Art and artificial intelligence stand side by side in the halls

Eva DeGroot, Entertainment Editor • October 23, 2026

Wando High School offers students many activities, and its clubs have always been a big reason students get involved in school life. Over the years, some clubs have started and others have ended. A few have continued for many years. Art Club was one of those long-running clubs, but it was suddenly shut down earlier this school year.

The school now offers art classes after school. Teachers are paid to lead these classes. Many Art Club members were surprised to learn that the classes would replace their club. One of those students was Payton Walker, a senior and the club's president.

Walker said the school changed to paid art classes mainly because of money, and that the school district has a lot of control over the decision. Walker understands that teachers have families and that staying after school takes extra time, especially when they are not paid much. But Walker also feels ignored because the district is making rules for a club without really knowing how Art Club works at Wando.

The board of the National Art Honors Society (NAHS) learned about the change at its first meeting of the school year. Board members were unhappy with the news.

Walker said the decision made the students feel as though their club was no longer needed. The school had already made its plans without asking them. The students then spoke with Media Arts teacher Anna Kamoroff, who had suggested a new plan for Art Club. They pushed to keep the same kind of Art Club they had the year before.

Since the new school year began, more posters and flyers made with artificial intelligence have appeared in school hallways, on the school website, and on social media accounts connected to the school. One goal of the new Art Club this year is to give school clubs and organizations a place to request posters made by students.

Walker said AI-made posters feel impersonal and lazy. When clubs or student groups use AI to make posters, Walker feels they are overlooking the many creative students at Wando High School who would enjoy making them. Walker believes this can make it seem as though some organizations do not think student participation is important or do not care enough about involving students.

One group at the center of the discussion about AI is the Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO). The group posted a slideshow on social media showing AI-generated pictures of Wando with a 1980s clothing style. Some students quickly responded and said the images made them uncomfortable.

In a written response, Harris said AI is not going away. Harris compared it to other digital tools people already use every day on social media, including Snapchat filters and Canva. Harris also said there are right and wrong ways to use AI, especially for schoolwork, and that these differences are important. From the PTSO's point of view, its social media posts are meant to be fun, interesting, and supportive of the Wando community.

The PTSO is not the only school group using AI to create content. Student Council sometimes uses AI to make social media posts and school flyers. Student Council adviser Casey Woronowich said AI can be helpful when there is very little time to finish something.

Woronowich said some students were upset because they believed student artists could make the posters instead. But Woronowich explained that Student Council had already asked artists for help. The council also contacted students in art classes to see whether they wanted to make flyers. According to Woronowich, none of them had enough time to take on the work.

After senior Stella Merreighn posted on social media criticizing the PTSO for using AI, she received an email from Woronowich. The two met in the Student Council room to talk about how Merreighn and other students could help Student Council make graphics. Merreighn said she was happy to help whenever needed and could easily be reached by email.

Merreighn said she told Woronowich she was available, but Woronowich had not emailed her again. Merreighn believes many students would be happy to have their artwork displayed at school. She said it makes her angry that students who would probably want to help seem to be getting ignored.

Student media adviser Phillip Caston works with many student artists every day. Even so, he sometimes uses AI to create images and designs.

Caston said the Sports Marketing program mainly uses AI to create backgrounds and lettering. The program does not change the original photographs taken by the Wando Photography Department. Caston explained that Sports Marketing is part of Tribal Tribune and helps promote the school's sports teams. However, AI use in Sports Marketing is kept separate from the news side of Tribal Tribune. When students create the newsmagazine or online newspaper, their work must still be completely original and made by students.

Most of the people involved agree that the question of whether schools should use AI does not have a simple right-or-wrong answer.

Caston encouraged students to ask questions and learn why an organization is using AI. Sometimes a group may be using it because it needs help, and students could offer to provide that help themselves. Caston also encouraged students to be understanding and think about the reasons AI is being used and the situation in which it is being used.