Keeping students focused is an important challenge in the education process. Tuesday, in New Haven, High School in the Community used the arts to grab the attention of young minds.
It was H.O.T. choices day – giving students the chance to make bold choices and take ownership of their own story using different forms of artistic expression. High School in the Community is Connecticut’s first H.O.T. high school; it stands for Higher Order of Thinking. They explore the question, ‘How do the arts make the world a better place?’
The school hosted fine arts workshops taught by various artists, and school faculty.
“If we can teach our young people to make better choices and give them coping mechanisms to deal with situations they deal with through the arts, then thats a powerful means of change,” says Frank Brady, who gave a workshop on the power of poetry.
Brady is a Dream Director for The Future Project, and a spoken word poet.
“I’ve seen arts change lives, I’ve seen art literally save lives, and help students, kids, adults, make better choices in their lives,” says Brady.
The event included performances from artists, and closed with an open mic opportunity for students.