Florida Seal of Fine Arts Program available for students
Students now have the opportunity to receive the Florida Seal of Fine Arts.
School District of Lee County Fine and Performing Arts Coordinator Dr. Jason Thomashefsky said an advocacy effort for at least the last decade finally came to fruition over the summer with legislation passing in July — the Florida Seal of Fine Arts Program.
This provides an opportunity for high school students to showcase their talents, he said.
“The purpose of the seal is to encourage students to develop skills in performing and visual arts,” Thomashefsky said.
The program began this school year and has set the course and experiential criteria for earning the seal.
Criteria include earning a standard high school diploma, receiving an A or higher for three years in a selected fine arts discipline, as well as meet a minimum of two of the sub-requirements outlined by the Florida Department of Education.
The seal requirements include such things as completing a fine arts IB, AP, dual enrollment or honors course with a grade of B or higher; participate in a district or statewide juried event for two or more years; record at least 25 volunteer hours of arts-related community service and create a comprehensive presentation on experience; submit a portfolio that demonstrates the student is an exemplary practitioner of the arts; and receive a district, state or national recognition for the creation/submission of an original work of art.
The district will be able to work with the parent portal app FOCUS to track everything the student submits for their seal moving forward.
“The arts complete the education of the students,” Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin said. “It helps them in so many ways — it helps to make them well rounded great people. I am excited about the state of Florida offering this.”