Written by Sierra S 

I went to a high school where they truly cared about the overall student. My high school was supporters of the Three A’s: academics, athletics, and the arts. The best high school students were the ones who were very well-rounded and participated in a number of extracurriculars outside of the classroom. It was very rare to find students who only pushed themselves in their academics and nothing else. Same with athletes, and creative students who thrived in the fine arts department. It was considered cool to do it all. You would find students who excelled in the classroom who played a sport and also let their creativity shine in the fine arts department. I, myself, was a magna cum laude student, who cheered all through high school and was in the choir. My brother who currently attends the same high school that I did is a cum laude student, while playing football and is taking tap 4. This is not uncommon. Many students that were excellent in the classroom played a sport ranging from football, cheer, lacrosse, track and field, and more. They did both and still fit a fine art in their schedule whether that be choir, band, dance(jazz, hip hop, tap), art, or my personal favorite to watch African dance. 

An article titled, “How Teaching the Fine Arts in Schools Benefits Students,” talks about all the skills, culture benefits, and scientifically proven benefits that come with putting fine arts into schools. “The fact of the matter—and yes, we can indeed say fact as the many benefits of arts education has been thoroughly researched—is that the arts can teach life skills, inspire students, and allow them to experience the world in a different way.” I agree with this statement. Based on personal experience alone I feel like I was a more prepared student going into college, more well-rounded, and able to test my critical thinking skills more proficiently due to the fine arts classes I took from elementary school up until my senior year of high school. 

“An overwhelming majority of the public agrees that the arts are a necessary part of a well-rounded education,” according to an article titled “New evidence of the benefits of arts education.” It is nice to see that the public and our platform is on the same page when it comes to arts being in school. This article goes more in depth with research that has been done that talks about all the benefits that come from putting fine arts in the education system, as part of the school curriculum. From here, what can you do to make sure we all get what we want?

VOTE VOTE VOTE! Vote for policymakers who agree with you, join school boards and other active school communities and help make those decisions. All hope is not lost, let’s make school better for all :)!

Sources:

Kisida, Brian, and Daniel H. Bowen. “New Evidence of the Benefits of Arts Education.” Brookings, Brookings, 9 Mar. 2022, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2019/02/12/new-evidence-of-the-benefits-of-arts-education/.

Wignall, Allison. “How Teaching the Fine Arts in School Benefits Students.” College Raptor Blog, 15 July 2020, https://www.collegeraptor.com/find-colleges/articles/college-news-trends/teaching-fine-arts-school-benefits-students/#:~:text=How%20Teaching%20the%20Fine%20Arts%20in%20School%20Benefits,the%20importance%20of%20the%20arts%20in%20education.%20. 

Edited By: Audrey S