Technology has been incorporated into many classes here at CMR, and now the art department has the opportunity to work with new mediums — iPads.

As a result of receiving an Innovation Grant from the Great Falls Public Schools Foundation, CMR’s art department recently received ten iPads, enabling them to use the tool as a medium for art instead of the conventional way of doing things. 

“I really feel strongly that technology is an art tool and it should be used by all of our students. They should have an opportunity to use technology as an art tool before they graduate,” art teacher Tess Jacobs said.

To apply for the Innovation Grant, Jacobs said she had to defend her request and talk about how students would benefit and how many students.

“I already have a lot of students using it. In my painting classes [students] decided that they would like to use the iPad pros as a canvas to traditional painting. The criterias’ the same for that lesson, they just use the technology as their medium,” she said.

Fellow art teacher Andrew Nagengast, who teaches the graphic design class, uses these tablets to simulate a more professional style of graphic design illustration into his class, he says.

“I’m very grateful to the foundation that the students have this opportunity, it’s awesome,” said Tess Jacobs.