From the Archives

Then and Now: Creativity and Fine Arts Education at MMA

LEFT from the 1985 TAPS yearbook: Epple Art Show judges Carol Bramon and Jane Norman, members of the Mexico Artists Guild, plan to award ribbons and prizes for the cadets’ work. The cadet art show during the Mother’s Day Festival of the Arts includes the Epple categories: photography, pen and ink, landscapes in paint and pastels, pastel portraits and high- and lowresolution computer graphics. RIGHT: MMA art teacher Cheryl Morris assists Cadet Russell Olson with an art project during the 2021-22 academic year.

At Missouri Military Academy, cadets

are encouraged to be creative — as creativity helps hone critical thinking skills, increase academic intelligence, promote civic engagement and motivate self-expression and individual identity. Cadets build confidence through fine arts education. MMA offers choir, bag pipes, band, private music lessons, jazz, orchestra, marching band, visual arts and theater arts.

“Whether it is music, art, theater — cadets have an opportunity to create, express and be a part of something bigger than themselves,” says Cheryl Morris, Fine Arts Department chair and art instructor. “Shy people can become someone different when an instrument is placed in their hands, a paintbrush to a canvas and being a performer on a stage. Being creative and thinking outside the box helps in all areas of our cadets’ lives.”

Then — 1985 Fine Arts Education

Flashback to the 1985 school year. Fine artists competed in the Epple Memorial Art Show, an annual event that honors Drs. Robert and Kathryn Epple, prominent physicians in Mexico during the 1950s and 1960s, and their family. A 1943 graduate of MMA, Robert Epple served as the MMA physician for 13 years. At the 1985 exhibit, cadets used various artistic mediums — pencil, charcoal, pastel, paper, canvas, computer graphics and photography — to showcase their creativity and express themselves. The Dramateers theater group brought dark themes to the stage with their two productions: Sweeney Todd, the Barber and The Investigation.

Regarding the creativity of the cadets at the art show, the 1985 TAPS yearbook states: “All express the personality of the artist. And the work is for the enjoyment of the artist, its viewers, and the judges at the Epple Art Show.” This sentiment remains true today. At MMA, cadets participate in fine arts education for the enjoyment of themselves and their audiences, whether they are competing in an art show, putting on a play or performing with the band.

The arts are essential to our cadets. By integrating fine arts into the curriculum, MMA cadets have improved performances in math, English, critical thinking, decision making and verbal skills — all valuable skills for academics and adulthood.

Now — 2022 Fine Arts Education

As a top military high school, MMA leverages the strength of regional academic partners who help us provide an educational experience that’s second to none. We are proud to be partnered with the Presser Arts Center, which provides high-quality performing arts productions, plus instruction in a variety of disciplines, including music, art, performance theater,

The MMA Choir performs under the direction of Iris Shoemaker at the 2022 Festival of the Arts.

film and instruments ranging from acoustic guitar to the piano. Through our partnership with Presser Arts Center, cadets can learn theater techniques.

“Our fine arts education takes hard work and perseverance,” Morris says. “This mindset will certainly matter as our cadets achieve continued growth — especially during their career where they will likely be asked to continually develop new skills and work through difficult projects.”

Cadet Lucas Sydlewski, a rising senior from Houlton, Wisconsin, has enjoyed his time in the MMA Fine Arts programs. In April, he competed at the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) state music festival, where he received a silver (outstanding) rating for singing “Sing Me a Song of a Lad That Is Gone” and “My Heart Is in the Highlands.” Sydlewski has been involved in theater and music from a young age. Music is his passion and a big part of his identity.

“When I first arrived at MMA, I was very worried that I would be unable to continue my passion for music,” Sydlewski says. “However, I was wrong. Having the ability to learn through the arts and explore the fields available truly means a lot. With the opportunities at Presser Arts, both on and off stage, the choir, the band and the private lessons, there are plenty of things to keep both myself and my fellow cadets occupied as well as explore our interests in the arts.”

Sydlewski’s favorite part of MMA arts education is the individualized attention.

“Because of the small class sizes, the instructors are able to work better with every cadet and the varied levels they are at, allowing for significant advancement in their desired fields,” he says.

Fine arts education equips cadets with myriad skills, according to Morris. Cadets learn to work together, as they must share responsibility and compromise to achieve their common goal. Cadets discover how to be accountable and contribute to a group, whether they have a lead role or not. And they find importance in taking responsibility for mistakes. Mistakes are a part of life, and through arts education, cadets practice accepting mistakes, fixing them and moving on.

“The arts help people in their future endeavors giving those individuals opportunities to think conceptually, look at things a little bit differently or giving the confidence to approach the task given in a different way,” Morris says.

MMA President Brigadier General Richard V. Geraci, USA (Ret) says through arts education, MMA aims to teach cadets how to think, not what to think.

“The more creative you are, the better critical thinker you will become,” Geraci says. “(Fine arts and creativity) can help you learn to make good decisions, work through problems and learn how to communicate more effectively.”

Cadets in the bagpipe program perform at the 2022 Festival of the Arts.