John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School
Encyclopedia
John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School is a public magnet school
for the fine and performing arts
located in downtown Augusta, Georgia
, USA. It draws students in grades 6 through 12 throughout Richmond County
. In addition to a basic curriculum of college preparatory and Advanced Placement academic courses, Davidson offers academic and fine arts courses in the areas of visual arts
, music
, chorus
, dance
, cinema production
, and theatre
. In addition to being recognized as a National Grammy Signature School, the school has been ranked as the #1 school in the state of Georgia and has also placed in the top 100 tier of Newsweek
's "America's Best High Schools."
's second level. Moving to the new location granted a view of the canal's third level.
The new location has a 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 historical landmarks in Augusta, including Sacred Heart Cultural Center
and the Augusta Canal's first level.
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 created an official mascot for sporting competitions. In a school-wide vote, the mascot "Titans" was chosen. Although the official mascot is the Titans, each grade is still represented by a color. The colors for each grade are:
to determine interest and aptitude in the fine arts. Middle school
students audition in all 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 on average about 700 students split equally between all classes.
Award of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education
, the highest award a U.S. school can receive.
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, a feat due almost exclusively to the high achievement of the students the school accepts. The school is also known for its music program; the Davidson Concert Chorale has been named among the best high school choral classes in the nation. In 2004, Davidson was selected by the Grammy Foundation as the Grammy Signature School and granted the program $25,000.
Awards and recognitions include:
To Davidson Fine Arts School,
Our Alma Mater dear
The gifts you have given
It's these we do revere
It's you we'll remember
You we will cherish
as we go on our way
For this we pledge
To always remain
Forever true to DFA.
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...
for the fine 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...
located in downtown Augusta, Georgia
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
, USA. It draws students in grades 6 through 12 throughout Richmond County
Richmond County, Georgia
Richmond County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is one of the original counties of Georgia, created February 5, 1777. As of 2010, the population was 200,549. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 199,486....
. In addition to a basic curriculum of college preparatory and Advanced Placement academic courses, Davidson offers academic and fine arts courses in the areas of visual arts
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...
, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, chorus
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
, dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, cinema production
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
, and theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
. In addition to being recognized as a National Grammy Signature School, the school has been ranked as the #1 school in the state of Georgia and has also placed in the top 100 tier of 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...
's "America's Best High Schools."
History
Davidson was founded in 1934 by John S. Davidson, a local educator. It was as an elementary school from 1934 until 1981. In 1998, Davidson moved from its original site to a new campus one block away between 12th 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 CanalAugusta Canal
The Augusta Canal is a historic canal located in Augusta, Georgia. The canal connects two points of the Savannah River. It was devised to harness the power of the fall line of the Savannah River for mills, to provide transportation of goods, and to provide drinking water for the city...
's second level. Moving to the new location granted a view of the canal's third level.
The new location has a theater for art performances. Due to student demand, the original stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows created by the class of 1983 were also moved to the new location. The school is within walking distance of historical landmarks in Augusta, including Sacred Heart Cultural Center
Sacred Heart Cultural Center
The Sacred Heart Cultural Center, known also as Sacred Heart Catholic Church, is an events center and a former Roman Catholic Church located in Augusta, Georgia. It is one of the more notable and recognized landmarks in the city.-History:...
and the Augusta Canal's first level.
Davidson's mascot
Initially, instead of having a mascotMascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
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 created an official mascot for sporting competitions. In a school-wide vote, the mascot "Titans" was chosen. 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
Admissions
Admission to Davidson is based upon previous grades and an auditionAudition
An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing* Adobe Audition, audio editing software...
to determine interest and aptitude in the fine arts. Middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
students audition in all of the fine arts areas and high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students are auditioned in up to two fine arts areas. Additionally, classes admitted to Davidson are admitted by racial quotas (45% African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 45% Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
, and 10% other). Overall, there are on average about 700 students split equally between all classes.
Awards and recognition
During the 2004–05 school year, Davidson was recognized with the Blue Ribbon SchoolBlue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
Award of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, the highest award a U.S. school can receive.
The school has consistently been named as one of the best in the state of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, and was named the number one academic school in the state each year from 1996 to 2009, a feat due almost exclusively to the high achievement of the students the school accepts. The school is also known for its music program; the Davidson Concert Chorale has been named among the best high school choral classes in the nation. In 2004, Davidson was selected by the Grammy Foundation as the Grammy Signature School and granted the program $25,000.
Awards and recognitions include:
- Recognized as the #1 school in the state of Georgia consecutively through the 1996–2003 school years
- Recognized nationally as the 2004 National Grammy Signature School for their music programs
- Recognized for top SAT scores in the state of Georgia for the last ten years.
- 2003–2004: named a National Magnet School of Excellence.
- Won first place in the 2004 State Literary Competition
- Won first place in the 2003 (Georgia) One Act Play Competition
- Ranked highest for excellence among magnet schools by the U.S. Department of Education for academic focus and integration of the fine arts
- Named a National Magnet School of Excellence for 2002–2003
- 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
- 8 National Merit Semifinalists & Finalist since 1996
- 22 Commended Merit Scholars since 1996
- 10 National Achievement Finalists and Semifinalists since 1996
- 25 Commended Achievement Scholars since 1996
- Recognized as a Georgia School of Excellence in 1995
- First place winner of the 2007 South Eastern Theater Conference
- First-place Orchestra at the 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 Fiestaval Competitions
- Semi-finalist at the 2006 Division AAA Georgia Academic Bowl
- Ranked among the top 1% of high schools by NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek 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...
- First place winner of the 2007 Georgia Theater Conference (one of only two schools to win twice in a row)
- Received a gold medal and was ranked 84th best high school in the nation by US News & World Report in 2007
- The 2005 GRAMMY Gold Signature School
- The Davidson Chorale selected as 2004 ACDA Southern Division Convention performer, Nashville, TN
- The Davidson Chorale selected as 2005 ACDA National Convention performer, Los Angeles, CA
- The Davidson Chorale selected as 2007 MENC Southern Division Convention performer, Charleston, SC
- The Davidson Chorale selected as 2004, 2006, 2008 GMEA Convention performer, Savannah, GA
- The Davidson Chorale selected as 2010 Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Featured performer
- Ranked number 75 in NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek 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...
's "America's Best High Schools of 2011."
Clubs
- Drama club
- Chess team
- Middle school math club
- National Honor SocietyNational Honor SocietyThe National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
- National Junior Honor Society
- Spectrum Players
- International Thespian Society
- Improv Troupe
- Golf team
- Tri-M
- Yearbook staff
- National Art Honor SocietyNational Art Honor SocietyThe National Art Honor Society was established in 1978 in the United States by the National Art Education Association for high school students grades 10-12, for "the purpose of inspiring and recognizing those students who have shown an outstanding ability in art" from the National Art Honor Society...
- National Junior Art Honor Society
- Rowing team
- Swim team
- Cycling Group
- Intramurals
- Prom committee
- Academic Bowl
- Model United Nations
- High school science club
- Middle school science club
- High school math club
- Middle school math team
- Mu Alpha Theta
- Poetry, fiction, and writing club
- Davidson Chorale
- Latin club
- Spanish club
- High school student council
- Middle school student council
- USITT
- The Environmental Club
- Pennies for Peace Committee
- National English Honor Society
- DFA Today
School song
The Davidson school song mater is sung to the tune of Brahms First symphony, 4th movement.To Davidson Fine Arts School,
Our Alma Mater dear
The gifts you have given
It's these we do revere
It's you we'll remember
You we will cherish
as we go on our way
For this we pledge
To always remain
Forever true to DFA.
See also
- Richmond County School System
- Augusta Downtown Historic DistrictAugusta Downtown Historic DistrictAugusta Downtown Historic District is a historic district that encompasses most of Downtown Augusta, Georgia and its pre-Civil War area.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.-Notable Historic sites:...
- Arts and culture in Augusta, GeorgiaArts and culture in Augusta, GeorgiaThe culture of Augusta, Georgia is influenced by the many different perspectives and histories of its community members, as well as its own history. The large African American population of the area as well as the city's rural surroundings have affected the types of festivals and culture produced...
- Artists' Row (Augusta, Georgia)