"Budget Cuts" - A Death Sentence for School Art Programs
by Nicole Fallon

Every high school has its "art geeks": the kids who, instead of heading off to the locker room for basketball or cheerleading practice after school, break out their flutes and trumpets, their scripts and props, and practice for an upcoming band concert or drama production. Even though they might not be the highly-exaggerated, stereotypical thespian with black pants, a turtleneck, thick glasses and a French beret (let's be honest, nobody really dresses like that) you know who they are by the way they flock together near the school auditorium or music room. They're the people the "popular" kids try to keep at arm's length because, to them, those artsy people belong to another world.

I should know. I was one of them. I was proud of it, too.

The jocks will tell you that being part of a sports team is like being part of a family; you bond over hours of practicing a common interest and end up becoming like brothers and sisters. For the more athletically-challenged people like myself, being a cast member in a theater production gives you that same kind of family feeling. After a long day of classes, I looked forward to being with my creative "family." For those few hours I was able to be myself (ironically, by pretending to be someone else) and do what I love. For me, being in plays helped to balance out the academic stresses of SATs and college applications. It was the one place where I didn't have to worry about those things; it kept me sane.

But what if I'd never been given that opportunity? Had I gone to a different high school, I might not have been. Students in middle and high schools across the country are being hit with the reality that their art programs may become things of the past. With the looming economic crisis, many school boards are being forced to make drastic budget cuts. Unfortunately, the department they often find to be the most expendable is the art department. By eliminating classes and after-school programs in art, music, and drama, they can carry on with their regularly scheduled school agenda, and make fewer cuts in the other more "important" areas.

School boards are making a grievous mistake.

Having a creative outlet is just as crucial to one's educational experience as learning Math and English. On top of the pressures of homework and doing well in classes, middle and high school students have to deal with the stresses of adolescence. Fitting in socially and finding a niche is of paramount importance to a teenager's happiness. Some find sports, some find academic and social clubs; others-myself included-find a place in the theater. Clubs and classes for art, drama, and music can give otherwise introverted students a chance to freely express themselves. If art programs are cut, some people will never find their "place," at least not within their school.

If social reasons are not convincing enough, one needs only to look at the numerous studies done on the links between learning art and achievement in other areas. Although it has not been scientifically proven (yet), many people believe that taking art classes can actually improve a student's test scores. According to a 2007 article in the Boston Globe, a more important reason to keep arts programs, particularly visual arts, in schools is that students of art are able to envision a finished product in their minds, and these same students are then able to use this mental image as a guide in the completion of their project. These programs push students to look beyond what is in front of them, what is obvious, and rely on direct observation to solve problems. Only an art education can produce this crucial set of spatial thinking skills.

The benefits of having art programs in schools are boundless. Having extracurricular activities centered around the branches of the arts brings students together in a group surging with the creative energy teenagers so often find themselves in need of. I was lucky enough to attend a school where a pursuit of the fine and performing arts was offered and encouraged, and I can say without a doubt that my involvement in theater helped to shape the person I am today. I can only hope that school boards deciding on what to cut from their budgets will stop and consider the benefits of providing students with an opportunity to get involved in the arts.