The School Board finally backed down and reversed the TOK expansion that was gutting our arts program. This victory belongs to every one of you who refused to let them sacrifice our students' creativity for bureaucratic convenience. Keep watching them closely because we will be ready to fight again if …
July 16, 2023
Final supporters
Dear Ms. Farrell, Ms Putnam, Dr. Mann and members of the School Board :
We are writing to request that you delay the expansion of the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) class to two years until the performing arts can be incorporated into the International Baccalaureate Diploma program (IB) at Washington-Liberty High school. Prior to this year, children could take a truncated version of the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) class which allowed them to participate in arts education for 4 years in addition to taking the IB diploma Program. The proposed expansion of the TOK class will limit children’s participation in the arts or force them to take summer classes to continue to study their art at W and L. Arts education is one of the pillars of an IB diploma program as per their website, and has numerous benefits to high school aged students not the least of which is bringing joy and a sense of community to the students. There are already negative effects on the arts program at W and L. For instance, many sophomore students have already decided to drop band in favor of doing IB and other incoming freshmen are choosing not to do band since they cannot do it with the IB program. This weakens the arts experience for all of the children.
We greatly appreciate the Arlington Public schools, their teachers and the administration for their commitment to our children. We respectfully ask that you either delay the expansion of the Theory of Knowledge class until the Arts education classes can be offered as part of the IB diploma Program or that you begin to offer each of the arts as an IB class next year if you must expand TOK now.
Sincerely,
The undersigned parents and members of the community
Updates
May 18, 2023
We just hit 250 signatures and the administration at Washington-Liberty is already feeling the heat. Farrell and the school board think they can kill off our arts programs while we look the other way but this proves they are dead wrong.
Reached 250 supporters
May 16, 2023
Reached 100 supporters
May 15, 2023
123 Comments
I have been a high school orchestra director for over half a century…..I KNOW how much a music program does for each individual student AND for the community at large. PLEASE keep the music programs intact!!
I do not live in Arlington, so I don't know that my name means anything to the petition. However, as a former theatre teacher at W and L, this concerns me greatly. I still feel very connected to the school and its arts departments.
Are you serious? My daughter has been in ochestra since 4th grade and it's been key to her involvement at school. If she chooses to step away by 11th grade, so be it. But to just take it away after 7 years of hard work? That's punishment, not encouragement.
I graduated from the full IB program at WL in 2017, and my choir classes were an absolutely necessary respite from the stress of IB. I don’t know where I would be today if I hadn’t had the opportunity to be a part of the music department.
4 years of band was critical to my son in high school and I believe helped him be successful n college- participating in marching and symphonic band in a top university as well as double majoring in Econ and engineering. Please reconsider this choice.
music, all the arts are seriously undervalued at W-L. Both my children opted out of the IB program for this reason. I'm so proud of them. Both also graduated from Ivy Leage schools on scholarships, just saying.
Music organizations in schools are essential communities and cannot be pushed aside to incorporate a new requirement. There is room in a well-rounded education program for arts, maths, social and lab sciences, and communication---there MUST be to ensure we are helping form the type of adults we want to eventually lead our world. Reconsider the arts cuts now!
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The School Board finally backed down and reversed the TOK expansion that was gutting our arts program. This victory belongs to every one of you who refused to let them sacrifice our students' creativity for bureaucratic convenience. Keep watching them closely because we will be ready to fight again if …
July 16, 2023
Final supporters
Dear Ms. Farrell, Ms Putnam, Dr. Mann and members of the School Board :
We are writing to request that you delay the expansion of the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) class to two years until the performing arts can be incorporated into the International Baccalaureate Diploma program (IB) at Washington-Liberty High school. Prior to this year, children could take a truncated version of the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) class which allowed them to participate in arts education for 4 years in addition to taking the IB diploma Program. The proposed expansion of the TOK class will limit children’s participation in the arts or force them to take summer classes to continue to study their art at W and L. Arts education is one of the pillars of an IB diploma program as per their website, and has numerous benefits to high school aged students not the least of which is bringing joy and a sense of community to the students. There are already negative effects on the arts program at W and L. For instance, many sophomore students have already decided to drop band in favor of doing IB and other incoming freshmen are choosing not to do band since they cannot do it with the IB program. This weakens the arts experience for all of the children.
We greatly appreciate the Arlington Public schools, their teachers and the administration for their commitment to our children. We respectfully ask that you either delay the expansion of the Theory of Knowledge class until the Arts education classes can be offered as part of the IB diploma Program or that you begin to offer each of the arts as an IB class next year if you must expand TOK now.
Sincerely,
The undersigned parents and members of the community
Updates
May 18, 2023
We just hit 250 signatures and the administration at Washington-Liberty is already feeling the heat. Farrell and the school board think they can kill off our arts programs while we look the other way but this proves they are dead wrong.
Reached 250 supporters
May 16, 2023
Reached 100 supporters
May 15, 2023
123 Comments
Our daughter just completed senior year as both an IB student and drum major. Students should not have to choose between participating in the music program and completing the IB diploma. It will result in reduced participation in both programs.
I have been a high school orchestra director for over half a century…..I KNOW how much a music program does for each individual student AND for the community at large. PLEASE keep the music programs intact!!
I do not live in Arlington, so I don't know that my name means anything to the petition. However, as a former theatre teacher at W and L, this concerns me greatly. I still feel very connected to the school and its arts departments.
Are you serious? My daughter has been in ochestra since 4th grade and it's been key to her involvement at school. If she chooses to step away by 11th grade, so be it. But to just take it away after 7 years of hard work? That's punishment, not encouragement.
I graduated from the full IB program at WL in 2017, and my choir classes were an absolutely necessary respite from the stress of IB. I don’t know where I would be today if I hadn’t had the opportunity to be a part of the music department.
4 years of band was critical to my son in high school and I believe helped him be successful n college- participating in marching and symphonic band in a top university as well as double majoring in Econ and engineering. Please reconsider this choice.
music, all the arts are seriously undervalued at W-L. Both my children opted out of the IB program for this reason. I'm so proud of them. Both also graduated from Ivy Leage schools on scholarships, just saying.
Music organizations in schools are essential communities and cannot be pushed aside to incorporate a new requirement. There is room in a well-rounded education program for arts, maths, social and lab sciences, and communication---there MUST be to ensure we are helping form the type of adults we want to eventually lead our world. Reconsider the arts cuts now!
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Our daughter just completed senior year as both an IB student and drum major. Students should not have to choose between participating in the music program and completing the IB diploma. It will result in reduced participation in both programs.