Pursuing their options
Artistic students focus on fine arts
It’s the most wonderful time of the year and Riverview students are talking about the arts.
Riverview offers a fine arts certificate for students to pur-
sue throughout their high school years if they wish. Students can choose a focus topic as music, drama or visual arts.
Gee Stewart is a Grade 11 student specializing in the visual arts portion of the fine arts certificate.
“I need six fine arts credits, with three in the visual arts field,
participation in one fine arts extracurricular group, have a completed portfolio showcasing my art, and be involved in one outside-school art project, like Lumiere,” Stewart explained.
It seems the fine arts certificate was made for someone like Stewart. She describes the fine arts certificate as something for someone who “loves and bleeds art.”
“Visual art has impacted my life majorly. It helped me start my own business and travel across the Maritimes to share and sell my art with other people. It’s an amazing outlet for me and I definitely would not be who I am today without art,” Stewart said.
Although Stewart loves everything that the school has to offer for arts students, there are a few things she wishes could come into effect.
“I would definitely love to see more showcases for fine arts certificate students,” Stewart said.
She also doesn’t find an overly large amount of recognition given to arts students besides their art being displayed outside the art room and occasional concerts. She does however believe that there is a lot of sup- port for the fine arts students of Riverview.
“We have lots of space to work on projects like the art rooms and the music room and the drama space. We’re really lucky to have a school where the arts are really prominent and celebrated,” Stewart said.
Kate Devoe is a Grade 12 student from Coxheath and she has chosen the drama route for her fine arts certificate.
“I have to build up an arts portfolio containing all the projects and experience that I have under my belt, and select a specialization, mine being drama,” Devoe said.
Mackenzie Sechi is a Grade 11 student who is very passionate about the arts.
“I love musical theatre,” Sechi said. “This is so cliché, but it makes me feel alive. I have a deep passion for it and I feel myself brighten up immediately whether I’m participating in or observing a piece of art. It’s amazing.”
Sechi feels that there needs to be better arts representation in the school. Although the provincial education department supplies a curriculum, Sechi feels it might be lacking.
“We have a wonderful music program, but we lack in other aspects. In drama, for example, we have the course for each grade level. However, we don’t have an exciting curriculum and, as a student, it feels as though some of the teachers who run the course are not interested in the subject at all. This is frustrating because I feel that if we cared more about the course outlines, we could encourage a lot more students to discover their inter- ests in fine arts.”
Sechi wants to do something about this. Sechi has been in contact with the principal, teachers and other students on a mission to help Riverview students get involved in a theatre project right at the school.
“I’ve been talking to some teachers and Mr. Chisholm, and I’m trying to restart the tradition of doing a school musical each year. I plan to start regular meetings in the new year and, if all goes well, arrange a show for Spring 2019. I’m very excited because I feel like it’s a wonderful opportunity for students who
want to try their hands at theatre to put on something of their own and really have fun with it,” Sechi explained.
Devoe is certainly in favour of this idea despite this being her graduating year.
“An annual school musical would be an amazing addition to Riverview, Devoe says. “It would be a chance for the participants to meet like-minded students and learn or expand their knowledge about theatre. Cape Breton has so much amazing theatre and with so much support from the community, along with advertising which is
so easy and accessible in in today’s world with social media, I’m sure Riverview would have no problem bringing in an audience.”
The three all agree that the arts community is underrepresented in our community and that fine arts classes and arts representation could use a boost in the school.
A musical seems like a great way to do it in my opinion.