguishes NBCHS from many Canadian high schools is its fully equipped pottery facility, which has operated since at least the late 1980s. The studio houses a comprehensive hand-building area with professional tools including a slab roller and extruder, multiple pottery wheels, and kilns for firing finished work. Students quickly learn that ceramics demands patience, precision, and resilience. Tucker, who first discovered her own passion for pottery in this very room as an NBCHS student before graduating in 2004, now shares that legacy through both classroom instruction and a weekly pottery club open to students from Grades 7 through 12. This extended opportunity allows young artists to develop skills over many years, building confidence through mastery. The club includes dedicated members like Bryn Florence, while pottery students such as Nakaya Moyah, Nicole Allen, Braxton Swiftwolfe, Akina Lonesinger, and Gloria Mosquito create functional hand-built pieces that blend utility with artistic expression.
Tucker's pedagogical philosophy centers on emotional safety and validation rather than producing virtuoso artists. 'I think that students have to feel really comfortable in an art space, because they have to really look inside themselves,' she emphasizes. She cultivates an environment where diverse outcomes are celebrated, explaining that while rubrics and expectations provide structure, final products should reflect individual uniqueness: 'We aren't all going to make the exact same thing, and this is the way it should look. Our products will all look diverse, just as we are all diverse people.' This approach has yielded profound impacts—Tucker recalls a parent's email thanking her for helping their child create art confidently at home and develop self-acceptance. She has witnessed reserved students transform as they find new versions of themselves through artistic creation, noting that 'the arts can make or give opportunities for students to just become other versions of themselves that will help them in the next part of their life.'
The visual arts program operates within a broader renaissance of creative education at NBCHS, joining drama, music, and cosmetology programs in a coordinated effort to ensure every student finds their niche. Tucker actively promotes cross-pollination among these disciplines, encouraging students who might think 'that's not for me' to explore multiple artistic streams. The art room itself serves as a living archive, with past student work remaining on walls as inspiration and testament to the program's enduring legacy. This visibility creates a continuous thread connecting generations of NBCHS artists and building a supportive creative culture throughout the school community.
Looking ahead, the program continues to evolve while maintaining its foundational commitment to student empowerment. As new classes of students enter the studio to paint, sculpt, and discover their capabilities, they join a tradition where art functions as a vehicle for personal transformation rather than merely a product to be graded. Tucker's ultimate goal remains steadfast: 'I want students to leave this program feeling empowered, so that whatever life choices they make, those skills help them in the next part of their life.' In an educational landscape often focused on standardized outcomes, NBCHS visual arts program stands as a reminder that the most valuable lessons may be those that help young people understand who they are and what they can become when given the freedom to create without limits.
