Some University City High School (UCHS) students with an interest in studying technology or the arts are coaxed out of the community to go to High Tech High or the School of Creative and Performing Arts. Lauriel Adsit, the dynamic creator and coordinator of the UCHS Visual Arts, Technology and Theatre Academy (ArtsTECH), offers these students both arts and technology under one roof. Why go to another high school when UCHS has it all? Adsit is a visionary teacher and she credits a parent, Rashmi Bhargava, with helping her launch the academy, one of 500 California Partnership Academies funded by the state. Bhargava felt students’ needs weren’t being met, and Adsit knew there was a great disconnect between the arts and technology, considering where technology was going. Frustrated by hearing parents and students say, “There is no future in the arts,” Adsit contends graduates with arts and tech skills are getting good jobs. In California, the capital of entertainment and arts, even in tough economic times people go to movies, play video games and search websites. In creating the academy, learning about fine arts and performing arts was one part of the equation, and adding practical skills in technology was the other. Thanks to Adsit, ArtsTECH was born and is growing into a 21st-century success story at UCHS. After learning about the California Partnership Academy and grant money being made available by the state, Adsit spent one year learning about the concept and another year writing a grant. The beauty of the academy is the smaller learning community, where it is more like a family in which the teachers individualize programs. Adsit remembers how important her art classes were in high school. “I lived for the fine arts classes,” she said. She gives praise to co-coordinator and digital tech instructor Brad Milhoan, along with performing arts teacher Belinda Brown. Lead teacher John Middleton instructs the 10th- and 12th-grade English classes. These highly skilled educators offer academy students a clear pathway to college and a career. Academy facilities include a digital-age control room and sound booth, as well as a music suite, fit with state-of-the-art audio and video equipment. Adsit and Milhoan team teach. When she teaches a unit on architecture or cartoon drawing, for example, Milhoan utilizes technology to demonstrate 3-D design and animation. Students can choose visual arts, with classes such as multimedia production, 2-D/3-D animation, layout and web design. Or they may opt for theatre arts, such as stage craft and technical theatre. ArtsTECH has students across the academic spectrum. Many are in AP classes, but qualifications stress a keen interest in the arts and a willingness to work. Adsit is in communication with her former students enrolled in colleges, and this year’s crop of graduating seniors will let her know about their job-hunting prospects. The report is in that they were well-prepared for college. Keeping the grant entails providing detailed reports three times a year, and funding is very specific. Money is used for instructional supplies, such as specialized equipment for architecture, as well as staff development, common planning and curriculum writing. Adsit recently took the 11th-graders to the Museum of Contemporary Art, and last year everyone in the academy went to the Getty Museum in L.A. Field trips are part of the curriculum. Both business and student advisory boards give input to the program, and mentorships and internships are mandatory. Community business partners include the Visual Arts Foundation, City of San Diego Printing Division, Cox Media, San Diego Museum of Art and Woodbury University. As Paul McCartney says: “The key is, never stop doing what you love.” You only have to be around Adsit for a few minutes to see the passion she feels for the program. Utilizing her skills as a fine artist, graphic designer, teacher and resource specialist — she really loves what she is doing. To learn more about the UCHS ArtsTECH Academy, please contact Lauriel Adsit at (858) 457-3040 or [email protected].