FAIR School Crystal (Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Resource) is a magnet school located in Crystal, Minnesota that specializes in the Fine Arts and educates students in the 4th through 8th grades. FAIR is part of the West Metro Education Program (WMEP)[1] School District, with its partner school FAIR School Downtown, located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is K-12. Of the school's 550 students, 218 come from Minneapolis Public Schools, 74 come from Robbinsdale Area Schools, 49 come from Wayzata Public Schools, and the remainder come from other WMEP districts and a few other school districts.[1]
The school was recently recognized by the United States Department of Education as one of six schools nationwide that should serve as models for magnet schools. These six schools were chosen for strong student achievement, continued success, and the ability to bring white and minority students together.[1]
The current building, at 3915 Adair Ave. N., was built on the site of a previous school, Jeannette A. Fair Elementary School. The elementary school was part of the Robbinsdale Area Schools and was built in 1952. It was originally named Adair Elementary.[2]
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FAIR was created with the idea of incorporating art into traditional academics as well as to encourage diversity. The school's mission statement reads:
"We are a Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Resource community empowered by diversity, and committed to academic excellence and artistic expression."
FAIR School extends its reach to a wide variety of arts, including:
The theater department at FAIR school works with Stages Theater Company to produce 2 shows each year: a fall musical and spring play. Past shows have included Robin Hood, Wind of a Thousand Tales, Into the Woods, Jr., and in spring 2007, The Wonderland Project. InterDistrict Downtown School also holds performances on the FAIR School stage.
FAIR's dance instruction focuses mainly on modern dance, with classes taught daily in the FAIR dance space. The school holds various dance performances by the students throughout the year. The dance department hosts a yearly visit to the 5th grade class by Minneapolis dancer Stuart Pimsler[2] and members of his troupe, with the visit culminating in a show by the class.
The Visual Arts teacher at FAIR School teaches sculpting, wheel throwing, body structure, sketching, landscapes, and more. The all year 7th grade art class does a primitive outdoor pottery firing. Students help dig a hole, which is lined with sawdust. The clay pieces are wrapped in copper wire, seaweed, splatter with salt water and other materials, which affect the coloring of the clay pieces, which will then be wrapped in newspaper. For most of the school day the students monitor the fire and keep it going.
The Media Arts department includes a TV Studio, Mac Lab, digital photography, animation, and education about using Photoshop to edit digital pictures.
The FAIR Media Center includes books, reference materials, movies, and computers for research. The literary arts department also publishes FAIR's annual art magazine, Voices, which is released every April and publishes work by FAIR students, including poems, stories, and drawings.
Gretchen Baglyos is the current sound art teacher and choir instructor.[3] She conducts three choirs: an after-school choir for 4th and 5th graders, a 6th grade choir, and a 7th and 8th grade choir.
FAIR School was the school that the character played by Chris Marvin and Gavin Olson went to in the 2001 film, Joe Somebody.