English projects are viewed as boring by many students because there is not much room for self-expression. But LHS English teacher Ricky Guzman has found a way to change that within his classroom by giving students the chance to express themselves artistically while still giving them the chance to meet guidelines.
  This spring, students in Guzman’s sophomore English class at LHS read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and choose their own projects based on the book. The options were: short answer exam, cartoon strip, mobile/collage, CD or playlist, song/rap/poem, character dialogue or to write an alternate ending to the novella.
  To Guzman’s surprise, even with all of the creative projects as an option, a number of students still chose the exam. However, students who chose other options produced alternate endings to the story, ranging from collages to music playlists.
  Catherine Wen, junior and exchange student from Taiwan, used watercolor to paint an image of the book’s main characters, Lenny and George. Guzman said he was blown away by her artwork. Wen, who received art training in Taiwan, originally wanted to sketch instead of painting with watercolor. But when she saw the online screenshot of Lenny and George from the movie, Wen said that “the picture made me emotional.”
  Wen describes her painting style as “mass,” meaning a lot of colors. When asked what she liked about this project she said that she liked it all.
  “It was beautiful! It showcased this student’s talent while demonstrating her genuine engagement with the text,” said Guzman.
  He plans on framing it for display for an example for future students.
  Along with the exam, the most popular project students chose was a collage.
  Guzman said he believes that students should have a say in how they are assessed. Guzman plans on doing this project again based on how well students responded. His advice for students on future projects is, “Break free of conventions. Have fun. Be creative. Take a chance — you never know what you might come up with.”