Stephen Germana, AICE Digital Media and AP Art History teacher, has been teaching at Jupiter High School for 10 years. Germana is known for his humor and wide range of musical and artistic knowledge.
Germana has always felt a connection with art and music which led him to apply for grad school in his thirties. After graduating from the University of Minnesota, Germana went on to get his Masters Degree in Music Performance at the University of Miami.
“I was interested in art as a kid but then I got really interested in music and felt they weren’t separate from each other. I stopped doing anything in art until a career as an orchestral musician. Then my musical ideas became composition ideas, that became composition ideas, that became sculptural ideas that actually led me to art school,” Germana said.
Following his graduation from the University of Miami, Germana played in orchestras, including the Naples Philharmonic and Orlando Philharmonic.
Germana lived in Guanajuato, Mexico and Aguascalientes, Mexico for five years. While living in Mexico, Germana played as sectional double bass and principal bass in orchestras funded by the University of Guanajuato and the Cultural Institute of Aguascalientes.
Over the years Germana has been in several bands, including, The no Landscape, which was named after an art school reference to Rosalind Krauss an art critic.
“I don’t really have a band now, but I’ve been in a couple different bands. One of them was a band called The no Landscape which is a real nerdy art school reference to Rosalind Krauss’s essay sculpture and expanded field. But we only played a couple shows and had to split $11 between five people. We did play at Empty Bottle in Chicago though, which was a pretty famous place,” Germana said.
Germana greatly enjoys spending time with his two cats. He recalled the story of how they wandered into his back patio and never left.
One of his cats, Boonmee, also known as “Meep” was named after the 2011 art film, “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.” Jean Jacques Francois Jacques Jean is Germanas second cat, nicknamed JJJ Frankie JJ.
“Frankie goes by many names depending on his mood. If he’s demanding food, he’s referred to as stuffed bread pizza. And if he’s really annoying, we call him Kevin from Human Resources, because he’s being a Kevin. But Meep’s an angel,” Germana said.
Olivia Kleiser, freshmen, is currently taking AICE Digital Media and Design class with Germana.
“I’ve learned a lot of time management skills. I feel like I’ve gotten to become a lot more comfortable with using a professional camera this year,” Kleiser said.
Kleiser shared that you need to be dedicated, and learn to manage how close deadlines are in order to complete assignments like the AICE Component One and Component Two for the class.
“To be successful in the class you need time management skills, dedication and effort to complete assignments,” Kleiser said.
Germana helps add to the comforting atmosphere in the classroom by playing his guitar.
“His guitar skills are incredible, and his purple Stratocaster [guitar] is amazing,” Kleiser said.
Rachael Abbas, sophomore, is currently enrolled in AICE Digital Media and Design class.
“He teaches at a slow pace so everyone can understand the topic. It’s good everyone can learn at their own pace. I just love his class, he’s so dope,” Abbas said.
Landon Abbas, freshmen, is also taking Germana’s AICE Digital Media and Design.
“The material of [the class] is interesting. Some of the things can be helpful in life, say for a business you’re trying to create your own logo for,” Landon Abbas said.
Germana’s class offers students a relaxing and kind workspace to focus on various different technology programs such as Photoshop and Adobe Express, which can later be used in the real world and in other courses.
“He’s so friendly, I love his class. He’s such a nice teacher, he always helps his students, it’s a friendly atmosphere,” Rachael Abbas said.
