Osceola County School For The Arts

History

In an effort to expand the arts program in Osceola County, and prepare students for work in the entertainment industry offered by theme parks and production studios in Central Florida, the School District of Osceola County considered using $6.5 million to build small 600- to 700-seat theaters at Saint Cloud High School, Poinciana High School, and Osceola High School; however, the cost of building the three theaters was estimated at $19.5 million. Only a day after the meeting in August 2001, Tupperware announced that it would be selling part of its world headquarters located on Orange Blossom Trail. The 2,100-seat auditorium on the property was three times larger than any theater the district could build. The plastics company held the property off the market for six months while in negotiations with the School District of Osceola County before the school board members came to a decision. In February 2002, the Osceola County School Board voted to purchase the convention center complex for $6.5 million. The board intended to convert the facility into a Performing Arts high school institution open to students residing in Osceola County. The School District of Osceola County decided to build three black box theaters at the three high schools in need of theaters, which would only cost the district $4.5 million. It was proposed to call the new school "Walter Disney Memorial School for the Arts" to capitalize on the draw of the name, but questions regarding policy for naming schools after people persuaded the school board to reject the proposal. The school board settled on the district's school naming committee's suggestion of "The Osceola County School for the Arts." Along with the new name of the 2,100 seat theater "The Osceola Performing Arts Center(OPAC) theater on the new property.

In 2004, the Florida Department of Transportation approved the installation of a traffic light to be placed at the intersection of the school's entrance and the highway. The Osceola County School Board paid more than $50,000 for a temporary signal to be placed at the intersection for two years.

Renovations on campus began in July 2007 at the Osceola County School for the Arts and the Osceola Performing Arts Center and it's Expo Hall, and ended in mid 2008. Remodeling included renovating 5,600 square feet of the existing banquet hall into three classrooms, which are used for the Drama, Dance and Orchestra programs. The existing storefront glass and doors were replaced, a new awning canopy was added and the acoustical ceiling system and classroom carpets were replaced. The new drama room has the option to be converted into a black box theater when necessary.

OCSA requires school uniforms for its students after Osceola County implemented a uniform dress policy in 2009. In addition to the uniform policy implemented across Osceola County, students may wear purple, navy blue, white and black collared shirts, but no school t-shirts or PE uniforms.

In honor of OCSA's eleventh anniversary, the school hosted a semi-formal gala event on August 15, 2013.

Demographics

The Osceola County School for the Arts is a minority-majority school. More than 50 percent of the school's population identifies as Hispanic, and female students outnumber male students by approximately 3 to 1.

As of the 2013–2014 school year, the ethnic makeup of OCSA is as follows:

Curriculum

The Osceola County School for the Arts operates with 4x4 block scheduling. The school year (mid-August – early June) consists of two 18-week semesters, where each semester has three 90-minute class periods meeting every other day and one 50-minute class period meeting every day. The class schedule alternates between "ABABA" weeks and "BABAB" weeks, where "A" is "Purple" and "B" is "Teal," named after the school colors. Students attend classes Monday through Friday. The two classes following the lunch period on Wednesdays are shorter, after which students and faculty assemble for an hour-long recital open to the public that showcases students' artistic talents.

Someone wishing to become a student at OCSA must first submit an application for admission, proper documentation, recent report card and FCAT scores. The potential student will receive a letter in the mail letting them know when the audition for their particular major is. Auditions are held every semester for admission to the following semester. Each major has its own requirements for audition. Nonperformance majors require portfolios. An acceptance letter will be sent in the mail to a student if selected for attending The Osceola County School for the Arts for the following major after following the audition.

In addition to the regular middle school and high school curriculum, OCSA offers eight artistic programs for students to choose from: Visual Arts, Drama, Vocal Music, Instrumental Music/Band, Creative Writing, Dance, Orchestra, or Technical Theater (which consists of TV production, design and drafting (CAD), stagecraft, costume design and make-up, advanced carpentry, painting and props production, theater management, and stage lighting). Students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades are restricted to Dance, Instrumental Music/Band or Orchestra. New and returning Instrumental Music/Band majors are required to attend summer band camp every year, and incoming sixth grade Orchestra majors are required to attend Strings Camp over the summer.

Although the school has sports clubs for students, it has no athletics program or mascot.

The Advanced Placement (AP) participation rate of juniors and seniors is 81 percent. The graduation rate as of the 2012–2013 school year is 100 percent. Post high school plans for students are represented in the following chart:

Extracurricular activities

The Osceola County School for the Arts offers several different clubs, organizations and sports for students to participate in. While OCSA has clubs such as National Honor Society, Student Government Association, and Technology Student Association, some other notable clubs are Mu Alpha Theta (Math Club), Environmental Club, Fashion Club, Interact, Keyettes, Graphic Novel Association, Flow, and National Art Honor Society.

Awards and recognition

The Osceola County School for the Arts has been rated an "A" school in the grading system that uses the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test as its standard for eleven consecutive years. In 2011 and every consecutive year, the school has been ranked #228 out of 500 high schools in the United States and #16 out of 89 high schools in Florida and has been awarded a gold medal by U.S. News & World Report, #104 out of 2,081 high schools on Washington Post’s “America's Most Challenging High Schools,” most recently The Florida Department of Education awarded The Osceola County School for the Arts an "A" grade in December 2013 with prestigious Gold Medal Status, due to 100% graduation rate, FCAT testing results with math and reading proficiency, and college readiness during the 2012–2013 school year, making The Osceola County School for the Arts an "A" school for 10 years in a row.

Other accolades include the selection of the Osceola County School for the Arts Jazz Band "A" as 1 of 15 finalists in the 19th Annual Essentially Ellington National High school Jazz Band competition. and #778 out of 2,000 public high schools on The Daily Beast’s “America’s Best High Schools.”

Notable staff

Former principals