I am always amazed at what our students accomplish, both in and out of the classroom. This month, I’d like to highlight excellence in the arts. Forest Hills Northern Junior Sydney Kuipers’ artwork was chosen to adorn the front of the State of the State Program. Forest Hills Central Sophomore Sully Lower was chosen for the MSBOA All-State Jazz Band. Dozens of students from Forest Hills Eastern will soon be showcasing their talents on stage with Bye Bye Birdie in February and Forest Hills Central will follow with The Wizard of Oz in March.
Students learn in the classroom how to create their art – how to play or sing the notes of a song, how to draw or paint or photograph the world around them – but then use that knowledge beyond the walls of the classroom to grow and showcase their talents. Arts education is vitally important for developing motor skills, language skills, social skills, critical thinking, and innovation. Arts can reach students in a way that encourages learning, participation, and risk taking.
And you never know where the arts may take you… Steve Jobs once took a calligraphy class. At the time, it had no practical application, he just loved learning about different scripts and the spacing of letters. Little did he know that the lessons he learned from calligraphy would be so important as he developed fonts for the Macintosh computer! Arts are to be celebrated and embraced and I am so proud of all of the students who boldly display their creativity for the community to enjoy.
