Newmarket
November 20, 2008 10:28 PM
Existing program makes transition more difficult
Teresa Latchford
Huron Heights Secondary School teachers vow to keep the principles of a decade-old arts program, despite coming changes.
In October, the York Region District School Board announced it would expand specialized arts programming to three high schools across the region, including the Newmarket school, so students would no longer have to travel to Arts York in Unionville to have access to the program.
But the transition will be especially difficult for Huron Heights because it has an existing program, meaning there will be different levels of the same courses running for at least the first two years, whereas the other schools new to the program are starting fresh, Arts Huron program co-ordinator Michael Halfin said.
“We will be the only school with this challenge,” he said.
The current arts program does not require an audition process, while the new program will.
The school board has confirmed students in the original program will not have to audition and can continue on in their current program.
But students such as Erin Burgess, who has taken art courses from all four arts disciplines, fear the rules of the new program may be too restrictive and will not allow new students to explore the same variety of arts.
“I didn’t start in drama. I thought I was only interested in dance,” she said. “But then I took drama and (now I) plan to attend Sheridan College for musical theatre.”
She would never have experienced drama if she was enrolled in the new program because it requires a student to specialize in one area of arts and select a major whereas the program at Huron Heights allowed her the flexibility to experiment with all facets of dance, drama, music and visual arts.
“I chose this school over Unionville because I was terrified of the auditions,” she added. “I probably wouldn’t have gone into an arts program if I had to audition because I didn’t think I was that good.”
Peer Evan Kennedy agrees, saying for students looking for a career involving more than one discipline, the current program is perfect.
While completing eight credits to earn the arts certification on a high school diploma, Huron students were integrated into classes with a mixed crowd — students with only an interest and those in the dedicated arts program, Mr. Halfin explained.
“It makes for more well-rounded arts students who take pride in their high school rather than the program,” he added. “Then students also learn from each other.”
Mr. Kennedy says the concept has been successful in his four years at the school.
“The teachers make sure you feel like you are a part of the school, a part of the student body,” he said.
The school’s goal is to maintain an elite program without being elitist, he continued. Students in the specialized arts program should not be segregated from the school as they should have as much school pride as the next student and Mr. Halfin expects integrated classes will resume in some form.
The program at Huron has also allowed the disciplines to come together, melding student talents on a variety of projects, such as the upcoming annual major musical production, Kiss Me Kate, which runs Nov 26 to 29, with tickets available at the Newmarket Theatre.
For more information about Arts Huron, attend the information session Nov. 29 at 1:30 p.m. at the school, 40 Huron Heights Dr. or visit
huronheights.ss.yrdsb.edu.on.ca