Christine Tieche

Communications teacher Christine Tieche is a relatively new staff member at Dreyfoos, but she has a connection with the school dating back to when she was just 12 years old. Ms. Tieche is an alumna of the communications department, having gone to Palm Beach School of the Arts, the former name of Dreyfoos.

“My mom worked here, I wanted to go since she started in 1993,” Ms. Tieche said. “I always wanted to go into film and T.V. production, but when I auditioned I also went out for clarinet.”

In her time between being a student and returning as an instructor, Ms. Tieche has noticed great changes in the departments, and the influence that academics have on Dreyfoos student’s education.

“There wasn’t a mentality of ‘I have to go home and do five hours of AP work,’ ” Ms. Tieche said. “I know many students are passionate about their art here, but I also think that it is no longer their main concern.”

Despite this, Ms. Tieche still believes that Dreyfoos is a unique place, and she recognizes the accepting, creative environment it creates for its students.

“As an artist there is no place that my class would be taken as seriously,” Ms. Tieche said. “In other schools it would be divided, like 28 out of my 30 students wouldn’t even be interested in film, but here it’s the exact opposite.”

No matter how much has changed since her time as a student here, Ms. Tieche can relate to one Dreyfoos phenomenon that still reigns today to her time as a student.

“Spirit Week was my favorite part of Dreyfoos when I was here,” Ms. Tieche said. “The teams were divided by major, not class. The grades that were here were grades seven through 12. Having them all together was a neat bonding experience. We made floats, and spent all week skipping class to work on them, [and] at the end of the week we had a parade. It was so much fun.”

Ms. Tieche has many plans for Dreyfoos’ future, and wishes to uphold the film department. She has plans of being a teacher for the long run, and building  on the hard work of her peers.

“I think that everything has changed, but nothing has changed,” Ms. Tieche said.

“Dreyfoos is home, and it will always be home and that’s why I keep coming back.”

Scott Armetta

The visual department has many long-time teachers and artists in residences in its company. Visual teacher Scott Armetta has been a Dreyfoos instructor since 2001, but he is also an alumnus of the visual department.

“[When I went to Dreyfoos,] my graduating class only had 99 seniors overall,” Mr. Armetta said. “[After graduating] I got a Bachelors in Fine Art, and I made visual art and music while I discovered a much deeper love and appreciation of science. After that, I moved to New York and worked as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

Although the art departments have changed throughout the years, Mr. Armetta believes that different forms of art have become more accepted in the Dreyfoos community.

“I think there is a greater acceptance of different directions the students may want to take in the visual and digital departments,” Mr. Armetta said. “For example, if someone is more into illustration or comic art, that doesn’t seem to be looked down on as much as it used to be.”

Mr. Armetta values Dreyfoos’ open environment, and the effect it has on students. He also likes to acknowledge the student’s drive to succeed in their art areas, and that this is partly due to inspirational, diligent teachers.

“I never had him while I was a student, but [communications teacher] Ancil Deluz is wonderful. He clearly cares about his students and about providing them with a thoughtful approach to their art-making and to life in general,” Mr. Armetta said. “To me, Dreyfoos is a place for students to more fully understand what it is they want to do and who they really are, and a place to help them figure out what they value and why.”

Although he does not know exactly what lies in his future career plans, Mr. Armetta has come to appreciate his student’s dedication, which inspires him to continue teaching the art he has grown to be so passionate about since he was a teenager.

“I’d like to mention a general appreciation I have for my students,” Mr. Armetta said. “Even when they are very hardworking and bright, [they] seem to be particularly kind. That captures [Dreyfoos] for me.”

Lacey Van Reeth

After 14 years, visual dean and Dreyfoos alumna Lacey Van Reeth is still involved where she attended high school. As a graduate of the visual department, she has been both facilitating change within it as well as teaching multiple classes.

“I graduated from Dreyfoos in 2002. When I first auditioned it was both a middle school and a high school,” Ms. Van Reeth said. “I auditioned for visual because I had always been invested in art, but I didn’t get in at first, so I actually had to go to a two-week intensive and re-audition to show improvement of my skills.”

When reflecting on her time at Dreyfoos, Ms. Van Reeth has noticed many differences between her years spent as a Dreyfoos student, and how that counters the lives of her current pupils.

“We definitely have more students in the same space, but we have still managed to accommodate everybody,” Ms. Van Reeth said. “We have many more students who want to balance liberal arts education with their academics and extracurriculars, which I think is great because they’re getting more involved.”

On the subject of education, Ms. Van Reeth has a conflicted opinion on how academia has influenced both the arts and the environment of the school.

“For Dreyfoos as a whole, I like that we are becoming a more academically established school and that students are challenging themselves with more AP classes,” Ms. Van Reeth said. “But, I do think that some of the importance of the arts is being lost in student’s lives. I hope that in the future, we can find a better balance so that the reason that we’re here isn’t lost.”

In the future, Ms. Van Reeth has long-term plans for staying within the visual department. She hopes to create a comfortable environment for her students, and follow in the footsteps of one of her favorite Dreyfoos mentors, former visual dean Jane Grandusky.

“[Ms. Grandusky] was one of the founders of the original school of the arts, and she always wanted to give students who may not have been the most fantastic scholars a place to look forward to going, a place they could enjoy their education,” Ms. Van Reeth said. “The goal of Dreyfoos was to create a safe haven for students who had the drive to succeed in art, and she taught me to never leave one of these kids behind, because they all have something important to contribute.”