All kids are required to take art classes, but how many of them are actually engaged?

All students are required to receive 5 credits in an arts based class, whether it be fine or performing, but most students are only participating for these credits. The goal of the arts department is to engage students in an activity they may not normally participate in, and when students only participate out of requirement, they can miss the importance of the class or how interesting it may be.

Even with Pentucket’s excellent arts program, in the first semester of the Pentucket 2016/17 school year, about 60-70% of students are participating in an arts based class. With so many options to choose from such as fundamentals, drawing, photo, painting, mixed media, character or graphic design, video production, and much more, the arts department just isn’t seeing the attention and participation it deserves.

I asked Ms. Lees, an art teacher at Pentucket, about why more students should be taking art classes, and she told me she notices that students, “really enjoy being in the arts classes” and she says the students who take arts classes “ see things about themselves they didn’t before” and “they enjoy the atmosphere and they can relax” in these types of classes.

I also spoke to Kalyn Markuns, a sophomore student at Pentucket, she enjoys arts classes, “but it depends on the arts class”. She “enjoys certain arts classes more than others. For example, I enjoyed fundamentals of art when we did drawing more than I enjoy video production because I am better at drawing than I am at filming and editing.” She also feels that the lack of student interest is not so important but it is an important requirement because it can teach kids about a subject they may not have known about.

Reaching out academically and trying new classes is what high school is all about. And when students don’t appreciate a class they are taking, they can miss an important part of this opportunity. Arts classes can be an important part of any education, and it is important to appreciate ones as well-developed as Pentucket’s.