The students have art in one hour lessons every eight days, so that at the end of each year, they each will have had 22 lessons. Content and skills are selected for appropriateness for each grade level, stressing the safe management of tools and equipment. We are developing aesthetic awareness so that the students can see the value of visual arts, and its functional usage as a communications tool. Art is important in teaching children how to solve problems creatively and in an original manner. Higher level thinking skills are also reinforced when teaching that criticism is not a negative thing, but an analytical tool in making informed judgements about the art of others, and their own artwork, as well.
Manual dexterity is stressed and exercised with a varied program of skills and media.
Every year each child will draw, paint, work with ceramic clay, study and make sculpture, work with fiber art in some way, and learn about architecture. The lives and styles of famous artists are examined and the cultures of various cultures around the world are studied through their art. Lessons are often specifically designed around the other areas of curricula in each grade. The sixth grade goes to the National Gallery of Art each year, as sponsored by the Fine Arts Division.