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Cab Calloway School of the Arts
Address
100 N. DuPont Rd Wilmington, Delaware 19807 United States
Coordinates	39°45′13″N 75°35′15″W / 39.7537°N 75.5876°W / 39.7537; -75.5876
Information
Type	Public secondary art school
Motto	Arts + Academics = Excellence
Established	1992 (32 years ago) (1992)
School district	Red Clay Consolidated School District
CEEB code	080157
Dean	Anthony Gray-Bolden
Teaching staff	52.00 (FTE)
Grades	6–12
Enrollment	930 (2022-2023)
Student to teacher ratio	17.88
Website	cabcallowayschool.org

Cab Calloway School of the Arts (CCSA) is an arts-oriented magnet school in Wilmington, Delaware, operated by the Red Clay Consolidated School District. The school offers grades six through twelve and each student chooses a particular focus in the field of arts that they study throughout school; they must take an assessment or audition in this area upon applying.

History

The building that currently houses Cab Calloway is the former location of Wilmington High School. Cab was established in 1992 by a group of parents who wanted their children to have an arts-centered education; for the first six years, Cab existed as Red Clay's Creative and Performing Arts Middle School, offering sixth and seventh grades and operating out of an empty wing of Wilmington High. When Wilmington closed in 1999 due in part to decreasing enrollment, Cab took up residence in the rest of the school and expanded into the 6-12 institution it is today. In homage to Wilmington, Cab kept the words "Wilmington High" on the building near the entrance to honor its historic ties to the community. The school changed its name to Cab Calloway in 1993 as a tribute jazz singer and actor Cab Calloway's prolific career as well as a nod to the fact that he lived in nearby Hockessin in his old age.

The class of 2005 was the first to use the three-tiered diploma system, which would rank graduate degrees as "basic", "standard", or "distinguished", a controversial plan under Governor Ruth Ann Minner meant to standardize the school to better fit No Child Left Behind. When students, parents, faculty, and lawmakers criticized the three-tier system, it was reduced to a two-tier system, until the idea was abandoned altogether in 2005.

School symbols

CCSA's fight song is "Minnie the Moocher" by Cab Calloway despite its many references to drugs and prostitution. The school colors are silver, black, and purple and the mascot is The Spirit, though CCSA does not have athletics. CCSA students who want to participate in sports are able to join teams offered by the Charter School of Wilmington, who they share a building with.

The Sentinel

In 2002, the city dedicated Sentinel #3 (known simply as Sentinel), a statue by Jim Paulsen, to CCSA to mark its tenth anniversary. Paulsen refurbished the wood and metal structure in early 2002 after vandals destroyed the initial design, unveiled in 1985. CCSA and Charter students helped with the restoration and the statue was moved from downtown Wilmington to the front of Cab Callway School in fall 2002. In 2003, Sentinel was again the target of vandalism; the perpetrator cut through one of the structure's supporting legs, which cost about $800 to repair. A fundraiser was held to cover the cost.

Academics

CCSA students have the option to take courses offered by their building-mate the Charter School of Wilmington and vice versa. Delaware College of Art and Design (DCAD's) offers a dual-enrollment program where students can take courses such as animation or drawing; dual-enrollment students also have access to DCAD's many arts facilities such as studios and computer labs.

CCSA has consistently been ranked highly by organizations such as Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report for a number of years. In 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked CCSA #338 of nearly 18,000 high schools in the United States.

Arts

CCSA has nine majors to choose from: digital media and communication arts (web/print design, cinema/videography, photography, typography, digital audio production); dance; instrumental music; piano; strings; technical theatre (stage tech - high school only); theatre arts; visual arts; and vocal music.

In fall 2004, CCSA opened its own gallery, which has been used to showcase students and local artists. In 2009, the building underwent a $22 million renovation that focused on important upkeep such as ensuring doors were up to fire code, plumbing, HVAC system replacement, and window installation. In 2012, the 1,028-seat theatre was torn down and a $9.8 million theatre was built in its place. It opened in fall 2014.

Theatre

The Communication Arts department directs videography for most of the school's and all shows are edited, produced, and/or live-streamed by students.

Notable alumni

• Sarah McBride, Delaware state senator and transgender rights activist.
• Anna Uzele, American actress known for originating the role of Catherine Parr in the Broadway musical SIX.

References

1. ^ "Calloway (Cab) School of the Arts". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
2. "School Directory". n.d. Archived from the original on 2021-06-27. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
3. "Application process". n.d. Archived from the original on 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
4. "Calloway (Cab) School of the Arts". 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-06. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
5. "Calloway (Cab) School of the Arts". Delaware Today. 2012-12-16. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
6. ^ Nagengast, Larry (2017-09-22). "Cab Calloway School of the Arts celebrates 25th anniversary". Delaware Public Media. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
7. ^ Barrish, Cris; Eichmann, Mark (2020-02-18). "Could bringing back Wilmington High help fix school inequities?". WHYY. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
8. Wilson, John S. (1994-11-20). "Cab Calloway Is Dead at 86; 'Hi-de-hi-de-ho' Jazz Man". The New York Times. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
9. Davis, Michelle R. (2004-04-28). "Three-Tier Diplomas Ignite Delaware Spat". Education Week. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
10. Le, Cecilia (2005-02-17). "Panel's diploma answer: We pass". Retrieved 2021-07-07.
11. David, Michele R. (2005-10-11). "Lawmakers Expand Full-Day Kindergarten". Education Week. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
12. ^ "Cab Calloway School of the Arts". 2016. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
13. ^ "Sports". Cab Calloway School of the Arts. 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
14. ^ Kelly, Paula F. (2002-11-02). "Hailing Cab: School of the Arts lives up to its promise". The News Journal. p. 92. Retrieved 2021-07-07 – via Newspapers.com.
15. Besso, Michele (2002-05-07). "Wilmington sculpture gets new look and new location". The News Journal. p. 17. Retrieved 2021-07-07 – via Newspapers.com.
16. ^ Besso, Michele (2003-10-28). "Arts School icon vandalizezd: Fund-raiser planned to fix Calloway's 'Sentinel #3'". The News Journal. p. 92. Retrieved 2021-07-07 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "College of Art and Design partners with Cab Calloway School of Arts". 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
18. Petzak, Mary E. (2018-05-09). "Red Clay has 'Top' schools again". Newark Post. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
19. Loudell, Allan (2018-05-09). "A familiar ranking pattern for Delaware high schools in the latest national rankings". Retrieved 2021-07-07.
20. "Cab Calloway School of the Arts". 2021. Archived from the original on 2020-05-11. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
21. "Profile" (PDF). 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
22. "Cab Calloway School of the Arts". Delaware Scene. n.d. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
23. Squittiere, Nicole (2009-09-22). "The grand opening of Cab Calloway's new theater". Hockessin Community News. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
24. ^ Mammarella, Ken (2014-11-12). "The grand opening of Cab Calloway's new theater". The News Journal. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
25. "Live-streams". Cab Calloway School of the Arts. 2018-07-30. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
26. "Senator Sarah McBride (D)". Delaware General Assembly. Dover DE. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
27. Joyce, Matt. "At Texas State, Anna Uzele found an unexpected path to her Broadway dreams". Texas State University. Hillviews Magazine. Retrieved 21 November 2024.

External links

• Cab Calloway School of the Arts website

• Educational institutions established in 1992
• High schools in New Castle County, Delaware
• Magnet schools in Delaware
• Public middle schools in Delaware
• Public high schools in Delaware
• 1992 establishments in Delaware
• Schools in Wilmington, Delaware
• Red Clay Consolidated School District