Story by Dardan Racaj, Tiffany Horton, Isabella Fazzone/Shepaug Valley School
The Arts are an activity and a tool that can be used to improve student lives academically and mentally. They can help students become more social and relieve stress, but also help give students skills that can help them in other subjects. It is also a way to get more in touch with yourself and learn mental processing skills.
Mark Obolewicz, a high school music teacher at Shepaug says that through art programs we are able to create relationships more easily.
“It’s from art in a community or program that we get the confidence, creativity, and connectivity with others, and through doing the tasks together, we gain the friends and relationships.”
Besides just being a way to help people with trouble socializing and find more friends and create more bonds, the arts can also be a way that allows students an easy way to have some fun in school.
Donna Wright, a high school art teacher at Shepaug, sees students have a fun time in her art classes every day.
“(In art class) It allows students to think a different way, creatively, rather than analytically, this allows them to relax in a productive way.”
Life can be stressful for students to work in their classes and busy schedules, but the arts can also act as a healthy way for students to relieve that stress.
Mark Obolewicz says that although arts are a way to relieve stress, they can also be used to improve your processing skills when it comes to emotions.
“The arts allows you to process those emotions and process those feelings in a more proper, beneficial growth way.”
The arts are a way to improve students school life through not only their social skills but also with their mentality. For students who want to find some time to relieve stress and relax, or to make new friends, the arts a great way to go about achieving those.