To commemorate the inaugural year for the Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy, we will hold a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Tuesday, October 6th. Several school officials, representatives from Charles Black Construction, along with the school administration will offer brief remarks. Student-lead tours of the new facilities will be limited at this time.
Construction began in the spring of 2018 for the $18.8 million facility, funded in part by a state grant set aside for classroom building. The new school includes a student center, which houses the media center, cafeteria, and learning spaces, and the academic building for classrooms and lab spaces. In total, the school is over 114,000 square feet.
The high school is a school of choice, which means that students apply to attend and are admitted based on a lottery (there are no prerequisite requirements for attendance). "The Barrow Academy of Arts and Sciences was created to give Barrow families a choice. We know that not every student necessarily needs or wants the same academic and extracurricular experiences in their lives," shared Superintendent McMichael. "BASA is the physical expression and curricular beacon of our ongoing commitment to creating strong and meaningful educational experiences for each and every BCSS student."
With a focus on arts and sciences and grounded in problem-based learning, the school offers a number of unique learning opportunities for students, including:
- 2-D and 3-D Visual Arts
- Graphic Design
- Band
- Music Technology
- Chorus
- Guitar
- Dance
- Theatre
- Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math
- Robotics
- Computer Science
- Biomedical Science
The school is located next to Sims Academy of Innovation and Technology, and both schools are led by Principal Dale Simpson. “As our school community is coming together, we are focused on developing strong connections with each student, clarity about what will help them most in their unique future, and then challenging them to learn and succeed at new heights. We believe very much in our students and are working hard to get them to see their own possibilities and believe in themselves," said Dr. Simpson. This is evident in the mission of the school to "educate and inspire each student through supportive relationships, innovative learning, dynamic partnerships, and a passion-focused learning environment."
The Ceremony will take place near the front of the school for invited participants. (Unfortunately, the event was unable to be live-streamed.) The Board of Education meeting will follow immediately after the remarks.