Correction: Teagan Cooley was misidentified in the original article as a performer in Wind Ensemble; this has been corrected to Chamber Winds.
This past week, students made their way down to the auditorium each day during guided studies and freshman seminars to celebrate National Arts in Education Week (NAEW).
NAEW highlights OH’s creative programs, showing off Jazz Ensemble, the Improv team, Show Choir, Spoken Word poetry and Creative Writing, and the various dance groups. But it’s more than just a display of the arts.
Fine Arts Department Chair Michael Skura said, “[Art is] relying on another side of the multiple intelligences that happen within individuals. … A lot of students need to activate that [creative] side of them, because when you’re in that creative function, you kind of enter in the world of flow – when you actually lose track of time and space.”
“I think that [NAEW is for] learning about the opportunities that you have within our community and our school community to explore those things,” said OH English teacher Erin Holtz, an important part of OH’s Creative Writing programs.
“I feel like… the general student body isn’t as educated in the Fine Arts as I think they probably should be,” said OH senior Ava DeSanto, who serves as National Art Honor Society (NAHS) president.
“I feel like in general, we as a school could work towards pushing even like just taking a basic art class as part of your schedule,” DeSanto added.
On a national level, NAEW is focused on bringing attention to the benefits of the arts and advocating for equitable access to art programs.
“Students’ exposure to art and the arts can be really quite critical for how they develop their flexibility and thinking, but also their ability to empathize and understand others or express themselves,” Holtz said about the benefits of having creative outlets at school.
OH freshman Teaghan Cooley, who is in the Chamber Winds and the Treble Choir, said the benefits of the arts are part of what makes school relaxing for her.
“The relationships that come with being with the bands and choirs are all really close relationships, and I love them all,” Cooley said. “[The music classes are] somewhere I can just kinda relax.”
However, whether because of scheduling conflicts, lack of information, or simply not being interested, many students don’t get involved in the arts.
“They get opportunities, [but] that doesn’t mean everyone’s taking advantage of those opportunities,” Skura said.
“If your focus is not in the Fine Arts, if you’re not in any of those electives, if you’re not friends with anybody in those electives, you’re not going to hear about [NAEW or art shows] because it’s not advertised to everybody,” said DeSanto.
Even if students can’t participate in a class, they can be involved in the arts by attending art shows, band concerts, or submitting pieces to writing competitions.
NAEW is a wonderful celebration of our school’s creativity and artistry, and a display of all of the opportunities students at OH have access to, but it also serves as a reminder of the work yet to be done for the arts.
“Try and connect yourself with music, try and connect yourself with art. In some way, link yourself with human expression,” recommended DeSanto.
“It’s going to make you a better person. It’s going to make you more involved, and it’s going to make you more aware of the arts, which is very powerful.”
My name is Aster Lasher & I am a Senior at OHS
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I'm Taylor Jo Ana, I'm a Junior at OH, and this is my first year on 42Fifty! I'm on the Speech Team, and I'm in the National English Honor Society and National Art Honor Society. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
