Portfolio Mentorship Course

When you step into Mr. Ibanez’s new Upper School Portfolio Mentorship course, you don’t find students following a standard syllabus; you find them following their passions.

The course, introduced for the first time this year, is part of Mount Vernon’s Inquiry Pathway, a signature Upper School program that gives students the freedom to explore their interests and design personalized learning experiences. Within this space, students are not only creating, they’re discovering who they are as artists, designers, coders, writers, and innovators.

“This class is what you make of it,” explains Mr. Ibanez. “It’s truly built around student choice. Each student brings something different: fashion, architecture, tech, music, and creative writing. My job is to help them find mentors and guide their process. It’s a team effort.”

Students begin with a roadmap of what they want to create, a collection, an installation, a novel, or a body of work, and develop it through iterative presentations, mentor meetings, and self-directed exploration. The result is an authentic portfolio that reflects not just skill, but purpose.

For Stella, a senior preparing for a career in architecture, the course has been pivotal. “I’m using this time to build my architecture portfolio for college,” she says. “I love historical design, especially the character and craftsmanship of Nantucket’s old buildings. For one project, I’m weaving a Nantucket lightship basket and sculpting a whale out of clay to honor the island’s history.”

Her classmate Kirsten has taken a different path. “I’m not applying to art school,” she shares. “I’m using this course to explore everything I can — ceramics, printmaking, basket weaving — and to learn about myself in the process. I want to glorify God through my art and show how people and nature are connected.” Her upcoming installation for the Christmas Art Showcase invites visitors into a dark room where lifting a basket reveals a light — a metaphor for uncovering one’s true purpose.

Other students are just as diverse in their pursuits. Eden Seib is designing a fashion collection inspired by nature’s resilience. Another is coding music software. Alexa Kaul is writing a fantasy novel that’s already 100 pages long.

Christian Foster, Cameron Flotta, and Michael Voljavec are working together on reimagining the recording studio.

Mr. Ibanez admits that the unstructured format pushes him, too. “As a teacher, I’m learning when to step in and when to let go,” he says. “There’s this moment where I just have to trust them to take the lead, and that’s when the most powerful learning happens.”

The course runs across two academic mods, giving students sustained time to iterate, reflect, and grow. It culminates in a showcase where they present their work to peers, mentors, and the Mount Vernon community.

“This space gives us time to think for ourselves,” says Kirsten. “We spend so much energy learning what the world wants from us. Here, we get to learn what we truly love to do.”

For Stella, the experience has been equally transformative: “It’s amazing that Mount Vernon offers something like this. Even though we don’t have a formal architecture program, this class lets me create my own path.”

The Portfolio Mentorship course is more than an art class, it’s a model of inquiry in action, where voice and choice intersect to create deep, purposeful learning. At Mount Vernon, curiosity isn’t just encouraged, it’s cultivated into impact.