Families filled St. Michael Catholic Academy’s gym, in Thornhill, Ont., on Thursday, February 29, 2024, to learn more about the school’s unique Elementary Regional Arts Program.
Under the Elementary Regional Arts Program’s model, students in grades 4 through 8 complete the regular school curriculum in a compressed time, allowing for an hour per day of instruction in dance, choir, instrumental music, drama and fine arts.
According to St. Michael’s Principal Annette D’Addese, this school holds a special place in the hearts of students and staff.
“I had dreams that I would work in a school like this,” said D’Addese, as she referenced the ideal arts schools that she saw portrayed on TV and in film.
Students receive art instruction with the assistance of visiting university professors and local musicians. School staff are known to go the extra mile to support the school’s annual art exhibit, musical threatre production (this year’s production is “The Descendants”) and the wind instrument band’s trips (this year includes a performance in Montreal).
Local Catholic School Board Trustee Carol Cotton was on hand for the open house, and she shared the experience her one child had in the Elementary Regional Arts Program.
“If your children have the opportunity to come here, they will have an experience that is unusual, happy and extremely satisfying,” said Cotton.
For her part, Principal D’Addese pointed to research that shows the arts help children develop their learning, identity, commitment and well-being.
St. Michael’s is the York Catholic District School Board’s only Elementary Regional Arts Program, and it attracts students from across the Greater Toronto Area. No auditions are required to enrol, and the school has a before and after care program.
For more information on the Elementary Regional Arts Program, please contact St. Michael Catholic Academy. Spaces in the program are limited.
