ArtQuest (AQ) is an award-winning public magnet school program at Santa Rosa High School designed for students for whom creativity and artistic expression is paramount. With accolades over its fifteen year history, including the California School Board Association Golden Bell in 2007, the prestigious Jack London Award in 1999 for innovative education and the Met Life Foundation Award for Excellence in Community Engagement with the Santa Rosa Symphony in 2002, ArtQuest offers an “above and beyond” experience in the Visual and Performing Arts. At ArtQuest, the passion, commitment and discipline of the Arts is connected to the energy of academic study, inspired by guest artists, enlarged by meaningful off-site visits, exhibitions and performances, enriched by its proximity to Santa Rosa Junior College, the Santa Rosa Community Media Center, the new Downtown Arts District and other nearby cultural organizations, and nurtured by generous parent, community and business support. ArtQuest is a place where students from all over Sonoma County and beyond, come together as a community of young artists to exhibit, perform and begin to build their dreams into realities and to pursue artful lives, wherever they may lead and whatever form they may take.
ArtQuest offers eight Arts disciplines as specialty focuses. In the Visual Arts; Digital Arts, Photography, Video and Visual Fine Arts are offered and in the Performing Arts; Dance, Theatre Arts, and Vocal and Instrumental Music are available. The ArtQuest curriculum is enriched in unique ways every year through an annual theme and addresses the California Visual and Performing Arts Framework and Content Standards, incorporating the major arts education components of Artistic Perception, Creative Expression, Historical and Cultural Context, Aesthetic Valuing, and Connections/Relationships/Applications.
ArtQuest Showcases are held in Fall and Spring each year and prospective students, families and the community are warmly invited to attend. This is a great opportunity to learn more about ArtQuest and the application process, to meet the ArtQuest teachers, and see and hear samples of student work from all eight Arts Specialty areas and the related core classes.
ArtQuest’s Shadowing Program, in which a potential ArtQuest student may “shadow” a current student, is held in October and November on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays only. To schedule a shadowing appointment, please call ArtQuest at 528-5070, extension 6789.
ArtQuest Application Packets are available in early October for the following fall entry and may be picked up in the Santa Rosa High School main office or call ArtQuest at 528-5070, extension 6789. You may also visit www.artquestonline.org
| |
|
 |
|
9th |
|
Arts Specialty |
|
Grade |
|
Arts Specialty |
|
>> |
|
English |
|
|
|
Algebra 1-2 |
| |
|
Physical Science |
| |
|
PE |
|
10th |
|
English |
|
Grade |
|
World History |
|
>> |
|
Arts Specialty |
| |
|
Arts Specialty |
| |
|
Geometry |
| |
|
Biology |
|
11th |
|
English |
|
Grade |
|
U.S. History |
|
>> |
|
World Language |
| |
|
Algebra 3-4 |
| |
|
Arts Specialty |
|
|
|
Arts Specialty |
|
12th |
|
English |
|
Grade |
|
Govt./Econ. |
|
>> |
|
World Language |
|
|
PE |
| |
|
Chemistry |
|
>> |
|
Arts Specialty |
|
|
|
|
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. This is a Sample Schedule, which includes the requirements for District Graduation and both the ArtQuest and University Pathways. Various higher education institutions, including colleges, universities and Visual and/or Performing Arts colleges may have different recommendations or requirements. AQ students may also wish to take additional classes during Summer School, at Santa Rosa Junior College or other locations. Discuss specifics with counselor or AQ Specialty teacher.
2. Honors, AQ Core class and/or AP class available in some, depending on subject, grade level etc.
3. AQ Arts Specialties in Instrumental and Vocal Music are one period; students may elect to take two.
4. *All AQ Arts Specialties do not offer a 4th year class; if offered, 4th yr. classes are usually one period.
ArtQuest Frequently Asked Questions
How many students are in the ArtQuest program?
Currently there are about 570 students enrolled in the various AQ specialties, which comprises about 27% of the Santa Rosa High School student body.
What are the entrance requirements for ArtQuest?
Students must apply and be accepted into the ArtQuest program in a specific discipline and skill level. The program’s Application Packet includes detailed information about the process and requirements, which include personal essay responses, a letter of recommendation, a teacher reference, attendance and grade records, a program commitment and other agreements, as well as a discipline-specific portfolio or audition. Acceptance decisions begin in February for the following fall.
How is ArtQuest structured for students?
Arts Specialty classes meet two periods a day in most arts disciplines and levels, some Advanced classes meet for two periods and some for one. In Music, students in Instrumental and/or Vocal Music choose from a large offering of classes. Students are also encouraged to enroll in specially designated ArtQuest Core classes, currently offered in English, World History and Physical (Earth) Science. Each year the ArtQuest staff develops an overarching theme as a focus for essential questions and a vehicle for connections and collaborations between different arts areas and core-related subjects. The development of a community of learners in the Arts is an essential component of ArtQuest, providing opportunities for participants to grow as thinkers, critical friends and creative peers.
Do students have time for Honors or Advanced Placement (AP) classes?
Most ArtQuest students prepare for admission to both public and private colleges and universities after high school graduation. In order to be more competitive, many ArtQuest students enroll in Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes. SRHS has 13 different AP course offerings. ArtQuest also offers freshman and sophomore AQ-designated Honors English classes. Advanced Placement Studio Art is the only fully portfolio-assessed National College Board AP exam. Students in this class focus on the preparation of an in-depth portfolio in either Drawing, 2-D or 3-D Design and this portfolio is often used for college entry, scholarships, college advanced placement or college credit. ArtQuest students submitting the AP portfolio have had an extremely high passage rate of about 97%, over 33% higher than State or National averages.
How are ArtQuest parents involved?
“Friends of ArtQuest”, a parent and community non-profit organization, provides substantial support for the program. This group serves as an organizing body for ways to become involved with AQ, including assistance on field trips, productions, exhibitions and Showcases, finding carpool connections, sponsoring fundraising events and so on. Teachers often say that they enjoy working with AQ parents because they are so supportive and dedicated to their students’ education.