Design and Architecture Senior High — Local services in Miami

I am a current rising senior at DASH. This is a review that is written with the utmost of sincerity and clarity for those who want to apply to the school. To start off, DASH is a school that has provided opportunities to me that I would have not found anywhere else. I have received various scholarships for summer programs and have networked with college representatives throughout these past 3 years. The foundation for college preparation is unmatched if you are a student who wishes to go to art school. Even if you choose a different path and pursue a non-arts degree, DASH has students attending top universities every year: Yale, Cornell, Columbia, Brown, etc. The school nourishes students with opportunities and extracurriculars that both challenge them and excite them. Many students in reviews will claim that they had an unfruitful experience, though with anything in life what you get from something is how much you put in. It is not wrong to dislike the school, it isn’t a fit for every student, but it would be wrong to say that this school does not provide opportunity.

With all that said, DASH is a highly competitive environment. If you want some of the great opportunities we have here, like the Young Designers Scholarship Fund, which sends students to NYC for free every year, you must work hard and express great interest for these things. Some students may not see themselves as a fit for this, but with college admissions and the current art world overall—everything is mostly competitive. You have to play the game to get results.

While I appreciate the art programs and strand teachers, academic teachers seem to have mixed retention rates. We have very good academic teachers here who are mostly accommodating, and work towards your overall goals and wellness. Although, there have been some classes in recent years that have experienced a major fluctuation in teachers which causes some issues with continuity. The school puts in the work to replace teachers who have left as soon as possible and this issue extends beyond DASH.

In regard to social life, the school differs from the conventional high school experience. You won’t have football games or any sports (but we do have PE), a massive campus to walk around, or the ability to take a massive amount of APs. The school focuses on its own unique events, such as the Halloween costume competition, the biannual fashion shows we host, or one of our most beloved events, Multicultural day. These are events that are unique to DASH and provide students with the opportunity to relax and appreciate their peers efforts.

In regard to APs, students are only allowed to take up to 4 a year and generally cannot take more than one or two until their junior year. This is a system that we as students appreciate as DASH has a highly rigorous arts curriculum that will take up a majority of your time. By restricting APs, students are able to be more mindful about their choices academically and how they approach AP classes.

The campus is small, which is something I appreciate. It makes it easy to get around, so switching between classes is not an issue. It is however mostly concrete. If you like green spaces, we have a small garden area which is run by the gardening club but that is all. PE will be taken in a concrete space which means you are slightly restricted in what you can play sports wise. Though kids still have lots of fun.

In all, DASH is a school that provides great opportunities for students in the arts and beyond that. It requires a lot of passion, dedication, and perseverance to be in DASH. Though the school ensures you have fun events and teachers who accommodate to your circumstances if need be. I would recommend the school to anyone who has a passion for art or wants to learn what it’s like in an academic...

i genuinely really really like this school but this year there has been a thief going around school and stealing students items out of their bags without anyone noticing who it is which they also stole money from me and stole a bunch of money, wallets, and personal electronics all in a week maybe two from many other students. The school said they were going to call cops and figure it out and the parents also complained a-lot about someone stealing. The principle later had a meeting with all the students saying this never happened before and they will get to the bottom of it. Eventually nothing happened and most people just gave up on finding who it is. And the stealing died down until this week when i was in history class which has a public area to charge electronics and so i that day put my earbuds to charge and then when i left class i forgot to take them with me and so after the third period i went to get them but when i came the only thing that was left on that charging table was my charger and no earbuds i asked the teacher if he has seen them and he said he didnt and then the whole week i would go to the lost and found to see maybe someone has returned it there but i never got them back, students really shouldnt have to worry about their belongings being out on their tables without anyone else touching them. Im writing this not because the school itself is bad , because its a very good school. im writing this because im tired of the fact that there is still someone stealing and that makes me feel unsafe of...

notice how every good comment is from someone trying to get into dash, not actually in it. i’m sure many people enjoy this school but i’m certain i’m speaking for the majority when i say that you don’t graduate from dash, you survive it. not even going into the intense work they give because it’s true that they tell you this from the beginning, they preach about caring about alumni’s mental health but do the opposite. i know that if i hadn’t been forced to leave that i would still be there, suffering. i got addicted to the success i felt from being there, completely avoiding my personal health. the recent corruption of admin topped it all off. i can for sure say that this school isn’t the same it was ten years ago, and i hope one day it gets rightfully restored, as well as the teachers that made this school what it was...