Midtown has been ranked No. 6 for Best High Schools for the Arts in Georgia on the education site Niche this year. The school offers theater, fashion and arts classes and has won a variety of awards in the past few years.

The ranking is based on statistics from the U.S. Department of Education, test scores, college data and ratings through the site’s users, such as former students and teachers. Midtown is the highest-rated public high school on the list, among charter and art schools. Theater and film teacher Elizabeth Collins believes this ranking is due to the autonomy of Midtown’s arts curriculum and values the diversity in opportunities available to students.

“My favorite part of the arts program at Midtown is the amount of choice in the curriculum,” Collins said. “We have arts students who are taking band class, a film class and an engineering class. Others take orchestra, chorus and fashion. Students are able to pool their knowledge and significantly expand their creativity capacity.”

Senior Zoe Diamond-Wilding, this year’s Drama Board president, has been involved in several Midtown theater productions and values the connections she has made.

“One of the most important things I’ve learned from theater and chorus is the importance of community and trust,” Diamond-Wilding said. “I love how many friendships are made through theater, and how empowering it feels to be a part of a group all working towards the same end goal.” 

In addition to her involvement in theater, chorus has also been a large part of Diamond-Wilding’s life since elementary school. After seeing Midtown’s musical productions, she decided that she wanted to pursue pathways that combined both interests, leading her to musical theater. Diamond-Wilding participates in Midtown’s Mastery Treble Chorus, Midtown Voices, and Voxology, Midtown’s acapella group and acts as one of the chorus’s co-presidents this year.

“Before I was even at Midtown, I would go and watch the musicals here,” Diamond-Wilding said. “I remember seeing ‘Legally Blonde’ when I was in sixth grade and thinking that that was something I wanted to be a part of.”

Junior Maxey Patterson, a student in the fashion pathway, said she is grateful for the opportunities available to her, but hopes for more funding in the future.

“[Midtown] being ranked six is an amazing achievement for us, and motivates me as a student,” Patterson said. “I think this shows how important it is to have different types of art programs in schools. I just wish for us being number six, we would get more funding towards our fashion program. The fact that we can do so much with what we are given will hopefully push sponsors to grow the program.”

Patterson’s fashion collection will be displayed during Midtown’s annual fashion show on May 2. She was tasked with picking a theme that represents her interests. 

“Not having a [pre-determined] theme allows students to incorporate what interests them; [it] truly allows their creativity to flow and adds more diversity to our art program,” Patterson said.

Kotavei Williams, a visual arts teacher, believes art plays a vital role in educational advancement and creates room for creativity for all students.

“People tend to see only core classes as most important to educational development, however, the value of art incorporated in STEAM [Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math] gives room for self-expression through the arts curriculum,” Williams said. “Whatever level or ability, when students join the art program, they are nurtured, encouraged and gently pushed to grow beyond where they see themselves artistically.”

As a STEAM-certified school, Midtown focuses on engineering and sciences. The theatre program has found ways to incorporate those values through its Tech Theater pathway. Students have the opportunity to build and design the sets, costumes, lights and sound for performances. 

“On the technical side of theatre, we use geometry and engineering skills to build the sets, light color theory in a lighting design and balanced composition in the overall production design,” Collins said. “All of these aspects connect directly to our STEAM initiative at Midtown.” 

Williams believes the quality of the art department at Midtown stems from the students and teachers who make up the programs.

“I believe the heart and pulse of the arts program here at Midtown are the teachers and the students who come to us full of raw talent and inspiration,” Williams said.