Please email [email protected] with any additional questions.
Yellow Jacket Community,
After an exhaustive search, it is my pleasure to announce that we have hired two incredible teachers to replace the departing Trey Brewer (Guitar) and Anthony Romeo-Adcock (Musical Theatre). Each of the teachers bring a wealth of experience and are excited to continue our already established excellence while also bringing their own ideas and expertise to the disciplines. Please see bios below for our two new SJCCA teachers:
Ms. Katy Polk – Musical Theatre and Chorus Director
Kathryn (Katy) is a native of Jacksonville, Florida, and holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Florida State University and a Master of Music in Performance from Boston University. Since 2015, she has dedicated her career to teaching music and nurturing the musical talents of students.
For the past five years, Katy has served as the Chorus teacher and established the Musical Theatre program at Middleburg High School in Clay County, Florida. During her tenure at MHS, she held the positions of Fine ArtsDepartment Head and All County Chorus Coordinator and was nominated for the 2022-2023 MHS Teacher of the Year. After establishing the Musical Theatre program at MHS, Ms. Polk’s students quickly began earning accolades including:
- Selected to perform at Disney’s Candelight Processional for the past 2 years
- Superior Ratings at the Clay County Choral Festival in Performance and Sight Reading
- Multiple students selected for and attended FMEA All-State Concert Choir, SSAA Choir, and the TTBB Choir
- Multiple superior ratings at Florida State Thespians
- Top Honors at State Thespians
Katy is an accomplished performer with a diverse background in chorus, opera, and musical theatre. She recently appeared in the Limelight Theatre’s production of “Parade” in 2022, where she had the privilege of meeting SAHS’s own Jilianne Tamillo. Currently, Katy is engaged in music directing a production for ABET during the summer.
Katy is thrilled to join the St. Johns County Center for the Arts (SJCCA) at St. Augustine High School family. She looks forward to the contributions and the positive impact she will have on our students and the community.
Dr. Johnathan Dotson
Dr. Dotson is a St. Augustine native and alumnus of the SJCCA Guitar Program at SAHS. He was a member of the guitar ensemble and band programs and served as band captain his senior year. The SAHS Classical Guitar Ensemble was the first of its kind in the nation and Dr. Dotson was a founding member.
Dr. Dotson attended Florida State University for Musical Arts and was a member of the FSU Marching Chiefs. He received his Doctorate of Musical Arts in classical guitar performance at the University of Texas at Austin. During his time in college he won many top prizes in international classical guitar competitions.
Dr. Dotson served on the faculty of the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) School of Music from 2010-2021 and Texas Southmost College from 2013-2021 where he designed and implemented the music program as well as directed the guitar ensemble. In these roles, he prepared high school and community college students for University study and beyond as noted by his long list of students that have achieved success as professional musicians and music educators.
Dr. Dotson is an accomplished professional musician in his own right. His professional resume includes:
- Founding member of the world-renowned Texas Guitar Quartet, one of the premier guitar ensembles in the nation
- Performed as a classical guitarist all around the world and have served as a guest clinician and adjudicator for many colleges and universities around the country
- Regular featured performer for the Romanza Festival
- Spent several summers in Spain performing concerts along the Camino de Santiago for the Camino Artes organization
- Recently featured on National television, on the ’Texas Music Scene” program on the CW and National Public Radio’s “Classical Guitar Alive” radio program
- Selected by Mr. Trey Brewer to perform at the SAHS Guitar Concert as a distinguished alum of the SJCCA Guitar Program on May 6th
Dr. Dotson is finishing the year teaching music at Duval Charter at Mandarin and is excited to fulfil his dream of returning to teach guitar at SAHS. He loves teaching and considers himself an educator first and foremost, while his performing career informs and enriches his teaching.
Please join me in welcoming Ms. Katy Polk and Dr. Jonathan Dotson to the SJCCA at SAHS family!
Audition Update
If your application status for SJCCA says “ineligible,” your student was accepted to their first-choice academy, but they may have been accepted to SJCCA as well.
Please reach out to Ms. Jillianne Tamillo for further guidance if you would still like to select SJCCA for your Program of Interest.
If your application status says “Not Accepted,” this means that based off the audition presented to our SJCCA faculty, your student did not meet the specific requirements for our SJCCA courses. If you have any questions, again, please reach out to Ms. Jillianne Tamillo and she can help guide you moving forward.
Auditions for our 2024-2025 School Year have now been completed. If you are moving into the district and need to apply late due to specific circumstances, please reach out to
Ms. Jillianne Tamillo at the email address above.
The St. Johns County Center for the Arts provides artistically gifted students with a pre-professional program of study designed to develop their unique talents in the performing and visual arts. In an environment that is supportive and intellectually challenging, SJCCA prepares students to be members of an artistic society. Commitment and self-discipline are necessary in order to advance through the academic and artistic studies at both of our SJCCA schools: RJ Murray Middle School and St. Augustine High School.
St. Johns County Center for the Arts (SJCCA) is located on the campus of St. Augustine High School at 3205 Varella Avenue in St. Augustine, Florida 32084.
SJCCA for middle school students is located at RJ Murray Middle School located at 150 N Holmes Blvd in St. Augustine, Florida.
SJCCA Program at St. Augustine High School