Miami Arts Charter School at Homestead

Homestead's New Charter School for the Arts!
Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and designated a "High-Performing Charter School" by the Florida Department of Education, MAC is excited to announce its expansion into the Homestead/South Dade Region.

For Immediate Release
March 21, 2014

Miami Arts Charter School Announces Expansion:
Homestead/South Dade Campus to Debut August 18, 2014

Miami, FL—In Miami-Dade County, where school choice is slowly becoming a reality for a growing community rather than just a catch phrase, Miami Arts Charter School (MAC) tops the list for students gifted in the performing and fine arts. Launching in 2009 in the former Channel 10 studios located on Biscayne Boulevard at the eastern edge of the Design District, MAC has been an “A” school serving grades 6-12 since 2011-12. In 2013, it was named a “High-Performing Charter School” by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE). Now, founders Alfredo and Christine de la Rosa, who also conduct the Instrumental and Choral music programs, respectively, are proud to announce the expansion of the award-winning arts school to the Homestead/South Dade region.

In addition to a stellar, college-preparatory academic program, MAC offers a variety of majors for the artistically minded middle or high school student: Instrumental (Orchestra, Band and Jazz); Choral and Jazz Vocal Studies; Visual Arts; Photography; Theatre; Dance (Ballet, Modern, Contemporary and Jazz); and Creative Writing.

“For quite some time, Homestead and South Dade in general have been experiencing tremendous development and growth. Much of this area has changed from primarily agricultural use to a much more suburban landscape. New homes are once again being built, so you have a lot of young families coming here,” Mr. de la Rosa, functioning as Chief Education Officer, says. “We have found that in all communities, parents value the inclusion of high-quality arts education. Yet Homestead has been lacking in that area for many years. We are happy to play a role toward ensuring that students and parents in the Southern-most reaches of Miami-Dade County have access to a high-quality academic curriculum that values artistic excellence at the highest levels. Homestead has been waiting for this for a long time. I’m certain there is much untapped artistic talent here. We are thrilled to be a part of the school choice equation for this community.”

The new facility, which opens for students on August 18, 2014, is a cutting-edge, 71,413-square-foot building that can accommodate 1,200 students, divided into approximately 600 in middle school and 600 in high school. The two-in-one model provides twice as many choices for schooling in an area where arts instruction has been extremely limited in the past.

Designed specifically for the arts as well as academia, the MAC Homestead structure contains two instrumental rehearsal halls, two choir rooms, four ensemble rooms, a percussion rehearsal hall and three recording studios. A pair of state-of-the-art studios will house the Dance Department. Two naturally lighted visual arts and sculpture rooms are complemented by a photo studio with a dark room and a computer editing room, as well as professional studio space and a gallery in the lobby for the display of work. A spacious writing suite, two acting classrooms and a 450-seat theatre serve the Creative Writing and Theatre departments. In addition, MAC boasts well-equipped science labs, a technology-driven media center and spacious classrooms. Set on an expansive lot, MAC Homestead also features generous parking and plenty of greenery.

Like its Miami Design District counterpart, MAC Homestead’s curriculum follows the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Student Progression Plan. The school is also fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS/CASI), an affiliate of AdvancedEd. The school will have a designated college advisor program in place to assist students with the college application and scholarship process.

As employees of a public charter school, all MAC Homestead teachers are required to hold valid Florida teaching certificates. Not only are they highly qualified in their subject areas, but many hold advanced, post-graduate degrees, and lead AP and Honors classes in subjects such as English, Science, Social Studies and Visual Arts.

In addition to taking advanced courses, upperclassmen have the opportunity to become teacher aides and exploratory teachers as well as work in student government. For juniors and seniors, College Dual Enrollment courses in the academics are options, as are pursuing internships within their arts interests.

“We feel very strongly about the success of our academic achievement at MAC. Each year since 2009, we have made considerable gains in our scores. Our goal is to replicate this success in Homestead. So we always seek energetic, motivated and creative teachers. We believe that the crucial aspect of achieving a school of excellence is to focus on providing a quality teacher for each and every student in every classroom. That’s really what makes all the difference,” notes Mrs. de la Rosa, Director of Education.

In addition to learning from talented in-house faculty, MAC music students frequently take private lessons with visiting faculty. In the other arts, where students also study under meticulously trained, working professionals, students have the additional opportunity to be educated by guest residents, ranging from international writers-in-exile, spoken word artists and one-man-show performers to renowned painters, sculptors, dancers and choreographers.

As a result of their MAC experiences, many students qualify, through MAC-approved auditions, for such extracurricular programs as American Dance Festival, Bates Dance Festival, Jacobs Pillow Summer Program, Juniper Institute for Young Writers, Kenyon Young Writers Program, Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation, Miami Music Project, Point Park Summer and WordSpeak.

To date, MAC, which achieved SACS accreditation in only its second year of operation, has successfully graduated three classes. The school’s arts graduates have received acceptances and scholarships to colleges and universities such as American University School of Journalism, Berklee School of Music, Boston University, California College of the Arts, Columbia College of Chicago, Howard University, Johns Hopkins University Peabody Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, Maryland Institute College of Art, Mount Holyoke College, New York University, Rutgers University, Savannah College of Arts and Design, Santa Fe University of Art and Design, Sarah Lawrence College, School of Visual Arts, School of the Art Institute Chicago, Shenandoah University’s Shenandoah Conservatory, Temple University, University of Arizona, University of Florida, University of Miami, University of Minnesota and University of Pennsylvania, School of Visual Arts New York and the Ringling School among many prestigious others.

In regards to their decision to open a charter school for the arts, Mr. de la Rosa says, “We had always believed that parents and students valued the arts as part of a complete education. Because we had always been simply classroom teachers, understandably, we were a bit nervous about this tremendous undertaking. After all, the general wisdom out there was that the arts were being left behind in many schools and communities. But from the very first week of school in 2009 we were all buzzing with excitement. Clearly we were on to something. What followed was a tremendous series of achievements that continue today.”

Indeed, while at MAC, students from every arts department have earned an astonishing number of top county, state, regional and national accolades. The entities bestowing and competitions yielding such honors include the Alhambra Orchestra Concerto Competition, Ars Flores Symphony Concerto Competition, Creative Minds/Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, Florida State Thespian Festival, GRAMMY Foundation, Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook High School Vocal Academy & Competition, National Council of Teachers of English, New World Symphony Concerto Competition and “Side by Side” Concert, Patricia Grodd Poetry Competition, Photographer’s Forum College and High School Contest, Poetry Society of America, Sierra Nevada College High School Writing Competition, State of Florida National Honor Society for Dance Arts Artistic Merit Awards and the National YoungArts Foundation.

Of special note, the Dance Department’s entire middle school was accepted into the 2013 Joffrey Ballet Summer Intensive, and in 2014, the department’s middle and high school received Superior and Excellent ratings at the Florida Dance Performance Assessment from the Florida Dance Education Organization. Also in 2014, the Choral program set an all-time high of sending 23 students to the Florida All-State Honors Choirs. And for the past two years in a row, the Visual Arts, Photography and Creative Writing departments have broken the record of Gold and Silver Keys received from Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in Miami-Dade County. Students in the Visual Arts, Photography and Creative Writing departments have also won a variety of national awards from Scholastic Art & Writing, including Best-in-Grade and numerous Gold and Silver Medals, which are awarded to students at the famous Carnegie Hall in New York City every June.

“We are not surprised at the success of the arts departments, as we know we have outstanding teachers with high standards leading motivated, artistic and goal-driven students. We are always proud when we attend the arts events and see all the achievements, awards and scholarships students have received throughout the past five years ,” Mrs. De la Rosa comments. "Not a day goes by that I do not think about all the people who have made our dream a reality. We are grateful to our teachers, staff and student body for all of their hard work and dedication to MAC, and we see a bright future as we add new members to the MAC family at Homestead.”

Prospective MAC students must apply online and complete a scheduled audition in order to be accepted to either the Design District or Homestead/South Dade location. For audition requirements and more information, please visit www.miamiartscharter.net.

The main Miami Arts Charter School campus is located at 3900 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33137, (305) 763-6257. Miami Arts Charter School at Homestead is located at 3000 SE 9th St., Homestead, FL 33035 (786) 272-6398. www.miamiartscharter.net.

Media Contacts:

Mr. Alfredo de la Rosa, Founder, Chief Education Administrator & Instrumental Music Conductor
adelarosa@miamiartscharter.net, (305) 763-6257
Mrs. Christine de la Rosa, Co-Founder, Director of Education, Choral Conductor
cdelarosa@miamiartscharter.net, (305) 763-6257

About Miami Arts Charter School: The mission of Miami Arts Charter School is to provide a rigorous academic education, with special emphasis placed on the performing and expressive arts. Our goal is to awaken students’ minds and hearts through an intensive immersion in the fine arts, and to foster a sense of connection to one another and the world. Specializing in instruction in music, dance, visual arts, theatre and creative writing, Miami Arts Charter School seeks to engage students in meaningful academic work and inspiring performance experiences that propel their artistic creativity and excite them about life itself.