Welcome to the Fine Arts Home Page!

The Fine Arts program in the School District of La Crosse has a long standing tradition of excellence that is highly prized by our students, the community, our School Board and administration.  This excellence has been achieved in part because our community values the arts and our School Board and administration, believing that the Arts are important to every child, continues to provide the resources necessary to support a quality Arts Education program. In spite of budgetary challenges, the district remains committed to a Fine Arts program featuring a rich menu of courses and co-curricular experiences. While appropriate funding is a fundamental requirement, excellence can only be achieved in the classroom by quality instruction on the part of our teaching staff and excellent learning on the part of our students.  A commitment to teaching the whole child begins with the Arts.

Mission Statements

Visual Arts

The art program is designed to provide students with an opportunity to work toward reaching their full potential by engaging them in experiences which will impact knowledge, develop skills, and stimulate life long visual and other sensory awareness and appreciation.

Music

The music program will provide for all students a variety of musical experiences to develop music literacy, promote aesthetic growth and establish a basis for a life long appreciation of music.

Theatre

The theatre program will engage the school community in dynamic learning to better understand humanity, perceive the world more clearly, communicate expressively and respond intelligently to the ever changing experience of daily life.

Fine Arts Philosophy

We believe education in the arts is for all students at all ages.
We believe the arts define our culture.
We believe the arts communicate and express.
We believe learning occurs in the arts.
We believe the arts can be integrated into all subject areas.

We believe effective arts education needs to:

~ Have necessary equipment, supplies and facilities to accommodate diverse activities, media and numbers of students.
~ Be available to and appropriate for all students; not just those with special needs or talents.
~ Be based on a sequential curriculum.
~ Relate to real life experiences.
~ Provide for individualized instruction as well as group experiences.
~ Have students actively participating and creating not just passively receiving.
~ Accommodate the diverse learning styles of students, by using the widest possible range of artistic and scholarly activities.
~ Be shared with the public.
~ Provide opportunities and prepare students to perform and exhibit their work.

For additional information or questions, contact:

Steve Michaels, Fine Arts Coordinator

smichael@lacrossesd.org or 608-789-5050

Ruth Leis, Fine Arts Administrative Assistant
rleis@lacrossesd.org or 608-789-7798