Hi! My name is Betty. I currently go to NSAA. This school is perfect for me, but I have .. issues…read more Firstly, like most other reviews, the Dean. She has suppressed countless extremely dangerous issues, such as one specific student who I will not name. He is an active danger to literally everyone. Everyone. This student is violent, abusive, and I find myself scared of my own safety when I'm around him. One of my closest friends was one of his victims. She is one of the strongest girls I know; it makes me sick when I think about how he violated her, stripping her of all autonomy. There are several other problems -- cough cough, Mrs. Parker -- cough cough. Yeesh. NSAA is seriously a wonderful school, but I am scared for my life most days.

My daughter attended NSAA from 2016 - 2020. While she has been out of the program for a few years,…read moreas she is processing her CPTSD we are only just learning the extent of what she endured at this school. First, I'll address--as others have--the disregard for student safety. The security is lax, the teachers and students spread among multiple buildings with only text communications between administrators. In an emergency situation, this would cost lives. Further, there is no nurse or medical support on site. The lockdown procedures were traumatizing in and of themselves. Years later, our daughter still has nightmares regarding these events. The biggest safety concern, however, is the administration. Our child, whose passion is art, attended Ms. Parker's drawing class. This teacher singled out certain students to bully. If others stood up to her, they were punished or added to Parker's naughty list. Parker also belittled students' art: critiquing styles that drew inspiration from other media; or simply telling students, "It's wrong," or "do better" without any direction as to what was wrong or how to address it. Our daughter wanted to give up art. This was conveyed to the Dean and the teacher, however, nothing changed. The most egregious issues involved the ESS program--a system for neurodivergent students. Our autistic daughter was evaluated and placed into the ESS program under the direction of J. Silva. Over the course of many years, Mr. Silva ignored our IEP guidelines by pursuing ABA therapy even though we repeatedly refused it. He also pushed us to utilize an Autism center that not only promotes/uses ABA, but one that Silva also had a personal/financial stake in. He constantly said that he cared about our child but he couldn't be bothered to say her name correctly. Much of my daughter's trauma stems from a mishandling of the most severe issue we experienced with NSAA. An older female student began stalking our child, including following her to the bathroom and peeking in on her while she was in the stall. When this was brought to Silva and the Dean herself, I was told the other student and their parents would be notified. When I asked how this was not in violation of the school's sexual harassment code, I was told nothing could be done. We insisted that the stalker (also in the ESS program) NOT be placed in classes, testing rooms, or therapy with our child. We were ignored multiple times. The stalker was not only allowed to spend the entirety of testing trying to pass notes to or interrupt our child, Silva (acting as proctor) this acceptable, he tried to turn it into a teaching moment that my daughter could use to "show grace." The problems only continued. The stalker was put into therapy with my daughter. When she--understandably--did not handle these sessions well, the "therapist" would use our child as a "teachable moment" for the other student in how not to respond--but only after both the therapist and student laughed at her. NONE of what happened in these sessions was relayed to us by Silva or others and our daughter was acting as traumatized children do: being silent for fear of retaliation. As we navigate our daughter's mental health journey, we have been informed that not only was Silva/NSAA unethical in their handling of neurodivergent needs, some of these actions are quite illegal. TLDR: My daughter has CPTSD due to her time at this school. None of it had to happen, and now her life is irrevocably changed. The people at this school who are supposed to care for these students do not. While there are teachers who are gems of human beings who truly care about the kids, the administration does not have your child's best interests at heart. NOTE TO PARENTS: Be the squeaky wheel. Stand up for your kid. Loudly.

My daughter is having an amazing experience at the Scottsdale Artist school. They have classes for…read moreteens that are short 6 week courses. The space is absolutely gorgeous! It's a truly peaceful place for teens to be creative. The prices are very reasonable and the teachers are knowledgeable and kind.

What a special place this is for us to study! Thank you for the kind desk staff and providing us…read morelast minute supplies so we don't feel unequipped. I had the special opportunity to take a three day intensive class focused on an Impressionistic Approach to Watercolors with the world renowned Watercolor painter from Uruguay, Alvaro Castagnet. He taught us to look for the revolution within the painting & not 'paint pretty' We don't make pussy cats we make lions! And being a Leo myself this was incredible to hear. Interesting new concepts I learned like Maintain dirty water and never refresh it. Never clean the palette so one can Blend colors you have never seen before. Look for Lost & Found brushstrokes. Alvaro reminded me, To Paint with authority / Do not ever lack authority. because, If you are not confident it will show In your painting. All Three days we learned everything from figures to Cafè culture to architecture to interiors and all the time messing up or having a success on repeat ; most importantly "Our mistakes in life are our greatest teachers." Scottsdale Artists' School, you are very special - thank you for hosting teachers like this and thank you for giving us so much to learn in such a compact time that works with our travel schedules!

The jewelry made simple classes with Robert are awesome! He is super knowledgeable about his craft,…read morehe's been making jewelry since he was in high school. He calls you before the first class to check in and see what you're looking to get out of the class, which really personalizes the whole experience for you. The beginner class is 6 people for three hours, which lets you get a decent amount of 1 on 1 instruction when needed. You start out making bracelet cuffs and transition into rings and pendants after two classes. Copper & brass are free to use and silver is extra $$. Once you know you're going to start rings, I would go and buy your stones from S&J because it'll be cheaper!

Came tonight for the Edgar Allan Poe speakeasy event such a fun time reviews of drinks in my photos…read more! I liked how easily reachable they were and how clean for how small the venue was had a great time and Audience was quiet and behaved wanna come for the part 3 !

Took a beginners pottery throwing class and had a blast! It was 2.5 hrs including a brief demo…read moreAnd then free time with the wheel where you can create as many bowls as you'd like. You then pick your top two which will be glazed by the studio and picked up 3 weeks later. I have 0 pottery experience and made 2 dog bowl sized pieces that turned out pretty cool! I will be taking more classes as they come up At the tempe of phx studio

I took a pumpkin making class and it was a lot of fun! This is a new location for Pip, located in…read moreTempe. I knocked off a star because parking was hard to come by and far away. Pip is located in the walking-only community so car parking is way off to the side of the apartment/shopping complex. The space is in a large corner studio and there is a cute little area with some pottery and art goods for purchase. Unlike the Pip and Clay in Phoenix, this one does not have a coffee shop inside of it. I took a class while a wheel-throwing class was happening and since there is no room divider it was a little hard to hear our instructor at first but that class finished as ours started. Overall, for the price ($55-$60 for 2.5 hours) I think you get a fun piece! This is my second Pip and Clay class and I certainly plan on taking more!

This is such a cool idea, I think every city should have something like this. I forgot to take a…read morephoto of the ending, though learning how to decorate a cake is pretty cool. The teacher was amazing, helpful. Will come again.

My friend and I went to a cookie decorating class at art house Gilbert on Sunday and it was so much…read morefun! Agave cookie co hosted the class and was a great teacher. She was fast to follow, but super kind and detailed with her instructions. This is my third class here and I will 100% be returning. This is such a fun indoor activity to do to beat the heat and let your creative spirit take over. I am also in a pickleball phase so the cookies were decorated were literally perfect. We got 5 cookies and they each were super tasty once I got to try one after they fully dried. You can buy drinks during the class, but we didn't. I love the community at this place and how everyone sits around each other so you can hype each other up as you go. Check it out if you've been wanting to take a class!

Xcellence in staff , currilculum, student body selections, and care, care, care !…read more Total involvement with students, families, Environments, and EVEN grandparents !

Metropolitan Arts Institute, a school that I previously attended from eighth grade to the beginning…read moreof my junior year in high school. And at every turn, every possible opportunity I have been dissapointed by this school. This supposed "Art" school lacks any classes that would actually qualify it as an art school, and in that regard Metro manages to somehow offer lessart classes than a majority of public schools, lacking any culinary classes or even woodworking. This school offers no opportunities for students to excel within their own classes or grade level by offering the opportunity for students to skip a classes if they have already studied or learned the topic within a class outside of the school. That aside, the school does not support students who wish to gain college credits as they progress through school and as such a majority of the students cannot benefit from gaining early credits. Even still the school has absolutely terrible management, from the absolutely mediocre job as a principle that Matt Baker does. Where as he rarely participates or is even active around the school. The poor sanitation conditions within the school bathrooms both male and female. The unfulfilling and almost laughable attempts at a legitimate prom that this school has. Whereas it is poorly planned and funded, poorly put together and absolutely terribly executed. Even other students here laugh, at the miserable and terrible management this school suffers from. The teachers constantly changing yearly and the new ones coming in not knowing how to adequately teach their students. Overall this school is an absolute waste of time, money, and resources in general save yourself and your children from this absolutely mediocre excuse for a school and go to an actual school. Paragraph construction and organization skills provided by Alhambra Traditional School, not Metro Arts, this school taught and gave me nothing but disappointment.

I am a parent of a student entering 6th Grade at Arizona School for the Arts. I work in Education…read moreand I talk to Teachers, Curriculum Directors, and Principals from all over the West Coast. And,I am married to a former teacher at ASA. I am passionate about this school. I will admit, I was suspect. I thought the parents who were so ecstic over the education offered at ASA might be a little off. It couldn't be that good. Really? My son started school with all the aprehensions of a 5th Grade student who knew very little about music, was active in sports and was very sad about leaving his friends behind. We (even he) chose this school because they had a strong emphasis on education and we expected the school to offer my son the opportunity to learn in an environment that was strict, supportive and creative. We were not disappointed. ASA was all that - and MORE! The academic teachers are inventive, collaborative, and very supportive. The arts teachers are music professionals and perform with and for the students and move them along in the curriculum with such finesse it's like they have private music lessons every day. And, the year was a success. My son was delighted with all his classes, especially his music classes with Monica Sauer Anthony. What a surprise to find him begging us to play his clarinet every evening before we had dinner or before we participted in a famly event. He loved the Science Curriculum, the hands-on activity and his teacher's passion for education. He worked hard in Language Arts and Social Studies and really showed off his new found maturity and knowledge during Presentation Week. And the lessons he learned in Life Skills class were really applicable and life changing. Then the performances at the end of the year were very remarkable and telling. I saw kids excelling in their musical expertise and showing off this success with such poise and confidence that I couldn't believe these were the same kids I met just 10 months prior at our summer welcome parties. The school does have a rigorous application process that leaves you on edge just wondering if your son or daughter will be permitted entry into this prestigious, blue ribbon school. The school doesn't tolerate any bullying and supports all types of students. And, the school is near Downtown Phoenix, so there are issues with the campus being spread across some streets, but those are being addressed quickly as they are building and expanding into new facilities that will offer a number of benefits for the ever-growing school. This school is really a dream. It's an educational opportunity I would recommend to any parent. I think my son would write a similiar recommendation!

The bullying was out of hand here. If you are not a large contributor to the school, your child is…read moretreated poorly. We witnessed this with several kiddos.

This school was a true joke in all the sense of the word…read more To start off with how I was accepted into the school. I had a dream of becoming an animator for Disney. That was the dream for me. I was told that I needed know how to draw to be accepted into the animation program, so I submitted three of my best drawings and lo and behold, I got a callback. I moved to Tempe, AZ with aspirations of becoming an animator and working my way to Disney. Well, when school started after 3 months into the program I started to realize I wasn't in the animation program that I asked for. I came to realize I was in Graphic Design. I started asking questions and when I went to see my counselor to get some clarity and also who I submitted work to and who kept my original drawings on her walls, was no longer there and neither were my drawings. She had quit and taken them with her along with other students work. I made a big complaint and was told that, that was the program I was put in and that I needed to prove again that I could draw to be accepted into the animation program. I showed them and they immediately agreed that I could draw. By then I was deep into a program I didn't want to be in, in the first place. Years later I've tried to get credits transferred to another college as I am returning back to school, they conveniently closed down to fraudulent practices (like putting students into programs to suit the school's needs for funding) and come to find out they didn't update my GPA and I was stuck with a below average GPA so, I had to jump through hoops to prove to the new college I had a very high GPA. Now I am finding out my AA is pretty much just a worthless piece of paper and would be better off made into a paper airplane. It's embarrassing to have that on my application as I have not been hired for nothing to do with what I went to school for. Tuition is still there too. There has been a huge criminal investigation and it's all public documented. See for yourselves.

I used to work at Collins College in Tempe. All they cared about was money, and the level of…read moredishonesty, especially with CEC employees (parent company/owner) was disgraceful, and sometimes illegal. Like when I discovered a new student had an $18k loan he did not apply for or know about. He said he used scholarships to pay his tuition and did not need a loan, so I pulled his promissory note; showed him it was electronically signed, approved for $18k - and he was shocked! He thought his tuition was already paid, and no one mentioned him needing a loan. In the end, his admissions rep got all the necessary personal information by telling him it was for his enrollment application -- then he used it to electronically sign a promissory note but never told him. And they tried to reprimand me for canceling a loan the student clearly did not sign, want or even know he had. That's just the tip of the iceberg; the place was a nightmare, and it is good they are closed. Corporations like CEC that are only care about profit should not be allowed to own any schools.

Absolutely amazing art studio! From the moment you walk in, you can feel the creativity and care…read morethat goes into this place. The manager, Matty, is incredible--so kind, and genuinely invested in making your experience special. She was so attentive in helping me plan my event. Everything went seamlessly! The staff is just as wonderful. They're patient, encouraging, and so helpful. Whether you're a beginner or more experienced, they make you feel confident and inspired. The atmosphere is fun, uplifting, and truly one of a kind. Had a blast! Highly recommend this studio to anyone looking for a place to create, relax, and feel valued. Such a gem

This is one of the original guided painting studio experiences. I've been going since 2013. It…read morenever ceases to amaze me what we can do in two hours! Last Friday night, my daughter and I painted a desert scene and the teacher was great. The only thing I encourage them to do is provide the same canvas size to the audience as the original work was done on otherwise things need to be squeezed in or left off altogether. I asked for one and they happily provided it.

What an incredible Arizona gem. This is a place that you can take a couple of hours and be…read moreintroduced to different types of art that changes every eight weeks. There's a permanent sculpture garden outside and inside our art exhibits from Arizona artists

I love that this local art center and gallery showcases local and up and coming artists, even high…read moreschool students. The sculptures outside are all for sale and extensive in variety. Inside, this repurposed house (?) is charming with several different display rooms. We came during the New Horizons Student exhibit and I was amazed by the talent of these local teens. The staff were very welcoming and knowledgeable.