Support specialized programs & schools made possible by optional attendance!

I am a parent of MaCs program, the program needs to stay.

We have to fight and keep the the a claude program!!! Help and get these petitions signed!

Specialized programs are put in place to enrich the learning of students who want a more challenging and/or specific learning material to suit their interests, passions, and life goals. Phasing out these programs will give these students a poorer learning experience and environment which is completely unfair to them and their futures.

My high school, and the students in it thrived because of the specialized programs that it offerred.

Please keep all arts schools you can be effecting our future

They’re still professions and they still matter!!!

Schools like ESA can change the entire life of students who are not inclined toward normal education. I know I would not be where I am without ESA. Before high school I was ready to give up on trying to prove myself, I was scared of doing what I loved because it was different and I was just about prepared to give up on it. When I got into ESA I worked my butt off to get where I am - New York City studying illustration. I went to ESA for film - a completely different medium - but it gave me the confidence to pursue anything I liked. That's what specialized schools do, they give confidence to those who otherwise would never have gotten that reaction. Many of my friends are studying engineering and sciences, so going to an arts-based school doesn't mean you won't get educated in other aspects either.

I am in a specialized program and I live daily seeing the benefits and how these programs really help students like me.

I am a professional musician, making my living through music. I came through the Claude Watson and Earl Haig Music programs. Losing these programs would seriously harm our artistic community.

Having an outlet to express yourself artistically at school is extremely important for so many students, but everyone who is artistically inclined should be able to do so, not only a select few.

Don't do this man c'mon

Given the varying skills and aptitudes of the 250,000 students across the entire TDSB, it is so very narrow minded to think that specialist programs can be distilled and distributed to every school, while still maintaining the level of excellence in education that they currently hold. Allowing those students to pursue their passions will enhance their educational experience, especially if they are students who struggle in other areas.

I believe that the arts should continue to be taught. Students express themselves through the arts and even use the arts as an escape, taking that away would be a really poor decision.

I dont agree with this

For some people, the only arts they can access are the ones in school. Some of the best years of my life involved attending specialized programs in both middle school AND high school; both of which prepared me so well for my post-secondary career. Do not take these opportunities away from our future generation!

First off, I think people are misunderstanding what the TDSB is trying to do here. They aren’t eliminating the arts or other focused areas, they are simply trying to make it more accesible to everyone. I personally went to EHSS and was not able to get into Claude Watson, despite my interest and talent in the arts, and I remember how isolated and divided I felt because of it. I was made to feel as if I was just another name amongst all these students, and that I had no real value to contribute, or that it wasn’t even possible that I was an artist if I wasn’t in Claude Watson. I know I’m not the only one who felt this way, and I remember a lot of my peers also saying things such as “wow I’m so untalented “ whenever we would see students from Claude Watson perform. Can’t these students have other talents that aren’t being recognized? I believe everyone is special and unique in their own way, and that we can find talent in whatever area it may be in every student, and that we ALL deserve for that to be recognized and have our interests built on. I believe that the schools across the TDSB should enrich their programs and opportunities in various areas, not only the arts, for ALL students. It’s not fair that simply those who were able to go through the complicated process of auditioning and applying for the program, and then be one of the small number of students who were chosen can learn about what they love. Also, who is to say that simply because you got in after an audition, it makes you more artistically inclined than someone else? That can be subjective in so many ways, and one audition or a well done portfolio does not necesarily make you a “better” artist than someone else. Is there even such a thing? I think it is important for everyone attending school to have equal opportunity for learning and growth in whatever area they are better at/have more interest in, especially during such formative years when everyone should be building their confidence.

The tdsb is turning into communism. This is political correctness gone too far. Leftist intolerence affects us all.

So rude !

I’ve build such a life at an art school, and I won’t let it be taken away from me.

Having a special school for my daughter is the best option we could get. She feels safe for the environment and she enjoys the school process learning to get a better education in what she wants (arts). I am hoping my other children also join this institution and be able to have a life changing experience, without having to follow the traditional process. It would be a big mistake to take this away, there is a huge community envolved in the Etobicoke School of the Arts.