Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences

Last updated
Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences
Location
Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences
1202 W Easton

Tulsa
,
Oklahoma
74127

United States
Information
Type Charter
MottoTSAS is HOME
Established2001
DirectorDr. Liesa Smith
PrincipalDr. Dan Hahn
Mascot Phoenix
Information(918) 828-7727
Grades6-12
Website http://tsas.org/
TSAS Building during Serenade Night in May 2021 TSAS Building during Serenade Night in May of 2021.jpeg
TSAS Building during Serenade Night in May 2021

The Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences, also known as "TSAS", is a public charter school founded in 2001, serving grades 6-12 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Enrollment is approximately 525 students, and as a public charter school, accepts only students who reside within Tulsa Public Schools boundaries, when there are more applicants than can be accepted, a random lottery open to the public determines new pupils. [1] TSAS was selected as a 2015 Blue Ribbon School.

Contents

History

TSAS was founded in 2001 as the city's first charter high school by Darla Coghill, Suzanne Lee, Linda Joyce Stromblad, and J. Evelyn Williamson. The group of educators primarily from Tulsa's Memorial High School, wanted to provide a college preparatory curriculum mixing liberal arts with sciences and mathematics.

In the fall of 2011, Dr. Liesa Smith, a former TSAS English teacher, became the TSAS principal with former TSAS teacher and principal Eric Doss becoming the executive director. In the fall of 2017, Doss was replaced as executive director by Dr. Ellen McCoy.

In the spring of 2022, McCoy announced she would be relocating to Washington D.C. and the TSAS board replaced her with Jonathan Townsend as the new Executive Director for the 2022-2023 school year. In April of 2024, Townsend announced he would be resigning for professional reasons.

The board then initiated an organizational chart overhaul that saw the Executive Director role phased out. The high school principal, Dr. Liesa Smith was promoted to Head of School (a new title) and the middle school principal, Dr. Dan Hahn assumed the principal role for grades 6-12. This shift also saw the establishment of a Faculty Council of democratically elected teachers and support staff to serve as a reporting, sense-making, and decision-making entity.

An additional support staffer, Student Success Coordinator, was also developed out of the org chart adjustment. All these changes were conceived and developed during the spring of 2024 and implemented with board approval in the fall of 2024.

Academics and Extracurriculars

The curriculum at TSAS is challenging and differentiated. High school students are all part of one of four “houses” which are diverse, equally rigorous graduation plans based on student and family preference and future goals. In all houses, Advanced Placement classes, internships, community service, and concurrent enrollment are emphasized, and graduation requirements exceed the state's requirements.

In addition to the core curriculum in houses, TSAS offers an extensive catalog of elective courses such as visual art, printmaking, gardening, modern band, rock band, women and gender studies, culinary arts, quiz bowl, yoga, cycling, musical theatre, speech, debate, drama, film studies, zine journalism, cross country, darkroom photography, and extensive social/emotional support as well as an emphasis on innovation and disruption of educational inequity. The school year is divided into trimesters, and students take only five 70-minute classes per session. [2]

TSAS competes locally, at the state level, and nationally in Speech and Debate. This was a program started by teacher Jennifer Hughes and continued by teachers Kate Hughes and Rani Spindle. This is TSAS's most competitive extra-curricular activity. The 2023-2024 school year saw the addition of Academic Bowl as a competition activity coached by MacKenzie Lance-Jones and Rani Spindle.

TSAS was traditionally highly competitive in Jazz Band across the state under the director of program founder Eric Doss which was carried on by Zachary Roddy. The leadership of subsequent directors saw the program wane and the COVID-19 pandemic effectively ended competitive jazz at TSAS. In the fall of 2024, under the directorship of TSAS alumnus, Clinton Beeler, the jazz program was revived to begin performing and competing again in the spring of 2024.

From 2014-2021 TSAS competed in Cross Country and other assorted track and field events. These efforts ended during the COVID-19 pandemic. TSAS briefly competed in basketball and soccer and ended those programs due to low student interest in sports. The fall of 2024 saw the first ever TSAS volleyball team form and begin practicing and competing under coaches Felix Blesch and Cricket Moore. They played their first match on September 10th.

Location

TSAS's founding location was in the Park Place office complex at 51st and Yale Avenue due north of LaFortune Park and due west of the YMCA. TSAS engineered a building move in 2012, to the former Barnard Elementary School building located at 2324 East 17th Street. Throughout the summer of 2012, staff and volunteers helped clean and revamp the old building. School started August 15, 2012. On the morning of September 5, 2012, three weeks after school began, firefighters were called to the building. The building and nearly all of its contents were destroyed by fire. Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Keith Ballard made the decision to offer TSAS the former Sequoyah Elementary building located at 3441 E. Archer St. [3]

In 2016, TSAS made a final move to the Roosevelt building located at 1202 W Easton in Tulsa, OK. As stated on their website, "The additional space will allow the school to not only install many of the amenities lost in the fire, but to add 7th and later 6th and 8th grades to the school, expanding our legacy of quality schools to younger students." [4]

TSAS Middle School

Along with the high school portion of the school, as of 2016 TSAS expanded to include a new 7th grade class that became the 8th grade class in the following year. [5] Middle school students are automatically admitted to TSAS High School without going through the lottery acceptance process again. Any siblings of students already accepted in either the Middle School or High School will have the option of entering TSAS without going through the lottery.

In August of 2016, Eric Doss remained executive director of the school with Dan Hahn stepping into the role of Middle Grades Principal. [6] In the fall of 2020, under the leadership of Dr. Ellen McCoy (who became the executive director in 2017), TSAS added 6th grade and increased enrollment to 525 students grades 6-12. [7]

Related Research Articles

The Beaverton School District is a school district in and around Beaverton, Oregon, United States. It serves students throughout Beaverton, Hillsboro, Aloha, and unincorporated neighborhoods of Portland, OR. The Beaverton Elementary School District 48 was established in 1876, with other elementary districts later merged into the district. The elementary district was later merged with the high school district (10J) to create a unified school district. It is the third-largest school district in the state, with an enrollment of 39,180 students as of 2022. For the 2022–2023 school year, the district had a total budget of $622.8 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arcadia University</span> University in Glenside, Pennsylvania, US

Arcadia University is a private university in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, with a Glenside mailing address. The university enrolls approximately 3,200 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students. The 94-acre Glenside campus features Grey Towers Castle, a National Historic Landmark; the university also includes a campus in Christiana, Delaware, as well as several centers around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princeton Charter School</span> School in New Jersey

The Princeton Charter School (PCS) is a K-8 Charter school in Princeton, New Jersey. Admission to the school is by lottery, available to all residents of the town, and free of charge. The school was founded in 1997, following the passage, by the New Jersey Legislature, of the Charter School Program Act of 1995. From the original class of 72, the school has grown to around 400 students. Students from the school go on to Princeton High School or one of several private schools in and around Princeton. The Charter School is a top academic performer statewide, especially in standardized testing, with 91% of students proficient in math and 92% of students proficient in reading. In 2019, the school was ranked as having the best teachers in the state by Niche.com. The main focus of Princeton Charter School's academics is on "core academic skills", with an emphasis on English and mathematics, which meet daily for one hour, while classes such as history and science meet daily for 45 minutes. A silent reading period is built into the schedule for students to receive individual help, as well as three recess period for all grades.

The Knowledge is Power Program, commonly known as KIPP, is a network of free open-enrollment college-preparatory public charter schools in low income communities throughout the United States. As of 2009, KIPP is North America's largest network of public charter schools. The head offices are in San Francisco, Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Community School (Kirkland, Washington)</span> Public choice school in the United States

International Community School (ICS) is a small 6-12th grade public school in the Lake Washington School District of Washington State. It has about 60 students per grade with the exception of 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th, which have an average of 40 students per grade. It is part of a series of schools founded by Dr. Bruce Saari. "International" in the school's name reflects an international focus in curriculum, and it is not an international school in the usual sense.

Bronx Preparatory Charter School is a public middle and high school in the South Bronx. Comprising students in grades 5-12, Bronx Prep graduated its first class of seniors in June 2007. The school is located in a modern facility designed and constructed by GLUCK+ Architects specifically for Bronx Prep at 3872 Third Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakland School for the Arts</span> Public charter school in Oakland, California, United States

Oakland School for the Arts (OSA) is a visual and performing arts charter school in Oakland, California, United States. OSA opened in 2002 with a curriculum that integrated college preparatory academics with conservatory-style arts training. As of 2017, enrollment was 725 students in grades 6 through 12. It is a member of the Arts Schools Network and the National Association for College Admission Counseling. In 2009, OSA was named a California Distinguished School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Vanguard School (Colorado)</span> Public charter school in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States

The Vanguard School (TVS) is a public charter school in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. Founded as the Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy (CMCA) in 1995, it is chartered with the Harrison School District 2. Originally founded as a K–6 charter school, the school expanded to a K–12 school by 2006, and it graduated its first class of seniors in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Willow School (Louisiana)</span> Public charter school

Willow School, formerly Lusher Charter School, is a K-12 charter school in uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, in the university area. Willow is chartered by Advocates for Arts Based Education (AABE), which acts as the board for the entire school. Willow School has three uptown campuses; the lower school program is housed at the Dr. Everett J. Williams, Jr. Campus, the middle school is at the Ellis L. Marsalis, Jr. Campus, and the high school is at the Elijah Brimmer, Jr. Campus on Freret Street. A temporary campus was housed at the Jewish Community Center on St. Charles Avenue.

Eugene School District (4J) is a public school district in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is one of two school districts that serve the city of Eugene.

Dr. Charles E. Brimm Medical Arts High School is a four-year magnet public high school with a "break the mold" vision focused directly on medicine, dentistry, nursing, allied health professions and other ancillary health care areas. This school serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Camden in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, as part of the Camden City Public Schools. The school opened in 1994 with a freshman class of 60 students. It was the first magnet school in that city.

The Avon School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Avon-by-the-Sea, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

American Indian Public Charter School or AIPCS is an Oakland, California charter middle school with predominantly low-income, minority students. It opened in 1996 and struggled over the next few years until a turnaround after 2000 brought up enrollment numbers and test scores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Indian Model Schools</span> American charter school system

American Indian Model Schools is a charter school system based in Oakland, California. Started with the American Indian Public Charter School (AIPCS), a middle school in the late 1990s to serve Native American students, in 2007 it expanded to include another middle school and a high school. The main campus is in the Laurel area and includes AIPCS, a middle school for grades 5–8, and American Indian Public High School (AIPHS), a high school (9–12). AIPHS students can also take select classes at Merritt College. American Indian Public Charter School II has grades K–8 at a second campus located in Oakland's Chinatown. By 2012 the student population of the AIM schools had become 90% Asian American.

Bergen Arts and Science Charter School is a public charter school based in Garfield, New Jersey, United States. The school is a part of the North Jersey Arts and Science Charter Schools. The network consists of Bergen-ASCS Elementary in Garfield, Bergen-ASCS Middle High in Hackensack, and Passaic-ASCS Elementary and Building #2 in Passaic.

LEAP Academy University Charter School is a charter school that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grades from Camden, in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school operates under the terms of a charter granted by the New Jersey Department of Education. Founded in 1997, the school is split into three divisions, a K-6 lower school, a 7-12 upper school and a STEM high school for grades 9-12.

Miller-McCoy Academy for Mathematics and Business (MMA) was an all-boys' charter secondary school in New Orleans East, New Orleans, Louisiana. Miller-McCoy, at the time the only public all boys' school in New Orleans, was named after scientists Kelly Miller and Elijah McCoy. The school was modeled after St. Augustine High School, an all boys' Catholic school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infinity Institute</span> High school in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States

Infinity Institute is a public middle school / high school located in the Greenville section of Jersey City, in Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in sixth through twelfth grades as part of the Jersey City Public Schools. While it is a public school, students do have to apply for entrance. Applications must have multiple letters of recommendation, as well as impressive grades from the previous academic year. Middle school applicants take the OLSAT while high school applicants take the PSAT Both tests are deemed difficult, so a select few students are accepted annually. Only about fifty applicants are accepted for sixth grade, while only around ten make it into seventh grade annually. Out of all applicants that apply to grades six through twelfth, only about 10% of said applicants are accepted. Due to the schools competitiveness, it consistently ranks in the top 5% in New Jersey academically. The school was established in September 2010 under the Jersey City Board of Education.

MOT Charter School is a charter school in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It was established in 2002 and operates on two campuses. The K-8 Academy is in the city limits of Middletown, while the high school is in an unincorporated area outside of the Middletown city limits, though it has a Middletown postal address.

References

  1. ↑ Sims, Ashli (2011-02-23). "Tulsa Charter School Holds Lottery For New Students". newson6.com. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
  2. ↑ "About – Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences" . Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  3. ↑ Eger, Andrea (2006-08-16). "Tulsa School Board: Magnet schools quotas tossed". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  4. ↑ "Our Story – Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences". tsas.org. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
  5. ↑ "New Building and New Grades – Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences". tsas.org. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
  6. ↑ "Middle School Staff – Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences". tsas.org. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
  7. ↑ "Board of Trustees Meeting Agendas – Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences" . Retrieved 2021-08-31.

    36°09′29″N96°00′19″W / 36.158167°N 96.005329°W / 36.158167; -96.005329

    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.