To the BLA Staff, Faculty and BPS Administration:

We are a group of BLA families -- parents and students -- whose kids have been active in the BLA arts programs.  Many of our students participated in the band, visual arts or theater programs in their first two years at BLA. They learned valuable skills and built strong friendships and community ties to the other kids in the program and to BLA itself. But then starting first with a few kids in 9th grade, and then all of our kids in 10th grade, they lost music and art in their schedules. None of the kids wanted to quit or stop participating. Far from it -- as just one example, Mr. Eisenman has built a fabulous and robust band program at BLA that did not exist just a few years ago.  Our kids in band loved and looked forward to their rehearsals every week. Their concerts were a joyous occasion filled with pride and accomplishment. The same is true for kids in orchestra, theater and visual arts - the programs build their skills and talents while connecting them with peers and caring adults.  

The kids lost arts due to a scheduling problem - namely, a conflict between foreign languages or AP courses or other parts of the schedule that we were told could not be reconciled with participating in the arts.   Based on conversations with the registrar and principal at BLA, this is a common occurrence, especially if the student is taking AP classes or a foreign language with limited meeting times. These schedule conflicts are not an isolated incident  -- they result in a large majority of kids losing arts in their schedules in 10th grade and up, easily upwards of 80% of all the kids in the program every year.  

The benefits of participating in music and the arts -- especially in a group setting -- are critical for our kids, for several reasons:

• BLA kids in arts - especially the music program -- have been in this group of peers since 7th grade.  Losing it cuts them out of a close-knit community of friends and peers at a critical time in their lives.  High school students face a lot of building pressures as college looms: they are working through their relationships with parents and peers as they go through the tumultuous teen years, they are dealing with peer pressure, and they have the stress of ever more intense academic work.  So often teenagers feel isolated, and in the social media age, their interactions with peers become virtual and random. Being in a room with friends together in real time, working on a collective goal while expressing themselves creatively teaches them how to work and be together, and also continues to strengthen those critical community bonds so kids don't get alienated or lost in the shuffle.
• The creative outlet that the arts provide are not just enhancing but also a stress relief from the mounting academic and social pressure of the teen years. This outlet and break from the intense academic pressures in the rest of their schedule only enriches their overall academics.  In addition, multiple studies have shown that participating in music or other arts improves and strengthens cognitive function -- all while they're enjoying time with their peers, having fun, and building skills. (See, .e.g.,  https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/the-benefits-of-music-education).
•  While APs and Honors courses are without question a key part of the rigorous BLA curriculum, colleges want to see well-rounded applicants who have interests and passions outside of core academic programs. They also want to see sequential arts programs that show continuity and growth in their disciplines rather than something done in fits and starts.  All kids need a well-rounded education, and that includes consistent, meaningful arts education. BLA kids are competing for college acceptances against kids from school systems who provide and support robust arts education.  

Losing arts in their schedules is not just trading one academic program for another one.  Arts are much more than an extracurricular program or hobby -- they are a critical, core part of a child’s education.  See BLA Core Values: http://latinacademy.org/core-values/:   "The mission of Boston Latin Academy is to prepare students for higher academic study by challenging them with a rigorous curriculum. Our Classical and Liberal Arts education allows students to become successful participants in a diverse and challenging society."  Liberal arts consists of four areas: the natural sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_arts_education).

State law mandates arts as part of the high school curriculum.  Right now BLA is not meeting this obligation. (See state mandated MassCore requirements: (http://www.doe.mass.edu/ccte/ccr/masscore/).  BLA’s own website demonstrates the school’s failure to value the arts: unlike BLS and the O’Bryant, which list arts education as part of their core academic programs, on the BLA website arts in high school are flagged as “optional.” (http://latinacademy.org/course-offering/).  

We are committed to working with the administration and faculty to fix the problem.  We realize juggling these scheduling dilemmas is a challenge that other BPS and surrounding school districts face for their kids.  We have been reaching out to and researching several other schools both within BPS and in Greater Boston who also have high achieving students with packed academic schedules who are trying different approaches so that kids can keep music or arts or theater or whatever creative outlet it is that inspires and engages them.  Let’s learn from these other schools and see what methods and approaches can be implemented at BLA. Our kids deserve no less. BLA kids in any creative artistic endeavor need this creative outlet in their lives. 

With this petition, we request the immediate creation of a task force that includes representatives from the BLA administration, the registrar, guidance counselors, SSC, parents, BLA faculty and arts faculty, and the BPS central office to research and develop a proposal and timeline for how to build arts into the BLA curriculum.  Please sign the petition to show your support for fixing the BLA scheduling problems to ensure arts education throughout a student’s six years at BLA.