My daughter goes to Denver School of the Arts (6th grade, violin major), and so far has had a great experience. She chose this school after visiting or shadowing at a number of other middle schools. I believe the main factor in her decision was the DSA orchestra - some other middle schools had music programs, but for her there was no comparison.
DSA accommodates grades 6-12. As Kate noted in a recent post, potential students must audition in one "major": Creative Writing, Dance, Theater, Band, Orchestra, Piano, Stagecraft and Design, Video Cinema Arts, Visual Arts, or Vocal Music. Some majors are more competitive than others. A student who plays an unusual instrument may have an easier time getting in. I believe that to some extent demographic and gender (girls vastly outnumber boys) are taken into account in the auditions. Students sometimes change majors in subsequent years, but must audition for their new major.
For kids interested in one of these areas, DSA is a great place to be. They spend 90 minutes each day working in their major subject. This time is partly made up by the fact that PE is not required (the only DPS school where this is not the case).
The teachers seem to love DSA, and many of them have arts backgrounds themselves. The new principal was once a musical performer, and the Vice Principal acted at some point. At "back to school night" orchestra members performed in the hall, and a science teacher pulled out his viola to play along! That night more than one teacher told us that they felt privileged to be working with such a creative student body.
The atmosphere seems very stimulating. My daughter sometimes comes home begging us to take her to student concerts, which are always impressive and professional. In many activities (e.g. vocal groups, theatrical productions) any student may audition, and a variety of majors are represented. Shows and concerts are open to the public, but get there early as they tend to fill up!
DSA kids take pride in their originality, and this is reflected in behavior and dress at the school. In many ways I see this as a positive alternative to an environment where conformity rules (like in MY jr. high way back when). It's worth noting that this school is 6-12th grade, so they're dealing with the issues of both middle and high school students. I'm a little concerned that she'll come up against some of those "high school issues" earlier, but so far that has not been a problem. Statistically this is the DPS school with the fewest security problems. Perhaps this is because students are there because they want to be, and many of them have healthy outlets for self-expression.
There is a perception that academics are weaker here than in (at least some) other DPS schools. My daughter definitely has less homework this year than in previous years, but her elementary education was not in DPS. Some parents I've talked to have sent their kids here for only the middle school years and then switched out, because of greater variety of AP courses, sports etc. at high schools like George Washington. On the other hand I am fascinated by the fact that the test scores at DSA are so high. There must be SOME reason.
The DSA web site has lots more information, or feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Shadowing at Morey Middle School
Henry says, "I had a great experience, it is a really nice school. There's really nice teachers. "
We arrived after the first bell rang around 8am. We met up with the community coordinator and she took us down to a conference room where we signed in and had the opportunity to look over some information about Morey. She left to go get the student that Henry was to shadow. When she came back she was with a friendly looking boy. She introduced us to David saying that he was a great student at Morey and knew a lot about the school. From there David and Henry left for the day.
Henry says "We went to class because class was already started. David introduced me to the teacher and I sat down at the same table as David. We worked on science vocabulary. I just listened while the other kids worked on pronounciations. After that class we went to gym. In gym we played flag football or soccer. I chose to play flag football. Different kids were in this class. There were more kids, about 35 kids were playing flag football. We played for about 45 minutes. After gym we went to the computer lab. I worked at a computer playing a typing game along with the whole class. There were enough computers so everyone had their own, I worked on an Apple computer. After computer lab we went to a reading class. The students took turns reading outloud from a non-fiction book about history and I followed along. After that we had lunch, all the 6th graders were at lunch. I saw my old friend at lunch recess. His name is Herman and he went to McKinley Thatcher too. After lunch recess we had science. This class was taking a test so I worked on some math that I had brought in my backpack. David has a locker that he shares with his friend. They keep their backpacks in their locker. "
I came back to pick up Henry at 2pm, a little before the school day ends at Morey. It seemed like Henry had enjoyed his day at Morey. We looked over the list of afterschool activities and Henry liked the fact that there were a lot of sports. I think it was great that Henry had the opportunity to see how middle school is different from elementary school.
We arrived after the first bell rang around 8am. We met up with the community coordinator and she took us down to a conference room where we signed in and had the opportunity to look over some information about Morey. She left to go get the student that Henry was to shadow. When she came back she was with a friendly looking boy. She introduced us to David saying that he was a great student at Morey and knew a lot about the school. From there David and Henry left for the day.
Henry says "We went to class because class was already started. David introduced me to the teacher and I sat down at the same table as David. We worked on science vocabulary. I just listened while the other kids worked on pronounciations. After that class we went to gym. In gym we played flag football or soccer. I chose to play flag football. Different kids were in this class. There were more kids, about 35 kids were playing flag football. We played for about 45 minutes. After gym we went to the computer lab. I worked at a computer playing a typing game along with the whole class. There were enough computers so everyone had their own, I worked on an Apple computer. After computer lab we went to a reading class. The students took turns reading outloud from a non-fiction book about history and I followed along. After that we had lunch, all the 6th graders were at lunch. I saw my old friend at lunch recess. His name is Herman and he went to McKinley Thatcher too. After lunch recess we had science. This class was taking a test so I worked on some math that I had brought in my backpack. David has a locker that he shares with his friend. They keep their backpacks in their locker. "
I came back to pick up Henry at 2pm, a little before the school day ends at Morey. It seemed like Henry had enjoyed his day at Morey. We looked over the list of afterschool activities and Henry liked the fact that there were a lot of sports. I think it was great that Henry had the opportunity to see how middle school is different from elementary school.
Visits to DSA and DCIS
We visited DSA a couple of weeks ago during one of their "visitation days," where parents and kids tour the school on their own. We were part of a group of about 70 people visiting that day. Parent information night, which is more of a question-and-answer session with the administration, is November 1.
The application process for DSA is extensive. There are about ten "majors," and the child has to choose one and audition through a highly competitive process to get in (only about 15% of the kids who apply are accepted to creating writing, Annie's would-be major). Annie loved the poetry board outside the creative writing room, the library, and the artwork everywhere. I liked how engaged the kids seemed and the way there were small groups out in the halls playing instruments, running drama lines, and working on projects. Classes are in 90-minute blocks, and 6th-graders have an elective "wheel" to choose from in addition to the block for their chosen major. Class sizes in the regular classes we visited were all in the 25-30 range. Test scores for the school are high, and the academics seem solid. There are no sports, but kids can participate in sports programs at their neighborhood schools.
We really liked DSA, but it's very hard to get in. The school has been criticized for elitism, which is probably justified, but I was still impressed. I understand that DPS is going to open a new arts-based magnet school at Kunsmiller next year, which will be run on an interview-based admission process rather than an audition-based process like DSA's. That should provide another option for some of the kids who want an arts-based kind of school but can't get into DSA.
Last week, we went to an information meeting at the Denver Center for International Studies. There was a good turnout--about 60 people--and my sense is that DCIS is gaining in popularity. Last year, there were 220 applications for 6th grade and 100 spots, and I would expect that to increase this year. The application process includes submitting grades, references, and an essay or art project about the student's culture. DCIS is only in its second year as a middle school, but has been a high school program at West High School for 20 years. DCIS offers 5 languages--Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese--and incorporates the "global perspective" into the curriculum as a whole. Kids are expected to be proficient in their chosen language by the end of high school.
I liked the small size of the school (they plan to cap the size for grades 6-12 at 600 when all grades have been added), the global perspective, and the advisory system (students are assigned an advisor who meets with them periodically to review their progress, and the advisor serves as a contact person for parents/students as well). I also liked the diversity. Test scores are very good and the academics seem solid. There are no sports (but there are some sports clubs) and no electives for 6th-graders other than language (a problem at any of the magnet schools). DCIS seems like a great choice for a kid who's interested in languages and travel (there are various travel opportunities). My daughter liked the idea of traveling, the community service projects (there's a community service requirement), and the Artstreet aftershool art program.
We visited DSA a couple of weeks ago during one of their "visitation days," where parents and kids tour the school on their own. We were part of a group of about 70 people visiting that day. Parent information night, which is more of a question-and-answer session with the administration, is November 1.
The application process for DSA is extensive. There are about ten "majors," and the child has to choose one and audition through a highly competitive process to get in (only about 15% of the kids who apply are accepted to creating writing, Annie's would-be major). Annie loved the poetry board outside the creative writing room, the library, and the artwork everywhere. I liked how engaged the kids seemed and the way there were small groups out in the halls playing instruments, running drama lines, and working on projects. Classes are in 90-minute blocks, and 6th-graders have an elective "wheel" to choose from in addition to the block for their chosen major. Class sizes in the regular classes we visited were all in the 25-30 range. Test scores for the school are high, and the academics seem solid. There are no sports, but kids can participate in sports programs at their neighborhood schools.
We really liked DSA, but it's very hard to get in. The school has been criticized for elitism, which is probably justified, but I was still impressed. I understand that DPS is going to open a new arts-based magnet school at Kunsmiller next year, which will be run on an interview-based admission process rather than an audition-based process like DSA's. That should provide another option for some of the kids who want an arts-based kind of school but can't get into DSA.
Last week, we went to an information meeting at the Denver Center for International Studies. There was a good turnout--about 60 people--and my sense is that DCIS is gaining in popularity. Last year, there were 220 applications for 6th grade and 100 spots, and I would expect that to increase this year. The application process includes submitting grades, references, and an essay or art project about the student's culture. DCIS is only in its second year as a middle school, but has been a high school program at West High School for 20 years. DCIS offers 5 languages--Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese--and incorporates the "global perspective" into the curriculum as a whole. Kids are expected to be proficient in their chosen language by the end of high school.
I liked the small size of the school (they plan to cap the size for grades 6-12 at 600 when all grades have been added), the global perspective, and the advisory system (students are assigned an advisor who meets with them periodically to review their progress, and the advisor serves as a contact person for parents/students as well). I also liked the diversity. Test scores are very good and the academics seem solid. There are no sports (but there are some sports clubs) and no electives for 6th-graders other than language (a problem at any of the magnet schools). DCIS seems like a great choice for a kid who's interested in languages and travel (there are various travel opportunities). My daughter liked the idea of traveling, the community service projects (there's a community service requirement), and the Artstreet aftershool art program.
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