The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, commonly known as CAPA, is a magnet school in South Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the edge of the Christian Street Historic District. It is a part of the School District of Philadelphia. Students major in one of seven areas: creative writing, instrumental music, visual arts, theater, dance, vocal music, and media, design, television & video (MDTV). Students may also minor after their freshman year as long as they meet the audition requirements. The school is located on South Broad Street, in the former Ridgway Library. Notable alumni include Boyz II Men, Questlove and Black Thought of The Roots and Leslie Odom Jr.
History
CAPA was founded in 1978 by John R. Vannoni. The school was originally located in the Atlantic Building at Broad and Spruce Streets where it shared space with the Philadelphia College of the Arts (now the University of the Arts).
CAPA moved into the Palumbo Elementary School Building at 11th and Catherine Streets in 1984. The school board had planned to close Palumbo School, but canceled the closure to accommodate CAPA.
CAPA moved into the restored Ridgway Library building at Broad and Christian Streets in November 1997. In its new location, CAPA became an anchor on Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts.
In November 2014, CAPA alumni Black Thought and Questlove of The Roots helped to launch the CAPA Foundation, a nonprofit organization with the mission of raising funds and providing financial support to the school.
On Saturday, June 24, 2017, the stretch of Broad Street in front of the school was renamed Boyz II Men Boulevard. The R&B group attended CAPA when it occupied space in Palumbo Elementary School. The Palumbo building appears in the group's Motownphilly music video.
Students and faculty
CAPA served 707 students in grades 9-12 during the 2017-2018 school year. The school has a 96% graduation rate and a 95% college matriculation rate. CAPA ranked #62 among high schools in Pennsylvania by the 2018 Best High Schools edition of the U.S. News & World Report.
The current teacher is student ratio is 22:1. CAPA's longest serving faculty member, dance teacher LaDeva Davis, had been with the school since its founding in 1978. She passed away in September of 2022.
Academics
CAPA's academic curriculum includes English, history, mathematics, science, Spanish, physical education and health. Honors and AP classes are offered in English, history, mathematics and science.
Creative writing
Creative writing (CW) is responsible for various school publications and events. Many writers are also a part of the yearbook staff.
Every year, under faculty supervision, the creative writing majors get together to put on their own show, the Writers' Cafe, an expose where many creative writing students perform original pieces they have authored, ranging from simple poetry reading to dramatic performance art.
Course syllabus
Screenwriting
Students write movie scripts based on original ideas and concepts and learn the basics of writing for the "Big Screen." Poetry I+II This course uses personal reflections in developing individual poetic style. Fiction I+II Writers gain experience in fiction through reading and writing short stories in Fiction I and II. Nonfiction I+II These courses explore the creative aspects of essay writing. Freshmen writers take Nonfiction I and senior writers take Nonfiction II. Journalism In Journalism I students write editorials, news and feature articles and even write their own newspapers. Memoir Students are tasked with writing chapter by chapter accounts of their lives, as well as reading memoirs by published authors, in order to gain a deeper understanding of themselves. Playwriting Students learn to write original scripts for plays.
Dance
The CAPA Dance Department instructs their students in different levels of Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, and Flamenco. Dance majors perform annually in the Thanksgiving Day Parade as well as the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C.
Instrumental music
The CAPA Instrumental Department encompasses a wide variety of performances and ensembles, including concert band, orchestra, and string ensembles, Jazz ensemble and a number of smaller groups. Students participate in these ensembles on a daily basis and are also instructed in such topics as music theory, composition and improvisation. CAPA students are integral members of the All-Philadelphia High School music ensembles and have participated in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association ensemble program at the district, regional and all-state levels.