Students at Prince Street Elementary School in Charlottetown are benefiting from extracurricular activities in drama, dance and art through a new program called Creative Arts Opportunities, says Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Doug Currie.
“The Creative Arts Opportunities program is a unique example of how Island teachers and schools are going the extra mile to help students develop and achieve their goals,” said Mr. Currie. “If given the opportunity, many students will excel in areas of creative expression. Such programs add to a well-rounded education and help young Islanders develop self-confidence.”
Approximately 75 students attended extracurricular classes in drama, art and dance at Prince Street School during the 2009-2010 school year. Each program lasted ten weeks and was delivered by experienced instructors.
The drama program allowed students to participate in drama games, improvisation and the creation of their own plays. In dance classes students learned movements in hip hop, jive, jazz and musical theatre dance. Art classes presented opportunities for students to explore art using a variety of media based on the style of artists such as Picasso, Monet, O’Keefe and Eric Carle.
As each ten-week course came to an end, an art show, dance demonstration and drama presentation was held to celebrate the enthusiasm and learning that occurred during the program.
“The response from the students and parents was wonderful,” said Jamie Germaine, a school counsellor at Prince Street School. “This was the first year for the new program and after-school classes were filled to capacity. Students had the opportunity to experience new modes of creative expression and gained in self-confidence and self-esteem. Our goal is to continue partnering with qualified instructors to offer these unique activities to students next year."
“I would like to congratulate the students and staff at Prince Street School for their enthusiasm for the Creative Arts Opportunities program,” said Mr. Currie. “Your hard work is not going unnoticed and I encourage more students to participate in extracurricular activities.”
For more information, contact Jamie Germaine, school counsellor at Prince Street School at 368-6950 jegermaine@edu.pe.ca.