Butler Tech School of the Arts
228 Court Street
Hamilton, Ohio 45011
Main: 513-887-2787 Fax: 513-887-0142
Principal: Erin Heinrich
Counselor: Amanda Howard
Accreditation: North Central Association
AdvancED
CEEB CODE: 365-161
Butler Tech School of the Arts Mission Statement:
We will ignite a passion for learning and continuous self-improvement in every student. SOA will develop lifelong learners
by providing a personalized educational experience that uses the arts as a vehicle for engaging students.
The District
Butler Tech is located in and serves all of Butler County as well as a small section of Hamilton County. Students are also
able to open enroll from any county in Ohio. Butler County is located in the South-West corner of the state between
Dayton and Cincinnati. Butler Tech is Ohio’s largest career-technical school that includes the 3 stand-alone campuses of
School of the Arts, Natural Science Center, and D. Russel Lee. Butler Tech also operates over 190 satellite programs in ten
associate school districts. Butler County is 87% white, 6.5% Black Non-Hispanic, 2.7% Hispanic or Latino, 2.0% Asian Alone,
and 1.5% two or more races. The County population is 363,184 and is 89% urban and 11% rural.
The School
Butler Tech School of the Arts is a Butler Tech career technical high school offering pre-professional arts training as well as
college preparatory academics. Approximately 130 juniors and senior students attend SOA, which is located in a newly
renovated building in downtown Hamilton, Ohio. Juniors and seniors are admitted through an interview process to
evaluate their passion and dedication to the arts. Artistic departments include dance, instrumental music, vocal music,
visual arts, and theatre. Forty percent of the student body receives free or reduced lunch.
College Readiness
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Students at Butler Tech School of the Arts experience a unique model of blended learning focused on mastery of
the skills necessary to be a successful artist and college student. A significant amount of time is spent mastering
time management, communication with peers and faculty, and goal setting. Students are active participants in
their own education.
Each academic class is a mix of mandatory workshops, online work outside the classroom, and optional help
sessions all offered multiple times a week. Each art major also has both mandatory appointments and open
studio time. Students learn to balance their time between the mandatory appointments, while also recognizing
the importance of attending optional help sessions, open studio time, and allowing for recreational time.
Students become accustomed to professional communication to address schedule conflicts. They also learn to
take inventory of their aspirations, experiences, strengths and weaknesses to become a more successful artist
and student. Students graduating SOA are expected to be inquisitive, adaptive, passionate, professional, and selfmotivated college students.
Artistic Program
Art classes are interspersed throughout the day. Students are admitted into one of the 5 majors of Theatre, Dance,
Instrumental Music, Vocal Music, or Visual Arts. Many students take electives in their majors as well as required courses.
Students are also able to do cross study in other majors as long as they are in good standing in their arts and academics.
Further description of each program is included on the last page.
Academic Program:
The school year consists of 4 quarters. Students taking a normal course load complete 4 academic credits per year.
Students graduate from and receive their diploma from their home school. GPA and class rank is determined by each
student’s home school. Home schools do not necessarily use the same grade scale or weight our AP classes when
calculating rank. We encourage Admissions staff to consider the information contained in this profile when evaluating
SOA student transcripts against other students in their home high school.
Academic Course Offerings 2013-14
CP Anatomy & Physiology
CP Chemistry
CP Environmental Science
CP English 11
CP English 12
CP Government
CP Economics
Grade Scale:
CP Sociology
A= (92-100)
CP Psychology
B= (83-91)
CP Algebra 2
C= (74-82)
CP Statistics
D= (65-73)
CP Pre-Calculus
F= (0-64)
Physical Education
Health
Foreign Language classes offered:
Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, Italian
Graduation Requirements:
Determined by each student’s home school
Graduates:
Graduation Rate – 98%
Average ACT Composite - 20
Scholarship Dollars Awarded in 2013 – Over $751,000.00
Post – High School Plans
74% attending 4 year or 2 year colleges/universities
3% selected military service
College Acceptance/Matriculation listed in bold for 2012-13
University of Akron
Bowling Green State University
Miami University
Point Park University
Waldorf College
Wright State University
Wilmington College
Sinclair Community College
Miami University Middletown
Miami University Hamilton
Berea College
Western Michigan University
Art Institute of Ohio-Cincinnati
Northern Kentucky University
University of Toledo
Hocking College
Ohio University
The Ohio State University
Kent State University
University of Cincinnati
Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning
College-Conservatory of Music
Middle Tennessee State University
Greenville University
Parson The New School for Design
Anderson University
Columbus College of Art & Design
Cleveland Art Institute
School of Advertising Art
Mount Saint Joseph
Full Sail
Cincinnati State
Art Institute of Austin (TX)
Shawnee State University
Ball State University
Marymount Manhattan College
New York Film Academy
Students in the Dance program at School of the Arts explore different styles of dance, including jazz, tap, musical theatre, lyrical,
partnering and hip hop. They participate in strength & flexibility training and learn about the careers of notable dancers and
choreographers through an appreciation/history course. *(E) designates an elective course for that major
College and Careers in the Arts
Senior Pathways in Dance
Dance Appreciation
Partnering (E)
Flexibility and Strength
Contemporary/Lyrical
Hip-Hop
Independent Study (E)
Jazz
Musical Theater/Tap
Choreography Study (E)
The Instrumental Music program has a focus in rock, jazz and popular music and instrumental technique courses are focused
primarily on guitar, bass, drums and keyboards.
College and Careers in the Arts
Senior Pathways in Music
Theory II
Instrumental Technique
Music Criticism and Critique
Independent Study (E)
Rock Band
Theory I
The Vocal Music program has a focus in rock, jazz and popular music and provides varied opportunities for large ensemble, small
group and solo vocal work.
College and Careers in the Arts
Senior Pathways in Music
Theory II
Vocal Technique
Music Criticism and Critique
Independent Study (E)
Vocal Ensemble
Theory I
The Theatre program at School of the Arts covers the broad spectrum of career opportunities available within the field of Theatre
Arts. Students are exposed to all aspects of technical theatre--including lighting, sound, costuming, make-up, and set design--as well
as the acting performance side of theatre.
College and Careers in the Arts
Senior Pathways in Theatre
Sound Design/Application
Prop Design/Construction
Playwriting/Dramaturgy (E)
Performance (Acting)
Theatre Appreciation
Make Up
Costume Design/Construction
Directing (E)
Theater Safety
Light Design/Application
Set Design/Construction
Independent Study (E)
Theatre History (E)
Students in the Visual Arts program at School of the Arts work to create a final portfolio which includes still life, figure, and portrait
drawings, digital photography, digital art, illustration, sculpture, printmaking, painting, mixed media and ceramics. In their senior year,
students present a final thesis show focused in their preferred medium.
College and Careers in the Arts
Senior Pathways in Visual D & I
Digital Art Layout I
Digital Art Layout II
Independent Portfolio Categories
Still Life Drawing
Figure Drawing
Advanced Figure Drawing (E)
Portrait Drawing
Illustration
Painting
Printmaking
Mixed Media
Ceramics
Jewelry (E)
Advanced Still Life (E)
Digital Video
20th Century Art History
Art Criticism
Sculpture
Senior Thesis
Digital Photography
21st Century Art History (E)
Independent Study (E)