Pinellas County Center for the Arts

In 1979, John Blank, an administrator in the Pinellas County Schools, felt a need for an emphasis in the arts within the school system. A preliminary survey of the County's students, facilities, and communities was taken and Mr. Stan Lee Boss was sent to Dallas, Texas for an on-site visit of their visual and performing arts schools.

With the approval of the school board, a full-time director was provided to work with three Gibbs High School arts instructors, three supervisors and an administrator to prepare a model project for the artistically talented students for the State of Florida. After some thirty on-site visits to well-established secondary schools and programs, a model was written for the State of Florida, published and distributed to all sixty-seven county school superintendents and known arts supervisors.

Dr. Scott Rose, with the approval of the School Board, chose as one of his five-year objectives the development and implementation of both the Artistically Talented Program (now known as PCCA) at Gibbs High School and a Program for the Academically Talented (now known as the International Baccalaureate Program at St. Petersburg High School).

This school of the arts officially began in late August 1984. There were approximately 200 9th and 10th graders starting school; it was hoped that eventually the student population would reach 400. As of today, the number of students attending PCCA is about 500, fairly equally divided among the four major disciplines, Dance, Theatre, Music, and Visual Art.

The PCCA curriculum is centered on individualized instruction and concentrating on the student's selected artistic major. Through blocking courses with two to three hour segments of time, the student has the opportunity to develop a work in depth while the teacher is afforded time to work individually with the students as well as provide guest artists and field trips without impinging on the student's daily four academic classes.

Dance is divided into Modern Dance and Ballet. Music has Vocal, Instrumental, and Piano. The Theatre program is segmented into Performance Theatre, Technical Theatre, Literary Theatre, and Musical Theatre. Visual Arts, the most populated discipline, has many phases including painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, and ceramics. All instructors are practicing artists who also serve as mentors to their students. Local, regional, and nationally acclaimed professional artists conduct master classes as well as perform at the school. A high percentage of students earn scholarship money to further their education.

Admittance to PCCA is through application, audition, and acceptance. Auditions are held in the middle part of each school year so that the accepted student has time to be properly scheduled for 9th grade.

Theater

• Juli Crockett – playwright and director, former professional boxer
• Sierra Kay – lead singer of Versa
• Michael Lynche (2001) – fourth place on American Idol (season 9)
• Katie Rees – Former Miss Nevada

Dance

• Rebecca Minkoff – fashion designer
• Ephraim Sykes – Tony Award nominee

• Pinellas County Center for the Arts