About

The Francis Howell School District is home to over 17,000 students from preschool to 12th grade who deserve a well-rounded education that empowers them to engage fully with the world around them. We believe that the Fine Arts are an integral part of our society and as a discipline must be a component of the core curriculum for all students in grades K-8 and a viable elective for all students in grades 9-12.

Visual Arts courses are offered starting in elementary school with an art program k-5. Middle school offers a visual art elective on the exploratory wheel during 6th and 7th grade, as well as a semester long elective during 8th grade. In high school, students can take visual arts courses such as Introduction to Art, Drawing, Painting, Ceramics, Sculpture, Printmaking, Digital Art & Design, AP Art & Design, or AP Art History.

More than 85 dedicated Fine Arts teachers devote their passion, expertise, knowledge, and care to provide students with authentic learning experiences that challenge critical thinking skills and creative problem solving. FHSD Fine Arts teachers inspire students to discover their expressive voice and innovative identities while engaging with learning in a way that intersects subjects and brings together divergent thinking that will benefit them beyond the classroom. Our teachers are not only instructors, but also creative artists in their own right, participating in a variety of performance groups and exhibition opportunities.

Art is a component of our lives and a contributor to our students and their learning and well being. It helps us develop values and understand the past. It enables us to communicate ideas, express feelings, and understand the attitudes and beliefs of others. The production of visual arts encourages us to develop creative and inventive decision-making abilities, critical thinking, and production skills. The exploration of the visual arts experience fosters growth personally, socially, and culturally. An aesthetically aware person is more prepared to contribute positively to society. Study in the visual arts teaches students to participate more fully in a diverse society.

Visual Arts students use a variety of media to create art. They are taught fundamental concepts of composition, ideation, artistic materials and tools, and are exposed to a variety of art from around the world. While students in Francis Howell may go on to become artists, ultimately our goal is to create artistically literate citizens and to instill a lifelong love of art.

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