Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy is a fully accredited charter school for students in grades 7-12 focusing on visual and performing arts, integrated with Summerville Connections VPAA opened in 2002, and now has over 230 students. Students have the opportunity to work with voice coaches, choreographers, and accompanists in the vocal choir program. In theatrical productions, students a
re coached by directors, vocal directors, choreographers and have costumers and set designers to assist in creating professional-quality productions. Students in the ballet program are taught by a professional dance instructor, and both the
dance and ballet classes perform in a recital at the end of the year. Band members are in the Orange Crush and the Zero Hibernation Jazz Band. Each year, film students screen their films at the Academy Film Festival, and several student films have been screened at independent film festivals. There are no attendance boundaries for Connections VPAA, so any student who lives in Tuolumne, Calaveras, Mariposa or Stanislaus County is eligible to attend. Students may not
have any grades lower than C at the end of their 8th grade year, with good attendance and no significant discipline issues. Connections VPAA students are able to enroll in all academic, athletic and extra-curricular programs available at Summerville High School. The focus on arts programs allows for a large variety of elective classes in the arts for students in both school programs, including piano, orchestra, guitar, art, drama, choir, band and dance. Programs that are unique to Connections are Ballet, Film, and Technical Theater. Graduates from Connections VPAA have attended: The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Occidental College, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, UC San Diego, USC, UOP, University of Portland, Western Washington University and several California State Universities. Several graduates have traveled as cast members for the Young Americans. If you are interested in enrolling your son or daughter in the Connections VPAA program, please contact Mr Daniel Atkins, Grade Level Coordinator, at 928-4228, ext. 229 to set up an appointment. You can also email at [email protected]
All students enroll in eight classes. Class periods are 90 minutes long, with 4 classes meeting on A days, and 4 classes meeting on alternate B days.
