Department Head: Rhonda Robinson
The Harlan County High School Visual Arts Department believes art is fundamental to the entire learning process and, therefore, believes that every student should be afforded the opportunity to create and respond in the visual arts as part of the core curriculum.
Art is about the self-discovery of the creative spirit. Each person possesses an intelligence that needs to be nurtured. There are those students who have the gifts of the “Old Masters” working within them. The arts give students the opportunity to find their self-worth and be proud of the natural gift of the Spatial Intelligence.
According to the Americans for the Arts Action Fund: Research shows that young people who participate in the arts for at least three hours on three days each week for one full year or more are:
- - 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement
- - 3 times more likely to be elected class office
- - 4 times more likely to participated in a math an science fair
- - 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance
- - 4 times more likely to win an award for writing and essay or poem
In addition young arts participants compared with their peers are likely to:
- - Read for pleasure nearly twice as often
- - Participate in youth groups nearly four times as frequently
- - Perform community service nearly twice as often
Source: Dr. Shirley Brice Heath, Stanford University, for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Fact: Arts education makes a tremendous impact on the development growth of every child, and has proven to help “level the learning field” across socioeconomic boundaries. Art also has proven to make a measurable impact on at risk youth by deterring delinquent behavior and truancy problems while also increasing overall academic performance.
In addition, arts education strengthens student problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, adding to overall academic achievement and school success. Plus, it gives student a deeper appreciation of the world around them.
The arts are critical to a child’s education. They develop creative intelligence that encourages communication of ideas through image, sound, and movement.