9:01am | Long Beach has one, and only one, arts high school. But it’s a goodie.
In its eight years of existence — seven as an “arts school” — Renaissance High School for the Arts has enjoyed an impressive run. The city’s only magnet school, Renaissance has been recognized by Newsweek magazine for five years running as among the top five percent of all high schools in the country.
With 22 teachers administering to just more than 500 students, the approximately 1:25 teacher-to-student ratio is a far sight better than what you find at most California high schools. No doubt this has helped Renaissance place 85 percent of its graduating students into college. “We are very serious about academics,” says Principal Mark Zahn.
“We overlap the arts and the academics so it brings meaning to the kids. That overlapping of science and art or history and art makes the subjects more interesting. I think that’s why our achievement levels have gone up so high.”
Zahn is not hyperbolizing, as over the course of a mere half-dozen years Renaissance test scores have gone from dead last in the Long Beach Unified School District to second, trailing only the California Academy of Math and Science.
But if you’re a high school for the arts, you gotta bring the arts. For Renaissance High, that’s no problem. There are no sports teams at Renaissance. If you’re doing an extracurricular activity, it’s jazz band or concert choir or any of the other numerous art forms available for students to explore.
Theatre is perhaps the best single showcase of all the skills being acquired by Renaissance students, what with its combining of writing, acting, visual arts, sound and even music.
This weekend, that showcase will play out on a pretty damn big stage, as Renaissance puts on a production of the classic Broadway musical Damn Yankees that employs the talents of over 50 students, highlighting the collaborative nature of both theatre and of Renaissance High itself.
Luke Anderson, a junior who matriculated at Renaissance in the fall, speculates that the arts focus that both students and faculty members have in common facilitates such a bonded campus atmosphere. “It’s in the supportive and collaborative nature of the work we’re doing,” he says.
In his relatively short time at Renaissance, Anderson has appeared in three shows and is a member of the school’s student-run theatre company Lunch Box Productions, which recently produced a variety show.
From having moved about quite a bit in his 17 years, Anderson has attended several schools. Renaissance, he says, is “phenomenally different” than any other. “People there are much more accepting in general,” he says. “It’s the fastest I’ve experienced in terms of making friends, and the teachers are more open and caring. It feels like you can communicate with them. It’s sort of like a family.”
“My teachers know the kids they’re working with, and the kids are motivated,” says Zahn. “It’s a good combination.”
For more information on Renaissance High School for the Arts, visit them on the Web by clicking here.
Damn Yankees will be presented this Friday and Saturday only at the Center Theatre at the Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd. For tickets, which range from $8 to $20, call 562-436-3661 or 800-745-3000.