Penn-Griffin School for Arts

My son, who is completing his junior year, has attended this school since sixth grade. He went having never had a single music lesson and has developed solely under the instruction of the school into a gifted guitarist. The high school offers a strong academic program of honors and AP courses. There are few discipline probelms in the high school as students want to be there and have strong desires to succeed in their chosen discipline. Small class sizes assure that teachers know their students well. There are great opportunities for involvement in student govenrment and clubs. I was reluctant at first to send my child here, but he has loved his time at Penn Griffin and I have become a ture fan of this school.
--Submitted by a parent

I'm a senior in the class of 2010 at PGSA. My class (15 students) will be the first graduating class. I've been here since my 7th grade year. The first thing you need to know about Penn-Griffin is that the middle and high schools are separate. We sometimes do collaborations in our arts, but we are in separate buildings and we have different teachers. The middle schoolers who are districted for PGSA are mostly rambunctious and sometimes out-of control, with exceptions of course. The high school is simply amazing. Admissions include audition, and my classmates are all SO talented! we have few disciplinary problems and outstanding test scores. Our teachers are passionate, our class discussions are insightful, our school spirit is powerful, and it is a great place to learn and make friends. My classmates are my family. I will be so sad to leave my amazing school in June!
--Submitted by a student

This is my son's first year at PGSFTA, and so far I am unimpressed with school organization. He has had three schedules assigned to him in as many weeks, none of which were what he was supposed to be in (art major). We did get him into the Art program, but wonder how the preEOG scores will look, seeing as the kids were going to different classes the first month of school. And yes, the counselor said it was all the grades with schedule problems, not just 7th. They do have new Principal and vice Principals this year, and had several come and go last year, which may be why there is so much confusion this year. PTA is going to become PTSA, and has many dedicated PTA volunteers from other schools, who have built PTAs successfully elsewhere, so that should improve this year.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a parent of a 7th grader attending this school for the second year.Great academics and arts program.But too much unnecessary control almost threatening to the kids over their clothes verses the learning.I let her attend because she wants too,was not my first choice for her.So far she still does well.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a currently a rising 9th Grader at Griffin and I've attended Griffin since 6th grade. In the last couple years our school has changed dramatically for the better. The focus in the arts is outstanding and I am very pleased. The high school program is more dedicated to the arts and our program is progressing.
--Submitted by a student

Penn-Griffin is an awesome school for the arts. My son attended two years there and not only enjoyed it but his grades improved, as well. The music programs are outstanding. However, I was disappointed with the drama department. Lack of stage productions was blamed on lack of student involement and/or poor student behavior. I feel the young people in the drama program were bored and not challenged. Better scheduling of daily activities on the teacher's part is where I, as a parent, saw the fault. Overall, it is a very good school.
--Submitted by a parent

This is my daughters 2nd year attending Griffin & things are not as promised. The teachers spend more time trying to control the kids instead of teaching the kids. My daughter is on her 3rd math teacher as of Nov-04. No notification from anyone letting me know about the teacher leaving until after they decided to re-shuffle the classes. They used a teacher within the school. The holiday dance concert was not acceptable. Way too long & very unorganized. Students created their own dances & most of the dances were very nasty, what you would expect to see on MTV. Teacher should have used better judgement. The 1st year my kids attended the school I volunteered to help w/ several PTA projects but was never called. Not a good school!
--Submitted by a parent

My son has been going there for 1 year and the EOG scores are bad and he says he can't really learn anything because most of the time the teachers are trying to get the class to be quiet. Also there are alot of fights lots of cussing lots of bad kids who jsut don't care. I would not request this school for kids who care and want to learn.
--Submitted by a parent

I was disappointed with the inactive PTA to which both my husband and I paid membership fees. Also, the students' inability to use the locker rooms all year (therefore no true PE activities were conducted and parents were not kept informed as to the progress of maintenance) was disconcerting. The teachers did not display initiative in ensuring parents were made aware of academic concerns in a timely manner. When feedback was given, the constructive comments offered specific examples of challenges the child encountered, but positive comments were very general. Finally, students were not taught accountability in completing work according to assigned due dates for credit. When the students transition to high school, it going to be a challenge. Going into next year, I would recommend the administration take a close look strengthening communication and project management skills across the board.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter has attended Griffin for 2 years now and since she has been there her grades have improved and she is more confident about the work that she does. Overall I am pleased with my daughter being a part of Griffin Middle School.
--Submitted by a parent