Durham School of the Arts
Encyclopedia
Durham School of the Arts (DSA) is a secondary
magnet school
located in downtown Durham, North Carolina
, housing 1,381 students. Its focus is on the visual
and performing arts
.
Arts offerings include 3D
and 2D art, chorus, dance, guitar, strings, band, piano, acting, technical theatre, and computer classes. Teachers of all subjects are encouraged to incorporate the arts into their teaching to maximize student engagement. Composite test scores from 2009 are in the top 25% in the district among high schools, and exceed the state average. Approximately 200 students are enrolled in each grade.
Students enroll through a lottery
system and can be entered into this lottery as early as the sixth grade. The only way to get into DSA is through the school lottery. Students living near the school do not automatically gain enrollment, although many have made it into the school through the official lottery. Most students are admitted in 6th grade, though there are no rules prohibiting entrance after that age, as there is some turnover in higher grades. The primary year for turnover is 9th grade, when many students transfer to other area high schools.
Durham High School primarily served the white community of Durham, whereas Hillside High School served the black community.
Opening in 1906, Central High School, which was located on Morris Street, educated Durham's white high school students until 1922. The building was then converted to Durham's City Hall and is now the home of the Durham Arts Council (also known as Royall Center for the Arts).
In 1922, Durham High School replaced Central High School on property that once belonged to Brodie L. Duke. In 1926, Central Junior High School opened on property adjacent to Durham High School. The building was renamed Julian S. Carr Junior High School in 1945. Carr Junior High closed in 1975 when a new middle school was opened. At that time, the Carr building became part of the Durham High School campus.
By the 1970s the population of Durham High School had changed from largely white to mostly black. Durham High School closed as a traditional high school in 1993.
, a controversial play depicting the murder of Mathew Shepard. Ten members of Fred Phelps
' Westboro Baptist Church came from Topeka, Kansas
to protest the show, the actors, and director, Douglas J. Graves. Although Fred Phelps wasn't present, relatives were including his son, Jonathan Phelps, and his twelve-year-old granddaughter, Grace Phelps-Roger. Phelps did describe the school as "the fag-infested Durham School of the Arts" and said that the Laramie Project was a "propaganda play". Signs held by the group included ones that said "Thank God for Sept. 11.
", "The Pope is in Hell", and "God Hates Fags". The Christian group also protested in front of various area churches. However the Westboro Baptist Church did not gain much support and was met by over 200 counter-protesters.
or Social Studies
as opposed to the Science Academy building which houses more mathematics and science. The Carr building has four stories (including a basement), its own gym and dance rooms. The building was built in the 1920s and is currently showing signs of deteriorating. To help fix the problem, a $194.2 million bond was proposed that will give $15,141,636 towards repairs on the Carr Building. In the 2007- 2008 school year, the third floor and basements were sealed off, leaving just the first and second floors occupied.In 2011 the Carr building was reopened.Now it currently holds all 6th and 7th graders.
Unlike many other schools in the area, DSA follows the integrated math system, consisting of Integrated Algebra and Geometry (IAG) I through III, as well as IAG IV Social and Quantitative. IAG IV Quantitative (IAG IV Q) is pre-calculus
.
In February 2007, DSA was named and recognized as a national School of Excellence due to their curriculum, diversity, and high standards.
In 7th grade, interteam communication is encouraged. The two teams, the 'Navigators' and the 'Explorers,' are both on the 2nd floor of the main building. No physical boundary separates the areas, but students are not allowed to go onto the other team's hallway during their core class hours—1st period through 4th period.
Eighth graders are allowed freedom similar to that of high schoolers and are not divided into teams. They have lunch with and take electives with high schoolers, unlike the 6th and 7th graders who eat lunches with their classes. They also take P.E. as a semester long class, rather than a year long class alternated with a study hall period.
In 2007, DSA's high school was ranked as the 346th best high school in America by Newsweek
, making it the 22nd best school in North Carolina according to Newsweek.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
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...
located in downtown Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
, housing 1,381 students. Its focus is on the visual
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
and performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
.
Arts offerings include 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
and 2D art, chorus, dance, guitar, strings, band, piano, acting, technical theatre, and computer classes. Teachers of all subjects are encouraged to incorporate the arts into their teaching to maximize student engagement. Composite test scores from 2009 are in the top 25% in the district among high schools, and exceed the state average. Approximately 200 students are enrolled in each grade.
Students enroll through a lottery
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
system and can be entered into this lottery as early as the sixth grade. The only way to get into DSA is through the school lottery. Students living near the school do not automatically gain enrollment, although many have made it into the school through the official lottery. Most students are admitted in 6th grade, though there are no rules prohibiting entrance after that age, as there is some turnover in higher grades. The primary year for turnover is 9th grade, when many students transfer to other area high schools.
1903 to 1995: Durham High School
Durham School of the Arts is housed in the former Durham High School building. During racial segregationRacial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
Durham High School primarily served the white community of Durham, whereas Hillside High School served the black community.
Opening in 1906, Central High School, which was located on Morris Street, educated Durham's white high school students until 1922. The building was then converted to Durham's City Hall and is now the home of the Durham Arts Council (also known as Royall Center for the Arts).
In 1922, Durham High School replaced Central High School on property that once belonged to Brodie L. Duke. In 1926, Central Junior High School opened on property adjacent to Durham High School. The building was renamed Julian S. Carr Junior High School in 1945. Carr Junior High closed in 1975 when a new middle school was opened. At that time, the Carr building became part of the Durham High School campus.
By the 1970s the population of Durham High School had changed from largely white to mostly black. Durham High School closed as a traditional high school in 1993.
1995 to 2007: Durham School of the Arts
Durham School of the Arts first opened in 1995 as Durham Magnet Center, a middle school. The school added a grade each year for four years until the school reached grades six through twelve. DSA graduated its first high school class in 2000.The Laramie Project
In May 2005, Durham School of the Arts performed The Laramie ProjectThe Laramie Project
The Laramie Project is a play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie,...
, a controversial play depicting the murder of Mathew Shepard. Ten members of Fred Phelps
Fred Phelps
Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. is an American pastor heading the Westboro Baptist Church , an independent Baptist church based in Topeka, Kansas...
' Westboro Baptist Church came from Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
to protest the show, the actors, and director, Douglas J. Graves. Although Fred Phelps wasn't present, relatives were including his son, Jonathan Phelps, and his twelve-year-old granddaughter, Grace Phelps-Roger. Phelps did describe the school as "the fag-infested Durham School of the Arts" and said that the Laramie Project was a "propaganda play". Signs held by the group included ones that said "Thank God for Sept. 11.
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
", "The Pope is in Hell", and "God Hates Fags". The Christian group also protested in front of various area churches. However the Westboro Baptist Church did not gain much support and was met by over 200 counter-protesters.
Past Principals
Since opening in 1995, Durham School of the Arts has had five principals:- Ed Forsyth (1995–2003)
- Chris Bennett (2003–2005)
- Lee Vrana [2005]
- Dr. Ronald Roukema (2005–2007)
- DavidDavidDavid was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
Hawks (2007-current)
Campus
The campus consists of six semiconnected buildings: the Julian S. Carr Building, the Black Box Theater (formerly the Durham High School auto shop), the Media Center, the Weaver Auditorium, the Main Building, the Gymnasium, and the Science Academy Building (often called the Science or Academy Building), as well as the recently completed New Building, housing 8 and 9 grade classes, along with the high school history department. The new building uses the letter "T" in front of its classroom numbers for "Transition" Building (as in the transition from middle to high school).Julian S. Carr Building
The Julian S. Carr Building or Carr Building, named in honor Julian Shakespeare Carr, originally housed students at Carr Middle School. The middle school was closed to make way for Durham School of the Arts. Classes in the Carr Building are usually Language ArtsLanguage arts
Traditionally, the primary divisions in the language arts are Literature and Language, where language in this case refers to both linguistics, and specific languages....
or Social Studies
Social studies
Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
as opposed to the Science Academy building which houses more mathematics and science. The Carr building has four stories (including a basement), its own gym and dance rooms. The building was built in the 1920s and is currently showing signs of deteriorating. To help fix the problem, a $194.2 million bond was proposed that will give $15,141,636 towards repairs on the Carr Building. In the 2007- 2008 school year, the third floor and basements were sealed off, leaving just the first and second floors occupied.In 2011 the Carr building was reopened.Now it currently holds all 6th and 7th graders.
Main Building
Durham School of the Arts's main building's first floor contains classrooms, the main cafeteria, and the central and guidance offices. The sixth grade classrooms are housed in the basement, seventh grade on the second floor, while many elective classrooms are also scattered throughout the building.Black Box Theater
The Black Box Theater is where all the theater classes are taught. There is a large open space used for theater shows. The Black Box Theater is two stories high and the home to almost all of Durham School of the Arts's theater productions. Originally the Black Box was the auto shop when the school was Durham High.Science-Academy Building
The Science-Academy Building (or the Academy Building)is a two-story building located behind the main building. Classes taught there are mostly science, and mathematics. The Academy building is on the direct opposite end of the school from the Carr Builidng and is located right next to the bus parking lot.Weaver Auditorium
The Weaver Auditorium is a building used for speeches, presentations, and open houses. The Weaver Auditorium has 1600 seats.Gymnasium
Although there is a gymnasium in the Carr Building, Durham School of the Arts has a semiconnected building as a gymnasium. This building has three stories, including a basement, the basketball courts, coach offices and changing areas, and one for audience seating.New Building
As part of the Durham Public School System 2003 Bond Project. $6,759,600 was donated for the construction of a new building that has not yet been named. Construction for the building began in September 2007 and was completed in February 2008. The new building is 30968 square feet (2,877 m²). Now that construction is complete, many classes have moved there from the Carr Building to make room for the construction currently happening for the Julian S. Carr BuildingOther
Besides Durham School of the Arts's main building there are several other points of interest at the school. In DSA's garden, called the Big Hearted Garden, there is a memorial in honor of three students, Aaron Morgan and Jonathan Henderson, who died in 2005 and 2006 of heart ailments, and Bennie Vanhook, who was shot and killed in December 2006. Morgan was fifteen years old, Henderson fourteen, and Vanhook seventeen. There are also two parking lots, one for cars in front of the Main Building and one for buses next to the Academy Building.Classes
DSA is the only high school in the DPS system that does not operate on a block schedule. This means that while other high schools offer eight classes a year, four per semester or every other day throughout the year, DSA offers seven yearlong classes, along with semester-long classes for middle school and a limited selection for high school.Unlike many other schools in the area, DSA follows the integrated math system, consisting of Integrated Algebra and Geometry (IAG) I through III, as well as IAG IV Social and Quantitative. IAG IV Quantitative (IAG IV Q) is pre-calculus
Calculus
Calculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
.
In February 2007, DSA was named and recognized as a national School of Excellence due to their curriculum, diversity, and high standards.
Middle School
At DSA 6th and 7th graders are divided into 'teams.' In sixth grade you are either a 'Knight', or a 'Dragon'. Both teams have their own spaces in the basement. These areas contain all of a teams' core classes-mathematics, language arts, social studies and science, along with the lockers of the members of the teams. They are separated by a hallway.In 7th grade, interteam communication is encouraged. The two teams, the 'Navigators' and the 'Explorers,' are both on the 2nd floor of the main building. No physical boundary separates the areas, but students are not allowed to go onto the other team's hallway during their core class hours—1st period through 4th period.
Eighth graders are allowed freedom similar to that of high schoolers and are not divided into teams. They have lunch with and take electives with high schoolers, unlike the 6th and 7th graders who eat lunches with their classes. They also take P.E. as a semester long class, rather than a year long class alternated with a study hall period.
High School
High schoolers have the option of taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses. These include AP English IV (Literature and Composition), AP Statistics, AP Chemistry, AP Calculus AB, AP US History, AP World History, AP European History, AP English III, AP Biology, AP Physics, and AP Psychology. They are also offered the opportunity to take Independent Study classes to study subjects not offered there.In 2007, DSA's high school was ranked as the 346th best high school in America by Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, making it the 22nd best school in North Carolina according to Newsweek.