Newark Arts High School is lauded as the first formed public school in the United States to specialize in visual and performance arts curriculum. It opened in 1931 and served as the model for the ‘famed’ High School of Performing Arts in New York City. The rigorous curriculum is intended to “train students with a sense of harmony, form, rhythm, design, color, movement, and theater,” according to the school’s philosophy. The school has a competitive audition and enrollment process that is open to all high school aged students living in Newark. Look at a few of those students who made it in!
MICHAEL B. JORDAN, Actor/Producer
Michael Bakari Jordan graduated from Newark Arts High School in 2005. His drama major propelled him into an acting and producing career. He became popular for his roles in Ryan Coogler films including Oscar Grant in the drama “Fruitvale Station” in 2013; Donnie Creed in “Creed,” and as Erik Killmonger in “Black Panther” in 2018. In 2022, Jordan recreated “Creed II” and in 2022 he directed “Creed III.”
MICHAELA ANTONIA Jaé RODRIGUEZ
Actress/TV Personality
Born and raised in Newark, Michaela Antonia Jaé Rodriguez, formerly known as Mj Rodriguez, is a 2009 graduate of Newark Arts High School. In 2023, she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a television series drama making her the first transgender actress to win a Golden Globe in the history of the awards. The Newark actress won for her role as Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista in the groundbreaking FX series “Pose.” In 2021, Rodriguez, who also stars with Maya Rudolph in the Apple TV+ series “Loot,” became the first transgender Emmy nominee for best actress also for her performance in “Pose.”
MELBA MOORE, Singer/Actress
Melba Moore graduated from Newark Arts High School in 1958. She received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023. She was nominated for a Grammy for her cover of the Aretha Franklin classic “Lean On Me;” she earned a Tony Award for her performance as LuttieBelle GussieMae Jenkins in “Purlie,” and she became the first African-American woman to perform the role of Fantine in “Les Misérables.”
JD WILLIAMS, Actor
J.D. Williams was a drama major at Newark Arts High School in the early 1990s. He was known for his starring roles in the HBO television series “Oz” as Kenny Wangler, “The Wire” as Bodie Broadus, “Pootie Tang” as Froggy, and he was a member of the cast of “Saints & Sinners.”
CONNIE FRANCIS, Singer/Actress
Connie Francis was born and raised in the Ironbound section of Newark, New Jersey and attended Newark Arts High School in the early 1950s. During the 1960’s Connie Frances traveled to countries like Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Australia as one of the most successful female artists, and her records were purchased in every country. She was the first female vocalist to reach No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. As she walked the halls of Newark Arts High School, no one knew she was destined to have 53 hit records during her career.
SAVION GLOVER, Dancer/Actor/Producer
Savion Glover, a dance superstar and a leader of jazz tap, graduated from Newark Arts High School in 1991. Savion’s career took-off when he was cast as the lead in the 1985 “Tap Dance Kid” followed by his Tony nominated performance in the 1989 Broadway “Black and Blue.”
TISHA CAMPBELL, Actress/Singer
Tisha Michelle Campbell graduated from Newark Arts High School in 1986. This is the same year that she made her screen debut in the musical comedy, “Little Shop of Horrors.” She went on to star in the NBC musical comedy, “Rages to Riches.” She is best known for her role as Gina Waters in the hit sitcom Martin and later as Janet ‘Jay’ Kyle in My Wife and Kids.
WAYNE SHORTER, Musician/Composer
Wayne Shorter, a pioneer of Jazz and a legendary saxophonist, graduated from Newark Arts High School in 1952. The New York Times said Shorter shaped the color and contour of modern jazz as one of its most intensely admired composers. Shorter received 12 Grammys and was nominated 23 times. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys, as well as Kennedy Center Honors and the Polar Music Prize. Wayne Shorter died last year at the age of 89.
SARAH LOIS VAUGHN, Singer
The incomparable Sarah Lois Vaughn transferred to Newark Arts High School in the 1930s and soon after became the most important singer to emerge from the bop era. Ella Fitzgerald called her the world’s “greatest singing talent.” During a career that spanned nearly fifty years, she was the singer’s singer, influencing everyone from Mel Torme to Anita Baker. Vaughan won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocalist for her album, “Gershwin Live!” Among Sarah Vaughn’s accomplishments were two Grammy Awards; a Lifetime Achievement Award; nominations for nine Grammy Awards, and the NEA Jazz Masters Award. Sarah Vaughn died in 1990 at the age of 66.
KAT DeLUNA, Singer
Kathleen (Kat) Emperatriz DeLuna graduated from Newark Arts High School in 2003. While a student, she formed a R&B group called Coquette. She signed with Epic Records and released her debut single, “Whine Up” in 2007. Her hit “Run the Show,” made it to No. 2 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. She released “Hottie With a Body” in 2023.
