Art as a Career: South Grand Prairie High School

By Diane Demee-Benoit

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South Grand Prairie High School (SGPHS) in Grand Prairie, Texas, is often held up as a model for schools considering "wall-to-wall" career academies. Most career academies are small "schools within a school," but at SGPHS, by sophomore year, all students learn academics in the context of a career theme that interests them.

When we were at South Grand Prairie High School for a video shoot in February 2004, there was some spare time between tapings. On the spur of the moment, I was sent by our video producer/director to look for one or two additional prospects for videotaping. The academic dean, Debra Cannon, ran me around to what she considered to be a highlight of the school. She was proud because, in a climate of high-stakes testing, the school community would not relegate the arts to an extracurricular activity. For many students, the arts would be their career -- and a viable one at that.

I've chosen this minute-long excerpt that focuses on SGPHS's Creative and Performing Arts Academy. By the end of their senior year, many students here have completed a portfolio of work that may be eligible for college credit, have won art competitions, and received scholarships to colleges around the country to study art. Get the full story about this school.