Savannah Arts Academy

so the bottom line is most theater productions are only for theater majors, as the (european?) student says below. if your child is only interested in one branch of the arts, saa is a great choice. it will give her an excellent education both artistically and academically. however, if your child excels in more than one art form look for a school more welcoming of multi-talented students, for example savannah country day. or like the europhile student suggests, savannah childrens theater encourages children to excel in multiple interests.
--Submitted by a parent

First of all, Savannah Arts is a fantastic school. Here's why: Everyone gets into the school on merit. This means the students here are great: talented, focused and fun. The teachers are excellent, and they don't have to deal with discipline problems, so they can really teach. Plus, because the school draws from the whole county, not just one district, if you move within the county it's not at all a problem, which is outstanding. It's true that there are shows that only theatre majors can audition for. So far this year, we've had auditions for "Dearly Departed", "Radio Show", and "Beauty". Only theatre majors could audition for the first two. So, two out of three. I don't see what the big deal is though. Dance, music, whatever, majors aren't theatre majors, so why should they audition for theatre shows? In Europe students are pretty committed to a major by the time they're 16. What is with Americans? I've wanted to be an actor since I was a little kid. If your grand daughter really wants more theatre, she could do SCT ensemble. I've got friends there and they're great too. Or she could change major.
--Submitted by a student

The information from a parent concerning pigeon-holing students at Savanah Arts is untrue and gives incorrect information. Students of all majors are encouraged to audition for major productions such as this year's musical production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. There is a difference between auditioning for a production and not being cast and not being allowed to aution at all.
--Submitted by a teacher

Savannah Arts has superb academics and passionate teachers in each of the arts majors. People should be warned, however, that Savannah Arts Academy doesn't want multitalented kids. My granddaughter is a dance major, but she also loves acting. They won't even let her try out for most plays because she's the "wrong" major. You'd think Savannah Arts Academy would want to grow their students, but they just want to pigeon-hole them.
--Submitted by a parent

Many teachers will not tolerate ideas that challenge their personal opinion, and many of the teachers' opinions are liberal. Suggested reading material for one class was a book written by MSNBC host Chris Matthews. No book written by those with opposing viewpoints was in the required reading. My son was in an AP class, had a perfect 100 average, participated in several extracurricular activities related to the class;, no one had as high an average, but he still did not receive the award in that class, probably because of his conservative convictions. He was not the only student to come across this attitude.
--Submitted by a parent

I am honored to work with the students and faculty at Savannah Arts Academy. There is no place like it. It amazes me to see the talent in these students and a pleasure to see them grow and thrive in academics, arts, and athletics. A little known fact about SAA is that we are a force in the athletic realm as well as our other successes! By the way, last week we received the Govenor's Cup for AAAAA schools for SAT scores for the second year in a row!
--Submitted by a teacher

I am proud to teach the talented students of SAA.
--Submitted by a teacher

I go to SAA and I love it! It's a great environment, and is filled with wonderful people. I lam learning more then I ever did at private school, and have teachers who are glad to help me and accomodate my needs. I highly reccomend SAA to anyone interested in the arts and has a passion for learning!
--Submitted by a student

This is my child's first year at SAA after transferring from another public high school. At her old school, she did well academically but struggled with being 'just another number'. SAA's smaller class sizes, emphasis on the arts, and high academic standards suit her to a T. She loves the diversity of the students and doesn't miss the typical high school cliques. The only thing she doesn't love are the uniforms, which were introduced a couple of years ago. Other than that, she has nothing but positive things to say about SAA.
--Submitted by a parent

After having children in private school for over a decade and arriving at savannah arts, i have to ask myself what were we thinking? The academics here are superior to private school. The focus on arts definitely superior. These are some of the best and the brightest students at this school and i am happy that my child has the opportunity to go to this school. I also love that this was my high school and my parent's high school when it was savannah high. The teachers encourage excellence, they encourage diversity and we absolutely have no reservations about this school. Savannah arts is what all schools should be.
--Submitted by a parent