Savannah_Arts_Academy

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Savannah Arts Academy

Savannah Arts Academy is the first dedicated performing and visual arts school in Savannah, Georgia. It is part of the Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools. Savannah Arts Academy was granted charter school status and the former Savannah High School building in July, 1998, and opened its doors for the first time in August of the same year. In 1998, SAA started with 397 students. By 2002, SAA had 500 students.

As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 668 students and 50.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 13.3.

Awards and recognition

During the 2006-07 school year, Savannah Arts Academy was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive.

The School

The school is designed to provide high quality education in an environment beneficial to a student's growing mind.

Administration

Mrs. Mary Arbee served as the first principal of SAA in August of 1998. Mrs. Arbee was known to all SAA staff and students as a loving person and dedicated educator. She co-wrote the charter of the school and organized the first school council. Mrs. Arbee assisted in hiring the first faculty and staff who auditioned the first students. The following year, Mrs. Arbee resigned and relocated.--Peabody Seat (Peabody Seat) 01:41, 25 September 2008 (UTC)

Mrs. Beverly Oliver came to SAA to serve as interim principal until the arrival of Mrs. Marcia Clanton from Hubert Middle School in February of 2000. Mrs. Clanton is described as the force behind the school's mission, curriculum, staffing and awards. In March 2006, Mrs. Clanton was promoted to executive director of all high schools in Savannah. Her replacement is long time SAA administrator Mrs. Odessa Richards.

Current assistant principals include Mrs. Lynette Angeloni, who comes from a similar school in Ohio, and Dr. Angie Lewis. SAA has only had three other assistant principals in its history, Mr. David Marshall, Mr. Travis Cowart, and Mrs. Odessa Richards, the current principal.

Students

Academically, SAA students are some of the top performers in the state. Savannah Arts is the one of only school in the state of Georgia where all students passed the state’s graduation test given to Juniors in public schools every year.

History

The Savannah Arts Academy building is located on a site that was originally planned as a luxury tourist hotel called the Hotel Georgia. The developers envisioned the Hotel Georgia to "be a palace outside and inside. The grounds will be a dream of beauty." The hotel was to be located at the apex of the Chatham Crescent, a long, sweeping crescent-shaped drive.

Work began on the hotel on August 15, 1912, but due to litigation, steel shortages, funding problems and architectural changes, the foundation sat unfinished for about 20 years.

The Works Progress Administration, in the midst of the Great Depression, expressed interest in the site for use as the new Savannah High School. Permits were granted, construction began, and Savannah High School was dedicated on June 15, 1937.

After 61 years on Washington Avenue, Savannah High School classes were moved to a new building on Pennsylvania Avenue, leaving the structure available for the newly formed Savannah Arts Academy for the school year beginning August, 1998.

Admission

Admission to Savannah Arts Academy requires an 80% or greater overall academic average in the previous year of schooling, as well as satisfactory marks in conduct.

Incoming students are also required to audition for their chosen arts major, which can range from an on-the-spot demonstration (Music, Theatre and Dance) to creation of a portfolio (Visual and Communication Arts).

Beginning with the 2008.2009 school year, some spots at Savannah Arts Academy are being reserved for lower income students to help balance out the schools heavy caucasian population.

Additionally, students must perform ten hours of community service each year (twice the district mandate), maintain that 85% average, and have very good discipline. Each child's parents must also do a total of ten hours of service annually, but parent service can include attending performances or parent meetings.

Arts Majors

Upon admission, students must choose and audition to join an arts major.

Communication Arts

Amy Perry, Department Chair

The Communication Arts department offers intensive courses related to Information Technology and Broadcast/Video Production. As freshmen, students become proficient in basic computer applications and gain knowledge of the communication system through applying and transferring their academic knowledge and skills to a variety of interesting activities, problems, and settings. Next, students develop skills in information technology, software systems management, operating systems, data communications, and the Internet. Students explore their creativity when taking classes geared towards digital media production and web design. Broadcast and video production courses provide advanced training in video production techniques, including program production, editing, lighting, and graphics. Students in Communication Arts also have the opportunity to take Journalism I and II, which are the newspaper staff, and Journalism III and IV, which are yearbook staff.

Communication Arts majors are required to participate in Future Business Leaders of America. FBLA is an education association of students preparing for careers in business and business related fields. The mission of FBLA is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs.

Dance

Christina Powell, Department Chair

The Savannah Arts Academy dance department consists of approximately 60 students who are required to take technical training in ballet and modern, plus additional training in jazz, if interested. Students round out their total dance experience by engaging in two academic dance courses-- one year of dance history and one year of dance composition. The dance department traditionally performs in two large productions annually with dance works created by faculty, students and guest artists. Choreography is produced both in class and in afternoon rehearsals. There are also multiple opportunities for performing in venues from the fall Student Choreography Concerts to the large spring musical production, as well as touring local area schools and events. Each year interested dance students may attend the National High School Dance Festival and have the opportunity to work with local and national guest artists throughout the school year. Given the relatively small size of our department, students work closely with each other and faculty which allows for a great deal of personal interaction and growth.

Music

Dianne Gardner, Department Chair

The Music program at Savannah Arts Academy is a comprehensive program featuring instruction in winds, strings, percussion, piano and vocal music. Ensembles include String Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Mixed Choruses, Men’s Choir, and Women’s Choir. There are a total of seven choruses at Savannah Arts Academy conducted by Diane Stallings. These include the SAA Chorale, Men's Choir, Skylarks, Women's Cantabile, Nova Singers, Women's Chamber/Honor Choir, and Mixed Chamber/Honor Choir. Our most achieved choirs are Skylarks and SAA Chorale. The faculty is a highly trained group of professional musicians still active as performers, clinicians and adjudicators. The program through the years has garnered every award available to it through the Georgia Music Educators Association.

Students who graduate from the program, electing to pursue music in higher education, have been awarded scholarships to the leading institutions in the country including Indiana University and Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Michael Hutchinson is the head of the instrumental groups, including the Silverwinds Ensemble, the Concert Ensemble, and the SkyeLite Jazz Band. The SkyeLite Jazz Band has performed in China, London, and Washington D.C. The Jazz Band was also invited to play at the National School Board Association's National Convention in San Francisco in April 2007. The Silverwinds Ensemble will also be combining with a band from California in order to travel to Australia in June 2008. The SkyeLite Jazz Band has also released two CD recordings.

The orchestral program is headed by professional trombonist Carl Polk. The program is one of few left in the city's public school system.

Students enrolling who are members of the Armstrong Atlantic Youth Orchestra or the Atlantic Chamber Orchestra and meet the academic requirements, the audition requirement for Savannah Arts is waived in recognition of the partnership for musical excellence in Chatham County GA. AAYO and ACO are member Orchestra's that are filled by recommendation including an intensive audition process and is sponsored by the music department at Armstrong Atlantic State University.

Theatre Arts

Andrea Verdis, Department Chair

The Theatre Arts Department at the Savannah Arts Academy offers a comprehensive theatre education. Its mission is to foster talent and develop creativity through professional training and a wide variety of courses including: Drama Fundamentals, Acting I & II, Technical Theatre I & II, Acting III, Theatre History, Musical Theatre I & II, Technical Theatre III, a design course, and Advanced Drama, a performance group. Students have the opportunity to practice the skills learned in the classroom through after school productions, competitions and festivals. Besides Mrs. Verdis, the department faculty consists of Terresa Kizer (teaching Technical Theatre I, II, III, and Technical Theatre IV as well as Drama Fundamentals), and Mr. Lovett.

In 2007, Mr. Sebastian Verdis stepped down from his position as the Dean of Fine Arts, and teacher of Theatre History, at Savannah Arts Academy.

Savannah Arts Academy boasts three performance areas. The main theatre, The John Varnadoe Theatre at the front of the building was redone with the school-wide renovation, supplying a large stage, nice cloth theatre chairs, new carpeting, and wing space. The Black Box Theatre, which was once used to house "Works in Progress" as well as other school plays, has been retired from use due to a power line cut during the renovation, limiting the lighting grid of that room. It is now used as a theatre and communications classroom. The last space is mainly used for venues such as Beta Induction and lectures. It goes by the name, the Performance Hall.

The theatre shows that occur each year stick mainly to this schedule: The first show is always "Works in Progress", a reader's theatre production directed by Mrs. Verdis. The plays featured in the show are winners of a contest held in the Spring of the last school year. The big Fall show is usually a straight play (though this was diverted from in 2005's "Leader of the Pack" starring Aaren Keith and Jack Webber). Until the departure of Mr. Verdis in the 07-08 school year, "The 1940s Radio Show" was performed in the second quarter. In the second semester, the first show is always "A Night of One Acts". The way that the one-acts were staged changed drastically from the 2005-2006 school year to the 2006-2007 school year. Previously, students were allowed to pick their play, their cast, and their design, however, after a controversy over content in one of the plays arose, the productions became a class-based assignment, with teacher oversight. After the Night of One Acts, in the deep Spring, the musical is performed. A culmination of all of the academy's majors come together to perform the talents they have added onto during the year. Previous musicals include, "Once Upon a Mattress", "Leader of the Pack", "The Music Man", and "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown". The present musical is "Fiddler on the Roof".

Visual Arts

Carrie Chapman, Department Chair

The visual arts department offers Art History and Criticism, Drawing, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Fibers, Ceramics, Pottery, and AP Studio Art.

Academics

The school is also strong academically, offering classes from the normal level up to the AP, or college level.

Academic Department Heads

Foreign Language - Terry Finlay (2008 District Teacher of the Year)
Science - Kathy Maher
Mathematics - Nancy West
Language Arts - Bradley Wallace
Social Studies - Margaret Sheehan

AP Courses

AP Chairperson - Mary Anne King

AP Studio Art, AP European History, AP Art History, AP Music Theory, AP Biology, AP Physics, AP Calculus, AP Spanish, AP English (11th, 12th grade), AP Chemistry, AP U. S. History, and AP Environmental Science.

Recognition

The Arts Academy has achieved much recognition, including, but not limited to:

Awarded "Pay for Performance" by the State Board of Education.
SAT score average, exceeds the state and national average.
Member of International Network of Performing and Visual Arts Schools.
#1 in the state on the GHSGT passage rate: 100% in Writing, English, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science for the second year in a row. They were the first, and to date only, school in the history of the Savannah School System to achieve 100% passage in every area.
Voted "Best Public School" by the readers of Connect Savannah.
90% of graduates are HOPE Scholarship eligible. Of the 2006 graduating class, all received the HOPE Scholarship.
Received a "Superior School" commendation from the State School Superintendent.
Largest number of Governor's Honors Program finalists in the district (twelve in 2005-06).
Thirteen students recognized by the College Board as 2004 AP Scholars, AP Scholars with Honors, or AP Scholars with Distinction for their excellent achievements on the AP Exams.
SAA received Gold and Silver at the All-State Festival of Art & Design. Sixteen SAA student artists were chosen to go to the Georgia All-State Festival of Art and Design at Brenau University.
SAA students and faculty have performed most recently in China and London.
SAA's 2006 Odyssey of the Mind team of six students (John Gale, Wesley Harrington, Conor Little, Phillip Moore, Andrew Terrett and Austin Quattlebaum with their coach, Karen Nelson), working on the problem "The Jungle Bloke", received first place at World Finals in Ames, Iowa, beating 50 other teams from around the world. SAA also brought its two other teams to World Finals, but neither placed.

Extracurricular Activities

Savannah Arts holds an abundant number of school-related events, numerous performances, increasing numbers of student clubs, and the many sports teams.

Clubs

Beta Club, Chess Club, Christian Fellowship Club, Creative Writing Guild, Dance Honor Society, FBLA, FEA, French National Honor Society, International Thespian Society, Japanese Language and Culture Club, Junior State of America (JSA), Students Wanting to Make a Difference (M.A.D.), Students Against Destructive Decisions [S.A.D.D.], Math Team, Mock Trial, Model UN, National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, Odyssey of the Mind, Relay For Life, Science Club, Spanish National Honor Society, and Tri-M Music Honor Society