Should fine arts be required?

Sarah Mitty

WSPN staffers Caroline Mellen and Sarah Mitty discuss the newly implemented fine arts requirement and if it should be necessary for graduation.

By observing an elementary school playground, it is easy to distinguish the artistic kids, who are drawing or making crafts, from the jocks, who are zooming around with a ball on the tattered fields. But how can people be sure that the boy shooting the winning goal does not also have the voice of an angel?

In elementary and middle school, every student is required to take different classes such as Music, Art, Drama, Applied Science and Wellness, so they can be exposed to a variety of different subjects and adequately choose a secondary pursuit in high school.

Up until last year, WHS has given students almost full control in choosing electives and extracurriculars. Now, all students have a mandatory arts requirement at the school, which means they have to take at least one fine arts class before they graduate.

The principle of this new rule is understandable, even pleasant. The idea of a “High School Musical”-like education is appealing; the athlete discovers a love for the arts and unites the school.

Yet, however noble the idea, this new requirement seems highly unnecessary. After all those middle school years when the jocks suffered through learning the dulcimer, why should they be forced to have to take an arts class again? If a student has a secret artsy talent he is interested in pursuing, he can make it clear. Those students are fully capable of selecting the “Art 1” box on their class selection sheets, but that doesn’t mean all students should have to.

Furthermore, students who are completely uninterested in these art courses are using up the limited resources and creating an unenthusiastic environment for students who actually want to be there.

We believe that this new rule has only created resentment among students. Upon entering high school, students look forward to paving their own road and getting their first taste of freedom. This new fine arts requirement is too reminiscent of middle school to be effective and appreciated.

Being well-rounded is something to strive for, but it’s also something students need to be independent and mature enough to achieve without the school’s regulation.

See the opposing viewpoint in “Fine arts requirement is necessary and rewarding.”