Apex Arts Magnet Program
The Apex Arts Magnet Program - previously known as Performing and Visual Arts (PVA) - is an integrated arts magnet program for students grades 6-12 at Wiley H. Bates Middle School, Brookyln Park Midde School, Broadneck High School, and Annapolis High School. The program consists of "primes" that work similarly to college majors, offering courses that give students who are accepted to the program the opportunity to learn in their selected field.
Location
Apex Arts is integrated into four Anne Arundel Public Schools; Wiley H. Bates Middle School, Brookyln Park Midde School, Broadneck High School, and Annapolis High School. Apex + classes, Business for the Arts and Capstone for High School students are taken at Studio 39. Both Middle Schools support every prime, whilst for high schoolers, all Music primes are taught at Brooklyn Park High School and all other primes are taught at Annapolis High.
Primes
Apex offers 7 primes for high school students and 5 primes for middle schoolers. High school primes include Visual Arts, Theatre, Dance, Film and New Media, Design and Production, Creative Writing, and Music. Middle school primes include Visual Arts, Creative Writing, Theatre, Dance, and Music. Before the rebrand, Middle Schools did not offer Theatre, instead offering Creative Writing and Drama as a combined prime. Primes are auditioned for by incoming middle or high schoolers VIA interview and portfolio or performance, depending on the medium of focus.
Apex +
Apex Plus classes - or 'Extended Day" classes - are required after-school art courses taken by 9th-11th grade students at Studio 39. Classes fall under three categories; Applied Arts, Projects, and Virtual Labs. These classes, taken in sets of trimesters, help students learn new skills in different mediums or continue to practice skills in their primes. A minimum of 45 hours is required per year per student to receive full credit.
Studio 39 Classes
Business For The Arts, or BFTA, is a one-semester class taken by Apex 11th graders at Studio 39. The class rigorously teaches students about careers, finances, how to create resumes, how to make a portfolio, interview etiquette and more. Business For The Arts is extremely difficult and readies the student for their Summer Internship.
Senior Capstone is a class taken solely by Apex Senior high school students at Studio 39. The class is split into two semesters; Solo and Collaborative. Capstones are massive projects created by students that are used to encapsulate a large majority of what they learned in their 9th through 11th years of high school. These projects are huge grades, and according to Apex seniors, are incredibly stressful and take up a lot of time.
Summer Internships
An Apex Summer Internship is held during the summer between a student's Junior and Senior year. Business For The Arts prepares students to apply to and interview for an internship of their choice. 135 hours are required between the 4th quarter of Junior year and the end of the first semester of Senior year to allow the student to graduate with an Apex Arts Certificate.
Apex Rebrand
In late August of 2022 the program announced it's official rebrand, changing from it's initial name, Performing and Visual Arts (PVA), to Apex Arts. Many students enrolled in the program - mostly those of which had been apart of Apex since middle school - were offended by the sudden change. New icons with "signature colors" were assigned to each prime, which sparked a program-wide debate about which colors truly fit versus what was assigned. A vast majority of students were deeply unsatisfied with the new promotional material, often derogatorily referring to it as the "Adobe Illustrator art style." Some students even refused to refer to the program by it's new title, opting to instead continue using 'PVA' in retaliation. The uproar died down towards the end of the 2022-2023 school year as students acclimated to the new branding.
Bus Chaos
During the 2021-2022 school year AACPS had a bus driver shortage, resulting in less buses for students to take to after-school classes at Studio 39. After the bell rung, 9th-11th grade Apex kids would pack onto the Studio 39 bus like sardines. There were 6 students to a row, three on each seat, and kids sitting and standing through the entire length of the walkway in the bus. Despite the awkward closeness, kids would bring speakers on the bus to blast music and celebrate the new school year.