Duke Ellington School of the Arts

The Duke Ellington School of the Arts (established 1974) is a high school located at 35th Street and R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., and dedicated to arts education. One of the high schools of the District of Columbia Public School system, it is named for the American jazz bandleader and composer Duke Ellington, a native of Washington, D.C. The building formerly housed Western High School. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[5]

Duke Ellington School of the Arts
Duke Ellington School for the Arts in 2022
Address
3500 R Street Northwest^[1] Washington, D.C. 20007 United States
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1974 (50 years ago) (1974)
School district	District of Columbia Public Schools Ward 2
CEEB code	090225
Principal	Sandi M. Logan
Faculty	20.0 (on FTE basis)^[3]
Grades	9 to 12
Enrollment	525 (2015-16)^[2]
Student to teacher ratio	24.55^[3]
Campus type	Urban
Website	www.ellingtonarts.org
Western High School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
D.C. Inventory of Historic Sites
Coordinates	38°54′47″N 77°4′14″W / 38.91306°N 77.07056°W / 38.91306; -77.07056
Area	less than one acre
Built	1898
Architect	Harry B. Davis, Snowden Ashford
Architectural style	Classical Revival
MPS	Public School Buildings of Washington, DC MPS
NRHP reference No.	03000673^[4]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	July 25, 2003
Designated DCIHS	May 23, 2002

Graduates of the school are prepared to pursue an artistic and theatric occupation. In addition to completing the traditional public school college prep curriculum, students must audition for and complete studies in one of the following artistic areas: cinematic arts and media production, dance, museum studies, instrumental music, vocal music, theater, technical design and production, and visual arts.

The school developed from the collaborative efforts of Peggy Cooper Cafritz, a long-time member of the D.C. School Board and Mike Malone, a veteran of Broadway, off-Broadway, contemporary dancer, director, and master choreographer, who were co-founders of Workshops for Careers in the Arts in 1968.^[6] In 1974 this workshop program developed into the Duke Ellington School of the Arts at Western High School, an accredited four-year public high school program combining arts and academics. It is currently operated as a joint partnership between D.C. Public Schools, the Kennedy Center, and George Washington University.^[7]

Students and faculty

Ellington currently serves approximately 500 students in grades 9–12. Most students commute in from outside of Ward 2, where the school is situated.^[7] The academic faculty is fully credentialed and includes seven Fulbright scholars, various PhDs, and DCPS's only national board certified teacher (NBCT) in young adulthood English/language arts. Many of the arts faculty are alumni of the school.

Academics

Ranked as one of D.C. Public Schools' top high schools, Ellington's curriculum requires students earn 34% more credits than those at other D.C. public high schools.^[8] Students must maintain a minimum grade point average in both academics and the arts to be permitted to perform and, ultimately, to stay enrolled at Ellington. The school has a 99% on-time graduation rate.

Arts

Ellington's mission is to emphasize the arts as much as academics.^[9] It offers training in eight disciplines: Dance, Literary Media and Communications, Museum Studies, Instrumental or Vocal Music, Theater, Technical Design and Production, and Visual Arts.^[10]

In support of their arts program, the school offers master classes taught by accomplished artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Billy Taylor, Lynn Whitfield, and Lionel Hampton.^[8]

The school is recognized for, among other things, its award-winning Duke Ellington Show Choir. Founded by Samuel L. E. Bonds Sr. in 1986, the Choir performs all types of music including Broadway, Gospel, Spirituals, Opera, Jazz, and R&B. Samuel L. E. Bonds Sr., who retired from the school in 2018,^[11][12] studied with Todd Duncan and still teaches private lessons. Students in the Choir are required to continue performing academically, maintaining a minimum grade point average of 3.0. As well as performing as part of an ensemble, they are also allowed to focus on solo work. It performs a holiday show of Amahl and the Night Visitors yearly.^{[citation needed]}

Application process

In order to be admitted into Ellington, students must complete an admissions application and audition before a panel. Upon passing the audition students take an academic assessment test, and complete a family interview.^[13]

Relocation controversy

In January 2010, The Washington Post reported that the D.C. government was studying a plan to relocate the school to a new site near Union Station. Jack Evans, the D.C. Council member for the school's host ward, advocated the plan as a way to move the school to a more "central" location relative to its student body, as well to allow the current Ellington site to revert to a standard neighborhood school.^[7] Opposition from students, parents, alumni, and others has been strong, including online petitions and a Facebook group with over 1,700 members.^[6] Shortly after The Washington Post report, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee announced that the school will not be moved in the near future.^[14]

Renovation

In 2017, a three-year renovation of the school was completed. The improvements cost $178.5 million, more than $100 million more than projected. The project became an example of the district's failure to prevent cost overruns.^[15]

Notable alumni

Western High School

• Ruth Chew, author^[16]
• Barbara J. Fields, historian^[17]
• Ernest W. Gibson III, Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court^[18]
• Solange Hertz, Catholic author^[19]
• George Van Horn Moseley Jr. United States Army officer who served in World War II
• Thomas A. Rymer (1925–2016), Maryland state delegate and judge^[20]
• John Whelchel, United States Navy vice admiral and football coach^[21]

Duke Ellington School for the Arts

• Dave Chappelle, comedian^[8]
• Michaela Angela Davis, Essence magazine Executive Fashion & Beauty Editor, writer, author, commentator, and speaker^[22]
• Matthew Dickens, actor/singer/dancer and writer/producer/director^[23]
• Johnny Gill, R&B singer^[24]
• Denyce Graves, opera singer^[25]
• Corey Hawkins, Actor, opera singer^[26]
• Tracy Inman, dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and co-director of The Ailey School^[27][28]
• Simbi Khali, actress^[29]
• Ari Lennox, singer^[30]
• Meshell Ndegeocello, bassist, singer^[31]
• Serena Reeder, Actress^[32]
• Wallace Roney, jazz trumpeter^[33]
• Gregory Charles Royal, jazz trombonist, playwright^[34]
• Lamman Rucker, actor^[35]
• Adam Serwer, journalist and author^[36]
• Tony Terry, singer^[37]
• Mary Timony, musician^[38]
• Marja Vallila, sculptor^[39][40]
• Samira Wiley, Actress^[41]

See also

• Duke Ellington

References

1. GNIS entry for Ellington School of the Arts;
2. "Duke Ellington School of the Arts". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
3. DCPS Profiles. Accessed January 23, 2014.
4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
5. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/03000673_text
6. Porter, Norma (4 February 2010). . The Washington Informer. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
7. Turque, Bill (17 January 2010). "Ellington arts school might be moved out of D.C.'s Ward 2". The Washington Post. Washington Post. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
8. Kennedy, Randy (12 April 2006). "Dave Chappelle Spotlights Duke Ellington School of the Arts". The New York Times. KEYT-TV. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
9. (PDF). www.ellingtonschool.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2010.
10. . www.ellingtonschool.org. Archived from the original on December 27, 2009.
11. "Duke Ellington Show Choir prepares to take their talent overseas - The Washington Post". The Washington Post.
12. . Archived from the original on 2018-02-28. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
13. "Admissions Process & Application". Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
14. Turque, Bill (22 January 2010). "Ellington arts school staying put for now, Rhee says". The Washington Post. Washington Post. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
15. Michelle Goldchain (18 August 2017). "Duke Ellington School of the Arts finishes modernization $100M over budget". Curbed. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
16. "About the Author". Ruth Chew. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
17. Fields, Barbara Jeanne (3 November 1991). "SO YOU WANT TO BE A HISTORIAN". The Washington Post.
18. Thomas, Richard C. (1969). Vermont Legislative Directory, 1969. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Secretary of State. p. 640.
19. Barnes, Bart (October 30, 2015). "Nellie Hertz: Writer on theology whose husband was kidnapped in Vietnam". The Independent.
20. "Thomas A. Rymer". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
21. "Washington lads star in college athletics". The Washington Times. April 23, 1918. Retrieved January 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
22. College, Silliman; Room, Silliman Common (1 June 2016). "Poynter Fellowship: Michaela Angela Davis". Office of Public Affairs & Communications.
23. Whiskeyman, Dolores (9 April 2002). "In 'Pearl,' Kids Reign Supreme". The Washington Post.
24. "Johnny Gill to Perform in RVA". The Washington Informer. 24 July 2018.
25. Smith, Tim (April 6, 2012). "Opera star Denyce Graves joins Peabody Conservatory faculty". Baltimore Sun.
26. Blair, Elizabeth (April 21, 2017). "From D.C. Theater To '24': The Rise Of Actor Corey Hawkins". WAMU.
27. Itzkoff, Dave (2010-08-26). "Footnote". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
28. "Tracy Inman". Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. 2010-04-09. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
29. Winslow, Harriet (10 August 1997). "Her Small Piece of the 'Rock'". The Washington Post.
30. Martin, Michael (August 25, 2019). "Ari Lennox Has Always Felt Slept On. That's What Motivates Her". NPR.
31. Brunner, Rob (17 April 2018). "Meshell Ndegeocello on Fugazi, Go-Go, and Growing Up in DC". Washingtonian.
32. "At Ellington, the Many Faces of Black Struggles". The Washington Post. November 23, 2000.
33. Russonello, Giovanni (31 March 2020). "Wallace Roney, Jazz Trumpet Virtuoso, Is Dead at 59". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
34. Parlin, Geri (November 4, 2002). "Local trombonist writes, directs play about jazz". La Crosse Tribune.
35. Thompson, Cheryl W. (27 August 2017). "Ellington grad Lamman Rucker to host a fundraiser for the performing arts school". The Washington Post.
36. Swinson, Cullen (Spring 2020). "Game Changer: Peggy Cooper Cafritz". from the original on 2020-06-21.
37. Harrington, Richard (9 December 1987). "Ellington Grads Top the Charts". The Washington Post.
38. O'Donnell, Paul (2 March 2016). "Mary Timony Is a Middle-Class Rock Star". Washingtonian.
39. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-28.
40. "%22Marja Vallila western High school %22 - Google Search".
41. Carney, Brian T. (4 May 2018). "D.C. native finds fame on hit show 'Handmaid's Tale'". Washington Blade.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

• Official website
• D.C. Public Schools