High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

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High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA for short) is a secondary school located at 4001 Stanford Street in the Montrose district of Houston, Texas. The school is a part of the Houston Independent School District.

The school serves grades nine through twelve and is perhaps the third-most widely known performing arts school in the United States, after the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (AKA "LaGuardia Arts" and informally known as the "Fame School") in New York City, New York. The school is divided into five departments: instrumental music, vocal music, dance, theatre (including technical theatre) and visual arts. Students are required to audition for entry under one, and only one, art area. At the end of every semester students complete a re-audition or portfolio review which determines whether they will continue at HSPVA.[citation needed]

HSPVA was placed as the top school in the Greater Houston Area by Children at Risk's 2009 annual ranking of high schools.[1]

HSPVA does not automatically take in students from the surrounding neighborhood; the surrounding neighborhood is zoned to Lamar High School.[2]

Contents

[edit] History

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HSPVA was established in 1971 [3] on the site previously occupied by Congregation Beth Israel at the corner of Austin and Holman Streets. The school moved to 4001 Stanford Street, the site of the former Montrose Elementary School, in 1981.[citation needed]

In the 1990s there was a proposal to move HSPVA to the Bob R. Casey Federal Building in Downtown Houston.[4]

The school was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2005.[5]

Plans existed for a new HSPVA building to be located near the Gregory-Lincoln Education Center in Houston's Freedmen's Town Historical District in the Fourth Ward. The new building would have included a 2000+ seat state-of-the-art theater, updated facilities and possibly a recording studio. Construction was temporarily delayed due to the discovery of a possible American Civil War-era cemetery. In June 2007, the project page for the building displayed "CANCELLED".[6]

In 2009 Houston ISD considered moving HSPA to Downtown Houston.[4]

[edit] Admissions Patterns

HSPVA has no actual feeder patterns. Since it is a magnet school it takes students from all over HISD, and until recently, from districts outside of HISD [1].

HSPVA takes students from many HISD middle schools. In addition, some students who are enrolled in private schools in the 8th grade, such as St. Mark's Episcopal School, Presbyterian School, River Oaks Baptist School, John Paul II School, and Annunciation Orthodox School [2], choose to go to HSPVA for high school [3] [4] [5] [6].

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ Mellon, Ericka. "3 HISD schools sweep top spots." Houston Chronicle. April 12, 2009. Retrieved on May 5, 2009.
  2. ^ "Lamar High School Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on March 24, 2009.
  3. ^ hspva.org | policies
  4. ^ a b Sarnoff, Nancy. "Officials ponder downtown move for HSPVA." Houston Chronicle. October 14, 2009. Retrieved on November 24, 2009.
  5. ^ Microsoft Word - list-2003.doc
  6. ^ HISD | Bond vgn-ext-hidden_DeptArticleCTD
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Distinguished HISD Alumni." Houston Independent School District.
  8. ^ a b c d e f HSPVA.org Alumni Area.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Outstanding Alumni." High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.
  10. ^ Matusow, Cathy. "The Blog Age." Houston Press. October 28, 2004. 1. Retrieved on May 18, 2009.
  11. ^ Cronin, Peter. "Donnie Scantz to the Rescue." SESAC Focus. Summer 2004, Volume VX, No. 2.
  12. ^ "Ronen Segev." Ten O'Clock Classics. Retrieved on May 18, 2009.
  13. ^ Berkowitz, Lana. "Ping Pong Playa busts stereotypes with comedic flair." Houston Chronicle. September 11, 2008. Accessed September 12, 2008.

[edit] External links

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