Setting Up for the Big World

Art credits to Nicole Zhu!

Art credits to Nicole Zhu!

Kunaal Gautam ‘18

High school is one of the most critical time periods for students to compete and show off their academic abilities. Not only will it decide a student’s future, but it also prepares them for the oncoming roles a student may encounter in his or her later life. Personal Finance, Introduction to Law, and Computer Science are a few of the Practical Arts courses that Ridge offers.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “practical arts” is defined as an art that serves ordinary needs. These types of classes can include anything from home economics to cooking to mechanical classes. Ridge High School should institute more Practical Arts classes in order to better prepare students for their future.

At first, it may seem like an inconsequential idea. Yet practical arts would benefit students in a plethora of ways. Cooking, for example, is an essential art that would be critical in any person’s life, as it is a practice that may be used for a whole lifespan.

Affirming her position about cooking, Emma Marsters ‘18 states, “Cooking is one practical arts class that I think should be instituted here at Ridge High School. Because the majority of the students do not grow up learning how to cook and provide for themselves, it is fundamental to learn it before they venture off to college. Students would learn to eat more nutritious and healthy food items as well!” Strengthening this platform, an alarming study further reveals that 1 in 3 college students do not even know how to boil an egg. How would they be able to cook for themselves as adults?

Further affirming the resolution that high school students require Practical Arts classes, Jeremy Ganes ‘17 states, “It is something worth investing in. It’s a real world practice that would be really beneficial to many students at Ridge. There would also be new, fun courses for many people to take!”

Moreover, there are many fields and domains that high school students wish to study or work in as adults. If they are prepared early on in school, then they would excel at what they would like to do in the future. For example, a student who wishes to learn mechanics would be well-suited to learn more about it after taking a full course on the pertinent subjects. It is a win-win situation, both fun and beneficial for Ridge students.

However, some students express dissent in the face of this proposition, stating that the institution of these new courses would not help in a meaningful way. Vamsi Talasila ‘18 remarks, “I believe that students must have the priority to focus on more important subjects. Those being, the main academic domains. Yes, one may say that practical arts would be beneficial, but those skills could be gained later on. Right now, a student’s vision should be to academically perform well, go to a good college, and succeed in life.”

However, although academics are more important than practical arts in some pursuits, it is essential to learn certain skills because it could help a student in every aspect of life. Without some necessary practical arts skills, students in college would struggle through basic tasks. At Brigham Young University, a study conducted by the CollegeBoard revealed that out of a staggering 34,409 students, only an astounding 100 students had learned the essential skills of home economics. It would not be a waste of time for college students to learn household skills before moving to college.

All in all, while Practical Arts may or may not have its name etched on future course selection sheets, it is critical to understand that high school students will not have the time to focus on everyday skills during college. Therefore, it is important to learn the various skills Practical Arts has to offer before departing to the real world.