Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

Art areas

There are six art areas: vocal music, instrumental music, dance, theatre, visual art, and creative writing. There are subdivisions within some of these art areas. Instrumental Music breaks down into band, orchestra, jazz, mariachi, and piano. Theatre breaks down into musical theatre, acting, and technical theatre.

History

HSPVA was established in 1971.

HISD chose Ruth Denney as the school's founding director. The district asked Denney to choose between three potential sites: W. D. Cleveland Elementary School, Montrose Elementary School, and the former Temple Beth Israel building. After touring them, Denney selected the temple building and in May 1971 the final plans for HSPVA were presented to the school board.

Parents rallied against a planned move to Timbergrove Manor due to its lack of proximity to Downtown Houston, artist landmarks, and the Houston Museum District, even though the district had already paid $500,000 for planning as of 1979. The school moved to 4001 Stanford Street, the site of the former Montrose Elementary School, in 1982. The cost was $1.3 million, and the HISD board had given the green light to the move the previous year. Keith Plocek of the Houston Press wrote that partly due to the 9th grade being reassigned to the high school level in 1981, "The building on Stanford Street was overcrowded from the get-go" as the facility was only intended for grades 10-12. The HSPVA Friends booster club stated an intention to raise funds to recoup the money used for the Timbergrove site planning; according to the group, the district and HSPVA Friends had conflicting interpretations of their accord in the said recouping, and Plocek stated "The Friends never really paid much of the bill".

By the late 1990s parents advocated for another move due to overpopulation, but again rejected the idea of the Timbergrove site due to the lack of proximity. HISD later proposed moving the school near the Gregory-Lincoln Education Center in Houston's Freedmen's Town Historical District in the Fourth Ward. HISD officials agreed to pursue a relocation at that time as Friends of HSPVA agreed to raise about 50% of a projected $30 million cost to develop a new site; otherwise HISD officials were reluctant to promote building a new HSPVA when there were schools with campuses in much worse repair.

The Fourth Ward building would have included a 2000+ seat state-of-the-art theater, updated facilities and possibly a recording studio. Construction was temporarily delayed due to the discovery of a possible American Civil War-era cemetery. The site that was to have the new HSPVA instead has the new Carnegie Vanguard High School.

Naming discussion

On October 13, 2016, the Houston Independent School District Board of Trustees voted 7 to 2 to accept a naming rights contract from the Kinder Foundation for a $7.5 million for capital improvements to the new facility. The school's name was to become Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts when the school moved to the new downtown location. The Kinder funds provide primarily upgrades to theater equipment and some performance spaces, such as outfitting the mini-theater.

The contract was approved by the school board after the Kinder Foundation said it would withdraw the funds if the board did not vote, six days after the public announcement of the deal.

One HISD board member, Jolanda Jones, spoke against the deal, arguing that it was selling out the rights to name a school and that HISD was not giving attention to the non-specialty schools in the district. Jones and Diana Davila were the only board members to vote against the deal. Most speakers at the board meeting, including community members and HSPVA students and parents, supported the deal (17 speakers in favor, 11 against).

In April 2017, in response to a petition asking the Kinders to give the name back, Richard Kinder wrote to the superintendent of Houston Independent School District. Citing negative controversy, he offered to release the naming rights, but did not suggest or request the school's name be restored. By contract, the name change became effective when the new downtown campus was occupied.

New campus

In January 2019, HSPVA moved from its Montrose campus to the downtown site at 790 Austin Street. The former campus now houses the Arabic Immersion Magnet School.

Demographics

The demographics for the 2017 - 2018 school year are listed below.

Anglo white students made up less than 50% of the student body, and the three ZIP codes with the highest numbers of students in HSPVA included Meyerland, Montrose, and the West University areas. The HSPVA student body had a higher percentage of Anglo white students than that of HISD as a whole. That year 15% of the students were low income. HSPVA historically had higher rates of minority enrollment as it had affirmative action policies, but these policies were withdrawn after 1997.

Campus

A block in Downtown Houston is the new location for HSPVA. It formerly housed Sam Houston High School; at a later point the building housed the HISD headquarters. The building is five stories and 168000 sqft in size, at a cost of $88.4 million. Gensler Architects designed the building. Groundbreaking occurred on December 14, 2014.

The previous campus was on Blocks 12 and 13 of the Lockard Connor and Barziza Addition, in Montrose. , many students practiced their creative arts in the school hallway due to the small size of the campus. Many Montrose-area residents attended performances even though they do not have children enrolled in the school. Students sometimes traveled to area cafes and restaurants after the official end of the school day but before additional rehearsals.

Admissions patterns

HSPVA has no actual feeder patterns. Since it is a magnet school it takes students from all over HISD, and from districts outside of HISD.

HSPVA takes students from many HISD middle schools. In addition, some students who are enrolled in private schools in the 8th grade, such as St. Mark's Episcopal School, Presbyterian School, River Oaks Baptist School, John Paul II School, and Annunciation Orthodox School, choose to go to HSPVA for high school.

Notable alumni

• Jay Alexander (magician mentalist)
• Lisa Hartman Black (actress)
• Kevin Cahoon (Broadway Performer)
• Susan Choi (novelist)
• Tamarie Cooper (Playwright and Performer)
• Bryan-Michael Cox (Grammy Award-winning songwriter/record producer)
• Sapphira Cristál (Drag queen)
• Chris Dave (drummer)
• Tamar Davis (singer and actress)
• Ryan Delahoussaye (member of the rock band Blue October)
• Adam J. Elkhadem (Cartoonist)
• Mireille Enos (Actress)
• Major R. Johnson Finley ("MAJOR.")
• Michelle Forbes (Actress)
• James Francies (pianist and keyboardist)
• K. Todd Freeman (Stage Actor)
• Justin Furstenfeld (frontman of the rock band "Blue October")
• Robert Glasper (Grammy Award-winning Jazz Musician)
• Bianna Golodryga (TV journalist)
• Chachi Gonzales (Dancer, Choreographer)
• John Gremillion (voice actor in anime films)
• Tim Guinee (Actor)
• Eric Harland (Jazz Drummer)
• Everette Harp (Jazz musician)
• Sara Hickman (Singer and songwriter)
• Lance Hosey (Award-winning architect and author)
• Cheryl Kelley (Photorealist painter)
• Autumn Knight (interdisciplinary artist)
• Beyoncé Knowles (Grammy Award-winning musician)
• Solange Knowles (Grammy award winning musician)
• LeToya Luckett (Grammy Award-winning musician)
• Elder Jahfeeil Manley (Singer songwriter)
• Ralphie May (Comedian)
• Adam Mayfield (Actor)
• Margarita Monet (founder of the band Edge Of Paradise)
• DeQuina Moore (Broadway Actress, Singer, Dancer)
• Jason Moran (jazz musician)
• Mike Moreno Jazz Guitarist
• Carli Mosier (Voice actress)
• Matt Mullenweg (Co-founder of WordPress){{cite web |access-date = November 8, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150503222901/http://www.houstonisd.org//site/Default.aspx?PageID=32184 |archive-date = May 3, 2015 |url-status = live
• Renee O'Connor (Actress)
• Lovie Olivia (Multidisciplinary artist)
• Mark Payne (Emmy Award-winning makeup artist)
• Esteban Powell (Actor)
• Robh Ruppel (Illustrator)
• Kendrick Scott (Jazz musician)
• Ronen Segev (Classical Pianist)
• Mark Seliger (Photographer)
• Olly Sholotan (Actor & musician)
• Justin Simien (Filmmaker, Writer)
• Walter Smith III, (Jazz composer and saxophonist)
• Helen Sung (Professional musician)
• Leron Thomas (multi-genre composer, Jazz musician, vocalist, rapper)
• Devyn Tyler (Actress)
• Chris Walker (R&B Singer)
• Chandra Wilson (Emmy nominated Actress)
• Harris Wittels (Comedian, writer)
• Camille Zamora (Opera singer)
• Gwendolyn Zepeda (Poet)

References

• Gore, Elaine Clift (2007). Talent Knows No Color: The History of an Arts Magnet High School. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc. (IAP). , 9781593117610.

Notes

References

1. "PERFOR & VIS ARTS H S". National Center for Education Statistics.
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3. "2018 School Rankings {{!}} Texas School Guide".
4. (August 31, 2016). "Awards - U.S. Presidential Scholars Program". ed.gov.
5. "Northside Attendance Boundary Map".
6. "School Information / History".
7. Gore, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=o2lSdwON_ioC&pg=PA9 9].
8. Gore, Elaine Clift. (January 1, 2007). "Talent Knows No Color: The History of an Arts Magnet High School". IAP.
9. Plocek, Keith. (2004-12-30). "On Shaky Grounds". [[Houston Press]].
10. (June 22, 2012). "New HSPVA school building in downtown Houston is part of proposed HISD bond package".
11. link. (January 10, 2010 ." ''Houston Chronicle''. October 14, 2009. {{Retrieved)
12. Downing, Margaret. "[http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2009/12/hisd_carnegie_vanguard_high_te.php Carnegie Vanguard May Finally (And Happily) Move To A New Home]." ''[[Houston Press]]''. December 10, 2009. {{Retrieved
13. (October 14, 2016). "HSPVA to be renamed after Kinder Foundation donates $7.5M". [[KPRC-TV]] click2houston.com.
14. "Fate of arts high school renaming proposal uncertain". Houston Chronicle.
15. Pulsinelli, Olivia. (2016-10-14). "HISD approves Kinder gift, name change". Houston Business Journal.
16. Downing, Margaret. (2016-10-14). "Trustees Vote to Rename HSPVA and Jones Says HISD "Is Like a Pimp"". [[Houston Press]].
17. "October 13, 2016 Board Meetings - Houston Independent School District".
18. Downing, Margaret. (2017-04-27). ""The HSPVA Fight Continues Even After Rich Kinder Offers to Take Back His Name"". The Houston Press.
19. "Kinder-HSPVA-HISD Executed Agreement 10-13-16".
20. "Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts / Homepage".
21. (2019-05-09). "Arabic Immersion Magnet School relocating to former Kinder HSPVA campus". [[Houston Independent School District]].
22. "School Profile HSPVA".
23. Isensee, Laura. (2017-07-13). "Once Tool to Desegregate, HSPVA Doesn't Reflect Diversity in Houston School District". [[KUHT.
24. Gonzales, J.R. "[http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2010/03/sam-houston-high-school-old/ Sam Houston High School (old)]." ''Houston Chronicle''. March 30, 2010. {{Retrieved
25. link. (August 26, 2018 ." ''Houston Chronicle''. October 15, 2014. {{Retrieved)
26. "Building Programs / High School for the Performing and Visual Arts".
27. "New Kinder HSPVA on track to welcome students in January 2019". Houston Independent School District.
28. "[http://blogs.houstonisd.org/news/2014/12/15/hspva-breaks-ground-for-new-school-in-downtown-theater-district/ HSPVA breaks ground for new school in downtown theater district]." [[Houston Independent School District]]. December 15, 2014. {{Retrieved
29. "[http://blogs.houstonisd.org/news/2014/12/18/hisd-breaks-ground-on-four-new-campuses-celebrates-first-project-to-go-vertical/ HISD breaks ground on four new campuses, celebrates first project to ‘go vertical’]." [[Houston Independent School District]]. December 18, 2014. {{Retrieved
30. Lockard Connor and Barziza Addition, Blocks 12 and 13. ''Harris County Assessor's Block Book''. Volume 23, Page 68 ([http://books.tax.hctx.net/BlockBooksPDF/v023/AE1997_23-24_0030.pdf PDF] and [http://books.tax.hctx.net/v023/AE1997_23-24_0030.jpg JPG]) and 69 ([http://books.tax.hctx.net/BlockBooksPDF/v023/AE1997_23-24_0031.pdf PDF] and [http://books.tax.hctx.net/v023/AE1997_23-24_0030.jpg JPG]). They indicate the Montrose School, which HSPVA was built upon.
31. Ambrose, Amber. (2014-08-25). "A Sense of Place: Appreciating HSPVA's Montrose Campus Before the big Jump to Downtown". [[Montrose Management District]].
32. "The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts / Homepage".
33. "St. John Paul II Catholic School".
34. "Link Lookup".
35. "About Us".
36. "Presbyterian School - Class of 2004".
37. "2007 River Oaks Baptist School Graduates".
38. "John Paul II - Our Programs - Middle School Overview".
39. link. (May 15, 2012 ." ''[[Houston Independent School District]]''.)
40. HSPVA, Kinder. (2018-08-03). "Theatre alum @KevinCahoon will direct Hedwig @zachtheatre in January. We hope you're able to stop by and see our new campus".
41. "Ashley Tamar Davis Returns Home to Star in the Hit "Motown The Musical"".
42. Communications, HISD. (2013-09-11). "Sixty HISD Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists".
43. "[http://hspva.org/departments/vocalMusic/students.htm Outstanding Alumni] {{webarchive. link. (May 18, 2008 ." ''High School for the Performing and Visual Arts''.)
44. (30 August 2018). "Soul Singer MAJOR drops new album "EVEN MORE"".
45. Panken, Ted. (November 2018). "Empathy & Authenticity".
46. (July 8, 2010). "Bianna's Inspiration: My High School Teacher". [[ABC News (United States).
47. "The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts / Homepage".
48. Weaver, Ally. (2011-10-07). "HSPVA celebrates 40 years".
49. Sewing, Joy. (August 16, 2022). "Houston native Solange becomes the first Black woman to compose music score for New York City Ballet".
50. Guerra, Joey. (August 24, 2009). "'Shy girl' Letoya Luckett steps up when the spotlight shines". Mysa.
51. [https://abc13.com/archive/7663883/ Soap star talks about struggles, surviving Ike] KTRK.com special report
52. (27 May 2013). "Flashdance, the Musical Brings Its Dance Dreams Back to Life in Houston".
53. "DeQuina Moore Stars in Flashdance – The Musical".
54. "Carli Mosier".
55. "Matusow, Cathy. "The Blog Age." ''Houston Press''. October 28, 2004. Retrieved May 18, 2009.".
56. Sorenson, Edith. (May 30, 1996). "Press Picks".
57. (October 21, 2008). "Get Happy".
58. "[http://tocmusic.com/about_ronnie_segev.html Ronen Segev]." ''[[Ten O'Clock Classics]]''. Retrieved on May 18, 2009.
59. (5 May 2018). "'Dear White People': Creator Justin Simien goes back to class in Season 2".
60. (16 October 2014). "'Dear White People' Is A Satire Addressed To Everyone".
61. writer, LESLIE CARDÉ {{!}} Contributing. (April 2, 2021). "Role in 'Clarice' turns out to be a big break at the right time for New Orleanian Devyn Tyler".
62. link. (September 7, 2018 ." [[Houston Independent School District]]. May 9, 2013. Retrieved on August 19, 2017. While she graduated from Reagan, she also attended HSPVA as noted on the page)