John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School
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| John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School | |
| Address | |
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| 615 Twelfth Street Augusta, Georgia, (Richmond County), 30901 United States |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public magnet for the fine and performing arts |
| Established | 1934 (as elementary school) 1981 (as magnet school) |
| School district | Richmond County School System |
| Principal | Vicky Addison |
| Grades | 6-12 |
| Enrollment | 700 |
| Campus | urban |
| Mascot | Titans |
| Nickname | Titans |
| Website | www.davidsonfinearts.org |
John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School is a public magnet school for the fine and performing arts in downtown Augusta, Georgia, which drawing students from grades six through twelve from all parts of Richmond County. In addition to a basic curriculum of college preparatory and Advanced Placement academic courses, Davidson offers academic and fine arts courses in areas such as visual arts, music, chorus, dance, cinema production, and theatre.
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[edit] History
In 1998, Davidson moved from its original site to a new campus one block away: between 12th Street and 13th Street, Walton Way and Telfair Street. Prior to this, the campus had been split across the original building, a converted police substation, several portable classrooms, and a renovated iron works building, spreading across three city blocks. At the time, it crossed the Augusta Canal's second level. Moving to the new location granted a view of the canal's third level. The new location also has a large professionally fitted theater for art performances. Due to student demand, the original stained glass windows created by the class of 1983 were also moved to the new location. The school is within walking distance of several historical landmarks in Augusta, including Sacred Heart Cultural Center and the Augusta Canal's first level.
[edit] Davidson's Mascot
Initially, instead of having a mascot to represent the school, every grade was assigned a color. When all the colors combined, they formed a rainbow symbolizing the unity, diversity, and creativity of Davidson. In 2006, after the success of their swimming team, the school administration decided they needed an official mascot for sporting competitions. The "Titans" won in a school-wide vote. Although the official mascot is the Titans, each grade is still represented by a color. The colors for each grade are:
- 6th grade — light green
- 7th grade — light blue
- 8th grade — orange
- 9th grade — purple
- 10th grade — green
- 11th grade — blue
- 12th grade — red
[edit] Admissions
Admission to Davidson is based upon school grades and an audition to determine interest and aptitude in the fine arts. Middle school students audition in a few of the fine arts areas and high school students are auditioned in up to two fine arts areas. Additionally, classes admitted to Davidson are admitted by racial quotas (45% African American, 45% Caucasian, and 10% other). Overall, there are usually about 700 students total from 6th-12th grades.
[edit] Awards and recognition
During the 2004-05 school year, Davidson was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education[1], the highest award a U.S. school can receive.[2][3]
The school has consistently been named as one of the best in the state of Georgia, and was named the number one academic school in the state each year from 1996 to 2009.[1] The school is also known for its music program; the Davidson Concert Chorale has been consistently named among the best high school choral classes in the nation.[citation needed] In 2004, Davidson was selected by the Grammy Foundation as the Grammy Signature School and granted the program $25,000.[4][5]
Awards and recognitions include:
- Recognized as the #1 school in the state of Georgia consecutively through the 1996-2003 school years[citation needed]
- Recognized nationally as the 2004 National Grammy Signature School for their music programs[6][7]
- Recognized for top SAT scores in the state of Georgia for the last[when?] ten years.[citation needed]
- 2003-2004: named a National Magnet School of Excellence.[8]
- Won first place in the 2004 State Literary Competition[citation needed]
- Won first place in the 2003 (Georgia) One Act Play Competition[citation needed]
- Ranked highest for excellence among magnet schools by the U.S. Department of Education for academic focus and integration of the fine arts[citation needed]
- Named a National Magnet School of Excellence for 2002-2003[citation needed]
- April 1996 issue of Redbook Magazine cited Davidson as one of 155 of the Nation's Best Schools as part of the America's Best Schools project[citation needed]
- 8 National Merit Semifinalists & Finalist since 1996[citation needed]
- 22 Commended Merit Scholars since 1996[citation needed]
- 10 National Achievement Finalists and Semifinalists since 1996[citation needed]
- 25 Commended Achievement Scholars since 1996[citation needed]
- Recognized as a Georgia School of Excellence in 1995[9][citation needed]
- First place winner of the 2007 South Eastern Theater Conference[citation needed]
- First place Orchestra at the 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 Fiestaval Competitions[citation needed]
- Ranked among the top 1% of high schools by Newsweek[10]
- First place winner of the 2007 Georgia Theater Conference (one of only two schools to win twice in a row)[citation needed]
- Received a gold medal and was ranked 84th best high school in the nation by US News & World Report in 2007[11]
[edit] Clubs
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[edit] Alma materThe Davidson alma mater is sung to the tune of Brahms First symphony, 4th movement.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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