Perpich Center for Arts Education

Mar 12th, 2024

My daughter attends this school for media arts currently and I attended for dance in the 90s. I cant say enough good things about this school. My daughter and I both found traditional public schools challenging in the social and academic department but both found the complete opposite at perpich. Obviously no school is perfect but I found and continue to find perpich to be as close to as I have seen
Aug 25th, 2023

Apr 24th, 2021

Our daughter attended Perpich in the fall of the 2022/2023 school year. She was extremely excited for this new journey. The school accepted her in the areas of literary arts and music. She chose music. She is driven, self-sufficient and was looking forward to learning and expanding her talents as an artist. This was what we were told the school was about. We visited and she decided to attend her senior year. She decided to leave after winter break. The biggest reason being the atmosphere with the students. She was quickly labeled and called a "basic white *****", a "default setting" (for being straight) and "straighty". This is a human who is kind and accepting of everyone no matter what, and because she is a straight, white girl, her character was attacked on a daily basis. We could not get her out of there quick enough. With so much of the emphasis being on inclusion, and then this happening to someone who did not instigate any of it, we could not justify her staying. I do not believe that this was always the case at this school. Right now this is the atmosphere. I wish someone would have told us that a kid who fits in at a regular school would be looked down upon and made fun of. It's hypocrisy. But you don't know until you know. She was involved in many extra-curricular activities at her old high school (which she now attends to finish the year) including speech, one act, cross country, track, managing the hockey team and theater. She was told she would not be able to play sports if she decided to transfer back to our school, but she was willing to take that chance for the opportunity to move forward in music. Now back at her old school, she can't participate in track for her senior year, because the MSHSL requires written documentation of a formal complaint against the school if they are bullied before they leave. She wanted to leave the school quietly, in order to not be treated any worse by students for her last days there, so I had phone conversations with the principal and another staff member, assuming that it would be on record that I had done so. They were aware of this rule, yet gave me no insight into it. Deadlines for class homework/projects to be completed are merely suggestions in many classes, with no consequences if it does not get done. We were told this was to help prep the students for college. To allow them to be self-sufficient. Why share all this? If your child enjoys extra-curricular activities, thrives at the school they are in and appreciates structure within classes...take extra time to consider the decision to send them to Perpich.
Apr 27th, 2023

Coming forward (yes on a Google review) after years of holding feelings inside...Im not even sure anyone will see this review, but hopefully they will. The emotional trauma I endured here as a dance student still hurts to this day. & apparently -although very depressing- others have experienced similar issues concerning Mary Harding too. Im considering writing a letter to the dean as well as to her someday, to bring awareness of how badly she affected my life at the time. Its still there- that pain- when she would humiliate & single me out using derogatory words to break me down. When shed scream so loud at me til her face turned red b/c she hated me so much. Students would tell me she would talk against me behind closed doors...About the way I looked. at the time I was only a child and didnt know how to defend myself. This created an atmosphere where others ended up following suit and Students created a torture chamber and discriminated against me every single day. The bullying was more than I could stand, and I had no one to turn to. Not even faculty would beleive me because she lied about me and stroked peoples egos and convinced everyone she was a saint. I dropped out a couple months before graduation...She has discriminated and humiliated me one last time in front of others who were clearly not following her rules. I couldnt withstand another day. So many endless nights contemplating suicide at this high school as a result of Mary Hardings abuse... I could go on and on...14 years later and Im writing this...I forgive you Mary Harding for how cruel you were and for all of the problems you caused me.
Aug 19th, 2022