New World School of the Arts

History

The vision of PAVAC (Performing and Visual Arts Center) was to integrate Miami Northwestern High School and provide high-quality arts training for students in Dade County. The original PAVAC director (1975) was Jackie (last name unknown), with Dr. Everett Abney serving as principal. At that time, Ms. Samiento served as an art teacher and Charlie Austin as music instructor. Later, Ms. Samiento took over as director when Jackie relocated out of state.

In the early days of PAVAC, Irene Fox was the Modern Dance instructor and Shelley Fox (recommended by Carrie Meek) was hired as the ballet instructor/choreographer. After Irene Fox left the program, Shelley Fox continued to recruit students from Dade County Public Schools. She developed a high quality ballet program and performing company.

The PAVAC program provided students with busing from their local high school to Miami Northwestern for the afternoon arts classes. The PAVAC Dancers performed at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, at locations on Miami Beach, Florida state conferences and festivals, and on local TV stations. The highlight of the program was the premier of Richard Strauss' original ballet Death and Transfiguration at Miami Dade Jr. College North. At that time, the PAVAC ballet program was the only department that successfully integrated Miami Northwestern High School.

Kendell Bently-Baker, inspired by the academic success of that program, and attempting to take greater advantage of the facilities and faculty of Miami Dade College (MDC), then known as Miami Dade Community College, proposed the creation of a dual-enrollment school of the arts: morning academics were to be at the student's home high school; in the afternoon students were to be bussed to one of the two MDCC campuses for classes in art or the performing arts. Upon high school graduation, the student received a diploma from the home high school and college credits for the art classes, awarded through MDC.

In the summer of 1982, county auditions were held for 10th-12th graders. In the fall of 1982, two dual-enrollment PAVACs opened, one at the North Campus of MDCC, "PAVAC North", headed by Kendell Bently-Baker; the other at the South Campus of MDCC (now called the Kendall Campus), "PAVAC South", headed by Richard Janaro and Margaret Pelton. Marcy Samiento continued to serve as DCPS coordinator. At that time, many Miami-Dade high schools served only 10th-12th grade.

The first PAVAC dual-enrollment graduates were in 1983. The Miami Northwestern High School program continued as before the creation of PAVAC, and is currently among the PVA (performing and visual arts) magnet programs in the Miami-Dade County school system.

In 1984, Marcy Sarmiento, Kandell Bentley-Baker and Richard Janaro were asked to plan a successor school to PAVAC. They studied other arts schools in the country, visiting LaGuardia High School, Juilliard and the North Carolina School of the Arts. A bill creating the "South Florida School of the Arts" passed the Florida House of Representatives on May 30, 1984. Soon afterwards, the New World name was chosen as part of larger plans for urban and cultural development which included the eponymous New World Symphony Orchestra, and to avoid confusion with the Florida School of the Arts The Florida legislature passed the "New World School of the Arts Act" in 1986.

The NWSA opened its doors in the fall of 1987. The continuing students at PAVAC's North and South transitioned into NWSA, as did many of PAVAC's faculty. NWSA issued its first high school diploma in 1988 to the former PAVAC students. NWSA enrolled its first freshman college students in 1988. In order to award a BFA, it partnered with Florida International University (FIU). On January 12, 1994 University of Florida replaced FIU in this partnership. The first graduating class of the college was in 1992.

Later the high school expanded to include 9th grade.

Administration

The combined administration of the high school and college consists of a provost, under which are four deans and a principal. The Principal oversees the high school and high school academics, and Deans oversee each of the four strands, Dance, Music, Theater and Visual Arts, for both the high school and the college. There is an executive board of directors for the school, as well as a foundation board to direct the NWSA Foundation.

Provost

Richard A. Klein was hired away from being the principal of the LaGuardia High School to be the founding provost of NWSA. In April 1994 the executive board reduced Richard Klein's contract to one year and began looking for a replacement. D. Hansen became interim provost for the 1995-96 school year, replaced by Bennett Lentczner, who served until 1999. Several provosts have served since then. Since the 2009 school year, Dr. Jeffrey Hodgson has been provost.

Principal

Alan Weiss was the founding principal. Since then, principals have been: Mandy Offerle, 1989–1993; Ellery Brown, 1993 until retirement in 2007; Dr. Frederic Conde, 2007–2010; Lisa S. Noffo, 2010–2012; Evonne Alvarez 2012–present

Dean of Dance

Daniel Lewis was the founding Dean of Dance of NWSA. Daniel Lewis retired for the 2011 school year. The current Dean of Dance is Mary Lisa Burns.

Dean of Music

John de Lancie was the director of Philadelphia's famed Curtis Institute of Music before becoming the founding Dean at New World. He submitted his resignation in December 1991 but rescinded it that same month, then resigned definitively in September 1992. He was replaced by Willie Anthony Waters, principal conductor of the Greater Miami Opera. Waters was replaced in August 1993 with Balint Vazsonyi, who was asked to resign in September 1994.

Since then the position has been filled by: Tallulah Brown, 1994–95; Karl Kramer, 1995–97; Roby George 1997-98; Mark Camphouse 1998-99; Dennis Prime, 1999-2002; Jeffrey Hodgson, 2002-2009; Jim Gasior, 2009-2012; and Milton Ruben Laufer 2012-2014.

The current Dean of Music is Daniel Andai, an alumnus of NWSA Music Division. He was appointed in the summer of 2014.

Dean of Theater

Dr. Richard Paul Janaro agreed to serve as acting Dean of Theater at the school's inception. Jorge Guerra Castro became Dean of Theater in 1988, and Dr. Janaro assumed the role of Assistant Dean of Theater. In 2002 Patrice Bailey took over from Castro, and has continued until the present.

Dean of Visual Arts

The founding Dean of Visual Arts was Ed Love. Since then, the deans have been: Mel Alexenberg, 1990–2000; Louise Romeo, 2000–2005; Maggy Cuesta, 2005–present.

Campus

The school's main building is located at 25 NE 2nd Street, Miami, and holds other classes on the Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus.

Much like the school today, all of its classes were held in different buildings in downtown Miami when the school opened, including the main building of MDC Wolfson campus, as well as space at the Christ Fellowship church at 500 N.E. 1st Avenue, where drawing classes were held on the top floor. The school's current main building (a former AT&T communications department building) was first used for the 1990-1991 school year, as an electrical fire destroyed the school's original administration headquarters. The main building (the 5000 Building) houses most of the high school academic classes there, as well as both the high school and college administration units, dance studios, theaters, and art studios. The MDC Wolfson Science building (the 2000 Building, located at 300 NE 2nd Avenue) houses the science facilities. All music classes are held across the street from the MDC Wolfson Building at the aptly named Music Building (the 4000 Building, located at 401 NE 2nd Avenue; also houses MDC's Literary Center).

High school admissions and enrollment

NWSA is run as a magnet school, and is therefore open to students throughout Miami-Dade county. NWSA continued the PAVAC model of admission based entirely on audition. This differs from other Miami-Dade County Public School (MDCPS) magnets which are not VPA (visual and performing arts) magnets, which have a mixed model of entrance eligibility requirements and lottery. Also unlike the other MDCPS magnets, but like other VPA magnets, it does not have the "sibling rule", a policy of giving priority if a student's sibling is already attending the magnet school.

In 2011, 1,268 students applied for admission to New World, competing for 140 available spots. This gives New World an 11% admissions rate, making it one of Miami's most competitive public high schools.

Total enrollment for 2009–10 was 828, with 473 in the high school and 355 in the college.

School demographics for 2009–10 were 35% male and 65% female; 42% Hispanic (of any race), 36% White non-Hispanic, 19% Black, 3% Asian, and less than 1% other.

Notable alumni