Wirt-Emerson Visual and Performing Arts High Ability Academy, was a seven-year (6-12) middle/high

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

for the visual and performing arts in the

Gary Community School Corporation Gary Community School Corporation is a school district headquartered in Gary, Indiana. The school district includes the majority of Gary. History In 2017, Gary Community Corp became the first school system in Indiana involved in a state tak ...

Gary Gary may refer to: *Gary (given name), a common masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name Places ;Iran * Gary, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan Province ;United States *Gary (Tampa), Florida *Gary, Ind ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. For reference to the historic closed facility that originally housed Emerson VPA, and previously Emerson High School, see

Emerson High School (Indiana) Emerson High School was a public high school of the Gary Community School Corporation, located in a historic facility in Gary, Indiana, United States. In 1981, Emerson closed as a high school. For approximately 17 years, the facility housed a ...

History

Emerson High School closed in 1981 due to underpopulation. Emerson School for Visual and Performing Arts launched in 1982 after the closure of the high school. Emerson VPA was one of the first of its kind in the state of Indiana. In 2008 the Emerson building was shuttered due to mold issues. The district moved its visual and performing arts program first to the former Kennedy King Middle School, and in 2010 into the former William A. Wirt High School building in Gary's scenic

Miller Beach Miller Beach (also commonly known as Miller) is a neighborhood of Gary, Indiana on the southernmost shore of Lake Michigan. First settled in 1851, Miller Beach was originally an independent town. However, the "Town of Miller" was eventually annex ...

community. In 2009, the district renamed the school "Wirt-Emerson Visual and Performing Arts High Ability Academy." Its location was 210 N. Grand Avenue. On February 16, 2018, Emergency Manager Peggy Hinckley told the state Distressed Unit Appeals Board (DUAB) that she would shutter Wirt-Emerson to help reduce a $1.5 million monthly shortfall in the district that has a total of $115 million in accumulated debt, in addition to the monthly deficit. On March 2, 2018, the DUAB agreed with the Emergency Manager's decision to shutter the 79-year-old school which is one of the anchors of the Miller neighborhood of Gary. The closing left the

West Side Leadership Academy West Side Leadership Academy is a four-year (9-12) public school of the Gary Community School Corporation in Gary, Indiana, United States. Notable alumni * Dana Evans, WNBA player * LaTroy Hawkins, MLB player * Jon'Vea Johnson, NFL player * ...

—located over 5 miles to the west of Wirt-Emerson at 9th Ave & Gerry St—as the lone traditional public high school option for about 225 Wirt-Emerson students.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Emerson School For Visual And Performing Arts Public high schools in Indiana Public middle schools in Indiana Defunct schools in Indiana Schools in Gary, Indiana 1982 establishments in Indiana 2018 disestablishments in Indiana