da Vinci Arts Middle School

Da Vinci Arts Middle School, also known as da Vinci Middle School, is a public middle school in the Kerns neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, in the United States. It is an arts focus school in the Portland Public School District.[1] The building was originally used as a high school, Girls Polytechnic High School, which was renamed James Monroe High School in 1967[2] and closed in fall 1978, when its student body was merged with, and moved to, Washington High School.

The front entrance of da Vinci Arts Middle School

History

The building that now houses da Vinci Arts Middle School was designed in the classical revival style of architecture by the architect George Howell Jones, who designed almost all of the schools in the Portland public school district between 1908 and 1932, along with Floyd Naramore.[3] This school opened in 1928 as Girls Polytechnic High School. Before the construction of this building, the Girls Polytechnic program had been held at the Portland High School, which was deemed unfit in 1928.[4] It remained the Girls Polytechnic until 1967, when it was renamed James Monroe High School, for president James Monroe, and was opened to boys.[5]

In 1993, parents of students at Buckman Arts Magnet Elementary School formed a proposal for an arts focused middle school. The district finally accepted the proposal, and the school opened in 1996 with 140 students and a very small staff. It was not until 1998 that the school had a full-time principal, and there was no counselor until 2000. So far, da Vinci had been a program and had shared the building with other programs, but in July 2003 the school board changed da Vinci's status into a school, and it has remained a school since then.[6]

Due to concerns about mathematics and science test scores being too low,[7] da Vinci's schedule was changed in fall 2016 to allow for increased class time in the those classes. Students protested against these changes, because it would mean students would no longer have the same teacher for language arts and social studies for all three years at middle school. Also, sixth graders would be in separate classes from the rest of the school in all subjects except art.[8] By doing that, the new schedule might disrupt the sense of community that the core classes had. The schedule change went into effect in September 2015.[9]

Curriculum
The art gallery at da Vinci Arts Middle School, displaying student artwork

Da Vinci Arts Middle School is an arts magnet school. Its mission statement states that it "will seek innovative ways to integrate the arts throughout the curriculum, provide focused arts instruction, and create a rich, inquiry-based learning environment with high standards of academic excellence". To fulfill its mission, it offers students two electives of 2D art, 3D art, creative writing, dance, music or drama.[10]

Extracurricular activities

The school has many after school programs, such the Destino dance team, a rock band known as Trogdor, a Black Student Union, a Queer-Straight Alliance, a ukulele choir, a jazz ensemble and a chess club.[11] The school has put on numerous plays, as well as three student-written rock operas.[12] There is also a coding club.

References
  1. "da Vinci Arts Middle School". Portland Public Schools. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  2. Collins, Huntly (October 9, 1977). "School's identity feared threatened". The Sunday Oregonian. p. B6.
  3. "Grant High School (Portland, Oregon)". Oregon Digital. University of Oregon. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  4. Alfred Powers; Howard McKinley Corning, eds. (1937). History of Education in Portland. pp. 14–15. OCLC 157027949.
  5. "Da Vinci Arts School (Portland, Oregon)". Oregon Digital. University of Oregon. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  6. "About Us". Da Vinci Arts Middle School. Portland Public Schools. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  7. "Your Schools". Oregon Live. Oregon Live LLC. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  8. Locke, Fred. "da Vinci Community Letter" (PDF). da Vinci Arts Middle School. Portland Public Schools. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  9. Dungka, Nicole. "Boosting math and science at NE Portland's da Vinci arts magnet stirs controversy". Oregon Live. Oregon Live LLC. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  10. "Mission and Vision". da Vinci Arts Middle School. Portland Public Schools. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  11. "After School Activities". da Vinci Arts Middle School. Portland Public Schools. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  12. Bingham, Larry. "Da Vinci Arts Middle School to present student-written rock opera (video)". Oregon Live. Retrieved 11 December 2015.


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