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Glacier High School established a Fine Arts Academy during the 2014-15 school year. The Fine Arts Academy provides support, training, and recognition to students who complete four year plans in Music, Theatre, or Visual Arts.
The creation of the Fine Arts Academy came after the very successful implementation of the Engineering Academy at Glacier. The Fine Arts program is an appropriate complement to the GHS nationally recognized AP program that has been honored as an Advanced Placement Honor Roll School. The Fine Art Academy emphasizes a fine art educational focus for interested students and continues to diversify choices for students seeking more options after graduation. |
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The Fine Arts distinction sets apart those excelling students on scholarship and university applications and it will also validate creativity, performance, and individuality in a world of standardization.
Studies show that fine arts education equips students to form mental images, which can be used to creatively solve problems. Chemists, engineers, and architects use this type of visioneering to create models and inventors use it to think up new ideas. |
Visual Art Criteria For Distinction:
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Research also shows strong correlations between students who participate in Fine Arts programs and higher than average SAT scores. According to The College Board in 2005, students who have four years of Fine Arts score 58 points higher on the verbal portion and 38 points higher on the math portion of the SAT (when compared to peers with one half-year or less of art coursework). The studies clearly show the importance of sustained focus in any subject area for four years. The cause for the linear increase in SAT scores and fine art program involvement correlation is not yet known, but educational researchers from Harvard’s Project Zero have identified eight thinking dispositions that are often used in Fine Arts classrooms. These include the mental habits to: Develop Craft, Engage and Persist, Envision, Express, Observe, Reflect, Reach Beyond Perceived Capacity, and Understand the Art World. These artistic habits of the mind encourage a type of learning that is not solely focused on the correct answer and this allows students to take risks, experiment, and even fail.
Applying these modes of thinking and then applying those to a “material” such as any visual art medium, the stage, or musical performance has been shown to enhance cognitive function. Even Nobel Prize winner Eric Kandel showed through research that brain power can be increased when one practices giving a tangible form to ideas by using the eyes and hands.
Glacier High School’s Fine Arts Academy promotes student participation in the vibrant Flathead Valley art community. The Flathead Valley boasts a higher rate of Fine Arts involvement per capita than many areas around the country. The proportionately high number of bronze foundries, theatre productions, working professional artists and musical offerings is just one aspect of this vital piece to our local economy. Glacier's creative alum are becoming excellent additions to the valley’s artistic talent pool. The acknowledgement to graduating seniors completing this four-year Fine Arts Academy plan is a testament to the rich artistic tradition of the Valley.
Applying these modes of thinking and then applying those to a “material” such as any visual art medium, the stage, or musical performance has been shown to enhance cognitive function. Even Nobel Prize winner Eric Kandel showed through research that brain power can be increased when one practices giving a tangible form to ideas by using the eyes and hands.
Glacier High School’s Fine Arts Academy promotes student participation in the vibrant Flathead Valley art community. The Flathead Valley boasts a higher rate of Fine Arts involvement per capita than many areas around the country. The proportionately high number of bronze foundries, theatre productions, working professional artists and musical offerings is just one aspect of this vital piece to our local economy. Glacier's creative alum are becoming excellent additions to the valley’s artistic talent pool. The acknowledgement to graduating seniors completing this four-year Fine Arts Academy plan is a testament to the rich artistic tradition of the Valley.