JACKSON TWP — In the Seneca Valley School District, student success is not measured strictly by reading, writing and arithmetic.

A multimedia art gallery beside the intermediate high school's auditorium showcases dozens of other accomplishments.

The 21-by-14-foot room, which functioned in the past as a faculty cafeteria and a vending machine room, has been used as an art gallery since 2001, when its first exhibit featured works by past and present faculty members.

Since that time, shows have occupied the space in three-week cycles.

The project was the brainchild of Seneca Valley High School art teacher Jason Shorr.

Shorr began work on the gallery in 2000 after receiving approval from administration. The renovation included Shorr, who readily admits to his inadequacy in the handyman department, contacting the Carnegie Museum to inquire about the best surface on which to hang art.

Shorr chose a material used for cubicle walls as a surface on which to hang art, and he employed the talents of the industrial arts department in cutting the wood behind the material.

A new ceiling, track lighting and a large window allow visitors to view the 50 eclectic works inside, which include eight busts; a 4½-foot, three-dimensional cardboard hat; a 7-foot cardboard suit of armor; and a nine-photo study of the varsity tennis and cross country teams.

The student artist with the largest display in the gallery is senior Kaela Speicher of Lancaster Township. Speicher plans to major in graphic or product design at Maryland Institute's College of Art.

"I've always liked to draw," said Speicher. "I started taking art lessons in first grade."

Speicher's nine pieces adorn an entire wall and part of another. The exhibit is meant to demonstrate what a strong portfolio for a college-bound art student looks like.

The piece that garnered the most attention in the gallery on Friday was "The Alley," which Speicher created with black-and-white acrylic paint on canvas.

The alley depicted is the Post Alley in Seattle. Speicher saw a photo of the alley and thought its character would lend itself well to a painting. She projected the picture onto the canvas and carefully traced on the image. The detailed work took her two years to complete, but Speicher did not find the job tedious.

"I find it relaxing," she said. "It puts you in your own little world."

Seniors in Natalie Thomas' English class, who visited the gallery for an assignment in which students must choose a piece of art and write a review, also gravitated toward "The Alley."

"It's amazing," said senior Kory McClain of Lancaster Township. "It has detail and a lot of character. I think about it a lot when I look at it."

Teague Bintrim, a senior from Harmony and also a student in Thomas' class, said she appreciated the depth and precision of "The Alley."

"It's very impressive," said Bintrim. "I like art, but I can't do it. It's nice to see other people can."

Asked about her reaction to the thought of English students choosing her artwork as the focus of a writing project, Speicher replied that it's like a form of acceptance and accomplishment.

Senior Mark Cottington of Cranberry Township entered a video titled "Bunnicula" into the gallery that pokes fun at his brother's obsession with horror films. The parody lasts 13 minutes, which Cottington calls "the downside of boredom."

Another Seneca senior, Sara Rushing, boasts a piece in the gallery that Shorr calls "the most complicated and detailed work ever on display at the art gallery."

The Cranberry Township resident carved and painted the linoleum print "Audio Dependency," which is an abstract self-portrait of Rushing listening to music on headphones. It took the soft-spoken senior two weeks to carve and four days to ink and print the work.

Rushing has entered her pieces in art shows at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center, Carnegie Mellon University and LaRoche College, among others.

Shorr and art department chairman Jim Nagle choose the student entries that will be hung in the art gallery for a three-week rotation. It took Shorr and student art gallery coordinator Lauren Markich four hours to hang and place the art for the current show once it was all matted and framed and the captions were printed.

"It's fun to do a show with lots of great artwork," said Markich, whose favorite piece is a conte crayon self-portrait.

Shorr said he appreciates the support from Seneca Valley officials, as art is an essential part of any school district's curriculum.

"The school is crowded now, and to allow us to have a space to use as an art gallery is a big deal when there is always a need for rooms for teachers and offices," said Shorr.

Art can also provide a haven, said Shorr, for more creative students who do not excel in a traditional, structured classroom setting.

"In the art department, they can have a place where they feel comfortable learning."