Should All Upper School Students Be Required to Take An Art Class?
Imagine this. It’s the week before winter break. The work is piling up, and the amount of sleep you are getting is growing shorter and shorter with each passing night. As you sit at lunch in a daze, your phone buzzes: a Google Calendar alert that there is ten minutes remaining until it is time for you to walk over to the Laurie M. Lindenbaum Center for the Arts. Your stomach sinks as you know that you have lots to catch up on, and you know that the lingering stress will prevent you from fully engaging in your art. This reason is why some students are opposed to requiring arts in high school, some of the most chaotic years of one’s life.
While an art period provides a productive break from academics for some students, some people consider it as just another school period. Upper school students are currently required to take three years of an art class of their choice. They even have the opportunity as middle schoolers to get a taste of all of the art classes so they can make an informed decision going into ninth grade. At a school where academics are at times challenging, an art class can provide a stress-free escape from an otherwise difficult environment. But, one may use this very reasoning as a counterargument. Some Riverdale high schoolers think that the pressure of academics could be relieved with a free period for students who don’t want to take an art class. This is where the question of a requirement stems from.
On an anonymous form sent out to the entire upper school, students were asked to select “yes” or “no” on the question, “Should all high schoolers be required to take an arts class?” Students then had the option to explain their response. A total of 122 students responded, and the results were relatively close, with 49% voting yes and 41% voting no. Most of the people who explained their choices reasoned that if they have no interest in pursuing the arts later in life, they should not have to take an art class. For a few others, less common reasons were presented, some having to do with the logistics of the requirement. For example, one student wrote, “for at least 4 semesters is reasonable,” and another said, “except 2nd semester seniors…” One particularly interesting response said, “I feel like the key word is ‘required.’ I don't think that high schoolers should be required, but instead it should be recommended.”
Even though there are some compelling arguments for the students who voted “no”, a close majority opted for the other choice, “yes”. 59% of the high schoolers who filled out the form think that arts classes can be a fun, informative way to learn new things in an environment that provokes less stress. Since students get to choose what they want to do, many look forward to Intermezzo, Foundations, Music Production, or any of the other vast options Riverdale provides. One student said, “I believe all high schoolers should be required to take an arts class because arts and music classes are nice breaks from academic classes. Also, in my experience, arts can reduce stress and provide a form of expression for students.” This notion was reiterated in many responses like this one: “It is like a productive break, where you can clear your mind and have fun.” This idea of a “productive break” coupled with lowering stress is key to many students’ reasoning.
Let’s reimagine the scenario given at the beginning of this article. It is the same week and you receive the same calendar alert, but this time you feel relief. Relief because you know you now have a 50-minute break to do something interesting (of your own choice) and think about something other than your history test, English paper, or math quiz. This image, this very feeling, is why many students may opt for an arts requirement.
Overall, there are interesting arguments for both sides. There are many things to take into account when posing this idea, so I personally believe that the correct answer is not just a simple yes or no. The question of whether Riverdale will ever take away the requirement still remains. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for any updates in The Review.
