By Joshi Mylavarapu and Divya Pavuluri, Quill Writers
For most high school students, the course selection period is the hardest. What feels like a time where school has just started, has already turned into the course request process for the upcoming school year. Here at River Hill, academics are always a top priority, and juggling AP and GT classes along with sports, clubs and maintaining a decent sleep schedule can be all too much for the average student.
Even though overloading yourself with multiple high-level classes may seem like the right thing to do, as that’s what everyone else seems to be doing, it’s not the right fit for most. Sarah-Jane Robbins, a RHHS sophomore currently enrolled in Art 3 GT claims that it’s “smart in theory to not overload to keep balance, but a lot of people at RHHS do that anyway.” There are so many required classes to take in high school, that your electives become your best friends during the strenuous school year. That one class period where you learn about things that actually interest you, and where the workload doesn’t even add to your other classes.
River Hill offers many electives that fit this description, but one that students enjoy the most are the fine arts classes including dance, art, and music classes, all of which actively engage your mind in a creative yet academic way. These classes might seem daunting at first, as the skills most currently enrolled students possess can be intimidating. However, the Art classes offered at RHHS are an exception to this misconception. Stella Papadopoulos, a sophomore enrolled in Art 3 G/T admits that she was “a little bit scared, as I felt like I wouldn’t be able to keep up.” Papadopoulos now feels like she found a good flow and a supportive environment, even in a higher level class.
Ms. Smith, an art teacher at RHHS, explains how taking art can be time consuming, “but in an enjoyable/validating way, [and] since our curriculum allows students to include a lot of their own personal choices and ideas into their work, I think they mostly feel genuinely invested in it.”
The art classes available to students span five levels, with Art IV and V offered at the AP level. Students also have the option to bypass Art I and enroll directly to Art II G/T by submitting a portfolio that is evaluated by art teachers based on a rubric. This flexibility allows students with prior experience to challenge themselves while still encouraging beginners to build skills from the ground up. Art III G/T student Zoya Bahrain, a junior at RHHS states that “it was a fun process gathering all my art into one slide show, especially because it was my first time doing so. Now I go through this [portfolio-making] process more often as I have grown more accustomed to the process.”
Unlike more traditional academic classes, art courses emphasize experimentation over memorization. Art teacher Ms. Smith emphasized that there is rarely one “correct” outcome for an artwork. Instead, students are encouraged to explore different methods, and think outside of the box. This type of creative work allows students to engage their brains in a different way than they might in other classes.
Early art courses allow students to test out a variety of mediums, including acrylic paint, charcoal, oil pastel etc. This exposure to new mediums allows students to build foundational skills and to find what they like to work with and what they don’t like to work with. By working with multiple mediums, students gain confidence in their abilities and develop a better understanding of their personal artistic style, making introductory courses a valuable starting point for anyone interested in visual arts.
Art classes also offer experiences beyond the classroom. Students who take Art II and above have the opportunity to participate in field trips, including a visit to New York City last April, where students toured the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These trips allow students to see professional artwork up close. Jules Tran, a junior at River Hill shares her experience with art field trips, claiming that the trips are, “really fun, and [they] are a good opportunity to learn more about art and different aspects of art history.”
Ultimately, fine arts electives at River Hill offer students far more than just a break from rigorous academics. They also allow room for creativity, expression and balance. As students prepare for next year’s course selections, art classes serve as a reminder that success is not only measured by course rigor, but also by passion and personal growth.