The Denver School of the Arts was founded in 1991 as part of the Denver Public School District

Denver Public Schools

The Denver County School District No. 1, more commonly known as the Denver Public Schools , is the public school system in the City and County of Denver, Colorado, United States.-History:...

. It was a pioneer of the magnet school

Magnet school

In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...

 concept.

History

DSA began as a concurrent program at Manual High School

Manual High School (Denver)

Manual High School is located in the Whittier neighborhood on the east side of Denver, Colorado.-Demographics:*5.6% white*40.9% African American*58.1% Latino*0% Native American*0.3% Asian- Manual Today :...

, but was eventually transformed into a fully staffed school in the former mansion of William Byers

William Byers

William Newton Byers was a founding figure of Omaha, Nebraska, serving as the first deputy surveyor of the Nebraska Territory, on the first Omaha City Council, and as a member of the first Nebraska Territorial Legislature....

 at 150 South Pearl Street, which previously held the Byers Junior High School. Beginning in the 2003-2004 school year, DSA moved to its permanent home at 7111 E. Montview Boulevard, the former site of the Colorado Women's College

Colorado Women's College

Colorado Woman's College was a private woman's college located in Denver, Colorado. It was opened in 1909 and closed in 1982 when its assets were acquired by the University of Denver.-History:CWC was founded by the Rev...

 and the Lamont School of Music

Lamont School of Music

Lamont School of Music is the school of arts of the University of Denver, based in city of Denver, USA. In 1941, the school merged with the University of Denver ....

.
DSA continues to provide excellent academic and arts training in one of the nation's leading urban school districts.

Audition Process

DSA requires an audition for prospective students competing to join one of its eleven offered majors, which include Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music (Full Band, Orchestra, Piano and Guitar), Stagecraft and Design, Theatre, Video Cinema Arts, Visual Arts, and Vocal Music. DSA is one of the most exclusive schools in the state of Colorado, and students must maintain a grade of B or better in their art to remain at the school. Its students consistently earn some of the highest CSAP and ACT scores in the state. DSA has rigorous academic and artistic standards, and students with deficiencies may be placed on artistic probation with the eventual possibility that they could lose their position at DSA. Students in some majors may be required to participate in the audition process each year in order to maintain performance standards and to ensure a fair and equal selection among all applicants.

Faculty

Principal

• William Kohut

Assistant Principals

• Miranda Odom
• Richard Shaw

Dean

• Jorge Loera

Music

• Thomas Goodrich, Orchestra, Music Theory
• Scott Shively, Vocal Music, Music Theory and History
• Robert Styron, Vocal Music, Music Theory and History
• Dave Hamond, Concert and Jazz Bands, Music Theory
• Ted Lassen, Piano, Music Theory, Music History
• Richard Serianni, Guitar, Music Theory
• Ryan Durfee, Guest Artist in Music Theory, Vocal Music
• Greg Harris, Guest Artist in Music Theory, Instrumental Music, Jazz Performance

Dance

• Michael O'Banion
• Alicia Karceweski

Creative Writing

• Azar Kohzadi
• Moss Kaplan

Theatre

• Shawn Hann
• Brandon Becker

Visual Arts

• Deb Rosenbaum
• Kendra Fleishman

Video Cinema Arts

• Ed Glassman
• Amy McGrath

Stagecraft & Design

• Keith Rice
• Lara Kirksey
• Brian Billings
• Jonathan Howard

Extracurricular activities

DSA's extracurricular activities include Tri-M (Music Honor Society), Fellowship of Christian Artists, Animal Club, Gay Lesbian and Straight Alliance

Gay-straight alliance

Gay–straight alliances are student organizations, found primarily in North American high schools and universities, that are intended to provide a safe and supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth and their straight allies .-Goal:The goal of most, if not all,...

, History Day, and other clubs. There are many performance opportunities for students from the performing arts majors, including large events such as Orff's Carmina Burana

Carmina Burana (Orff)

Carmina Burana is a scenic cantata composed by Carl Orff in 1935 and 1936. It is based on 24 of the poems found in the medieval collection Carmina Burana...

 and Elton John's Aida

Aida (musical)

Aida is a musical with music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang, and produced by Walt Disney Theatrical....

. DSA has a strong NHS

National Honor Society

The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...

 program with its emphasis on community service. DSA has an award-winning debate team.

Sports

There are no extra-curricular sports programs offered at DSA, but DSA students are encouraged to participate in sports programs at other Denver high schools. Many of DSA's students run, swim, and play other sports at these schools. In the spring of 2006, DSA students made up more than half of the East High School girls' lacrosse team. Still other students are involved in the Denver Citywide Marching Band.

Alumni

Most of DSA's students matriculate to an institution of higher learning. Many attend Colorado colleges and universities, but others attend some of the most prestigious arts conservatories and university programs in the United States, including the Capital University

Capital University

Capital University is a private liberal arts university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Bexley, Ohio, founded in 1830. In addition to its rigorous liberal arts program, the university also offers a reputable adult degree program in Columbus, Ohio. It is one of the oldest...

, University of Southern California

University of Southern California

The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...

, The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music

Eastman School of Music

The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...

, New England Conservatory of Music

New England Conservatory of Music

The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...

, Boston Conservatory

Boston Conservatory

The Boston Conservatory is a performing arts conservatory located in the Fenway-Kenmore region of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, dance and musical theater...

, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...

, Brown University

Brown University

Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...

, The New School

The New School

The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...

, Ithaca College

Ithaca College

Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...

, Oberlin Conservatory, Berklee School of Music, Yale University

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

, Mills College

Mills College

Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...

, California Institute of the Arts

California Institute of the Arts

The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...

, University of California at Los Angeles, University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

, Hofstra University

Hofstra University

Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...

, Barnard College

Barnard College

Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...

, New York University

New York University

New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

, Indiana University

Indiana University Bloomington

Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...

, Loyola University in New Orleans, the Art Institute of Chicago

Art Institute of Chicago

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...

, Metropolitan State College of Denver

Metropolitan State College of Denver

The Metropolitan State College of Denver is a four-year college and now offers certain Graduate programs located in Denver, Colorado, United States. As of 2009, Metro State had the second-largest enrollment of undergraduates of any college in Colorado...

, University of Northern Colorado

University of Northern Colorado

-Organization:The University of Northern Colorado offers 100 undergraduate programs and more than 100 graduate programs. The university has a satellite campus in Denver, Colorado...

, Sarah Lawrence College, and the College of Santa Fe

College of Santa Fe

Santa Fe University of Art and Design is an institution of creative and performing arts based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The university offers programs in creative writing, theatre, art, graphic design, moving image arts , music, and photography, based on a liberal arts core curriculum...

. Other DSA graduates move directly into arts employment as musicians, visual artists, writers, actors, and technicians.

External links

• Official Site
• Department of Dance and Movement