Valerie Benton, executive director of Janus College Preparatory & Arts Academies, will work with a small team to teach students the arts. (NNS file photo by PrincessSafiya Byers)
By PrincessSafiya Byers
This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.
Kayla Ramos attended, taught and now does administrative work for Janus College Preparatory & Arts Academies, a fine arts studio and credit recovery program that now has a high school wing.
One of her wishes when she participated in the program as a youth was that she could go there for school.
“This was my dream since middle school,” she said. “For some kids, the arts are all they have.”
Ramos is watching one of her childhood dreams come true as Janus, which first opened 15 years ago, has launched a high school in the 2025-’26 school year.
Long road
Valerie Benton, executive director of Janus College Preparatory & Arts Academies, said the organization first set its sights on becoming a high school in 2015.
“We’ve been serving students who struggle with traditional education for years,” Benton said. “With all the schools closing and both the teachers and students struggling in schools, we feel like we can make a difference now.”
Janus Liberal Arts High School, 161 W. Wisconsin Ave., aims to provide a liberal arts educational model that develops students’ sense of social responsibility and strengthens their intellectual and practical skills, according to Benton.
Benton said she hopes to enroll 40 students across grade levels this school year.
The private, tuition-based school costs $5,000 a year to attend and offers flexible payment plans.
Benton said the school is ideal for students who struggle in larger groups or require more individual attention.
“We are able to truly serve a full child through a trauma-informed lens,” she said. “We can also offer a more flexible schedule due to our smaller class sizes.”
Online options are also available.
The original mission
For Benton, opening the new school is a step toward the organization’s original mission.
Before becoming Janus College Preparatory & Arts Academies, the organization was called Northern Star School, a school Benton created in response to the high teen pregnancy rates in Milwaukee’s middle schools during the early 1990s.
As a former Milwaukee Public Schools teacher, Benton noticed a trend of girls getting pregnant and disappearing. Curious as to what happened to those girls, Benton started researching and found they were just dropping out and being forgotten about.
“So we initially started as a way to engage the students who were kind of forgotten,” Benton said.
The school ran for about 10 years before closing its doors.
But helping the students remains close to Benton’s heart, so she found space and reopened the school as Janus College Preparatory & Arts Academies.
Opening the high school is her going back to her roots, she said.
Janus College Preparatory & Arts Academies
Historically, Janus College Preparatory & Arts Academies has been a hub for students interested in the arts. The organization partners with schools to help students earn academic credits for arts-related courses.
Carter Lawson studied music theory at Janus and said it’s a great place and he’s excited to see a school come out of its work.
“I initially wanted to focus on playing the violin,” Lawson said. “But they helped with more than music, they helped with school and getting a job.”
While the high school is opening, the college preparatory and arts academy is still providing all the services it has been, Benton said.
Making things affordable
The organization’s small team of about 10 creatives will still offer private and small group instruction, professional arts education, and tutoring and mentoring services.
The goal, Benton said, is to be affordable.
“I know technique-based instruction is extremely expensive,” she said. “As someone with children in the arts, I’ve spent thousands on their classes and performances . . . Many students don’t get to experience those opportunities.”
Usually, the fine arts studio charges $200 for 12 weeks of programming.
“My instructors have day jobs,” Benton said. “None of us is trying to get rich from this work. We are all passionate about giving these young people a chance.”
For more information
Benton said both the school and the studio are nonprofit organizations, so donations always help keep the lights on.
But anyone who wants to help or enroll can reach out and tour the space.
Visit the school’s website and the Janus College Preparatory & Arts Academies‘ site for more details.