About WHHS Visual Arts

WHHS Fine Arts Vision

The West Hall Fine Arts is striving to become a state and nationally recognized program for students across Hall County and a cornerstone of the local West Hall High School community.

WHHS Fine Arts Mission

Our mission is to develop student artists that exemplify the highest standards of arts education, connect students with opportunities for leadership and community involvement, and provide them with a global perspective that celebrates diversity and our students own cultures.

WHHS Visual Arts Strategy for Success

Our strategy within the WHHS Visual Arts is innovative and research-validated. We designed our curriculum and instructional strategies to meet learners at all levels and with a variety of learning styles. We aim to teach discipline-based art education, supported by the Georgia Standards of Excellence, to foster a readiness for life after high school. We do this through the incorporation of 21st century skills development in a trauma-informed learning environment while leveraging aspects of positive psychology to meet our pedagogical goal: the pursuit of human flourishing.

We are reviewing our data regularly to ensure our vision for our students is practical and attainable.

WHHS Visual Arts Statement of Intent

The West Hall High School Visual Arts program embraces unique and creative thinking while striving to integrate skills development with arts-based knowledge acquisition. Through this integration and focus on 21st century skills within their Visual Arts classes, students will become better prepared to address the challenges that await them post-graduation.

As students explore their art-making capabilities, they explore who they are. The Visual Arts lead to the development of creative and caring individuals who are motivated to pursue what interests them and self-disciplined enough to follow that pursuit to conclusion. Students involved in the arts are knowledgeable and inquisitive and are able to strengthen their thinking through the sustained investigation that the art-making process requires.

The production of high-quality art fosters a positive work ethic while cultivating effective time management skills, accountability, reliability, and a sense of professional etiquette. Students will collaborate to solve problems, support and encourage one another, and endeavor together to build a respectful, inclusive learning community that celebrates diversity.

Upon completion of the West Hall High School Visual Arts program, students will be more than simply confident artists capable of conceptualizing and producing original ideas with technical and creative proficiency, but young adults ready for the world ahead of them.

Ms. Jennifer Griner

Jennifer “Jeni” Griner has taught visual arts at West Hall High School since August 2019 and is celebrating her 30th year in education. She currently teaches Art II, Drawing and Painting, AP Art and Design, and IB Visual Arts Years 1 and 2.

Griner earned her BFA from Brenau University in 1996 and her MAT in Teaching from Georgia Southern University in 2007. Before beginning her teaching career, she worked professionally as a graphic designer.

She began teaching in 1997 at Calvary Baptist Day School in Savannah, Georgia. In 2002, she joined Southeast Bulloch High School in Brooklet, where she served as Fine Arts Department Chair. After relocating to North Georgia in 2009, she taught visual arts and graphic design at the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology, serving as Fine Arts Department Chair for eight years. She subsequently taught at Peachtree Ridge High School before joining West Hall High School.

Throughout her career, Griner has received numerous professional honors, including STAR Teacher recognition at Southeast Bulloch High School in 2003 and 2008, Georgia National Art Honor Society Sponsor of the Year in 2018, and Georgia Secondary Art Educator of the Year in 2023. She also completed the Gwinnett County Teachers as Leaders Program in 2013.

An active member of the Georgia Art Education Association (GAEA), Griner has served as Business Representative and as a district co-president. She currently serves on the GAEA Awards Committee. She has presented at national, state, and local conferences, including events sponsored by the National Art Education Association (NAEA), GAEA, and the Advanced Placement (AP) program. She also serves as an AP Art and Design Table Leader at the annual AP Reading in Kentucky, helping guide the evaluation of student portfolios. Her professional service includes assisting with the organization of the 2019 and 2022 GAEA Fall Conferences and the 2024 NAHS State Conference.

In addition to teaching, Griner is an exhibiting professional artist whose drawings and paintings have received recognition in numerous exhibitions. Her work has been featured at the Averitt Center for the Arts, Brenau University's President's Gallery, and other venues. Her current artistic practice centers on two ongoing series: Larger Than Life, which explores family history, Southern identity, and the preservation of ancestral stories through large-scale portraiture; and Voices Silenced, a memorial series honoring lives lost to school shootings.

As both an educator and practicing artist, Griner encourages students to develop their individual artistic voices, think critically, embrace creative challenges, and recognize art as a powerful means of communication and connection.

GAINESVILLE TIMES Interview Download File

Ms. Griner SNN QUARANTINE Interview

Ms. Christina Starlin

Ms. Christina Starlin teaches Visual Arts I and Ceramics I and II at WHHS. She is a co-sponsor of the WHHS National Art Honor Society.

Ms. Starlin started her career in the arts as a photographer. She was responsible for images published in the NGCSU (now UNG) newspaper and for recording Visual Arts Events for the Department of Visual Arts at UNG. The majority of Ms. Starlin's photographic work is contemporary portraiture. In addition to photography, Ms. Starlin worked as a graphic designer, focusing on business branding and stationery design.

Ms. Starlin completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education at Georgia State University in 2019 and completed her Masters in Art Education with Piedmont University in 2022. She enjoys spending time with her two boys, Michael (11) and Maddox (9) and her dog, Sunny.

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