Douglas Anderson School of the Arts

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Douglas Anderson School of The Arts
School type	Public
Homepage	http://www.educationcentral.org/dasota/

Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (or "DA") is a magnet high school in the Duval County (Jacksonville, Florida, United States) school system. The school first opened in the 1930s as a traditional school for African-American students. Over the years, it also served as a Sixth and Seventh Grade Center. Douglas Anderson became an arts school in 1985.

1 Academics and Arts
2 Design
3 Notable Alumni
4 External links

[edit] Academics and Arts

Students take traditional high school courses such as English, Biology, etc., while concurrently attending arts classes as part of a specific arts program. The "arts areas" in which a student may major are Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Technical Theater, Film/TV, Visual Arts, Piano, Guitar, and Vocal Music. Students are accepted to the school based on auditions offered in the spring of each school year. A number of AP (Advanced Placement) and honors classes are also offered in numerous academic areas.

[edit] Music

The Douglas Anderson Music Department offers private and group instruction as well as band, choral, and orchestral ensembles. Performances throughout Florida and the nation occur on a regular basis. The DASOTA Jazz Ensemble I under the direction of Ace Martin has recently won first place in the 2006 Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival in NY. The DASOTA Chorus is under the direction of Jeffery Clayton. The Orchestra is under the direction of Brian Griffin.

[edit] Creative Writing

The Creative Writing Department at Douglas Anderson offers Creative Writing I, II, III, IV, Editing, Poetry Portfolio, Fiction Portfolio, Editing, Journalism, and Creative Non-Fiction, among others. The department was opened in 1990 and was one of the last to have a building specifically built for it. As of 2006, the Creative Writing Department does have its own building. The Creative Writing department produces a literary magazine, Elan, and the school newspaper The Douglas Anderson School of the Arts Improviser.

[edit] Film/TV

The Film/TV department, established in 1997, is the newest department in the school. Here students can shoot, edit, and produce films and shows. The studio is equipped with a green screen for visual effects. The DA Production company is hired to produce a variety of local videos. One of the departments notable achievements is producing the high school game show "Brain Brawl."

[edit] Theater Arts/Tech Theater

The Theater Arts/Tech Theater department has existed since the school's beginning. The department has a reputation for high-quality shows,^{[citation needed]} and it averages four shows a year, including a children's show, a musical or Shakespearean play, and, usually, a contemporary piece. The teachers within the department all hold high degrees in theater arts.^{[citation needed]} The classes include acting, technical theater, and theater history classes, as well as electives such as Directing and Musical Theater. The tech department allows students to assist in design, technical direction, and creation of costumes, props, and sets. The performing theater majors and tech majors are expected to prepare juries at the end of each school year that show their growth over the course of the year.

[edit] Visual Arts

In this arts area many young adults take part in drawing, painting, sculpting, photography, printmaking, and art history. All classes are headed by qualified teachers such as Mr. Tran, Mr. Wilson, Mrs. Lynch, Mrs. Hogue, and Mrs. Walkavich. Gallery openings occur throughout the year.

[edit] Dance

The Dance department offers many different classes to about 150 students. There are seven dance levels: Dance 2, Dance 3, Dance 4, Dance 5, Dance 6, Dance 7, and Dance Theatre. The two performing groups, Tap Ensemble and Dance Theatre, require an audition to join. Dance majors study everyday with a rotating schedule of modern and ballet/pointe classes. The Dance department also offers electives such as Dance Production I and II, Jazz, American Musical Theatre, Dance Asthetics, Variations, and Ethnic Dance. Also, all dancers are required to complete a Choreography credit during either their Junior or Senior years.

[edit] Design

The school's design utilizes a variety of colors, a "tin" design, and oddly shaped buildings [1]. Some interesting features of the campus are the rotunda, the office area, the sculpture garden, the art gallery, the vocal building, and the theater.

One of the most popular and unique aspects of Douglas Anderson were its courtyards, which featured trees and grass.^{[citation needed]} The courtyards were a popular place for students to congregate during free time; seniors had a courtyard designated solely for them. However, a construction and renovation project led the destruction of the courtyards in 2003, despite protests from the students and unflattering articles in The Improviser.^{[citation needed]}