Betsy Ross Information Page

At the Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School, children are taught to see, think and move in ways they never considered before. Alongside the full spectrum of academic disciplines, students study the four major arts disciplines, experiment with different material s and equipment, and acquire skills they can develop and enjoy throughout their lives. Any student in New Haven with an interest in the arts is welcome to apply; no audition or particular rating is required for admission. Based on principles and practic es developed by the Center for Theatre Techniques in Education, the Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School's philosophy is founded on the idea that the skills of the artist-a creative approach to problem-solving, an ability to express one's self-are the same skills required in all academic disciplines, from history to English to science. It is the school's goal to help students make the connections, to understand how one art form builds on another, how all disciplines relate to one another, and to help students draw on their arts experiences to develop a new approach to learning. Clearly it is working: the Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School has been singled out by the U .S. Department of Education as one of the country's finest secondary schools.

Academic instruction covers the full middle school curriculum in language arts, math, social studies, science, and an optional foreign language. Reading and math specialists provide additional support for the academic program. The faculty represents a wealth of talents and interests. The special feature of the arts program, besides its extraordinary range, is the fact that it is taught by professional artists. Thus students come into daily contact with working, practicing artists who provide instruct ion in six areas: visual arts (painting, sculpture, ceramics, video); theatre (performance, literature, stage crafts); dance (ballet, modern, jazz, tap); music (vocal, instrumental); creative writing and photography. Each student attends classes in four or five of these areas, to gain familiarity with all the basic arts forms. Through the basic courses and an integrating "Humanities" course, students are encouraged to see how art forms and academic areas relate to one another, to see that characterizati on is basic to literature, theatre, and opera for example. In addition to general arts instruction, each student chooses a specialty, and pursues in-depth study with one of the artist/teachers in twice-weekly small group sessions.

The school is located in a brand new facility which has been totally designed for specialized studio, science laboratory and classroom spaces. There is a full-sized auditorium, a black-box theater, two dance studios, specialized music classrooms, art studios with a kiln and computers in every classroom.

The library is a key feature of the school and houses an arts collections supported by two foundations and citizen contributions. There are fourteen computer stations in the library. In addtion there is a fully equipped Technology Center with twenty seven computer stations to support both the arts and academic subjects. The entire building is networked using a partial T1 line for fast Internet connectivity.

Parent involvement is a key element in the Betsy Ross Arts Magnet's success. Parent aides assist in arts instruction, and a regular series of presentations, workshops, and conferences keep parents informed and involved. This past year over 75% of our parents volunteered at least 8 hours for school related activities and events.

Welcome to BRAMS! An Arts Magnet Middle School

Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School

Welcome to BRAMS!
An Arts Magnet Middle School