In celebration of Youth Art Month, student work will be displayed at the Bartlesville Community Center . A reception is scheduled for Monday, March 21 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. In the photo above, BHS senior Jacqueline Butcher gets some tips from High School Art instructor Andrew Anderson.

For the last forty years the month of March has been designated as Youth Art Month. Throughout the country, and in Bartlesville Public Schools, students will participate in art projects through sculpture, painting, music, and literature. As an educator, I know the best way to understand the arts is to experience them and I would like to invite the public to do just that. As part of Youth Art Month, Bartlesville Public Schools' Art students will display their work at the Lyon gallery at the Bartlesville Community Center . Art students from Madison and Central Middle Schools will have pieces on display from March 2 through March 10. The Mid-High and Senior High students will have their work on display from March 12 through March 30. The public is invited to attend these art shows and appreciate the talented students at Bartlesville Public Schools.

The district has participated in Youth Art Month to celebrate the existence of art programs within our schools for more than 20 years. Arts education is another creative way of connecting students into education. It helps them learn to solve problems, think creatively, and develop mental discipline, all valuable skills for further academic endeavors. Youth Art Month began in the sixties as a celebration of art education for all children. Recently President George W. Bush commented on the celebration, “from music and dance to painting and sculpting, the arts allow us to explore new worlds and to view life from another perspective. They also encourage individuals to sharpen their skills and abilities and to nurture their imagination and intellect.”

All of the fine arts programs offered by Bartlesville Public Schools provide students several academic avenues in which they can express themselves through music, drama, poetry, and prose and art instruction offered elementary through senior high school. At the elementary level, students have the opportunity to stimulate their imagination and develop an interest in art. They experiment with painting, drawing, basic scuplting and learn the fundamentals of lighting and shading. In middle school, students opt to take art electives classes to further explore the various art mediums. In high school, students can enroll in Advanced Placement Art courses and create portfolios which enable them to earn college credit. At this level, the artwork created by our students is truly astounding. Their talents are beautifully showcased and further developed in the new Fine Arts Center at the high school.

Music students are currently preparing for their annual musical. This year, students will perform Victor Hugo's “Les Miserables.” Orchestra and vocal music students are already practicing and preparing for the event. Four performances are scheduled for Thursday, April 28 and running through Sunday, May 1 in the new BHS Fine Arts Center . Again, I invite you to attend one of these performances; the talented music students in our district will impress and inspire you.

In addition to music, drama, and art mediums, students express their creativity through written prose. Nearly 1300 secondary students have submitted poetry, essays, fables, and prose for the seventh annual Writingwood competition. This event awards students for the various styles of writing will be held April 11, beginning at 6 p.m. at the BHS Fine Arts Center .

The arts enable our students to be creative, to express their emotions, and to develop their self-discipline. It helps them display their unique characteristics and diversity. Every student should experience the opportunity to draw, paint and construct, to sing and play musical instruments, perform dramatically, and to even create artistically through technologies. While celebrating Youth Art Month, and through the numerous district fine arts programs, Bartlesville Public Schools are: “Striving for Excellence.”