SF City Council Approves St. Kate’s Resolution

With little fanfare, the Santa Fe City Council agreed on Wednesday to move forward with a plan for the city to potentially buy the old St. Catherine’s Indian School campus and lease it to the New Mexico School for the Arts.

The council passed the resolution on its consent agenda along with several other items. Councilors later discussed the city’s “status of communications” with the property’s owner, New Mexico Consolidated Construction, in an executive session barred to the public.

A recent appraisal paid for by the School for the Arts has pegged at $1.9 million the 10.7 acres the city would acquire.

City Manager Robert Romero has previously said the city is bound, with some leeway, to pay the appraised price.

But Coss said Wednesday that New Mexico Consolidated Construction, owned by businessman Max Tafoya, has told the city it won’t accept a $1.9 million sale and disputes the appraisal.

An attorney for New Mexico Consolidated Construction said in September the property is on the market for $8.6 million, although that includes several additional acres the federal government is interested in acquiring for expansion of the nearby Santa Fe National Cemetery.

A detailed financial discussion is scheduled for the city’s next Finance Committee meeting on Monday.

New Mexico Consolidated Construction bought the campus several years ago from the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, who closed the school in the late 1990s. The historic school dates back to the 1880s.

In 2006, the City Council designated 13 of St. Catherine’s 19 structures as city landmarks. The buildings had been named to the State Register of Cultural Properties in 2001.

You may have seen in the January 12, 2012 edition of the New Mexican that the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) has released their new grading system for Santa Fe Public Schools. New Mexico School for the Arts (NMSA) received a grade C. We have contested this ranking.

Under the new A-F Grading System, New Mexico schools are rated on 6 different factors.  In the category of Graduation Rate, NMSA was given a D. Since NMSA has only been in operation for a year and a half and will not graduate its first senior class until June 2012, we do not yet have any data on graduation rates, so PED took the score from the Santa Fe Public Schools data from the last 3 years.  In the area of Career and College Readiness, PED overlooked NMSA’s Career and College Indicator data of ACT, Explore, Plan, PSAT, SAT, ACT, and AP scores that was submitted and therefore ranked the school an F.

NMSA has filed an appeal with the PED to augment these two areas of assessment so that NMSA receives a fair grade under the new ranking.  The purpose of the A-F School Grading System is to measure growth, but the system does not account for a new school such as ours.

Do contact us if you have questions or would like additional information about the rigorous academic curriculum we provide at New Mexico School for the Arts.   Please remember the school’s 2011 designation of AYP, or Adequate Yearly Progress, honoring NMSA for achieving a 95% participation rate on state assessments for proficiency in math and reading.

Thanks again for your continued support,

Cindy Montoya, Principal, NMSA – Charter School

and

Adelma Hnasko, Executive Director, NMSA- Art Institute

PDF of State Grading Report

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.

 ____________________________________________________________________________

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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Artists on the brink: New Mexico School for the Arts marks its first year with performance showcasing charter school’s disciplinary areas – dance, music, theater and visual arts

It’s tough enough to keep an established school running day to day, week to week. But to start one up from scratch and try to make a go of it is a mammoth undertaking.    The New Mexico School for the Arts, located in the former St. Francis Cathedral School in Downtown Santa Fe, is aiming even higher after opening for classes Tuesday. The charter school wants to be a model for the region and even the nation.    Move over, Julliard and New York High School for the Performing Arts!    OK, maybe that’s expecting a little too much. The school isn’t looking for students from around the country, but it is trying for representation from around the state. Some 20 students of the 141 enrolled are taking advantage of the offer of dorm space at the New Mexico School for the Deaf. Not surprisingly, though, Santa Fe students make up about 68 percent of the student body.    And why not? The City Different is widely known for its art scene, whether it be the opera or chamber music festival, the rows of galleries dedicated to the visual arts, a ballet company garnering favorable reviews across the country, or a growing presence of film and theater arts in town. If Laureate’s attempts to further strengthen the arts curriculum at the former College of Santa Fe (now to be known as the Santa Fe University of Art and Design) bear fruit, our hometown might develop a powerful onetwo punch in nurturing budding artists at both the high school and college level.    The New Mexico School for the Arts definitely drew interest, starting with 400 inquiries from students, leading to 275 completed applications and 245 auditions in the spring.    For those who have joined the inaugural classes at the New Mexico School for the Arts, enthusiasm appears to be high — among both students and staff. After all, how many schools greet their students with a song written by a teacher and sung by the faculty? And how many students eagerly audition to be accepted into high school?    “Here we had this little ember of idea that we carried for so many years in our hearts and minds, and it’s become three-dimensional,” said Catherine Oppenheimer, the board’s chairwoman, at the opening assembly Tuesday.    Head of School Jim Ledyard told students that “we set out on this adventure brimming with confidence and enthusiasm.”    Congratulations and best of luck to the school, its students and its teachers. We look forward to what their adventure will produce.

Excitement, anticipation and a little bit of music mingled in the air Tuesday as the New Mexico School for the Arts celebrated its inaugural day of classes.    Parents and other community members joined NMSA staff and students for an assembly to mark the first day at the new statewide, public arts school.    A total of 141 students in the ninth through 11th grades have come to the school’s downtown Santa Fe campus — located at the former St. Francis Cathedral School building — to receive training in their choice of dance, music, theater or visual arts, in addition to the standard coursework needed to obtain a New Mexico diploma.    Those students were welcomed into Tuesday’s assembly with a standing ovation and they left following a faculty performance of a song written for the occasion.

A series of speakers — including Academy Award winner and New Mexico resident Shirley MacLaine — took the stage during the event to honor the students as they begin their new journey.    “This is the first step in the recognition of your talent and your     commitment to your artistic disciplines. I congratulate you on your choices and on your promising future. You are our Olympians,” said New Mexico Cultural Affairs Secretary Stuart Ashman. “Yes, your efforts to date have paid off, but now the work really begins.”    Approximately 245 students auditioned last February to attend NMSA and more than 90 percent who were offered spots accepted them. Though 68 percent of the students hail from Santa Fe, the student population represents all three congressional districts. Approximately 20 students are taking advantage of a residential program that allows them to live on the New Mexico School for the Deaf campus.    MacLaine told the crowd Tuesday that she was reminded of her own experience, leaving her Virginia home for New York at age 16.    “I was trepidatious and a little frightened, but I found myself relying on the artist inside of me,” she said.    MacLaine — who abandoned the stage   in favor of talking to the students upclose — told the teens “never forget who you are” because that self-recognition serves artists well.    “Remember to go inside, and you will be the one who is producing and creating all of the reality around you. That’s what art is,” she said.

Several of Tuesday’s speakers expressed awe that the school had finally become a reality. New Mexico first lady Barbara Richardson said she sometimes doubted this day would come.    “The opening of this school is the culmination of more than six years of hard work and roller-coaster rides for many here today,” she said.    It was a sentiment shared by Catherine Oppenheimer, chair of the school’s governing board.    “Here we had this little ember of idea that we carried for so many years in our hearts and minds and it’s become threedimensional,” she said.    Oppenheimer pointed out that fundraising would always be a part of keeping the school running but said she   didn’t think that would be a problem.    As a public school, NMSA gets state funding that covers the cost of a basic academic education, but Oppenheimer noted that private donations pay for the arts element, including the instruction and materials.    The state gave NMSA $528,000 in onetime startup money since the school didn’t qualify for federal charter school funding because auditions are required for acceptance.

Prior to inviting faculty members onstage to sing “Celebrate the Arts” — a song penned by Roy M. Rogosin, the school’s director of choirs — Head of School Jim Ledyard thanked the students for making the choice to attend NMSA.    “We know since choice translates into motivation, which is passion, that the likelihood of success here is very, very high indeed — your success and the school’s success — so we set out on this adventure brimming with confidence and enthusiasm,” he said.

Link to article online

Santa Fe New Mexican; by Robert Nott; 8-16-10

About 140 teens showed up in a warm, crowded gym Monday to sign up for classes at the new, state-funded New Mexico School for the Arts in downtown Santa Fe.

The school, in the making since 2005, officially starts today with a morning assembly featuring actress Shirley MacLaine and Mayor David Coss as guest speakers, followed by a half-day of classes. Students this year are in grades nine through 11; seniors will be added next year.

Housed in the former St. Francis Cathedral School on the corner of East Alameda Street and Paseo de Peralta, the school is drawing students from around New Mexico, although 68 percent of the initial enrollment comes from the Santa Fe area.

“It’s specifically geared toward anyone who wants to turn art into a career, and that’s what I want to do,” explained 15-year-old Chris Iannucci as she stood near the front of the line to register for theater classes Monday.

Students will study traditional subjects such as math, English and history while focusing on one of four arts-related curriculums: theater, dance, music or visual arts.

The ultimate goal is to prepare students for college and an arts career.

“I’m excited, enthused and energized,” Jim Ledyard, head of school, said as students swirled around him, delivering paperwork to an office or a registration table. “I expect that, for many of these students, this will be the first time they can concentrate in-depth on their art form.”

Ledyard previously worked 11 years as head of the independent Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, N.C. He and his arts chair directors — Joey Chavez (theater) Adam McKinney (dance), Ben Klemme (music) and Cristina González (visual arts) — joined other teachers and staff — about 25 in all — in welcoming and signing in students Monday morning.

Though a few students and parents complained of the heat in the cramped gym, the mood was otherwise upbeat, with teens eagerly greeting familiar faces and parents — more moms than dads, it seemed — beaming with pride.

“I’m very pleased,” Nina Simmons said of her daughter, Taos resident Maggie Carson. “It’s a privilege for her to be going here.”

Carson — whose brightly colored hair and clothes suggested a moving work of art, which is fitting given she’s studying visual arts at the school — said, “It’s going to be amazing to be totally immersed in art.”

Another mom, Polly Montoya of Santa Fe, said the school is bound to be a good fit for her 16-year-old son, David James Dean III (she’s a big fan of the late actor James Dean).

“He was a real rambunctious kid,” she said of her son as he filled out paperwork. “Down in Albuquerque, I got him a $20 guitar. I put it in his hands and he taught himself how to play. This is his passion; this school can jump-start his career. I think he is destined to do great things.”

Chance Willey (his parents got married in Las Vegas, Nev., it was explained), 15, is taking the theater program at New Mexico School for the Arts. He said he’d been acting since he was 5 years old, and this school “seemed like the logical thing to do now.”

Roy Rogosin, director of the school’s choir, was manning the literature table in the gym, filling in for an English teacher who had stepped away.

“This is very exciting stuff,” he said as students collected textbooks. “I wish I were on the other side of this table. This is the sort of place that young art students dream of — and if they don’t dream of it, they should!”

The institute is the first residential charter school in the state, and tuition is free, though some students may pay boarding costs on a sliding scale. Unlike most such schools, admission is not by lottery, but by audition. About 250 students auditioned last March for the school.

Roughly 20 students will board at Cartwright Hall on the New Mexico School for the Deaf campus while another 20 or so will commute daily from nearby communities, including Española, Las Vegas, N.M., and Albuquerque.

The school’s annual budget is about $2 million, which is supported by legislative startup funds of $525,000 as well as private and corporate donations. Catherine Oppenheimer, one of the founding committee members of the school and the founding artistic director of the National Dance Institute of New Mexico, said the board will be very busy raising funds to grow it into a model school for the state and country.

“I think there’s a tremendous amount of energy and hope and excitement behind the school now,” she said. “This state has such a unique cultural heritage and arts history — this makes so much sense. Why shouldn’t we be nurturing, developing and growing our own artists, and why should access to that kind of education be given only to students who can afford it privately? New Mexico can do this.”

The school has a four-year lease at the downtown site, with an option to extend an additional year, but both Ledyard and Oppenheimer said it will have to find or build its own campus by that time to fulfill all of its potential.

Ledyard said the school will probably add another 75 students next year, moving toward its eventual cap of 300 pupils.

According to Adelma Hnasko, director of admissions for the school, the admission process for the 2011/2012 school year will begin in September. Details can be found on the school’s website, www.nmschoolforthearts.org.

Click here for link to full article by Robert Nott

Robert Nott / The New Mexican

There was a time when Joey Chavez thought he might be an architect. And another long period of time where he pursued acting. And once — long ago — he wrote on a college admissions document that he’d like to be a drama teacher at a university.

All those dreams came in handy as he ran Santa Fe High School’s drama department for 15 years. He started in 1995, and he’ll finish this spring. In August, he’ll move over to the new charter school, New Mexico School for the Arts, to become the theater department chairman.

In the interim, he’s working feverishly to get Urinetown into shape. The cult musical satire by Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis — set in a future society so beset by drought that people have to pay for the right to pee — marks Chavez’s last spring musical at the school. It opens at 8 p.m. tonight and runs two more weekends at Santa Fe High.

Speaking in between musical numbers during a recent rehearsal, Chavez said he estimates he’s directed 150 shows over the past 10 years. The first was David Ives’ collection of short plays called All in the Timing. The last show will be in late May, when Chavez mounts Stress and Coffee, the school’s annual “let’s put on a show in 24 hours!” theater fest. He’ll be leaving the campus after graduation on June 4. The district is currently looking for a replacement for Chavez.

“It was the toughest choice I’ve made since the choice to leave New York in the summer of 1995,” Chavez said of his decision to accept the New Mexico School for the Arts job back in December. “The mission of the school — in my mind — is to build a world-class program focusing on the arts. I want to be part of that.”

To read more click here.