Senior Simone Williams has been drawing and painting in her sketchbook, scraps of paper and canvases for as long as she can remember. Although she’s in tennis, art is William’s true passion. Not a day is spent without a drawing being placed somewhere in her notebook or just a random piece of paper.

Williams has always expressed herself through art, not only does it help her relax during a stressful week, but it helps her write down the ideas she has in her head.

“Art is something that I know best and something that you don’t have to worry about anything, because art doesn’t have any limits,” Williams said. “You can do whatever you want however you want. It doesn’t have to be drawing it could be a sculpture, a 3D, and all that stuff but drawing and painting is very therapeutic.”

Although Williams loved art at a young age, she did not immediately join art her freshmen year. Williams started in 10th grade and progressed to Art III AP in her senior year, with Shawna Billet as her mentor all three years. Billet teaches art classes ranging from art I  to art IV AP. She helped Williams become stronger in her artistic abilities and to develop her own style.

“I particularly love teaching the advanced classes, especially AP because it gives them a chance to express themselves, and find an interest and to be able to investigate that interest for a long period of time as well as introduce them to new techniques and materials that may have never used before,”Billet said.

Since sophomore year, William’s worked hard in her art classes with the same students for the past three years. Her class has grown together as artist and they make the most of their class periods.

Billet believes that her classes not only grow with each other as artist, but by their senior year, they become family. Working together on art projects, drawings and sculptures not only bring out their artistic abilities, but bring them together as an artistic family.

“I think all these students are like family,” Billet said. “After a few years of being in the same classroom with each other, they grow to have that great relationship and are able to work really hard and be able to communicate through their art pieces.”

Williams’ passion for art has brought her skills to new levels for the past three years of her high school career. But the dedication to express herself and create something new has transitioned to the desire to inspire with her art or to motivate other artist just like her.

“I feel like anybody can draw as long as it’s aesthetically pleasing to the eye, anybody can make art,” Williams said. “Don’t think because you don’t know how to draw a body, that it’s bad, make it abstract. As long as it looks pretty that’s all that matters.”