Cheryl Moran, K-12 Fine Arts Coordinator
Office located at Northpoint Expeditionary Learning Academy
551 First St. | Prescott AZ 86301
717-3272, ext. 350

Fine Arts Program

Student Artwork
Welcome to The Arts: The Heart of Education

Did you know?

The arts teach students to be more tolerant and open.

The arts allow kids to express themselves creatively.

The arts promote individuality, bolster self-confidence and improve overall academic performance.

The arts help students become logical and creative problem-solvers.

The arts make the brain stronger! (The arts develop and strengthen many brain systems at one time while building a network of complex connections.)

SLIDESHOW
Prescott Art Docents PUSD Outstanding Young Artists Annual Show, Jan. 23-29, 2009
The Prescott Art Docents, working in conjunction with the twelve PUSD art teachers, have reinstated the PUSD Outstanding Young Artist Show after a four year hiatus. This juried art exhibit took place from Jan. 23-29 and featured the best works from Prescott’s most talented young artists.

Since early fall, PUSD students, grades K-12, have been busy creating art. The result is an exhibit featuring a wide and varied media selection including: drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking as well as mixed media.
The artworks were submitted to the art teachers who then selected the best artworks from their students.

Approximately 100 exceptional pieces were sent to The Prescott Art Docents, the final judging panel, who identified the top winners, and organized The Outstanding Young Artist Annual Show. Gary Melvin, a local artist and Art Docent, donated his studio space located at 540 Sixth Street, Suite D in Prescott for the event.

The Prescott Art Docents is a volunteer organization based in Prescott serving the Tri-City area. Their mission is to share the love of art with children and adults and promote the art museum experience.

Students of the arts are 3 and 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, elected class officers within their schools, participate in a math or science fair, have great school attendance, win awards for writing, participate in youth groups, read for pleasure, perform community service and attend cultural activities.

Students who are involved in the arts score higher on SAT and other tests.
Businesses report that arts students are dedicated, hardworking and team players in the job market.

Introduction to Arizona’s Academic Standards in the Arts
AZ Dept. of Education – Adopted June 26, 2006

Philosophy and Rationale for the Arts
The arts are essential in education for they provide students with the means to think, feel, and understand the world around them in ways unique and distinct from other academic disciplines. These skills have been recognized as essential to lifelong success both in and out of school by a variety of education and civic leaders, including the National Association of State Boards of Education, the Education Commission of the States, the Arts Education Partnership, and Business Week.

Arts Education in Arizona
Arizona has recognized the importance of arts education for its students in a variety of ways, including:

-- Requiring music and visual arts be taught in grades K-8

-- Creating high quality certifications (endorsements) for teachers in the areas of dance, music, theatre and visual arts

-- Requiring a fine arts high school credit for admission to our state’s universities

-- Adopting Academic Standards in the Arts, with rigorous, sequential guidelines for creating quality arts education for Arizona’s students.

In his 2004 State of Education speech, Arizona State Superintendent Horne stated: “We must enrich every student with a thorough exposure to the arts. A student who has not been taught the deeper forms of beauty has not received an education. And numerous studies have shown that students involved in the arts actually perform better in other academic subjects.”

Arts Standards
The Arizona Academic Standards in the Arts provide guidance on what a student should know and be able to do in all four arts disciplines: dance, music, theatre and visual arts. Every student should receive arts instruction through the intermediate level in all art forms, as well as reach an advanced level in at least one art form prior to graduation from high school. We believe these Standards will help schools develop quality arts education programs for their students. A quality arts education program:

1. provides essential ways to understand and express life experiences

2. develops deep understanding of past and present cultures/peoples

3. prepares students for active participation in creating the culture of the present and future

4. develops imagination

5. enables students to make informed aesthetic choices

6. provide a creative, motivating vehicle for mastering technology, including multimedia

7. helps develop the full range of students’ abilities

8. prepares students for enjoyable recreation and leisure time

9. prepares students for success in a wide variety of careers

10. develops self-discipline and focus

11. develops the capacity to refine work, aspiring to high quality standards

12. creates a positive, inclusive school atmosphere

13. fosters creativity and independence

14. develops the ability to solve complex, often ambiguous, problems

15. develops teamwork

16. enhances self-esteem

17. increases learning across the curriculum

In PUSD music and visual arts are taught by a certified specialist in grades K-5 and offered to students in grades 6-8.

-- A fine arts or vocational credit is required to graduate from PHS

-- Az Standards are followed in a sequential curriculum in art and music in PUSD

-- Drama is offered 9-12 with certified specialist.