If you peek into either the main art room or the ceramics room, you will normally find Mya Rodriguez’26 working on an art piece, whether it is pottery or a painting. Now that she is a senior at AFS, she has come so far from when she started art classes as a freshman. Rodriguez tells about how much she enjoys her life and how it has helped her through high school.
From starting drawing classes for her first year, Rodriguez has built a bond with art, taking ceramics and advanced art in her senior year, along with her teacher, Amy Newman, throughout the years. In an interview with Rodriguez, she said, “It inspired my high school experience because I’ve been doing it for 4 years, and I really liked it, so I kept going with it. And it really inspired me to creatively express myself.”
For students like Rodriguez who partake in artistic classes, including music, art is known to help increase focus and become a good exercise for the mind.
According to the Healing Arts Project, “Creativity doesn’t just stay in the art room. It strengthens memory, sharpens communication, and even deepens understanding in subjects like math and science. When students are encouraged to think creatively, they learn to problem-solve and make connections that last a lifetime.”
When asked why she chooses to be creative and participate in the arts, Rodriguez said, “I participate in art mainly because you get to recreate things and add your own aspect onto it; artists’ choices and artists’ unique stamp on them. Artists are given decisions where they get to depict what they want to happen in the art and how it looks, where they make it stylized or realistic.”
As a senior in art classes, Rodriguez explained how this year was the most important year for her. Rodriguez said, “As a high school art student, I think senior year is the most important, primarily because it shows how far you’ve come. We also do the senior showcase, where that is a very big aspect where you properly show off your art pieces and your artwork while expressing yourself.”
Senior Showcase is a yearly event around the beginning of May. This gathering welcomes seniors and their families to show off all of the work students have created over the years, providing live music, performances, and even small speeches from the students themselves.
At the Senior Showcase, Rodriguez summarized her thesis about growing up in a Hispanic household, portraying all of her beautiful and creatively made pieces in the Muller Auditorium hallway.
Art is still extremely important for growing students’ well-being. According to an article from K12, “Art provides an escape from the pressures of schoolwork and social expectations; whether sketching, painting, or sculpting, creating something with your hands allows students to relax, unwind, and relieve stress. Focusing on a creative task can serve as a mental reset, providing a much-needed break from the demands of daily life.”
To summarize and reflect on all of the work she has done this year, Rodriguez said, “My greatest accomplishment is my oil piece with my father and me. That is my favorite piece.”
