Coronado School of the Arts (CoSA)

Did you know that Coronado Unified School District offers a unique opportunity for students interested in the arts to focus their high school education on their passions?  The Coronado School of the Arts (COSA) located on the Coronado High School campus is celebrating 25 years of educating emerging artists!

As San Diego County’s premier public-school arts conservatory, COSA is known for inspiring, innovating, and creating limitless opportunities for their students to thrive.

Providing an “intense, pre-professional arts education” to 200 chosen artists grades 9-12, gifted prospects from all over San Diego and Coronado are admitted to the school only after a competitive audition and application process.

What does a school day look like?

For students, a day at COSA involves five periods of core academics along with 3+ hours of immersive instruction from designated educators and specialists in a student’s chosen conservatory.

There are six conservatories offered at COSA and they include: Classical and Contemporary Dance, Digital Arts (Animation, Filmmaking, Game Design, and Graphic Design), Instrumental Music, Musical Theatre & Drama, Theatre Production, Design & Management and Visual Art.

Academically, COSA offers a progressive 4-year curriculum in each designated conservatory that may also include AP courses for students.

Students attend COSA Monday – Friday until 4:30pm each day.

What else does COSA offer?

COSA attendees have the benefit of learning from and being mentored by top professionals and outstanding faculty in each of their respective fields daily.

The school offers individualized performance assessments done by a panel of teachers and professionals every semester for their students. COSA prepares its students for career opportunities and industry certifications in their designated fields via a “school-to-career pathway” within the Arts, Media and Entertainment industry.

Students who attend COSA can expect to be surrounded by like-minded learners who share in their own passion for the arts daily. They also receive the benefits of smaller class sizes, educational seminars, field trips, guest speakers and artists to help enrich their learning experience and their own skillset.

College and career counseling opportunities from CHS counselors are available on site as well as internships in the arts for qualified students.

A brief history of COSA

As I mentioned above, COSA is celebrating its 25-year anniversary this year and was founded in 1996 by Kris McClung - a theater arts/English teacher at our own Coronado High School. Kris wanted to create/provide an in-depth curriculum-driven opportunity to students who were passionate about the arts to help them pursue their dreams and develop their talents.

Since then, the school has grown and expanded to over 200 students (a long way from its first class of 45!) and continues to serve Kris’s dream of nurturing gifted artists. COSA has been awarded a number of awards and recognitions since 1996 including state and national awards for excellence.

How cool is it to have such talented artists living right in our very own community? If you want to catch the award-winning COSA crew in action, they perform and exhibit at the Coronado Performing Arts Center on the Coronado High School campus.

If you’ve got a soon-to-be student attending COSA or are looking to move to the Coronado area, give me a call today: Kate Gillingham Milke (619) 933-5319. I’d love to show you around!