2020–2021 School Accountability Report Card

About Our School

Welcome to the San Diego School of Creative & Performing Art—an arts focused public magnet school for artistically passionate students in grades 6-12 located in Southeastern San Diego. At SDSCPA we nurture excellence in arts and academics through a rigorous dual curriculum. Our students must be extremely dedicated and willing to persevere through challenges, failures, opportunities and successes.

This school is different, and when you set foot on our campus, you will feel it. Each day we create a learning environment united by a passion for the transformative nature of the arts and inspired by opportunities to provide the depth, rigor, and intensity of artistic and academic instruction in preparation for post-secondary opportunities—whether pre-conservatory or university. It is a school excited by the artistic and scholarly processes of inquiry, discovery, and creation as each day we weave artistic and scholarly discourse using the universal language of art.

At SDSCPA, the arts are not an "elective." They are a core and essential area of study. Students do not just perform or create—they live through their performance or creation. It is their existential voice and way to interact with the world. SDSCPA tirelessly creates a space where students feel safe to create, explore, and discover. Students are encouraged to be courageous in telling stories through choreography, with pencil, camera or voice.

We pride ourselves in our ability to unite many walks of life, beliefs through a culturally relevant curriculum. We strive to create classrooms where students are alive with collaboration, intellectual discourse, and problem solving. We recognize that our students are unique thinkers and use the arts to harness the persity in our young thinkers.

We are committed to always improving. We strive to become the leading public arts focused school in the nation. In 2016, SDSCPA was ranked in the top 3% of American Public High Schools in the US News World Report. We are also striving to become a nationally accredited public arts high school—1 of 15 in the nation. This will require new partnerships, new resources, and a committed community who believes in the power of a free public arts education.

I look forward to engaging the San Diego community and nation as we build upon the dream of our founder, Florence Johnson, nearly 37 years ago.

Inspired,

Timothy E. Farson
Principal, San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts

Principal's Comment

Dear SDSCPA Community,

It is with a strong sense of commitment and passion that I embrace the opportunity to work with an incredible community united by a passion to ensure we provide every student with a world-class education in the arts and academics. At the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts—a nationally renowned school with a remarkable reputation for personalizing artistic and academic achievement to a highly diverse student body--I maintain the highest expectations for every student and staff member on our campus because we truly have something magical happening on our campus.

Raised in a small rural town in Ohio, I found the arts to be one of the few places I could embrace who I was, and learn to be comfortable within my own skin. In many ways, the arts became the place I could develop my beliefs, my wonderings, and my voice. I am indebted to my high school drama teacher, Ms. Meggitt, and her inspirational belief in me and my leadership as drama club president. I certainly wasn’t the best actor, nor the most confident young man, but she believed in me and created the space for opportunity. Reflection on these positive and powerful past experiences instantly create the impetus for much of my work as a leader at one of the best arts schools in the nation. I personally understand the role arts can play in developing a powerful student voice—whether it be on a canvas or on a stage or leading student government.

I began my university career at Kent State University in Philosophy. Craving a more urban and artistic community, I transferred into the Philosophy program at New York University. My life abruptly changed on September 11, 2001, however, having witnessed the falling of the World Trade Centers. It was my first true encounter with death and a first personal realization of humanity’s universal craving for meaningful connection and voice. It is only later in life that I realized the powerful influence art has in establishing this connection and voice—voices often for the silenced.

In 2009, I began my teaching career as an English and middle school Science teacher at SDSCPA. I have enjoyed being involved in many aspects of the SDSCPA student experience as the Journalism Adviser, ASB Student Government Adviser, SSC member, Department Chair and so on. Since that time, I have embraced and protected what I believe is a magical learning experience unlike any other for all students.

I lead from the heart. My classroom philosophy that engaging hearts engages mind transcends into my work with our staff and community. I will tirelessly work to build connections with our SDSCPA community, advocates, and arts leaders from around the country. I am a philosopher by nature and always reflecting on way to increase student voice, create innovative learning environments, and most importantly create sustainable infrastructures in a sometimes shaky world of education funding. I know and understand the power of connection and uniting people in a shared vision for the hope and promise of a transformational arts and academic education.

Humbled by the honor of being your principal, I pledge to keep the SDSCPA vision robust and alive, lead through compassion for all staff and students, and maintain a reflective lens focusing on equity and opportunity for all of our young artists and scholars. And from this, I will tirelessly advocate for the SDSCPA students, staff, and community to ensure a safe and diverse environment for creative exploration, rigorous learning and training, and opportunities to create powerful connections through the arts. Our students don't just love to be artists, they have to be artists.

With dedication and heart,

Timothy Farson

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