Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts Drew Williams
Utah Arts Academy has commenced the 2021-22 school twelvemonth, St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photograph courtesy of Utah Arts Academy Facebook page, St. George News
ST. GEORGE — In the start of 2021 – 22 years into the tenure of Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts – all seemed to be going well. Despite a pandemic, the faculty and staff of the oldest charter school in Utah were united in fostering an environs where students could take risks and go their best.
However, the unexpected firing of Principal Drew Williams in February set off a series of events that ultimately led to the high school's board of directors releasing the charter in April, leading to the creation of a new board – and new location – of the arts high school.
Since 1999, the high schoolhouse had quietly operated exterior Tuacahn Center for the Arts global spotlight, but for the families in Southwestern Utah, the school has been a valued asset. The founders' vision was to enlighten minds, inspire talents, develop grapheme and promote the fine arts with the highest-quality instruction.
Located in Padré Canyon in Ivins, their vision and resources attracted the land'due south most talented instructors and administrators. Families from Connecticut to California relocated to St. George just to enroll their kids at this exceptional performing arts school.
Past all accounts, the founders succeeded. Tuacahn High School was recently ranked past U.South. News & World Written report as the third best high school in the St. George area (afterwards Desert Hills and Success Academy) . Only the ultimate barometer of the schoolhouse's success is its many alumni who continued their instruction at prestigious universities and now enjoying professional arts careers, among myriad others.
So for many in the St. George community, the sudden closure of the high schoolhouse this past spring was a devastating loss, felt most acutely by the current students and kinesthesia, whose lives were intertwined with the school and its purpose.
For Ayden Due north oyce, a new transplant from California, the atmosphere in his new school was surprisingly tumultuous.
"The most drama I e'er witnessed at my old school was perhaps a fight breaking out in the hall," he said. "Hither it felt like we were in the centre of a revolution."
Hundreds of students, parents, teachers and faculty plant themselves facing an uncertain hereafter and lots of questions. For about of them, d isplacing – and subsequently dispersing – the entire school community was simply out of the question. Thus was born the new Utah Arts University, which opened its doors at a temporary location on Aug. xvi with Williams back at the helm.
Acting like buffaloes and getting mini miracles
More than than 300 students began attending Utah Arts University last week. But information technology didn't come easy. In that location were many obstacles forth the style, especially considering the reality that it typically takes ii years to get most charters schools up and running, and many more than remain until the schoolhouse facility is completed.
When asked how they are pulling off this monumental feat, Williams said they "exercise what buffaloes exercise."
"When buffaloes in the highlands of Colorado sense an oncoming storm, instead of running away from it (like cows exercise), they head directly toward it," he said. "By running through the storm, it passes over more than quickly, and they minimize their struggle."
Williams said the squad of faculty, staff, community leaders, students and national idea leaders who devoted time and resources to creating UAA had their doubts over the past five months.
"There were days when we doubted whether our goal was doable," he said. "But and then, like the buffaloes, we'd face the obstacle caput-on. We'd come together, we'd brainstorm, problem-solve. Before we knew information technology, we'd observe a solution and nosotros'd be back on track. For united states of america, it felt similar a whole lot of 'mini miracles' got united states to where we are."
What's not ready: the facility
For students still recovering from a tumultuous schoolhouse year, there's a heightened need for stability. The UAA leadership team — who also experienced a lifetime's worth of upheaval — has found creative "workarounds" to provide a stable, positive learning surroundings during the transition.
With the new facility, located at 1091 Bluff St., nonetheless under construction, students will attend school on a staggered schedule considering of infinite limitations at the school's temporary facility, 16 S. 300 West in St. George.
What's ready: a committed faculty and staff, excited students and nonstop extracurricular events
Williams said the one thing they "absolutely needed" in social club to succeed wasa team of qualified individuals committed and united in the new schoolhouse's purpose.
"The team we accept is undoubtedly the best I've ever worked with in my entire 20+ year career," he said. "Every arts teacher on our staff has the credentials to teach college. All are working artists. Some have racked up millions of streams on YouTube and Spotify. Others are creating websites for high-profile entities."
Williams said that in add-on to the faculty, the current staff is "incredible."
"They, like most of the kinesthesia, worked at the erstwhile high school and chose to stay on during the transition out of a delivery to the students and the cause," he said. "What we've gone through this past year has forged deep bonds, and I experience these bonds are the reason we've made it to the goal. We faced all of these storms together."
Faculty and staff bated, Noyce pointed out the importance of student leaders.
"I think the new kids volition need more help than usual to feel similar everything is going to be okay," he said, "and I think student council is going to exist more important than always."
Nate Keith, dean of students, agreed.
"This countdown educatee council has talented, smart, kids who've been through a lot," he said. "They sympathize that the student body will expect to them as they navigate a new school in the midst of transition. We've spent a full week preparing them for their roles as ambassadors who ready the tone of our new school. I'm confident they volition exercise a fantastic chore."
The school is working with families to conform their schedules. To build a stiff, connected customs, the leaders came together and hatched big plans, starting on the first day of school.
"The first day was essentially a celebration political party," Williams said.
Held at the Dixie Convention Eye, students spent their first day playing games, listening to music and celebrating the achievement of being UAA'south first class.
"Nosotros felt it was important to give students a sense of the possibilities awaiting them this year, despite the workarounds," Williams said.
To continue the momentum, UAA has back-to-back extracurricular events queued up for autumn, giving students aplenty opportunities to work together and learn crucial skills. Whether they're behind-the-scenes or on stage, the entire student torso volition be enlisted to put on five major productions: "Matilda" and "Immature Arts" in October, "Boom" in Nov, "Nutcracker (Re)Imagined" in Dec and "Fancy-free" in Feb 2022.
Students will also arrive plenty of fun with extracurricular events this autumn, including the faculty vs. students flag football game game (Williams predicts another faculty win), the arts school version of homecoming and Halloween.
"Nobody does Halloween similar nosotros practice," Williams said. "Information technology'due south basically a mini Comic-Con."
UAA continues to aim high
The UAA founders understand the truth in the words of renowned education leader Sir Ken Robinson:
Creativity now is equally important in education as literacy, and we should care for it with the same condition.
With that in mind, UAA is post-obit the best practices of top performing arts schools from across the state. Their approach is to implement a constant cycle of coll aboration, work, fortitude and grit , building creative skills applicable to any discipline .
Students' performing arts dreams didn't cease with Tuacahn High Schoolhouse, considering the story didn't end there. Utah Arts Academy is keeping students' dreams very much alive.
Learn more than about Utah Arts Academy at the school website.
Written by MERRIE CAMPBELL-LEE.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.
Source: https://www.cedarcityutah.com/news/archive/2021/08/25/prc-utah-arts-academy-still-waiting-on-finished-space-but-moving-forward-with-instruction-performances/
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