1/11/12

Contact: Adelma Hnasko

(505) 310-4194

AHnasko@NMSchoolForTheArts.org

NEW MEXICO SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS

STUDENTS ACHIEVE IN ACADEMICS AND THE ARTS

(SANTA FE, NM) New Mexico School for the Arts is proud to announce that the 28 seniors in its first graduating class have begun receiving acceptance letters and scholarship awards to colleges and universities across the country.  Zak Krasnow, a theater student from Santa Fe, and Marie Kuhns, a dance student from Silver City, have been accepted into the Oklahoma City. Sienna Fleming, an NMSA visual arts student from Roswell, will be attending the Visual Art School in New York City, and Kari Horan, a theater student from Anthony, will be the first in her family to attend a four year university at NMSU.

As one of only two high schools in Santa Fe that received AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) designation in 2011, NMSA students and staff were surprised to learn of the recent C grade they were given by the New Mexico Public Education Department’s new A-F School Grading System.  The school has filed an appeal with the PED contesting the ranking.  “The purpose of the new model is to measure our students not on a pass/fail, but on a system that measures growth,” explains NMSA Principal, Cindy Montoya.  “This assessment model does not account for a new school such as ours.”  Because NMSA did not have a graduating class in 2011, PED utilized SFPS data (scoring a D) to calculate the Graduation Indicator.  PED overlooked NMSA’s Career and College Indicator data of ACT, Explore, Plan, PSAT, SAT, ACT, and AP scores and ranked the school an F.  NMSA came within .3 points of receiving a B rating and 10.3 points of receiving an A rating.  The school will await results of its appeal, and will receive official state grading assignments in the fall.

NMSA provides rigorous academics and mastery arts training in Dance, Music, Theater and Visual Arts to 180 creative young people from 34 distinct New Mexico communities.  Dozens of students ride the Rail Runner and utilize public transportation means to attend NMSA.  Fourteen additional students live in the NMSA Residential Program to access the top-notch education the school offers.  Currently located in the St. Francis Cathedral School in downtown Santa Fe, NMSA has begun the search for a permanent campus.  One site under consideration is the historic St. Catherine’s Indian School.  A new campus, slated to open for the 2014-2015 academic year, will ensure that New Mexico’s creative youth will have the opportunity to develop their artistic talents for generations to come.  

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New MexicoSchoolfor the Arts is a public private partnership comprised of NMSA, a statewide charter high school, and School for the Arts – NM (SA-NM), a tax-exempt arts education institution.  NMSA offers pre-professional instruction in the performing and visual arts in combination with rigorous academics leading to aNew Mexicodiploma. New MexicoSchoolfor the Arts prepares a diverse community of students to successfully continue their arts education at institutions of higher learning while engaging them to lead productive and creative lives that enrich their communities.  NMSA is located at the former St. Francis Cathedral School, 275 EastAlamedainSanta Fe.  For more information, log on to:

www.NMSchoolForTheArts.org.

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7/27/11

Contact: Cindy Montoya; (505) 310-4194; CMontoya@NMSchoolForTheArts.org

 NEW MEXICO SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS

RECEIVES ADEQUATE YEARLY PROGRESS DESIGNATION

(SANTA FE, NM) New Mexico School for the Arts is proud to announce that it achieved Adequate Yearly Progress in 2011 under the Federal No Child Left Behind Act.  New Mexico School for the Arts congratulates its students for their work in achieving AYP designation.  The School also recognizes the NMSA faculty, staff, board and parents who supported these young people in their studies.  NMSA acknowledges the contribution of the dozens of schools from throughout New Mexico that prepared these students to excel academically while at NMSA.

In order to meet requirements for AYP, a school must achieve a 95 percent participation rate on state assessments and reach targets for proficiency in math and reading. All juniors at NMSA were tested in the spring of 2011.

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New Mexico School for the Arts is a public private partnership comprised of NMSA, a statewide charter high school, and School for the Arts – NM (SA-NM), a tax-exempt arts education institution.  NMSA offers pre-professional instruction in the performing and visual arts in combination with rigorous academics leading to a New Mexico diploma.  New Mexico School for the Arts prepares a diverse community of students to successfully continue their arts education at institutions of higher learning while engaging them to lead productive and creative lives that enrich their communities.  NMSA is located at the former St. Francis Cathedral School, 275 East Alameda in Santa Fe.  For more information, log on to:

www.NMSchoolForTheArts.org.

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Joey Chavez will join NMSA as Chair of the Theater Department. A 12th generation Santa Fean, Chavez has been heading the Theater program at Santa Fe High for the last 15 years. During this time he was involved in more than 150 productions, from musicals and world premiers to original personal and student work. He has also taught for The University of Oklahoma, The Alliance Theater in Atlanta, GA and for Young Audiences New York.

 Chavez states, “I am very pleased and honored to be joining the founding staff of the NMSA. This is a wonderful opportunity to help build a program for the students of our state which will allow them to have access to training on par with other Arts High Schools around the country.”

Cristina González, recently appointed Chair of the Visual Arts Department, received her MFA from the University of Washington, Seattle, and her BA from Yale University. She has been teaching painting and drawing for more than twelve years. “I’m delighted to join the New Mexico School for the Arts. I’m especially excited about working with professional artists who are among the best in their field, and who are passionate about sharing their knowledge, skills, and vision with high performing students” states González.

Upon accepting the Chair of the Music Department position, Benjamin Klemme remarked: “The New Mexico School for the Arts will strengthen the cultural fitness of our community by offering the promising young artists of our state a place in which to develop the skills required to express their unique abilities and talents. The opportunity to cultivate the promise of these students as a member of the NMSA faculty is a privilege I approach with enthusiasm and a responsibility I will strive to meet with purpose.”

Klemme leads the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association as Music Director and Conductor and has helped bring classical music to life for young people through his work with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival’s “Music In Our Schools” program; in Ohio, he founded the Scordatura Chamber Orchestra, a Cleveland-based ensemble designed to achieve classroom learning objectives in language arts, math, science, and social studies through the creative presentation of parallel classical music principles, and served as the music department chair of Lutheran High School East; in Iowa, he served as the Associate Conductor of the Northern Iowa Youth Orchestra.

Karen Hall has been named Voice Instructor for the School. Dr. Hall is a versatile educator, music researcher and professional singer. Her experience as an educator includes university teaching positions at New York University, the Berklee College of Music and the Boston Conservatory as well as several high school accelerated arts programs throughout the United States.

The School is still in negotiations for its Dance Department Faculty.

In announcing these appointments, Head of School Jim Ledyard states, “The search for arts faculty and chairs, which has taken three months and involved over two hundred applicants, has been an incredibly rewarding process in itself. I have met artist teachers from every corner of New Mexico and from all of the major art centers of the country. The individuals who will be joining our faculty, and those who will sit on the audition panels, are as talented, distinguished, and committed a group as could be found anywhere. I look forward with great anticipation to begin working with them.”

The following individuals are available for interviews:

Jim Ledyard, Head of School 505-310-4195

Joey Chavez, Theater Chair 505-467-2975

Cristina González, Visual Arts Chair 505-670-9579

Karen Hall, Vocal Instructor 505-504-8750

Benjamin Klemme , Music Chair 505-603-6708

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New Mexico School for the Arts is a public, statewide, residential charter high school dedicated to artistic and academic excellence. NMSA offers pre-professional instruction in the performing and visual arts in combination with rigorous academics leading to a New Mexico diploma. NMSA prepares a diverse community of students to successfully continue their arts education at institutions of higher learning while preparing them to lead productive and creative lives that enrich their communities. New Mexico School for the Arts is located at the former St. Francis Cathedral School, 275 East Alameda in Santa Fe and is supported, in part, by the New Mexico Community Foundation, Thaw Charitable Trust, Thornburg Charitable Foundation and an anonymous donor. For more information, log on to: www.nmschoolforthearts.org.

The New Classroom Building

New Mexico School for the Arts, a public, statewide, residential charter high school dedicated to artistic and academic excellence, will open its doors in August 2010 with an estimated 120 students in grades 9 – 11 from around the State of New Mexico. In addition to academics, students will receive training in their chosen art form. Arts offered are dance (ballet and contemporary), music (instrumental and voice), theater and visual arts.

“We’re thrilled to have a home, to be in the heart of Santa Fe, and to know that our School will be open in a matter of months. It’s very exciting”, states NMSA Board Chair Catherine Oppenheimer.

St. Francis Cathedral School is the former location of Santo Niño Regional Catholic School prior to their moving to the College Avenue location. The 36,360 square foot school is located at 275 East Alameda, at the corner of East Alameda and Paseo de Peralta and was designed by celebrated architect John Gaw Meem in 1947. The two-story facility includes 14 classrooms, a library, cafeteria, stage, gymnasium and school offices.

“We are pleased that our historic St. Francis Cathedral School building will continue to serve the tradition of education in Santa Fe as the new home of the New Mexico School for the Arts.” says Jim Cutropia, representative for the Cathedral Church of St. Francis of Assisi.

The Stage

Head of School Jim Ledyard states: “Our students will be inspired by the architecture and works of art that grace the hallways at Cathedral School. We look forward to opening the school up to the public for semester-end performances and arts shows by the students of New Mexico School for the Arts. We are now working with state officials to obtain E-Occupancy.”

The following individuals are available for interviews:

Catherine Oppenheimer, Chair, NMSA Governing Board: 505-603-2900
Jim Ledyard, NMSA Head of School: 505-310-4195
Jim Cutropia, St. Francis Cathedral: 505-982-5619

Images: 505-310-4194 – or via email at admin@nmschoolforthearts.org.

New Mexico School for the Arts is a public, statewide, residential charter high school dedicated to artistic and academic excellence. NMSA offers pre-professional instruction in the performing and visual arts in combination with rigorous academics leading to a New Mexico diploma. NMSA prepares a diverse community of students to successfully continue their arts education at institutions of higher learning while preparing them to lead productive and creative lives that enrich their communities. New Mexico School for the Arts is supported, in part, by the New Mexico Community Foundation, Thaw Charitable Trust, Thornburg Charitable Foundation and an anonymous donor.

Jim Ledyard

New Mexico School for the Arts [NMSA], a public, statewide, residential charter high school dedicated to artistic and academic excellence, has selected a new Head of School. Jim Ledyard assumed the Head of School on August 5.

Dr. Jim Ledyard is a veteran educator whose career has spanned high school and college teaching, secondary school leadership, and university administration. He has been head of three independent schools, most recently Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, NC, where he served for eleven years. Ravenscroft is noted for its exceptional programs in the fine and performing arts which flourished under Ledyard’s guidance. His teaching has focused on literature for the theater, with a specialty in Shakespeare. Ledyard has considerable experience as a board member of various arts-related organizations including a charter school in Washington, D.C., and a program located in Spoleto, Italy, for high school students skilled in the performing or visual arts. He studied at Princeton (AB), Stanford (MA) and Claremont Graduate University (PhD).

“The New Mexico School for the Arts will be a substantial and exciting addition to the educational landscape of the state. I am honored to be its leader. I am also extremely impressed by the long line of volunteers, Board members, legislators, arts activists, foundations and corporations whose vision and generosity have brought us this far. Planning is proceeding on all fronts, and we will be making announcements very soon on significant developments in campus location, audition procedures, curriculum and staffing.”

Sherry Thompson, Chair of the New Mexico School for the Arts Governing Board states: “We are fortunate to have Jim Ledyard taking the reigns of the New Mexico School for the Arts. His background and experience in education is exactly what the School needs as we move forward in our planning year.”

The following individuals are available for interviews:

• Sherry Thompson, Chair, Governing Board: 505 982-7023
• Catherine Oppenheimer, Vice Chair Governing Board: 505 603-2900
• Jim Ledyard, Head of School: 505 310-4194

Images: 505 310-4194 or via email at admin@nmschoolforthearts.org.