Arts: Visual and Performing Arts Programs

Developing creative spirits is an integral part of RHP's mission statement. Hence visual and performing arts classes form a vital part of the curriculum. All arts classes at RHP meet with the same frequency as other academic classes.

The middle school arts curriculum provides students the opportunity to learn and experience the basics of several visual and performing arts. A rotating trimester schedule provides middle-school experiences in the arts. The middle school arts experience culminates with the annual eighth grade play performed and staged by the entire eighth grade, and an arts exhibition.

The Upper School Fall Play is a popular tradition at Rolling Hills Prep. At the beginning of each academic year, director Myrna Kranz selects a play that she believes to be well suited for her prospective cast. From September to November, Kranz and her group of actors and technicians work together to mold the Fall Play into the finest production they can. Recent productions include They Dance Real Slow in Jackson, The Laramie Project, Our Town, Arsenic and Old Lace, Amadeus, and Don't Drink the Water.

Each spring RHP hosts the South Bay Middle School Arts Exhibition, which annually displays over a thousand works of art by students in local public and private middle schools.

Also in the spring is the annual Spring Musical in which all students are invited to perform. Recent productions include Fiddler on the Roof, Carnival, Once Upon a Mattress, and Damn Yankees.

The upper school arts curriculum at RHP provides opportunity for students to explore various arts disciplines. All freshmen take Art Appreciation, and starting in the tenth grade, students choose the arts elective they wish to study. Each student is required to take two years of arts elective, but most students choose to take an art for four years. Arts elective selections include Web design, Yearbook, Filmmaking, Photography, Ceramics, Mixed Media, Drawing and Painting, and AP Studio Art. Additionally, as part of the High School Theater curriculum, senior students direct a one act play. The evening of Student Directed One Acts proves to be a highlight of the year.

Art and Photography students can take advantage of the spectacular scenery and exceptional light quality on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and computer technology complements the visual arts experience. Arts students participate in field trips to our outstanding local museums, and attend special events such as workshops presented by guest artists.

Ample opportunity for informal and formal presentation of works abound, including the Senior Tile project, "Coffee House" music and dance performances throughout the year. Several clubs also provide arts opportunities such as Drama Club, Arts Clubs, and Poster Club.

As a graduation requirement, each member of the senior class gives a short reflective speech to the whole school community during their final months at RHP.

RHP students have won several local awards in the visual and performing arts. The visual artists have won nationally renown Scholastic Arts Awards in both Gold and Silver categories. Recent graduates with particular talent in the arts have gained admission to some of the country's most prestigious art colleges, including the University of Chicago School of the Arts and the Rhode Island School of Design.