Denver School of the Arts

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Magnet secondary school in Denver, Colorado, United States

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Denver School of the Arts (DSA) is a comprehensive arts secondary public magnet school, serving grades 6–12. Located at 7111 Montview Boulevard in the Park Hill neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, the school is operated by the Denver Public School District.

History

Denver School of the Arts originated as a concurrent program at Manual High School during the late 1980s. It later evolved into a fully staffed institution located on the former campus of Byers Middle School at 150 South Pearl Street, which was once the site of Byers Mansion.^{[citation needed]}

In the 2003–2004 school year, DSA relocated to its current address at 7111 E. Montview Boulevard, occupying the former W. Dale and W. Ida Houston Fine Arts Center. This facility was originally built by the Colorado Women's College and subsequently utilized by the Lamont School of Music.^{[citation needed]}

Students

DSA serves both middle school and high school students. Graduating class sizes are small, with approximately 140 students comprising the Class of 2018.^{[citation needed]}

Audition process

DSA requires an audition for prospective students competing to join one of its eleven offered majors.^{[citation needed]}

Extracurricular activities

Majors

Denver School of the Arts offers a variety of majors including Guitar, Vocal Music, Piano, Creative Writing, Video Cinema Arts, Stagecraft and Design, Dance, Visual Arts, Band, Orchestra, and Theatre.^[2]

Students are required to wear lanyards that correspond to their grade level. The lanyard colors are as follows: 6th grade wears black, 7th grade wears purple, and each subsequent grade has its own designated color.^[3]

Sports

Denver School of the Arts does not offer its own extracurricular sports programs, nor does it offer in-school physical education. DSA students are encouraged to participate in sports programs at other Denver high schools and middle schools. Many students at DSA play sports at the sister school of East High School or at their "home" high school.^{[citation needed]}

Notable alumni

Peter Atencio - director, Key & Peele, Comedy Central; director, Keanu; winner, Peabody Award^[4]
Gabriel Ebert - stage actor, Matilda the Musical; screen actor, Ricki and the Flash, Mr. Mercedes;^[5] winner, Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical^[6]
Mondo Guerra - fashion designer, winner, Project Runway: All Stars (2012)^[7]
Justine Lupe - screen actor, Mr. Mercedes, Cristela, Harry's Law^[8]^[9]
Jovan Bridges (“Yvie Oddly”) - performer, winner, RuPaul’s Drag Race (2019)^[10]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Search for Public Schools - Denver School of the Arts (080336001574)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
^ "Arts". dsa.dpsk12.org. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
^ "Denver School of the Arts | Change of Major Policy". Retrieved June 10, 2019.
^ "Key & Peele". peabodyawards.com. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
^ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3262796/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_in_0_q_gabriel%2520ebert ^{[bare URL]}
^ "Actor From Lakewood Wins Tony Award For Role In 'Matilda'". June 10, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
^ "Mondo Guerra celebrates win on "Project Runway All Stars"". The Denver Post. March 22, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
^ "Ostrow: Denver actor Justine Lupe joins "Harry's Law"". The Denver Post. March 14, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
^ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4419771/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_1_nm_7_in_0_q_justine%2520lupe ^{[bare URL]}
^ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8961584/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_in_0_q_jovan%2520bridges ^{[bare URL]}