Iowa’s first arts academy

This fall, the Iowa Conservatory (ICON) in Iowa City will start class, becoming the first arts academy in Iowa. Students will have the opportunity to focus on dance, theatre arts, music or design and production.

Creston youths Caylon Hull and Halle Burgmaier will be in this inaugural class. Caylon, the son of Rob and Tessa Hull, will be entering the contemporary dance program as a freshman. Halle, the daughter of Jeromy and Laurel Burgmaier, will be focusing on the theatre arts in her eighth grade year.

Tessa explained they first learned of ICON a couple of years ago when her friend Leslie Nolte mentioned wanting to start a school.

“I forgot about it until a few months ago when another mutual friend reminded me of it,” Tessa said. “I took Caylon up there for a tour and he instantly fell in love with it. He went through the audition process and application process, the interview process, and was accepted in May.”

Caylon will be staying at ICON as a boarding student, living with one or two other students in an apartment-style living space. According to ICON’s website, “there will be resident assistants living in the building with our students to ensure there is always caring adult supervision. For every 10-12 students there is a live-in residential assistant.”

Rather than boarding at the school, Halle will be moving with her mother Laurel to Iowa City.

At ICON, Caylon and Halle will be enrolled in the Iowa City School District through online classes. Core classes such as science, math or English will be taken this way, though the students will be doing this together.

“He’ll go into a shared classroom and all the students that reside there will do their core classes online and have a learning coach available,” Tessa said. “They’ll basically be there to help guide and answer any questions or help them with technology issues or any homework issues that they have.”

Outside of core classes, the students will focus on their specific program. As full-time students, they will receive “25+ hours weekly of private and small group coaching sessions and coursework.”

Having an arts academy in Iowa is a big deal for those interested in the arts, Tessa said.

“This is the first time Iowa’s had anything like this,” Tessa said. “Usually you’d have to go to Massachusetts or California to experience and have this opportunity.”

Laurel agreed, explaining many of the arts programs are in bigger cities.

“I really couldn’t afford to move to LA or Chicago or Atlanta or New York,” Laurel said. “I’ve been looking for schools... his is what [Halle] wanted since she was 3. There’s never been any time when I felt like she wanted to change her mind.”

Laurel explained that, while there are opportunities in smaller towns for the arts, it’s not always enough to satiate those passionate about the arts.

“There are some opportunities, just not enough,” Laurel said. “Too many months in between and she just wants the constant. It’s just a passion of hers. Any plays or musicals she can be in locally, she’s in.”

Tessa said Caylon has been going to a dance studio over an hour a way, so it will be exciting to enter this new level of dance.

“We drive an hour and 15 minutes for dance now just because he had outgrown and he needed that ability to grow and expand,” Tessa said. “Caylon’s super excited to be part of something new. He’s excited to see how it evolves over the next four years.”

While both moms understand it can daunting to send your child to such a school, they encourage it.

“You’re lucky if as a kid you really know what you want to do. Caylon and Halle are both kind of unique in that,” Laurel said. “It’s not just that they want to do it, but they want to do this for the rest of their lives. Really listen to your kid and try to help them pursue their dreams as much as you can.”

Tessa agreed, adding that, since many of these programs are on the coasts, sending Caylon to Iowa City is a stepping stone.

“It’s always worth a try. It’s going to be hard, but I think knowing this is only in Iowa and it’s not thousands and thousands of miles away, I think it’s a good stepping stone,” Tessa said. “They just need to make sure they prepare their kid to their level of comfort. Always support your kid. It’s worth it, it’s worth it if it’s for them and their future and to give them the best option they can have.”