The School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) is a magnet arts school in Cincinnati, Ohio. SCPA was founded in 1973 as one of the first magnet schools in Cincinnati and became the first school in the country to combine a full range of arts studies with a complete college-preparatory academic program for elementary through high school students. The school rose to national prominence in the 1980s, but was nearly closed in the 1990s following a series of scandals, leadership struggles, and an arson fire which destroyed the auditorium. Its reputation recovered in the years that followed and in 2009–10, the school was featured in the MTV reality series Taking the Stage, filmed at the school and featuring SCPA students. In 2010 SCPA combined with the Schiel Primary School for Arts Enrichment to create the first kindergarten through twelfth grade arts school and first private sector / public arts school in the US. Students must audition for admission; fewer than 20 percent of those who apply each year are accepted. The newly combined school offers a curriculum designed to prepare students for professional careers in creative writing, dance, drama, music, technical theater, and visual art. (more...)
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