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EDUCATION
KATIE MCCLURE, MISS GEORGINA 2004 |
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ARTS YORK VOCAL PROGRAM
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I attended Holland Landing Public School, which is an elementary school that focuses on the arts. While at H.L.P.S. I learned that there was a High School that was dedicated to the same focus. In the spring of 1995 I found out that in the fall I would be a student of the Arts York Vocal Program at Unionville High School. The Arts York Program is designed to allow gifted students to practice their talent while also learning in a supportive environment. The students of Unionville High School may be majoring in any of the following arts; drama, music (vocal, instrumental, piano, or strings), dance, and visual art, but the also may not be a student of the arts. The school is designed to give the students of A.Y. a proper education therefore half of the students are not in a specific arts discipline. The morning or afternoon was dedicated to your arts focus, and A.Y. students spent the rest of the day receiving regular tutorials. The school also catered to our individual needs as performers. Hayden Christensen of Star Wars, Loni Bullard of Ready or Not, and Ryan of the rock band Serial Joe, were among the students in my years. As a vocal student I was part of the music program. Alternating days were spent with our individual performance classes, and the other days we were all brought together for music theory. It was also a requirement of the program to participate in two extracurricular arts activities, choir, and Showtime. Choir is fairly self explanatory, but Showtime was our school show. It incorporated students from every area of Unionville, and was usually a very large musical production. When I look back at my years in the vocal program I realize what privilege we received. A lot of youth growing up go through stages where they feel alienated or different, and we were made to celebrate our differences and to strive for excellence in every task that we undertake. The teachers of the Arts York program will forever live in my heart as not my teachers but also as my friends, counsellors, role models, and family. "Fame" had nothing on this school. |
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UNIONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
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As previously mentioned, the high school that I attended was far from average, but then again, so were it's students. One of the obligations of being an Arts York student was that you were required to maintain at least a 65% average in your overall academics. Throughout my time in the vocal program I also focused on dance, drama, geography and society. I was never really attracted by science or math, but I was able to really enjoy school once I realized all the subjects available that did appeal to me. After graduating from the Arts York program all students have the option of completing their Ontario Academic Credits (OAC's) at Unionville. By this point in time you couldn't have paid most of us to leave, so of course I stayed for the extra year. In accordance with my academic focus my OAC's were English, Drama, Philosophy, World Issues, Geography, Music, and Social Science: Sports and Society. I graduated with an 84% average, and a wealth of experiences. |
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YORK UNIVERSITY |
After high school I was faced the conundrum of choosing an area of study and essentially a career. After exploring many different options I looked back to my time spent studying Geography and my decision was made. In the fall of this year I will be attending York University for Environmental Studies. I look forward to this opportunity and to my future with the Environment. Upon graduating I plan on pursuing a career as an Environmental Engineer to ensure that our ecosystem is always our friend. |
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