The Academy for Academics and Arts is committed to providing a student-centered, arts-integrated curriculum designed to challenge and prepare students for the 21st century.
The unique program components that support the mission of The Academy for Academics and Arts are:
Curriculum and Instruction
Flexible school-wide and class scheduling to accommodate magnet theme and collaboration between programs and with the Lee High School Creative and Performing Arts school.
School-wide arts integration within a conceptual framework to facilitate collaboration across content areas and vertical alignment in academics, arts and non-art electives.
All elementary students explore the arts by participating in the standards-based classes a minimum of once weekly in the following disciplines: dance, music, visual art, and drama (adding orchestral strings in 2nd grade).
All middle school students have the opportunity to participate in daily standards-based arts classes by selecting a major focus area from at least one discipline from the following: dance, vocal and orchestral music, creative writing, drama, stagecraft and design, visual arts, and new media arts.
All middle school students have the opportunity to supplement their main focus area in the arts with electives from the other areas.
Arts curriculum mapping to provide continuous progress and portfolio development meet prerequisite requirements to enter Lee High School Creative and Performing Arts Magnet.
Field trips to observe, participate, and critique workshops, rehearsals, performances, and exhibitions from other schools and artists as well as participate in master classes in the different arts disciplines.
Flexible curriculum pacing for standards-embedded instruction to accommodate performance/exhibition scheduling.
Master classes taught by guest artists in all disciplines.
Tolerance and celebration of diversity through exploration of cultural forms and styles in the arts and through arts integration.
Academic and arts classes are given priority in development of the school’s master schedule.
All additional programs such as GATE, PLTW, and other district programs integrate the arts within a conceptual framework to preserve unique magnet curriculum.
Teachers and students redefine technology for use in the arts.
Staff
Qualified and certified arts teachers assigned solely to The Academy for Academics and Arts and Lee High School Performing and Creative Arts.
The role of the guidance counselor includes advising students for magnet course selection.
All teachers actively participate in and implement training from on and off-site training in all arts areas to facilitate arts integration in addition to specific training in arts integration.
All teachers actively participate and implement training from on-going professional development in research-based best practices for diverse learners with built-in planning/collaboration time.
Collaborative teaching and curriculum design to meet unique needs of magnet theme across content areas, arts programs, within the arts community, and with Lee High School Creative and Performing Arts.
All teachers are expected to work as artists in their fields: performing, publishing, creating, collaborating, and innovating with best practices, serving as a resource for the school, the district, and around the state/region.
All teachers dedicated to the magnet theme and support of building a collaborative, tolerant and equitable, diverse community for creative and intellectual risk-taking and to working within a flexible, non-traditional school setting.
All teachers and administrators dedicated to implementation of national standards for magnet schools.
