Ellington

They are planting an olive grove in Brookhaven at the Mississippi School for the Arts. Olive groves line the hills in the Mediterranean, a testament to previous generations' forethought, labor and stewardship with the gifts of the land. While the Mississippi School for the Arts may not really be an idealized paidea under the olive groves with Socrates as a teacher, it may be as close as we can get in the 21st century in Mississippi; it is a work of art in progress that will benefit future generations exponentially.

Located on the historic Whitworth College campus, the residential and commuter public high school for the arts is a boon for our state. Most high schools for the arts in other states are affiliated with colleges and universities and are also private. The beauty of Mississippi School for the Arts is that it is state of the art and free-standing—and it is completely free to attend once students are accepted.

Students attend Brookhaven High School in the morning for state-required classes, and then return to campus for lunch and arts classes in the afternoon. As an added incentive, students who have fulfilled state requirements in other academic areas may use the time in the morning for more arts classes in their declared field of study.

Marcus "Bonz" Roberts of Port Gibson, a junior, is concentrating in drama. "I like acting," he says. He also likes blazing the trail and being first. "We are all guinea pigs. We are setting the standard. We are rule setters—that is cool—we are making the rules so we can't break the rules."

In 1999, the Brookhaven Trust completed its restoration of the Mary Jane Lampton Auditorium on the old Methodist women's college campus. The trust raised money for arts and the community and invited then-first lady Pat Fordice to attend the opening with several other dignitaries. On a tour of the old campus, which is registered as a national and state historic landmark, Fordice remarked that the campus would make a lovely school for the arts, given Mississippi's rich artistic tradition. Remarkably, within a year it had been written into law.

Fall 2003 marked the first semester of classes at the school. Public high school students from all over the state applied, then after an initial cut, the finalists auditioned and interviewed, and 68 were chosen. Next year, those students will be seniors, and the population on campus will double with the arrival of the new junior class.

The school's planners have worked diligently to conserve the original campus, and then build on it creatively. Hattiesburg architect Harry Albert has ensured that 170-year-old brick walls are exposed and juxtaposed against modern fixtures beneath historic transoms and generous ceilings. Nothing has been squandered, wasted or taken for granted. Each building is being restored to live up to its potential, and, where possible, original purpose. Even the copper removed from the roofs for the renovation has been saved. In fact, David Johnson, a visual arts student from Hattiesburg, was creating armor out of the roof copper in the future ceramics studio when I toured the campus.

The only completely new building is the residence hall—an eight-floor student life building in red brick, designed by Albert. Because the school is a state school, all construction must meet strict standards for state buildings such as accessibility and building materials.

But then the art kicks come in: Clever site placement, color and clever use of ordinary cinder blocks make this an inspirational place to live and work. Indeed, the students spend many hours in the residence hall as it houses the media center, art library, fitness center and dining hall, as well as TV lounges on each residential floor.

Public relations director Jennifer Jackson points to many challenges of managing groups of artistically inclined teenagers. The rules that were originally on the books have had to be amended and changed to accommodate the needs of real students, who have gotten involved in that process. "It's a lot different from a normal high school," Jackson said. "[There's] more leniency; you have more independence. Time management and money management, you have to learn those very quickly."

Not only are students learning about the arts, but they are learning about the art of living on their own and managing themselves within the world. The school has strict rules concerning curfew and provides 24-hour surveillance and security. Teachers live in the dorm as well as dorm parents. Yet, the delicate balance of freedom and restrictions is where the cleverness of the management of this school is evident. The teachers are artists as well as educators, bringing a fundamental understanding of art as process; this pertains to the art of creating a community out of thin air as well as using the resources available to create something unplanned and unexpected.

The town of Brookhaven, too, has embraced the school community by literally opening itself up to the students. If students and their parents so choose, they may adopt a host family from the town who may take the students off campus, attend their performances, invite them for meals and even help with laundry.

The care and creativity with resources is evident down to the trees on campus. Jackson has applied for an urban forest grant that, along with a MDOT grant, will pay for landscaping the campus, but also help with educational and community enhancement. Trees will be planted and preserved on campus as a destination in and of itself with student-led tours of their own little olive grove.

Visit The Mississippi School for the Arts at www2.mde.k12.ms.us/msa. If interested in attending or touring the school, call 1-866-MSARTS1. Jan. 30 is the deadline for applications for Fall 2004. Students who are currently sophomores may apply.

Previous Comments

ID

84276

Comment

well, this is unconfirmed rumor at this point, and living and growing in brookhaven i know the fervor with which the town can wallow in conjecture...but the word on the street is that the ms school for the arts will be one of the first programs to face major cuts when gov. barbour presents his budget to the legislature...anybody in a position to confirm or deny this? curious in lincoln cty...dvc

Author

dvc

Date

2004-01-14T13:57:29-06:00

ID

84277

Comment

Anon, didn't you know the Arts aren't important anymore??? It's all about learning the ropes of the corporate world and how to obtain Big Money! ;-) It'd be a sad day if that rumor becomes reality.

Author

kaust

Date

2004-01-14T16:17:17-06:00

ID

84278

Comment

heh, yeah, i think i slept late the day they taught us that in school...but i was an english major so they probably thought us lost causes anyways...let's hope this is small town small talk...i actually attended an art opening in brookhaven for the first time in 20 years of living there off and on...the thought of the main conduit of culture getting a big kick in the stomach would be a sad beginning for a program that shows so much promise...

Author

dvc

Date

2004-01-14T18:32:16-06:00