Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in Elizabeth, New Jersey in Union County in the United States, specializing in the visual, performing, and media arts. Located in

historic Midtown The Midtown Historic District in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. It is roughly contiguous with what the Midtown Alliance organization calls the "Midtown Neig ...

, the school serves students in

ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

s as part of the Elizabeth Public Schools. Located across the street from Elizabeth's City Hall and the monuments of Winfield Scott Park, and Martin Luther King Jr monument, Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy is the oldest building of all the Elizabeth Public Schools high school academies. Jefferson Arts was first built in 1928 as an all-boys high school and named for the primary author of the Declaration of Independence and third president of the United States. In 1977, the former Thomas Jefferson High School (for boys) merged with the newly constructed Elizabeth High School main complex; the school was renamed Thomas Jefferson House of Elizabeth High School. The school is now a high school academy and the center for the district's visual and performing arts programs. The school has been accredited by the

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Middle States Association or MSA) was a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association that performed peer evaluation and regional educational accreditation, accreditation of public and priva ...

Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 2013.Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy

Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed February 8, 2018. As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,062 students and 87.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 12.2:1. There were 577 students (54.3% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 80 (7.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

. Accessed December 1, 2022.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was named a Model School in the Arts by the New Jersey Arts Education Partnership in 2013. During the spring of 2014, the school was awarded the Healthy Schools Silver Award by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation Healthy Schools Program. Additionally, Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy students have been nominated and received awards in numerous, local and regional competitions including: *

Music in the Parks {{Unreferenced, date=August 2020 Music in the Parks is a day-long or two-day festival for student choral, orchestral, and band ensembles, held annually across the United States. Music groups perform before adjudicators who rate the ensemble in the ...

* Montclair State University's Theatre Night Awards * Paper Mill Playhouse's Rising Star Awards * College of New Jersey's K-12 Student Art Exhibition *

SkillsUSA SkillsUSA is a United States career and technical student organization serving more than 395,000 high school, college and middle school students and professional members enrolled in training programs in trade, technical and skilled service occu ...

The school was the 321st-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in ''

New Jersey Monthly ''New Jersey Monthly'' is an American monthly magazine featuring issues of possible interest to residents of New Jersey. The magazine was started in 1976. It is based in Morristown. In addition to articles of general interest, the publication fe ...

'' magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 328th in the state of 328 schools in 2012. The 2016 ''High School Challenge Index'' published by

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

, a continuation of high-school rankings formerly published in

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

, identified Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy as the 46th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 statewide; the school was ranked No. 1157 nationally.

Curriculum

Students enrolled in the Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy complete both a college preparatory academic curriculum, as well as a studio program in the visual, performing or media arts. The school's curriculum is geared toward preparing students for postsecondary education and developing their creative talents. The school's academic program includes: * Four years of coursework in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

, social studies, and physical education/health * Two to four years of study in foreign languages including Spanish,

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, Italian, or Portuguese * Additional coursework in career readiness * Preparation for state-required high school exit exams * Honors and

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

classes offered to all interested students Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy's Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is a college-readiness system designed to increase the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges. Specially designed for students who may need academic support or who may be the first in their families to attend college, students in the AVID program participate in a daily elective course that offers academic support and college preparation. AVID students also engage in regular tutorials, college preparation sessions and trips, career readiness experiences, and other activities to support their academic and personal growth. Participation in the AVID program is by application only. Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy offers five studio programs in the arts. These include: * Audio and Visual Media. The A/V Media program offers preparation in audio and video editing, programming, and production techniques. Students have the opportunity to study in both a graphic print shop, as well as in the Jefferson Arts Television Studio. * Creative Writing. The Creative Writing program offers young authors a rich curriculum to support their creative talents. Students study various writing genres and have opportunities to publish through in- school and out-of-school publications. *

Performing Arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

. The Performing Arts program offers preparation in instrumental music, vocal music, and dance. Performers may participate in several concert band, orchestra, string, and jazz ensembles, while receiving instruction in music theory, composition, and improvisation. Live performances are an important focus of this program. *

Theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

. The Theater program offers preparation in live performance, technical theater, stage movement, principles of scenic design, children's theater, costume structure and design, and make-up. Live performances are an important focus of this program. *

Visual Arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...

. The Visual Arts program prepares young artists for advanced study in drawing, painting, computer graphics, commercial art, and sculpture. Students have multiple opportunities over the course of each school year to exhibit their work in school and throughout the community.

Graduation requirements

Graduation requirements for students at Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy include: * Successful completion of 140 credit hours of coursework * Successful completion of 60 hours of community service (with 25 hours to be completed in a student's senior year) * Successful completion of New Jersey statewide assessment graduation requirements The Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy website offers more details about graduation requirements and course sequence.

Admissions

Each studio program at Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy requires an audition and entry

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

. Requirements include the following: Audio and Visual Media. Students create a short video explaining why they wish to study media and television production. This video may be submitted by mini-DV tape, DVD, or uploaded electronically by directions explained at the audition. All videos must be labeled clearly with full name, ID number, and present school. Genuine interest and creativity should be highlights of this video. Cameras are available at audition sessions for those who wish to create a video on-site. Creative Writing. Students prepare a portfolio that includes three poems, one work of fiction and a reflection page. The poems should be of substantial length (at least 15 lines). The work of fiction may be a first draft, but must be of considerable ambition or length (at least 400-500 words). The reflection is an overall response on students' goals, current works in progress, and previous literary and writing experiences.

Performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

. After an interview, students select an audition focus: * ''

Dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

'': Students take a mini-ballet/ modern combination class and perform a five minute solo dance. Students are asked to wear attire which includes (but is not limited to) leotard and tights, black tank and jazz style pants, or black shorts (no baggy clothes). Students are also asked to bring musical accompaniment. * ''

Instrumental Music An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

'': Students prepare a piece to be played from memory or sheet music, play any major and minor scale (up to 4 flats and 4 sharps) on the instrument, and play a variety of chords. Students also sight read a simple melodic piece which will be provided at the time of audition. * ''

Vocal Music Vocal music is a type of singing performed by one or more singers, either with musical instruments, instrumental accompaniment, or without instrumental accompaniment (a cappella), in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which ...

'': Students prepare a song (no more than one minute)

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

(without instrumental accompaniment) and sing several scales while a teacher plays the scales on the piano.

. Students perform a one- to three-minute memorized

monologue In theatre, a monologue (from el, μονόλογος, from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes a ...

(i.e. a speech made by one person portraying a character and directed at the audience; the performer may pretend that the audience is the other character). Monologues may be dramatic or comedic. The audition focuses on how well the performer portrays a character while delivering the monologue. Students are asked to refrain from dressing in costume or bringing props for auditions.

Visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...

. Students submit a portfolio of original artwork including at least five pieces that show evidence of visual experience and demonstration of artistic strengths and talents, including the capacity for learning different media. Portfolio pieces and sketch books should display a student's abilities with use of color, composition, two-dimensional and three-dimensional concepts, creativity, tone, and presentation. They may be original or representational drawings from life demonstrating ability for entry into

Drawing Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayons, ...

Painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

Photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

Sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, Creative Crafts, and

Graphic Design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art whose activity consists in projecting visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdiscipli ...

concentrations.

Athletics

Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy students participate in sports that represent all Elizabeth high school academies under the banner of the Elizabeth Minutemen.Elizabeth High School

New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports. State championsh ...

. Accessed October 20, 2020. Elizabeth athletic teams compete in the

Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference The Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (UCIAC) is a New Jersey high school sports association operating under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). The league consists of 26 public an ...

, a high school sports association that operates under the jurisdiction of the

(NJSIAA). With 5,049 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 students in that grade range.NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020

. Accessed November 20, 2020.

Theatrical productions

Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy's theatrical productions have included: * '' The Hot Mikado'' (2010) * '' Once on This Island'' (2011) * Elton John and Tim Rice's ''Aida'' (2012) * '' Beauty and the Beast'' (2012; with Victor Mravlag School No. 21 and William F. Halloran School No. 22) * ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'' (2012) * '' Pippin'' (2013) * ''

Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history. According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...

'' (2013; with Victor Mravlag School No. 21 and William F. Halloran School No. 22) * ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' (2013) * ''

Working Working may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community Arts and media * Working (musical), ''Working'' (musical), a 1978 musical * Working (TV series), ''Working'' (TV s ...

'' (2014) * ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...

'' (2014; with William F. Halloran School No. 22) * '' You Can't Take It with You'' (2014) * '' Bring It On: The Musical'' (2015) * ''

Yerma ''Yerma'' is a play by the Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. It was written in 1934 and first performed that same year. García Lorca describes the play as "a tragic poem." The play tells the story of a childless woman living in rural S ...

'' (2015) * '' Shrek the Musical'' (2015; with William F. Halloran School No. 22) * ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...

'' (2016) * '' Oscar and Felix'' (2016) * '' The Little Mermaid'' (2016; with William F. Halloran School No. 22) * '' Elf: The Musical'' (2016; with William F. Halloran School No. 22) * '' In the Heights'' (2017) * ''

Mother Courage and her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical ...

'' (2017) * ''

Thoroughly Modern Millie ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' is a 1967 American musical-romantic comedy film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Julie Andrews. The screenplay, by Richard Morris based on the 1956 British musical ''Chrysanthemum'', follows a naïve young ...

'' (2017; with William F. Halloran School No. 22) * '' Memphis'' (2018) * '' Godspell'' (2018; with the Elizabeth Theatre Company) * '' The Laramie Project'' (2018) * ''

Evita Evita may refer to: Arts * Evita (1996 film), ''Evita'' (1996 film), a 1996 American musical drama film based on the 1976 concept album of the same name * Evita (2008 film), ''Evita'' (2008 film), a documentary about Eva Péron * Evita (album), ''E ...

'' (2019) * '' Tartuffe'' (2019) * ''

Singin' in the Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell and Cyd Charis ...

'' (2019; with William F. Halloran School No. 22) * ''Fame: The Musical'' (2022) * We Tell the Story: 10 Year Anniversary Retrospective (2020) NOTE: Public performances cancelled due to COVID-19

Administration

The school's principal is Mona Wanis. Her core administration team includes three vice principals.Contact Us
Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy. Accessed March 3, 2023.

External links

School website

References

{{Authority control 1928 establishments in New Jersey Education in Elizabeth, New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1928 Public high schools in Union County, New Jersey