Creativity is painting success for Advanced Placement students in the Plano Independent School District.
Portfolios from AP art classes across the district continuously get some of the highest scores in Texas and around the country.
Plano ISD attributes the success to the teachers, some of whom are artists themselves.
"My job is incredibly cool. You can have a really bad day at work, and you still know that something you've done has been good," said Ted Kincaid, chair of the Art Department at Plano West and one of three artists who teach there.
Students appreciate the comfortable atmosphere and the challenge.
"They actually take the time to get to know you and form a respectful relationship so they can still teach you stuff," Sarah Morris, a Plano West senior.
"It's really cool because I'm sure there are other schools who don't have as good of an art program or as good of a teacher like we do," said Lena Ohanian, a junior at Plano West.
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Twenty students from the district had their work shown at the "Young Masters Exhibition" at the Dallas Museum of Art in February. The students made up almost half of the exhibit.
"It says quite a bit about the caliber of students," Kincaid said.
