Dear Helena School District Board of Trustees,
I have recently heard that due to budget decisions some fine art classes are being lost. Which really surprised me because I’ve always thought that our school district really cared about having a variety of fun classes ranging from Jazz Band to Theater Tech. So, I’ve gathered my fellow students’ experiences with the fine art classes at HHS. And we would like to encourage you to prioritize these classes in later decisions. This first one is my own experience…
Natalie Zimmerman (Sophomore): I was on the Bengalettes this past year and I’m going to be one it this next year as well. I had a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to my second season. However, we are sometimes overlooked. We unfortunately missed the opportunity to go to an out of town competition because we couldn’t afford to pay the entrance fee. Which makes me so sad because I know that everyone was excited to go, and it would have been a really fun experience.
Avery Sanders (Senior): The arts are a key part of the high school experience for myself and so many others I know. The communities that each program creates give every participating student a place to learn, grow, and be creative, with so much support from so many others creating in the same field. These programs also spark and develop passions in so many students that they could not find on their own. There is so much social and emotional uplifting that these students find in art, music, theater, language, and so many more classes here at HHS. Which is not only the reason for the classes being our favorite part of school, but for some it is also the only reason kids come to school.
Carlee Coil (Senior): I’m currently the student council/student body president. Personally, I only have taken one art class in high school and losing these classes won’t affect me in any way. However, being president, this is my job to voice for the students how this is not ok. I have many friends who participate in band, art, choir, etc. and these classes make them feel included and seen. These classes give them a chance to really express themselves in any way they want. Also, not only would we lose these classes, but there would also be loss of classes with less than 20 people. This includes student council. How am I, the president, supposed to plan prom, assembly’s, winter formal, and all the other student council events without a class period to do it? 30 minutes at lunch three times a week won’t cut it. This cannot happen. Our school system is failing me, my classmates, and the teachers. It is unacceptable. We need change.
Emerson Poole (Freshman): Theatre is half of my life and I absolutely LOVE band if these wonderful programs were taken away , I would be heartbroken. Part of what makes HHS so great is all the diverse options that it provides and by removing them you remove creative outlets that may not otherwise be available to students. The arts are so important to so many people. Please, please reconsider before you get rid of these beautiful parts of our lives.
Nora Dwyer (Sophomore): Creative classes are so important. I want to go into a creative field in the future. Having all the art and music classes available help me see what part I could want to specialize in. Also having a break in my day from my harder classes allows me to relax and enjoy school more.
Serionna Kron (Sophomore): My family had had lots of trouble and stress dealing with my siblings. Music is a great escape for me and is something that I can call my own. I play piano and sing, and I don’t know who I would be without it.
Reyna Potts (Sophomore): Art is very important to many people; many don't work with the usual academics. I want opportunities to try things. In my experience and scientifically, language is really important too, it can break barriers. Killing language classes is a big deal for a lot of people.
Yuta Alvey (Sophomore): I’m in art one and have lots of friends in band. They allow for a different type of class for me and are one of the only classes I enjoy. I also think art is crucial to my mental health and wellbeing.
Ayan Vosburgh (Sophomore): The arts allow our brain to perform better. Several studies show that without the arts, our brains under perform. We need the arts, or we our limiting our potential as people.
Adelia Murrey (Junior): I SUCK at all things artistic but it’s so nice to be able to have a supportive outlet where I can make friends who can help me get better!
Natalia Traynor (Sophomore): Art is a way for me to express myself.
As you can see, the fine art classes here at Helena High are very important to its students. Which is why we strongly encourage you to do all you can to save these precious memories and irreplaceable joy in our school experience.
6 Comments
I understand that the budget is a big problem and that not all art classes are being cut; however, without those additional classes, students have less opportunities to expand their knowledge on their passions. Those who would want to go into a more specific field could not rely on the classes available after being cut. The arts, important skills that are increasingly rising in the job community, should open new doors to students, not limit them. Please keep our art classes available to us students.
Supporting our school, peers, and staff always as Student Council Vice President. Thank you for your help.
As your 2022-2023 Student Board Rep, I still think it is my duty to voice the opinions of those affected by the potential cuts to elective classes. Combining classes is not a feasible answer for some of the classes we are looking at. Combining choirs would be like saying the frosh football team suddenly play with varsity. We have different classes for a reason, and we pride ourselves on having one of the best music programs in Montana. And not just music, HHS has had a long standing history of success in academics. Our “clubs” as you call them, have gone to more national competitions, and earned more National titles than any of our sports teams combined. Which isn’t to say that athletics are not important, but to continuously overlook “clubs” as being less serious, is a mindset that is part of the reason why people do not wish to take classes, or join clubs in that area. When the HHS track team got a parade around Helena, why didn’t our Mock Trial team get the same for winning state four years in a row? And next, I want to talk about about equal education opportunities. By law, a district is required to offer equitable and equal education to all schools affiliated with the district. CHS has numerous course offerings that HHS does not have. They have orchestra classes that fail to meet your “magic number”’of students. Yet, what steps are being taken to level the playing field? We would be fine if HHS had numerous course offerings and such that CHS doesn’t have, but we don’t. There is no equality in that. Legally, it is your duty to make education equal, and currently you are failing to do so. I am no longer a student at HHS, but I feel that brings more power to this statement I am giving. I care about education I’m the HPS. I care about what happens to my underclassmen and future generations of students. I will always stand by their side when power dynamics are not in our favor. I will always fight to protect what we deserve. Trustees, you told me you would b
My boy Avery sanders is a dog and he needs his band class so let’s do something about it to keep it
Don’t take away what keeps kids in school!
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Dear Helena School District Board of Trustees,
I have recently heard that due to budget decisions some fine art classes are being lost. Which really surprised me because I’ve always thought that our school district really cared about having a variety of fun classes ranging from Jazz Band to Theater Tech. So, I’ve gathered my fellow students’ experiences with the fine art classes at HHS. And we would like to encourage you to prioritize these classes in later decisions. This first one is my own experience…
Natalie Zimmerman (Sophomore): I was on the Bengalettes this past year and I’m going to be one it this next year as well. I had a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to my second season. However, we are sometimes overlooked. We unfortunately missed the opportunity to go to an out of town competition because we couldn’t afford to pay the entrance fee. Which makes me so sad because I know that everyone was excited to go, and it would have been a really fun experience.
Avery Sanders (Senior): The arts are a key part of the high school experience for myself and so many others I know. The communities that each program creates give every participating student a place to learn, grow, and be creative, with so much support from so many others creating in the same field. These programs also spark and develop passions in so many students that they could not find on their own. There is so much social and emotional uplifting that these students find in art, music, theater, language, and so many more classes here at HHS. Which is not only the reason for the classes being our favorite part of school, but for some it is also the only reason kids come to school.
Carlee Coil (Senior): I’m currently the student council/student body president. Personally, I only have taken one art class in high school and losing these classes won’t affect me in any way. However, being president, this is my job to voice for the students how this is not ok. I have many friends who participate in band, art, choir, etc. and these classes make them feel included and seen. These classes give them a chance to really express themselves in any way they want. Also, not only would we lose these classes, but there would also be loss of classes with less than 20 people. This includes student council. How am I, the president, supposed to plan prom, assembly’s, winter formal, and all the other student council events without a class period to do it? 30 minutes at lunch three times a week won’t cut it. This cannot happen. Our school system is failing me, my classmates, and the teachers. It is unacceptable. We need change.
Emerson Poole (Freshman): Theatre is half of my life and I absolutely LOVE band if these wonderful programs were taken away , I would be heartbroken. Part of what makes HHS so great is all the diverse options that it provides and by removing them you remove creative outlets that may not otherwise be available to students. The arts are so important to so many people. Please, please reconsider before you get rid of these beautiful parts of our lives.
Nora Dwyer (Sophomore): Creative classes are so important. I want to go into a creative field in the future. Having all the art and music classes available help me see what part I could want to specialize in. Also having a break in my day from my harder classes allows me to relax and enjoy school more.
Serionna Kron (Sophomore): My family had had lots of trouble and stress dealing with my siblings. Music is a great escape for me and is something that I can call my own. I play piano and sing, and I don’t know who I would be without it.
Reyna Potts (Sophomore): Art is very important to many people; many don't work with the usual academics. I want opportunities to try things. In my experience and scientifically, language is really important too, it can break barriers. Killing language classes is a big deal for a lot of people.
Yuta Alvey (Sophomore): I’m in art one and have lots of friends in band. They allow for a different type of class for me and are one of the only classes I enjoy. I also think art is crucial to my mental health and wellbeing.
Ayan Vosburgh (Sophomore): The arts allow our brain to perform better. Several studies show that without the arts, our brains under perform. We need the arts, or we our limiting our potential as people.
Adelia Murrey (Junior): I SUCK at all things artistic but it’s so nice to be able to have a supportive outlet where I can make friends who can help me get better!
Natalia Traynor (Sophomore): Art is a way for me to express myself.
As you can see, the fine art classes here at Helena High are very important to its students. Which is why we strongly encourage you to do all you can to save these precious memories and irreplaceable joy in our school experience.
6 Comments
I really like band and art stuff and it would really suck for future kids to not get to experience a fun class where they can create
I understand that the budget is a big problem and that not all art classes are being cut; however, without those additional classes, students have less opportunities to expand their knowledge on their passions. Those who would want to go into a more specific field could not rely on the classes available after being cut. The arts, important skills that are increasingly rising in the job community, should open new doors to students, not limit them. Please keep our art classes available to us students.
Supporting our school, peers, and staff always as Student Council Vice President. Thank you for your help.
As your 2022-2023 Student Board Rep, I still think it is my duty to voice the opinions of those affected by the potential cuts to elective classes. Combining classes is not a feasible answer for some of the classes we are looking at. Combining choirs would be like saying the frosh football team suddenly play with varsity. We have different classes for a reason, and we pride ourselves on having one of the best music programs in Montana. And not just music, HHS has had a long standing history of success in academics. Our “clubs” as you call them, have gone to more national competitions, and earned more National titles than any of our sports teams combined. Which isn’t to say that athletics are not important, but to continuously overlook “clubs” as being less serious, is a mindset that is part of the reason why people do not wish to take classes, or join clubs in that area. When the HHS track team got a parade around Helena, why didn’t our Mock Trial team get the same for winning state four years in a row? And next, I want to talk about about equal education opportunities. By law, a district is required to offer equitable and equal education to all schools affiliated with the district. CHS has numerous course offerings that HHS does not have. They have orchestra classes that fail to meet your “magic number”’of students. Yet, what steps are being taken to level the playing field? We would be fine if HHS had numerous course offerings and such that CHS doesn’t have, but we don’t. There is no equality in that. Legally, it is your duty to make education equal, and currently you are failing to do so. I am no longer a student at HHS, but I feel that brings more power to this statement I am giving. I care about education I’m the HPS. I care about what happens to my underclassmen and future generations of students. I will always stand by their side when power dynamics are not in our favor. I will always fight to protect what we deserve. Trustees, you told me you would b
My boy Avery sanders is a dog and he needs his band class so let’s do something about it to keep it
Don’t take away what keeps kids in school!
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I really like band and art stuff and it would really suck for future kids to not get to experience a fun class where they can create