| rev:text
| - I was a student here starting 6th grade till I transferred out after 8th grade.
I'm going to review what I remember!
This is a very small performing arts school. When I was there they had an average of about 400 students from 6-12th grade.
Morning classes (7:45am - 12:15pm) are normal academics. Performing arts are in the afternoon till 2-3pm depending on the classes.
For middle school:
Piano is a required class during the morning.
Performing arts options are voice & an instrument (this includes strings I believe), OR ballet (offered off campus with transportation by the school).
Guitar is available after 6th grade.
Jazz band & percussion ensemble is available by audition only after 6th grade.
Drama is more of an after school program & has a fee.
For high school:
Students choose 2-3 classes from music (instrument, voice or piano), OR drama, OR ballet.
To get in there was a waiting list. Or was it first come first serve? Either way, be sure to put your kids name down or be there when they first open with all the necessary paper work. The slots are limited. Remember, the school is SMALL!
I hear they are trying to remodel & expand. When I went there the school rented space from the church, but is in no way affiliated religiously. Other space was across the street. Yes, you cross the street back & forth to get from 1 class to the next. They even had the rule, "No hugging in the crosswalk." That says something about the students lol
Concerts were held in Pilgrim Hall or the actual church. Pilgrim Hall is where lunch can be eaten or a band class is held in the afternoon. Other students eat in the courtyard. A lunch truck (roach coach) came so students could purchase a lunch if they didn't bring their own.
This school had a high turn over of teachers. Every year about 25% of the faculty would either be fired or quit. That's actually a lot of teachers. This may not be the case anymore since the school officials have changed. There are teachers still teaching that I recognize from when I went there:
- Leah Fregulia-Roberts (Head of School) used to be the pricipal
- Brian Hawkins (11th & 12th Grade Math)
- Kyle Kirkman (7th & 8th Grade Math) taught me
- Diane Legge (5th Grade Piano) taught me piano when there was no 5th grade
- Kristin Mailhiot (Vice-Principal) used to be a middle school science teacher
Students who either go to this school during HS or graduate stay involved. I would know, I'm friends with a lot of them on Facebook. They stay arts oriented a lot of the time & still talk about things currently going on at ASA.
So, why did I leave? There are a few reasons.
- I wanted a big HS experience.
- I wanted to go to school with more than 400 students.
- I wanted life lessons. I didn't want to be sheltered. I wanted to see how the real world worked.
- I wanted to go to a school where there was more than 2 guys to every 10 girls. And where those guys weren't gay. Nothing wrong with being gay. But I like boys, gay boys aren't interested in girls. See where I'm going with this?
- I wanted to get away from the 5 hours of homework every night. I was constantly exhausted. I was 11, 12, & 13. I was still a kid. I missed my time to play... & sleep.
- I wanted to get away from teachers who taught opinions instead of facts. Yes, this happened. Yes, I told him he was wrong for doing so. Yes, he hated me for it.
- I hated playing an instrument. I didn't have time to practice after all that homework. I can't sing. Anything I was interested in wasn't available till a later year. Blah blah blah... I'm not creative. Honestly, I'm not.
- I wanted more options. Different types of friends. Maybe to go to school with more than 95% white kids.
What did I like?
- I kept friends I made in middle school to this very day.
- The teachers are smart & actually make friends with their students.
- I usually loved the required summer reading choices.
- I love how close the Burton Barr library is. Spent almost every day after school there. I knew people who worked there & am still friends with them.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)