Broadening Horizons

by Reilly Henson ('11)

Maggie Walker is widely known for its talented, well-rounded students who bring all sorts of unique and valuable assets to the school. Whatever a student’s forte, that student can flourish in an environment which encourages variety and expression the way our diverse school does.

In every student’s high school career here, he or she takes a total of 32 courses, about half of which are mandatory (core classes). To ensure that students have enough experience in each subject, a diploma requires specific numbers of credits in each subject. That’s reasonable, right? If a student only took classes in one subject, he or she would be ill-prepared for almost any career. So why should art be excluded from these necessary subjects? Art (including both the visual arts and music) is undoubtedly a worthy study.

While not all students are inclined to take an art course, by doing so they are exposed to new methods of expression, and may even discover hidden talents. Some complain that there is no room in their schedules for an art course, yet art gives students a creative outlet and can reduce the stress of other classes.

Others who don’t consider themselves “artistic” may think that art classes will waste their time, but even art-related courses (such as art history) that are less hands-on can allow students to see into a very different world filled with individuality, controversy, and excitement.

If not for art classes, many people would be oblivious to the possibilities of the art world, and in my opinion, that is just as bad as missing out on math, science, history, or English.