Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy

Coordinates: 40°39′N 74°12′W / 40.650°N 74.200°W / 40.650; -74.200

Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy
Location
27 Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza Elizabeth, New Jersey, 07201 USA
Information
Type	Public High School
Established	1928
School district	Elizabeth Public Schools
Principal	Michael Ojeda
Faculty	74.0 (on FTE basis)[1]
Grades	9 - 12
Enrollment	796[1] (as of 2012-13)
Student to teacher ratio	10.76:1[1]
Campus	Urban
Color(s)	Purple and Gold
Athletics conference	UCIAC
Mascot	The Liberty
Website	Jefferson Arts

Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy is a public high school in Elizabeth in Union County, New Jersey, United States, specializing in the visual, performing, and media arts. Located in historic Midtown, the school serves students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Elizabeth Public Schools.

Located across the street from Elizabeth's City Hall and the monuments of Winfield Scott Park, Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy is the oldest building of all the Elizabeth Public Schools high school academies. Jefferson Arts was first built in 1928 as an all-boys high school and named for the primary author of the Declaration of Independence and third president of the United States. In 1977, the former Thomas Jefferson High School (for boys) merged with the newly constructed Elizabeth High School main complex; the school was renamed Thomas Jefferson House of Elizabeth High School.^[2] The school is now a high school academy and the center for the district's visual and performing arts programs. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

As of the 2012-13 school year, the school had an enrollment of 796 students and 74.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.76:1. There were 625 students (78.5% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 76 (9.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.^[1]

Awards, recognition and rankings

Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The school was named a Model School in the Arts by the New Jersey Arts Education Partnership in 2013.^[3] During the spring of 2014, the school was awarded the Healthy Schools Silver Award by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation Healthy Schools Program.^[4]

Additionally, Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy students have been nominated and received awards in numerous, local and regional competitions including:

• Music in the Parks ^[5]
• Montclair State University's Theatre Night Awards ^[6]
• Paper Mill Playhouse's Rising Star Awards ^[7]
• College of New Jersey's K-12 Student Art Exhibition ^[8]
• SkillsUSA

The school was the 321st-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology.^[9] The school had been ranked 328th in the state of 328 schools in 2012.^[10]

Curriculum

Students enrolled in the Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy complete both a college preparatory academic curriculum, as well as a studio program in the visual, performing or media arts. The school's curriculum is geared toward preparing students for postsecondary education and developing their creative talents.^[11] The school's academic program includes:

• Four years of coursework in English, mathematics, science, social studies, and physical education/health
• Two to four years of study in foreign languages including Spanish, French, Italian, or Portuguese
• Additional coursework in career readiness
• Preparation for state-required high school exit exams
• Honors and Advanced Placement classes offered to all interested students

Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy's Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is a college-readiness system designed to increase the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges. Specially designed for students who may need academic support or who may be the first in their families to attend college, students in the AVID program participate in a daily elective course that offers academic support and college preparation. AVID students also engage in regular tutorials, college preparation sessions and trips, career readiness experiences, and other activities to support their academic and personal growth. Participation in the AVID program is by application only.

Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy offers five studio programs in the arts. These include:

• Audio and Visual Media. The A/V Media program offers preparation in audio and video editing, programming, and production techniques. Students have the opportunity to study in both a graphic print shop, as well as in the Jefferson Arts Television Studio.

• Creative Writing. The Creative Writing program offers young authors a rich curriculum to support their creative talents. Students study various writing genres and have opportunities to publish through in- school and out-of-school publications.

• Performing Arts. The Performing Arts program offers preparation in instrumental music, vocal music, and dance. Performers may participate in several concert band, orchestra, string, and jazz ensembles, while receiving instruction in music theory, composition, and improvisation. Live performances are an important focus of this program.

• Theater. The Theater program offers preparation in live performance, technical theater, stage movement, principles of scenic design, children's theater, costume structure and design, and make-up. Live performances are an important focus of this program.

• Visual Arts. The Visual Arts program prepares young artists for advanced study in drawing, painting, computer graphics, commercial art, and sculpture. Students have multiple opportunities over the course of each school year to exhibit their work in school and throughout the community.^[11]

Graduation requirements

Graduation requirements for students at Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy include:

• Successful completion of 160 credit hours of coursework

• Successful completion of 60 hours of community service (with 25 hours to be completed in a student's senior year)

• Successful completion of New Jersey statewide assessment graduation requirements

The Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy website offers more details about graduation requirements and course sequence.^[12]

Admissions

Each studio program at Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy requires an audition and entry interview. Requirements include the following:

Audio and Visual Media. Students create a short video explaining why they wish to study media and television production. This video may be submitted by mini-DV tape, DVD, or uploaded electronically by directions explained at the audition. All videos must be labeled clearly with full name, ID number, and present school. Genuine interest and creativity should be highlights of this video. Cameras are available at audition sessions for those who wish to create a video on-site.

Creative Writing. Students prepare a portfolio that includes three poems, one work of fiction and a reflection page. The poems should be of substantial length (at least 15 lines). The work of fiction may be a first draft, but must be of considerable ambition or length (at least 400-500 words). The reflection is an overall response on students’ goals, current works in progress, and previous literary and writing experiences.

Performing Arts. After an interview, students select an audition focus:

• Dance: Students take a mini-ballet/ modern combination class and perform a one-minute solo dance. Students are asked to wear attire which includes (but is not limited to) leotard and tights, black tank and jazz style pants, or black shorts (no baggy clothes). Students are also asked to bring musical accompaniment.
• Instrumental Music: Students prepare a piece to be played from memory or sheet music, play any major and minor scale (up to 4 flats and 4 sharps) on the instrument, and play a variety of chords. Students also sight read a simple melodic piece which will be provided at the time of audition.
• Vocal Music: Students prepare a song (no more than one minute) a cappella (without instrumental accompaniment) and sing several scales while a teacher plays the scales on the piano.

Theater. Students perform a one- to three-minute memorized monologue (i.e. a speech made by one person portraying a character and directed at the audience; the performer may pretend that the audience is the other character). Monologues may be dramatic or comedic. The audition focuses on how well the performer portrays a character while delivering the monologue. Students are asked to refrain from dressing in costume or bringing props for auditions.

Visual Arts. Students submit a portfolio of original artwork including at least five pieces that show evidence of visual experience and demonstration of artistic strengths and talents, including the capacity for learning different media. Portfolio pieces and sketch books should display a student's abilities with use of color, composition, two-dimensional and three-dimensional concepts, creativity, tone, and presentation. They may be original or representational drawings from life demonstrating ability for entry into Drawing & Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Creative Crafts, and Graphic Design concentrations.

Athletics

Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy students participate in sports that represent all Elizabeth high school academies under the banner of the Elizabeth Minutemen. Elizabeth athletic teams compete in the Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, a high school sports association under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).^[13] With 3,896 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2014-15 school year as North II, Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,087 to 3,896 students in that grade range.^[14]

Theatrical productions

Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy's theatrical productions have included:

• The Hot Mikado (2010)
• Once on This Island (2011)
• Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida (2012)
• Beauty and the Beast (2012; with Victor Mravlag School No. 21 and William F. Halloran School No. 22)
• The Importance of Being Earnest (2012)
• Pippin (2013)
• Mulan (2013; with Victor Mravlag School No. 21 and William F. Halloran School No. 22)
• A Midsummer Night's Dream (2013)
• Working (2014)
• Hairspray (2014; with William F. Halloran School No. 22)
• You Can't Take It with You (2014)
• Bring It On: The Musical (2015)

References

Public and Private High Schools of Union County, New Jersey Public David Brearley Abraham Clark Cranford Jonathan Dayton Dwyer Academy Edison Academy Elizabeth Halsey Academy Hamilton Academy Jefferson Academy Governor Livingston Hillside Arthur L. Johnson Linden New Providence Barack Obama Green Charter Plainfield Plainfield Academy for the Arts Rahway Roselle Park Scotch Plains-Fanwood Summit UC Allied Health Sciences UC Information Technology UC Performing Arts UC Magnet UC Tech Union Westfield Private Benedictine Academy JEC / Bruriah / RTMA Kent Place Mother Seton Regional Oak Knoll Oratory Prep Roselle Catholic St. Mary St. Patrick Union Catholic by county Atlantic Bergen Burlington Camden Cape May Cumberland Essex Gloucester Hudson Hunterdon Mercer Middlesex Monmouth Morris Ocean Passaic Salem Somerset Sussex Union Warren