High School> Arts

Visual Arts
The Art Department aims to develop students' creative ability to appreciate art as a universal means of expression, to enrich their lives through an understanding and appreciation of beauty, to develop skills for possible future work, and to train students so that valid judgments may be made whenever art qualities are involved.  A variety of courses are available that include areas of focus such as painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, and crafts.  To compliment the outstanding areas of visual study offered during the school day, there are a plethora of art after-school activities to be enjoyed.

Music 
In music classes, students learn about theory, composition, history, music technology and performance.   The focus will be on making music, whether instrumental or vocal, and each grade level will concentrate on certain types of instruments with Grade 6 exploring percussion instruments, and Grades 7 and 8 branching out into band and orchestral instruments. 

Theatre Arts: There are three Theatre electives for High School students: Theatre Arts I & II and IB Theatre Arts. The emphasis of the curriculum is to develop existing skills already in the student and to introduce new ones for the student to pursue. The programme encourages aesthetic perception, creative expression, understanding culture and theatre history, aesthetic valuing, group work and self motivation. The student will study script-writing, acting, designing, directing and researching, plus the ability to analyze, critique, compare and incorporate different media, theatre styles and art forms. Of utmost importance is the ability to evaluate themselves and all forms of theatre they see or participate in, formal and informal.

There is a great emphasis on encouraging a creative and imaginative student who feels able to express him/herself through theatre freely and confidently. This is achieved through the five pillars of the curriculum: Performance Skills, World Theatre Studies, Direction, Theatre Production and Evaluation. All students of Drama are required to obtain a Book/Portfolio (A4 size) which will serve as their Drama Journal.

Computer Media Arts & Film: HIS offers three courses that sit at the intersection of Art, Design, and Technology: Media Arts I & II and Film Making. Students taking Computer Media Arts explore the changing landscape of digital media. These courses are ideal for students involved in art and design who would like to experiment with computer generated graphics, or students with a background in computers and programming who are interested in aesthetics and design. You will learn how to create flash animations, podcasts, digital videos, computer games, interactive websites, multimedia installations and more… Students are involved in examining and evaluating existing New Media projects, gaining hands-on experience through practical skills-building tasks, and planning and creating meaningful, authentic final projects.