Citrus College Partners with CSArts-SGV to Assist Students

Students from CSArts-SGV perform on the stage of the Haugh Performing Arts Center at Citrus College in May 2018. Photo courtesy of CSArts-SGV.

By Dr. Edward C. Ortell, Citrus College Governing Board Member

On a special evening in late May, 200 local high school students took the stage at Citrus College's Haugh Performing Arts Center in a high-energy showcase designed to highlight their talent and technique. The exciting "Season Finale" performance marked the conclusion of the students' first year at Duarte's newest educational institution, California School of the Arts – San Gabriel Valley (CSArts-SGV).

CSArts-SGV, a public charter school that opened in August 2017, provides a unique path of study for students who envision a future in the arts. Operating in conjunction with Duarte Unified School District (DUSD), it combines traditional academic instruction with intensive training in a variety of arts. Another example of the district's progressive approach to educating local students, the arrangement with CSArts-SGV has been specifically designed to benefit the Duarte area and its students.

As Duarte's representative on the Citrus Community College District Board of Trustees, I commend DUSD for actively developing partnerships that enhance the academic opportunities available within our community. It was through one such partnership that Citrus College's highly successful Early College program was created in 2009. Originally a pilot program for Duarte High School students, this innovative concurrent enrollment opportunity has now expanded to include six additional high schools within the Citrus Community College District's service area.

Soon, another high school will be added to the list of those offering Early College classes. CSArts-SGV has entered into a partnership agreement with Citrus College, enabling its students to take classes taught by the college's faculty without leaving their home campus. In addition to simultaneously earning high school and college credit, these students will have access to the same student services that are available to traditional Citrus College students.

Because CSArts-SGV provides students with rigorous academic programs and pre-professional art conservatories meant to prepare them for college and beyond, their students are usually on track with their career development pathways. According to John Vaughan, dean of visual and performing arts at Citrus College, this has made it possible for the college to immediately offer their students discipline-specific Early College classes. In fact, the first such class, figure drawing, will be available this fall. A second class, music fundamentals, will be offered in the spring.

This partnership between Citrus College and CSArts-SGV shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Citrus College's legacy of excellence in the arts spans more than a century. Since the college's founding in 1915, its student bands, orchestras and choirs have been of the highest quality. And, over the years, arts students have gone on to advance the college's reputation for excellence around the world.

Likewise, CSArts-SGV also has impressive roots. Established by the California School of the Arts Foundation, CSArts-SGV has been modeled after the prestigious Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA). With its 31-year history of providing innovative and award-winning arts and academic programs, OCSA is one of the nation's premier arts schools.

By partnering with CSArts-SGV and enhancing the college's Early College offerings, Citrus College is taking one more step toward increasing student success and college completion rates. I look forward to watching the relationship between the two institutions continue to grow in the months and years ahead.