Arts & Communication Magnet Academy (ACMA) is a publicly funded arts 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...

 in Beaverton, Oregon

Beaverton, Oregon

Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. A member of the International Network of Schools for the Advancement of Arts Education, ACMA is the only stand-alone arts magnet school in the state of Oregon. ACMA is an award winning school of application and draws students, grades 6 through 12, to participate in a rigorous academic program integrated in specialized performing, visual and communication arts.

Academics

In 2008, 100% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma

High school diploma

A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED.-Past diploma styles:...

. Of 60 students, 60 graduated and 0 dropped out.

The school received a silver ranking from U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...

's 2010 "America's Best High Schools" survey.

Theatre Company

Taking a prominent role in the school since the construction and completion of a new Performing Arts Center in early 2010, ACMA's theatre company has been widely acclaimed as one of the best in the school district. Headed by award-winning actor Joel Morello, the company has put on such plays and musicals as Bullshot Crummond, The Apple Tree, Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Spoon River Anthology, The Good Doctor, Dancing at Lughnasa, Alice in Wonderland, Celebration, Little Shop of Horrors, The Great Gatsby, and most recently, an acclaimed production of Godspell

Godspell

Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...

, which was sponsored by The Oregonian

The Oregonian

The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...

. Godspell was the first production that was involved with ACMA's Theatre Giving Program, and a percentage of its profits benefitted the Portland organization Outside In. Plays are not always necessarily produced by the department head; different theatrical artists in the community are given opportunities to direct and cast the show as they so please. The Theatre Company will be producing Moliere's The Miser

The Miser

L'Avare is a 1668 five-act satirical comedy by French playwright Molière. Its title is usually translated as The Miser when the play is performed in English....

 and, in the spring, intends to perform Greater Tuna

Greater Tuna

Greater Tuna is the first in a series of 4 comedic plays , each set in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, the "third-smallest" town in the state. The series was written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard...

. There will be a student-directed production of Shakespeare's Macbeth

Macbeth

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...

in the winter.

Jazz Orchestra

The award winning ACMA jazz program consists of the Beginning Band, the Intermediate Jazz Ensembles, and the ACMA Jazz Orchestra. The jazz program is currently under the direction of Conte Bennett. Previous program directors include Thara Memory and Robert Crowell. ACMA jazz bands perform and compete annually in music festivals across the Pacific Northwest.

Dance West Company

ACMA students comprise Dance West. Company repertoire includes pieces based in classical ballet, jazz, historical modern, innovative hip-hop, Broadway, concert tap, and pieces that range across all genres, taught by master teachers and guest artists.

School newspaper

ACMA students currently run a school newspaper named Savant," which covers the schools on goings, along with the local Beaverton community. The students also currently run a website dedicated to expanding the news content of the school.

Career pathways

• Communications Arts
  • Computer Design
  • Moving Image Arts
  • Writing
  • Publications
• Performing Arts
  • Dance
  • Music (Vocal or Instrumental)
  • Theatre
• Visual Arts
  • Ceramics and Sculpture
  • Drawing and Painting
  • Photography
  • Film