The Arts Academy is one of three academies at the Park, the other two being the International Baccalaureate program and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) program. Students in the Arts Academy take three classes with other kids in the academy and three in the regular curriculum. Regular classes, such as World History, are taught by Arts Academy teachers. The approach of the class is different though. Kids express what they learned through less conventional methods such as songs, dances, or acting.

After talking to a few of the Arts Academy teachers, it became apparent that the Arts Academy is a very important part of P-CEP. The teachers are extremely passionate and emphasize how much they value their students. Social Studies teacher, Ms. Chobanian, praised them saying, “They’re incredibly smart. They are the kind of kids who have the ability to take a step back and look at things differently than other people, so they have that mark of intelligence or genius.”

The students are given a variety of opportunities to help them prepare for their future careers. This includes a number of field trips, many with the UMS, the University Musical Society of the University of Michigan. There are also a variety of networking opportunities, such as extended residencies, guest writers, and guest artists. Seniors work on their Capstone project, a defining point in their high school career. Ms. Chobanian described the project saying, “They create and plan a project. They spend the year creating it, marketing it, and it is absolutely amazing to see what they produce.”

Ms. Churchill, Language Arts teacher, stated that her favorite part of the Arts Academy is the students and teachers. Similarly, Ms. Gill, World History and French teacher, explained, “Hands down the students, they’re just awesome, and the other teachers. My favorite part is that the kids are just so great, they’re open-minded and kind.” The teachers are obviously dedicated to this community, especially their students.

The Arts teachers have plenty of lessons they would like to teach their kids, but want them to take away certain lessons from their class. Ms. Chobanian explains, “I want them to be tolerant, to understand that there are different perspectives out there, and to state a position and support it with evidence.” Ms. Gill wants her students to take away that, “One, humans are complex, history is full of a lot of triumph and cruelty, and that individual people can make a difference in society change is driven by people.” As a Language Arts teacher, Ms. Churchill “wants to be able to give [her students] the tools to be able to communicate clearly and be able to articulate their ideas, and feel comfortable doing that.” The Arts Academy is a great opportunity for students wanting to pursue art, or even those who are just interested in it.