Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School


Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School is a public charter school in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It as established in 1996 as part of the Massachusetts Educational Reform. It was originally located in Hadley, Massachusetts, but relocated to South Hadley for its tenth year in 2005.

Overview

Pioneer Valley Performing Arts in Western Massachusetts is known for its performing and visual arts concentrations woven into its curriculum. Students are required to take all courses that Massachusetts public schools mandate but also participate in a wide variety of performing arts and visual art courses.
Students take dance courses, sculpture and other visual arts, theater, and a variety of athletic activities in addition to arts courses. The students also participate in the revision of the school charter as a democratic process when the charter goes through renewals.
The school has two performance spaces, a main theater and a studio theater. In the 2005–06 school year, PVPA made a deal with the Academy of Music to hold their musical production of the year at their facilities. From 2009–11, PVPA relocated their musicals to University of Massachusetts Amherst's Bowker Auditorium. In 2012, PVPA's musical productions relocated back to the Academy of Music, and many of the school's other productions are now held there as well.

Notable alumni