One of the most important aspects of high school are Visual-Performing Arts classes, or VPAs. Although students are only required to take one VPA class during their four years of high school, VPAs are highly encouraged and many students end up pursuing them in the future. However, many of the VPAs tend to go under the radar, and students are not aware of them.
Because of this, Link Crew has included The VPA Experience, a new activity for its first years. The event took place on Oct. 28th and lasted all school day. The VPA Experience was a way to expose the first years to all of the VPA courses, including Leadership, Crafts, Art, Drama, Stagecraft, Public Speaking, various music courses, and Photo/Digital Design. First years were divided into groups and spent the day traveling from class to class, learning about these exciting courses.
The ninth graders spent about 30-40 minutes at each class. Every rotation included not only a description of the overall course, but also a hands-on activity or exercise to get them involved led by older, more experienced students. With breaks for lunch and brunch in between, the VPA Experience wrapped up at 3:00. Many first years expressed their enjoyment for this event: “I really enjoyed the VPA experience. I learned about all the classes and discovered what classes I want to take… Overall, I had fun and was glad I got to be with some of my friends,” ninth-grader Mara Warren said. As stated, this was a main goal of the original Link program, which has only grown since its creation. “We are really trying to be thoughtful about the values we’re trying to hit home to students regarding what it means to be a Matador,” Academic counselor and Link Crew Coordinator Ellen Conners said.
Because this was the first year of the VPA Experience, ninth graders had some suggestions to better the activity for next year: “I wish our brunches and lunches weren’t different,” Warren said. Due to the timing and rotations of the classes, ninth graders’ brunch and lunch times were slightly offset, making the transition minorly complicated. Other than
this, however, many ninth graders enjoyed the activities: “My group had a lot of fun visiting different VPA classes… They really enjoyed the Drama VPA class because it was engaging and invited them all to step outside of their comfort zones,” junior and Link Leader Nell Gallahan said.
Ninth graders and Link Leaders alike expressed newfound appreciation for VPA courses and the engagement and participation they bring to the school community. The Link program is working hard to further this continued engagement with ninth graders throughout the rest of the year and their high school careers. “This is a program that is centered around making positive connections, experiencing joy and happiness, and building a solid community, that is the work I absolutely love to do,” Conners said.
Students express the importance of VPA classes: “Promoting VPA classes can create a more well-rounded academic community. It exposes Miramonte students to subjects they may not have previously experienced.” Gallahan said. Staff feel similarly. “Community can be built in any class on campus, but there is something about being part of a program here in the VPA department that offers a touchstone for a student if they opt in,” Conners said.
