Widdifield Truly A School Of The Arts

Bugsy Malone on stage November 24th and 25th tickets available at Widdifield Secondary School.

During an abbreviated performance of Busy Malone, Near North District School Board Trustees, community partners and Nipissing MPP Monique Smith all discovered first hand why Widdifield has been designated as one of only 27 schools in the province to be pilot a Specialist High Skills Major program.

As part of phase three of the Ministry of Education’s Student Success Strategy, the high school is one of three in Ontario to be selected as a launch site, and school officials say the selection is a testament to the vibrant arts scene in the city.

Widdifield will now offer majors in the sector of arts and culture and students participating in the program will benefit from both the arts curriculum and required regular classes

MPP Monique Smith says the McGuinty government is committed to ensuring that every student has an opportunity to reach their full potential and this program is designed to further the goal.

The program is founded upon ‘reach-ahead’ activities which involves the community participating in the educational experience.

Referencing the partnership the school has with the North Bay Fire Department for the annual Halloween Haunted House, Visual Arts teacher Chris Walking told the audience that experiential learning is important and allows students to connect with community activities.

Under the program students will participate in classes and workshops at both Canadore College and Nipissing University which aims to help ease the students transition from high school to post-secondary education. As well, the program will partner with community level arts groups including Dreamcoat Fantasy Theatre, White Water Gallery, the WKP Kennedy Gallery, Barbara Treleaven School of Dance, the Capitol Centre and CBACH.

As for North Bay Schools leading the way with the Specialist High Skills Major program, the Near North District School Board has the distinct pleasure of having two schools participating. Chippewa will run a pilot project focusing on Business and details surrounding this project are expected shortly.