People from around the area congregate on Friday nights for football games, but where is that same enthusiasm when it comes to plays, art shows, and other performances?

Fairfax County offers courses and extracurriculars that help prepare students for the rest of their lives.The school system provides many different specialized classes that cater to students’ hobbies and interests. However, some of these interests may seem to be more popular than others.

For example, Fine Arts do not seem to be celebrated as much in FCPS or high school in general. Band, drama, photography,choir, and other fine arts are not emphasized as much as they should be.

Fine Arts lay the foundation which allows students to be creative and unique. We were required to take music and art classes in elementary school to explore different subjects and possibly find our passion. So, why does it seem that as we are getting older, arts and creativeness are not stressed as much?

Arts are a vital part in all students’ education in FCPS. In fact, in order to be awarded an advanced diploma in FCPS, you must have taken at least one fine or practical art. A large number of FCPS students graduate with advanced diplomas every year and in order to achieve that they would had to have taken a fine or practical art. What will happen to students who want to earn an advanced diploma if the number of arts classes is reduced due to low enrollment or the budget?

Because of the limited opportunity to explore and celebrate arts, they do not seem to be as acknowledged for all their hard work in producing original content. We have pep rallies that are mandatory for the student body to attend, but this event just showcases sports. In fact the only mandatory assembly is the Homecoming pep rally, which is centered around sports. This makes it seem like we hold sports in a higher regard than other school activities. How come we do not have mandatory art shows, plays, or concerts like we used to in middle and elementary school?

Around the country, in FCPS, and even here at WS, arts are not honored as greatly by the community as other activities and extracurriculars. It is a shame because they put in so much effort in order to produce authentic work.