To the editor: There is no doubt that it is an exciting time to be a student. We try to look into the future, but it’s impossible to picture the prospective world when it is transforming at such a fast pace. We try to find the paths we want to take, but the paths will continue to evolve and transform and nobody knows where they will bring us. In the face of the unknown, the best thing for our education to provide us with is a variety of skills that will allow us to succeed in as many situations as possible.

In accordance with the technological progression of greater society, Barrington High School has decided to modernize their graduation requirements by introducing the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) credit, a full-year requirement of an elective in any of these subject fields.

This policy change will lift the half-year credit solely reserved for art, music, and theatre, no longer requiring students to participate in any type of creative class during high school.

While the importance of STEM fields is growing, it is counterproductive to allow students to substitute the values of art education for more instruction in subjects that are not only already required but also in need of creative thought.

At this time, every student who graduates has experienced the value of personal expression in some form, whether it is through singing or painting or acting in a play. Every student is not just required, but given the opportunity to engage different parts of their brains and exercise a way of communicating without words or numbers.

As our core classes become more and more formulaic and standardized by testing and curricula, students need to have the opportunity to develop a sense of individuality through original thinking. One student may go through school convinced that he is terrible at coming up with ideas, but when he takes Studio Art to fulfill his art requirement, he may learn that when he picks up a pen and creates images instead of words, he can reach the depths of a vibrant imagination and find a whole new realm of self-expression.

Above all, the most significant and vital product of art education is the arousal of creativity to be applied to all subjects, projects, situations, and challenges in life.

Often overlooked in the overwhelming developments of a technological world is the very relevant demand for, and lack of, creativity. It is only the creative thinkers who can find solutions to the most perplexing conundrums, whether in politics, medical research, or everyday life. Only when we show our students how to successfully maneuver their tools of imagination will they be able to employ originality and innovation to their education and careers, aiding them especially in the fields of STEM.

Science, technology, engineering, and math are relevant and compelling fields, but it is unfair to associate these subjects with art in a high school setting. Four full years of math and three years of science are already required for graduation. Allowing students to get away with not taking an art class by adding on more classes in these subjects contributes to narrow-minded schooling, nothing like the broad education students are supposed to be receiving. High school is the time for students to gain basic knowledge in all disciplines; specialization in specific fields is for further education to allow students to experience as much as possible.

If our high school wants to modernize and meet the demands of greater society, allowing students to sidestep art education is doing more harm than good.

Barrington High School needs to fill this gap if we want to foster individuals who will make vital contributions and solve the crucial problems in a society of innovation and change.

Isabella Rea

Barrington

Isabella is a student at Barrington High School