Art is essential to learning.  Learning about the visual arts gives the SJS student a window into the rich and interesting world around them, teaching them about their own history and culture, as well as those of others. 

It cultivates self-expression, imagination and creativity as well as critical-thinking and problem solving skills.  The SJS Artists develop their mental ability to weigh meanings and make evaluations.  Understanding and making art teaches them how to work cooperatively in groups and how to work hard to achieve a goal.  The development of all these skills not only make OUR students better learners, but it also helps them feel good about themeslves - it builds self-esteem.  And in a world where ideas and information are often delivered visually, they learn to analyze and judge the meaning of images and how to use them to communicate ideas.