The Duke Ellington School of the Arts (established 1974) is a high school located at 35th Street and R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., and dedicated to arts education. One of the high schools of the District of Columbia Public School system, it is named for the American jazz

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1899–1974), himself a native of Washington, D.C. The building formerly housed Western High School. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Graduates of the school are prepared to pursue an artistic and theatric occupation. In addition to completing the traditional public school college prep curriculum, students must audition for and complete studies in one of the following artistic areas:

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 ...

, literary media and communications, museum studies, instrumental music, vocal music, theater, technical design and production, and visual arts. The school developed from the collaborative efforts of Peggy Cooper Cafritz, a long-time member of the D.C. School Board and Mike Malone, a veteran of Broadway,

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

contemporary dancer Contemporary dance is a genre of dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly strong popularity in ...

, director, and master

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

, who were co-founders of Workshops for Careers in the Arts in 1968. In 1974 this workshop program developed into the Duke Ellington School of the Arts at Western High School, an accredited four-year

public high school State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...

program combining arts and academics. It is currently operated as a joint partnership between

D.C. Public Schools The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) is the local public school system for the District of Columbia, in the United States. It is distinct from the District of Columbia Public Charter Schools (DCPCS), which governs public charter s ...

, the Kennedy Center, and George Washington University.

Students and faculty

Ellington currently serves approximately 500 students in grades 9-12. Most students commute in from outside of Ward 2, where the school is situated. The academic faculty is fully credentialed and includes seven Fulbright scholars, various

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

s, and DCPS's only national board certified teacher (NBCT) in young adulthood English/ language arts. Many of the arts faculty are alumni of the school.

Academics

Ranked as one of D.C. Public Schools' top high schools, Ellington's curriculum requires students earn 34% more credits than those at other D.C. public high schools. Students must maintain a minimum grade point average in both academics and the arts to be permitted to perform and, ultimately, to stay enrolled at Ellington. The school has a 99% on-time graduation rate.

Arts

Ellington's mission is to emphasize the arts as much as academics. It offers training in eight disciplines: Dance, Literary Media and Communications, Museum Studies, Instrumental or Vocal Music, Theater, Technical Design and Production, and Visual Arts. In support of their arts program, the school offers master classes taught by accomplished artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Billy Taylor, Lynn Whitfield, and

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...

. The school is recognized for, among other things, its award-winning Duke Ellington Show Choir. Founded by Samuel L. E. Bonds Sr. in 1986, the Choir performs all types of music including Broadway, Gospel, Spirituals, Opera, Jazz, and R&B. Samuel L. E. Bonds Sr., who retired from the school in 2018, studied with Todd Duncan and still teaches private lessons. Students in the Choir are required to continue performing academically, maintaining a minimum grade point average of 3.0. As well as performing as part of an ensemble, they are also allowed to focus on solo work. It performs a holiday show of ''

Amahl and the Night Visitors ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'' is an opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti with an original English libretto by the composer.Menotti, Gian-Carlo: ''Amahl and the Night Visitors (piano-vocal score)'', G. Schirmer, Inc., 1997. It was commission ...

'' yearly.

Application process

In order to be admitted into Ellington, students must complete an admissions application and audition before a panel. Upon passing the audition students take an academic assessment test, and complete a family interview.

Relocation controversy

In January 2010, '' The Washington Post'' reported that the D.C. government was studying a plan to relocate the school to a new site near Union Station. Jack Evans, the D.C. Council member for the school's host ward, advocates the plan as a way to move the school to a more "central" location relative to its student body, as well to allow the current Ellington site to revert to a standard neighborhood school. Opposition from students, parents, alumni, and others has been strong, including online petitions and a Facebook group with over 1,700 members. Shortly after ''The Washington Post'' report, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee announced that the school will not be moved in the near future.

Renovation

In 2017, a three-year renovation of the school was completed. The improvements cost $178.5 million, more than $100 million more than projected. The project became an example of the district's failure to prevent cost overruns.

Notable alumni

Western High School * Ruth Chew, author *

Barbara J. Fields Barbara Jeanne Fields (born 1947 in Charleston, South Carolina) is a professor of American history at Columbia University. Her focus is on the history of the American South, 19th century social history, and the transition to capitalism in the Unit ...

, historian *

Ernest W. Gibson III Ernest Willard Gibson III (September 23, 1927 – May 17, 2020) was an attorney and judge who served as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court. Early life Ernest Willard Gibson III was born in Brattleboro, Vermont on September 23, 19 ...

, Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court *

Solange Hertz Nellie Solange Strong Hertz (née Strong; January 1, 1920 – October 3, 2015) was an American traditionalist Catholic author, who published almost two dozen books on Catholicism, and wrote for notable magazines including The Remnant (newspaper) ...

, Catholic author *

George Van Horn Moseley Jr. George Van Horn Moseley Jr. (January 4, 1905 - December 6, 1976) a United States Army officer who served in World War II, and later served as commandant of cadets at Norwich University. Early life Moseley was born in Fort Sam Houston, Texas on J ...

United States Army officer who served in World War II * Thomas A. Rymer (1925–2016), Maryland state delegate and judge * John Whelchel, United States Navy vice admiral and football coach Duke Ellington School for the Arts *

Dave Chappelle David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for his satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006), which he starred in until quitting in the middle of p ...

, comedian * Michaela Angela Davis, '' Essence'' magazine Executive Fashion & Beauty Editor, writer, author, commentator, and speaker *

Matthew Dickens Matthew Dickens (October 19, 1961 – January 8, 2013) was a writer, producer and director. Early life Matthew Dickens was born in an ambulance on a highway on the outskirts of Nancy, France. Matthew's early training as an actor began at the ...

, actor/singer/dancer and writer/producer/director * Johnny Gill, R&B singer * Denyce Graves, opera singer * Corey Hawkins, Actor, opera singer * Tracy Inman, dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and co-director of The Ailey School * Simbi Khali, actress * Ari Lennox, singer * Meshell Ndegeocello, bassist, singer * Serena Reeder, Actress * Wallace Roney, jazz trumpeter *

Gregory Charles Royal Gregory Charles Royal, also known as Chuck Royal, is an American musician, trombonist, composer, writer, co-founder of '' The BeBop Channel''. founder of the New York Jazz Film Festival, a judge on '' America's Hot Musician''. and the artistic d ...

, jazz trombonist, playwright * Lamman Rucker, actor * Adam Serwer, journalist and author * Tony Terry, singer *

Mary Timony Mary Bozana Timony (born October 17, 1970) is an American independent singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, and violist. She has been a member of the bands Helium, Autoclave and Wild Flag, and currently fronts Ex Hex. Timony's music is oft ...

, musician *

Marja Vallila Marja Vallila (October 20, 1950 – December 23, 2018) was an American artist, painter, ceramicist and sculptor. Biography Marja Vallila was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia to a Finnish father, diplomat Olli Vallila, and a mother of Czech desce ...

, sculptor * Samira Wiley, Actress

References

External links

*
D.C. Public Schools
{{authority control Public high schools in Washington, D.C. Art schools in Washington, D.C. Schools of the performing arts in the United States District of Columbia Public Schools Duke Ellington Educational institutions established in 1974 Neoclassical architecture in Washington, D.C. School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Magnet schools in Washington, D.C.