Las Vegas Academy

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The Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts, commonly referred to as LVA, is a magnet high school located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Las Vegas High School

The Las Vegas Academy's campus is located at the original site of Las Vegas High School, which was opened in 1930 and was the first high school in Las Vegas. Main, the original building, is still in use today and is classified as a protected historic building.

[edit] Las Vegas Academy

In 1992, the Clark County School District began to plan the magnet school for the arts, and on August 23, 1993, Las Vegas High School was reopened as the Las Vegas Academy by founding principal Bob Gerye. Starting with 735 students, the studentry has more than doubled and continues to grow with each passing year. The Las Vegas Academy obtains much recognition for its music arts program, but the majority of money comes from the more widely known departments including theatre and dance.

[edit] Academics

Las Vegas Academy students use a block schedule for the 8-period class schedule, attending 4 classes a day each 86 minutes long. A student will attend each class every other day, except for their major, which is scheduled across two periods, making it the focus of the student's study. Classes begin promptly at 7 AM and continue until 2 PM, although there are several afterschool activities on campus.

Students are expected to maintain a 2.0 minimum GPA to stay enrolled in the school, and because of this academic requirement, LVA students often score very well on standardized tests, scoring in the 75th percentile on average. Also, over 88 percent of all graduating seniors continue their educations at 4-year universities.

[edit] Theatrical Venues

The Las Vegas Academy has two performing venues.

  • Performing Arts Center (Commonly called "PAC") Once known as Las Vegas High School Auditorium

This is the older theatre, built in the 50's. It has nearly 1300 seats, and features art deco façade and old ceramic tile on the walls. This building is one of the oldest performing arts structures in Las Vegas. Recent renovations have made the building safe and user-friendly, and includes winch motor electrics, newly renovated stage floor, theatrical lighting, rigging and sound systems.

  • Las Vegas Academy Lowden Theatre for the Performing Arts

This venue began construction in 2004, and was completed along with the Visual Arts building in time for the beginning of the 2005-2006 school year. The theatre is very high-tech and includes a theatre technologies studio and computer lab. The stagehouse features a full fly system, extensive trap and link lift orchestra pit. There are two large dressing rooms and a green room that functions also as a communal makeup room. The building boasts a well-equipped scene shop and costume shop.

[edit] Majors

The Las Vegas Academy boasts a selection of majors for which students audition and then focus on throughout their four years. The five major areas of study are:

  • Dance
  • International Studies
    1. French
    2. Japanese
    3. Spanish
    4. German [formerly a major until the prinicpal, Steven Clark, cut the program. When asked why, he simply stated to Las Vegas newspapers that it was "his school and he could do with it what he pleased." This drew much protest from the students taking German at Las Vegas Academy.]
  • Music
    1. Choir
    2. Band
    3. Guitar
    4. Mariachi
    5. Orchestra
    6. Piano
    7. World Jazz Studies
  • Theatre
    1. Acting
    2. Technical Theatre
  • Visual Arts
    1. Broadcast Journalism
    2. Visual Design
    3. Photography

[edit] Awards and Recognition

LVA has received many national, state, and local recognitions, including the Blue Ribbon and New American High Schools Award. This year marks the seventh consecutive Grammy Award for the Las Vegas Academy's Music Department. LVA Theatre has performed shows such as Les Miserables, Jekyll and Hyde, The Laramie Project, Beauty and the Beast, Anatomy of Gray, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Little Women. The department will be premiering the school edition of Miss Saigon in February. Dc89 04:50, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] External links

Template:Magnet schools

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