AJMS welcomes Marvel Comics writer Chad Bowers Artist-in-Residency February 10-14, 2025; photo of Chad Bowers and X-Men 92 comic

Andrew Jackson Middle School will host Mr. Chad Bowers for a four-day artist-in-residency during the week of February 10th, 2025.  Mr. Bowers is a comics writer and creator from Ballentine, SC, known for his work on X-men ‘92.  A graduate of the University of South Carolina’s Liberal Arts program, Chad has also produced comics and graphic novels for major publishers like PBS, Image Comics, IDW Publishing, and ONI Press.

During his visit, he will work with Visual Art students in a Meet and Greet Art Workshop.  He will additionally join Mrs. Griffin's 8th Grade ELA class towards the end of their unit on Shakespeare's Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. During this unit, students have read and performed aspects of the play using both the script of the play, film, and graphic novels. The students have evaluated and critiqued the various presentations of the story as well as their impact on the audience. Mr. Bowers will build upon this foundation and will then work with students to transform novels or stories of their choice into their own graphic novels or graphic stories. 

With his visit to Mrs. Deese’s 7th grade classrooms, Mr. Chad Bowers will be working within the unit "Chasing the Impossible," where students have been focusing on the essential question: What makes a dream worth pursuing? Focusing on elements of literary text and author's craft, the experience will build student understanding in several key academic areas.

Arts Integration is at the heart of instruction at Andrew Jackson Middle School and a focus of this residency .  AJMS is an Arts in the Basic Curriculum certified-school from the South Carolina Arts Commission.