Haverford Middle School Honored For Stellar Visual Arts Education

HAVERFORD TOWNSHIP, PA — Haverford Middle School was recently honored for its outstanding commitment to visual arts education, according to the district.

The Pennsylvania Art Education Association selected the school for 2021's Outstanding Visual Arts Community.

According to the association, Haverford Middle School students celebrate the importance of a well-rounded education with opportunities to engage in arts education courses at all grade levels, K-12.

The school's art teachers are Janiene Kwoczak, Silvino Alexander, and Susan Hoffmann.

Districts receiving the endorsement demonstrate the importance of their visual arts programs with rigorous and inclusive programs, highly accessible programs, and highly visible programs.

These opportunities prepare students with visual literacy.

Visual literacy constitutes the new thinking and learning skills of a digital age and a creative economy.

These are the types of cognitive skills young people will need to find their place in a globally competitive workforce.

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that the arts and culture sector is a $699 billion industry, which represents 4.3 percent of the nation’s GDP—a larger share of the economy than transportation and agriculture—according to a press release in early 2015.

The nonprofit arts industry alone generates $135 billion in economic activity annually (spending by organizations and their audiences) that supports 4.1 million jobs and generates $22.3 billion in government revenue (Americans for the Arts, 2015).

Technology innovations such as big data, data analytics, and visualization will simply increase the importance of visual and spatial learning skills.

The Pennsylvania Art Education Association commended Haverford Middle School for its active role in providing arts education opportunities for its students and receiving the endorsement of Outstanding Visual Arts Community 2021.