You walk into K7 at the start of class and see the many students preparing to start work, taking out airbrushes and paint.

From freshmen to seniors, all have the opportunity to create and learn the techniques of an airbrush. 

“When I got older, my parents bought me an airbrush as a gift,” airbrush teacher Roger Scovell said. “It came with a little instruction pamphlet and I read it and everything I could find. There was hardly anything about airbrush.”

Scovell, who created the Airbrush curriculum, has taught at DHS for 34 years. 

“My first few years of teaching, I taught (drawing, painting and clay),” Scovell said. “Then I slowly started to sneak (airbrush) in because of how successful it was at my last school.”

Scovell lives through his teaching and his students. Airbrush is a real passion of Scovell’s, and his students see that through his teaching. 

“I enjoy having Scovell as my teacher,” freshman Dakota Sandoval said. “I would recommend him to other students as he is very disciplined and has a very engaging style of teaching. He is also very patient and helps students with whatever issue.”

In Airbrush, students can work among their classmates and create pieces.

“My favorite memory was actually getting to engage with other students and make the bubble project,” Sandoval said. 

In Airbrush, students learn skills that could help them in future careers. 

“I remember going to the car shows and seeing the guys doing the T-shirts. I couldn’t understand how the paint was on there without touching,” Scovell said.

Airbrushing is commonly utilized in various professions, such as cake decorating, interior design, special effects makeup, spray tanning and commercial art. 

In Intro to Airbrush, students learn the basics of using the airbrush, such as dots, lines and shading.

“I enjoy art and wanted to learn something new, and [airbrush] piqued my interest. It’s fun, and I enjoy it, and I get to make a bunch of stuff,” Freshman Erik Boerste said.

Students who are in advanced Airbrush learn the technical skills and can problem-solve on their own.

“I told myself if I were ever able to figure out airbrush, I would share it and teach others,” Scovell said.

Many students have fond memories of the class.

Junior Elizabeth Barton is one of them.

“One time, an airbrush was broken, and Scovell went to push it back so it would spray, and the lid was off, and he sprayed it, and the paint went everywhere,” Barton said.

From taking the class for a future career or just for fun, many students enjoy the course.

“There have been days I didn’t want to go to the store or be around lots of people,” Scovell said. “But I have never had a day where I didn’t want to go to school and see my students.”