Central Gwinnett High School Principal Shane Orr views the Lawrenceville-based school’s new School of the Arts as kind of like being in a certain 1980’s TV show about performing arts students — but there’s no stick-wielding Debbie Allen around to demand better dancing.

The “school-within-a-school” performing arts school will officially open its doors at Central Gwinnett High School when the 2021-2022 school year begins Aug. 4. The arts-centered school is a partnership between Gwinnett County Public Schools, the city of Lawrenceville and the Aurora Theatre to teach students, in a professional-style setting, how to dance, play an instrument, act, paint or even make pottery.