ROSEMARY BATTISTA (Dance) is the former Artistic Director of the Harrisburg Dance Conservatory and the Harrisburg Dance Ensemble. She has over thirty years of experience performing with several regional companies and teaching in both studio and academic environments and has served annually as a judge for Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts. A graduate of Pennsylvania State University, she also holds Teaching Certification in the area of Dance and is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree. She has been teaching at CASA since its first year.

T.J. BOYER (Music) is a classical and rock guitarist who graduated summa cum laude in Music Education from West Chester University. He has performed in numerous ensemble and solo performances in his native Allentown and in West Chester. He has been a Musical Director and performer at Open Stage of Harrisburg, and with the Harrisburg Dance Conservatory. Boyer also is a private guitar teacher. He has been with CASA since its inception.

CHERYL GILES-RUDAWSKI (Principal) holds a master’s degree in Educational Administration from Shippensburg University and is currently working towards a doctorate in Systems Leadership at Widener University. She has been in education over 26 years as a teacher, consultant, staff developer, supervisor, and curriculum specialist. She has been with CASA for the past seven years.

RENATA L. KAGLE (Visual Art) has a Master of Fine Arts degree in Painting from Edinboro University of PA as well as doctoral credits in Art Education from the University of North Texas. She has been teaching art for over twenty years, including college teaching at Bloomsburg University, Kutztown University, HAAC, and a teaching fellowship at the University of North Texas.

CALEB SMITH (Film and Video) is founder of Moviate, a not-for-profit arts organization that promotes film and media arts. He is also founder and artistic director of the annual Artsfest Film Festival in conjunction with the Greater Harrisburg Arts Council. Smith holds a degree in Marketing from Albright College.

LISA L. WEITZMAN (Theatre) holds a Master's degree in drama from Villanova University and a BS in education from PSU. She is a former adjunct professor at Harrisburg Area Community College and a founding member of Wow! Theatre in Education. Lisa has over twenty-five years experience performing and teaching in the Harrisburg and Philadelphia areas. She continues to study acting and has participated in summer intensives in New York City and Toronto, Canada. Ms. Weitzman has been with CASA since it was founded.

A Creative Community: A Vibrant Urban Campus

Every school day, over 150 artistically talented high school students in the central Pennsylvania area travel to Harrisburg to pursue an extraordinary opportunity offered through the Capital Area Intermediate Unit—The Capital Area School for the Arts (CASA)! Passionate about their artistic expression, students attending CASA are willing to step out of the mainstream to “create themselves” and great art. CASA continues to be the significant and innovative provider of multi-disciplinary arts education to school entities throughout the area.

Finishing its tenth successful year, CASA offers accelerated opportunities in five major art areas: visual art, dance, film and video, music, and theatre. The Capital Area Intermediate Unit administers CASA, which has been located in the first floor of Harrisburg’s Strawberry Square since 2009. This location places the school in the heart of downtown Harrisburg’s arts district and provides students a living classroom with architectural, governmental, and urban inspiration.

The student enrollment of CASA has increased dramatically in recent years, and currently includes young artists from more than 20 school districts. At CASA, the comprehensive integration of the arts provides for a unique and creative outlet for high school students whose exceptional talents might otherwise go undeveloped. The results: 91% of graduates are accepted into top conservatories and arts schools throughout the country. Some of the schools are North Carolina School of the Arts, Pratt Institute, Parsons School of Design, Tyler School of Art, Berklee College of Music, New York University Film School, Maryland Institute College of Art, Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Fordham University, Brandeis University, Rhode Island School of Design, Harvard University, and Oberlin Conservatory just to name a few.