Booker recognized among top arts schools nationwide

Booker High School’s arts programs got a taste of the limelight on Aug. 31.

A national ranking published by Niche.com, a website that analyzes school data and reviews schools nationwide, named Booker among the top 165 schools for the arts in the country. The school took the 79th spot.

Booker High Principal Rachel Shelley, recently named the Florida Principal of the Year, has emphasized the arts during her tenure at booker. To her, the recognition is much deserved.

“When you see what these students and teachers are doing every day, in their studios and on stage, it is absolutely amazing,” Shelley said in a release. “It’s definitely time they earned this kind of recognition for their incredible work.”

For Sarasota County School’s Fine Arts Curriculum Specialist Angela Hartvigsen it’s hard to attribute the accolade to a single factor. There is the excellence of the instructors and the diversity of program. But one factor stands out among the rest — the collective affection for the institution that is Booker High School.

“When you talk to Booker High students, their enthusiasm and love for the school is palpable,” Hartvigsen said in a release.