Houston's high school for the arts - High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

Dance Magazine, August, 1998 by Sondra Lomax

"One of the best things here is that there is no crime. There are no locks on lockers. I can leave my backpack, go get something to eat, and everything will still be there later," marvels the seventeen-year-old Walter.

HSPVA's legacy as the first major American inner-city school to peacefully integrate has helped curb criticism about public funding for arts education and myths about racial stereotyping.

"We believe strongly in the positive value of diversity," says HSPVA counselor Lisa Pearson. "We recruit from all district middle schools and have a healthy mix, both ethnically and economically." Statistics show the school's ethnic breakdown as 54 percent Caucasian, 24 percent African American, 17 percent Hispanic, and 5 percent Asian.

Students excel academically, taking honors and advanced placement programs, and HSPVA ranks consistently among the district's top three academic performers. The school has received the Rockefeller Foundation Award for Excellence in Arts Education and the Governor's Award for Exemplary Performance. Ninety-nine percent of HSPVA students graduate, and most are accepted into top-ranking colleges and conservatories.

"Students talented in the arts are also talented academically," Pearson says. "They tend to be disciplined and focused."

"Our dance students are often excellent scholars," reiterates Carter. She points out that HSPVA has produced more Presidential Scholars than any other arts school: four Presidential Scholars in dance and twenty-three finalists in the past seventeen years. Presidential Scholars are selected by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts-Arts Recognition and Talent Search.

"When I realized dancing was what f wanted to do, I auditioned for HSPVA," says Jocelyn Thomas. "I had never experienced so many styles before, and being here has really changed what I want to do professionally. The teachers here are very devoted; they really want you to do your best. One of the best things is that you can learn about other arts areas such as music, orchestra, visual arts, theater. It's very different here from regular high school or just studying at a dance studio."

Faculty members have also been recognized nationally. Carter received the Distinguished Teacher in the Arts award in 1994 from the White House Commission for Presidential Scholars, and was named Outstanding Dance Educator by the National Dance Association in 1991. Her predecessor, Mary Martha Lappe, founder of the HSPVA dance department, received the 1994 National Distinguished Teacher in the Arts award.

Despite the honors, HSPVA's administration takes nothing for granted. Neither do the students. Dancers know that each morning they have to be at the barre, correctly dressed in leotard and tights, ready to work. When you're a dancer, there's never time to rest on your laurels.

"I auditioned for HSPVA so that I could get more ballet training," bubbles Monica Hatter-Mayes, a sixteen-year-old tenth grader. "The extracurricular stuff is great, like the musicals, the Hispanic Heritage Play, and the Black History Month plays. What I like best is the people here--all artsy kids, of course, but a big mix of types from conservative to totally pierced. It's great!"