Welcome to the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Rolling Hills Prep School. Developing creative spirits through the arts is an integral part of RHP's mission. This department consists of dedicated, caring and very qualified teachers: professional artists who are extremely passionate about their disciplines and teaching.

Our art classes offer stimulating environments where the focus remains on individual expression, artistic process and creative problem solving, skills that are now known to be the key to success in the 21st century. We are able to reach and teach successfully all students regardless of their personal learning style (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) because of the nature and size of our classes.

Thinking outside the box, demonstrating originality, and developing one's own style is the signature of our arts programs. Students develop excellent skills, encouraged by teachers who focus on the basic techniques while conveying their love and enthusiasm for the artistic aspects of a comprehensive education.

The program is intended as a multi-year sequence with each year building on the previous, guiding students toward personal growth and creative expression, independence and confidence.

We offer ample opportunities for students to be creatively involved inside and outside of the traditional classroom setting. All seniors are involved in designing their own senior tile for the Senior Tile project. "Coffee house" music and dance performances offer performance opportunities in addition to our wonderful Classical Night. Students design and edit our award winning publications including the yearbook, The Crown Jewels (the middle school literary/arts magazine) and The Muse (the upper school literary/arts magazine). Students who love the outdoors and physical beauty get to work in our organic garden in our horticulture and environmental arts classes. Students who love to perform enjoy numerous occasions to act starting with the eighth grade play and continuing each year with a fall play and spring musical. All middle and upper school art students participate in the all school art show in the spring.

Our students have gained national recognition, winning Scholastic Art awards, scoring well in AP art, winning theater competitions, and gaining admission to prestigious art colleges including The Art Institute of Chicago and Rhode Island School of Design. All of our students continue to make the arts part of their lives inspired by the nurturing of their artistic spirit at Rolling Hills Prep School.