IOWA CITY — Consider it a class within class.

United Action for Youth’s School of the Arts begins Thursday, giving Johnson County middle and high school students the opportunity to expand their art skills in a studio environment, while providing first hand teaching experience for future art educators.

Modeled after the Spiral Workshop in Chicago, UAY’s School of the Arts launched last year. At that time, there was hope it wouldn’t be a one-time-only project.

“We had really great feedback, from both groups of students,” says Mickey Hampton, UAY’s volunteer coordinator. “We have a lot of students returning, which I think is the best testimonial.”

 Students will choose their area of the focus on the first day of class. The options — fashion and art, alternative books and street art graffiti — will branch into various mediums, including ceramics, sculpture, drawing and painting. After four weeks, the students can choose a new focus or delve deeper into their first selection.

 Students will spend the first eight weeks working on their projects. The ninth week is dedicated to designing and promoting an art show to showcase their work.

The art show will be held on the final day of the program on April 26 at UAY’s Art Gallery in downtown Iowa City.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for the middle and high school students to connect with other adults, besides their regular art teachers, and gain different perspectives on their work,” says Rachael Arnone, South East Junior High School’s art teacher.

Arnone is instructing Methods of Art Education in Secondary Schools at the UI, preparing the university students to instruct middle and high school scholars.

“This is a great opportunity for us, as teachers, to work with a small group of students who are really interested in art in a great setting with great materials,” says Kirsten Sogaard, 21, a UI senior art education major. “It’s an ideal teaching experience.”

Sogaard taught elementary students in UAY’s elementary art program last semester.

“Now I have the chance to get better experience working with secondary students,” she says. “At this point, I’m trying to focus on which grade levels I want to teach, elementary or secondary, so this is a great experience.”

 Kasey Orris, also a UI senior art education major, says she looks forward to helping the students focus and expand their personal expression.

 Both Orris and Sogaard say art draws from all aspects of education. The culture and history of art is social studies, working with metals demands a knowledge of science, and math skills are required for measurements.

 “Art takes what they’ve learned in their classrooms and builds on it,” Orris, 21, says. “They apply that knowledge to create something that is part of who they are.”