About
Victoria School of the Arts is anHistory
The school built at this location in 1911 was known as Edmonton High School. New buildings were constructed starting in 1947 which became known as Victoria Composite High School or "Vic Comp" for short. In 1985,Arts
Victoria School plans a different Arts Season each year with a variety of events involving Design and New Media, Visual Arts, Theatre, Dance, and Music. Every Arts Season is different, and while some events happen annually, most are unique to that year's season. Each season features an overarching theme that connects the various events together to form a cohesive program. Previous themes have been AWAKENING! (2021-2022), Roots/Routes (2020-2021), Taking Flight (2019–2020), ...Possibility... (2018-2019) and Inspiration (2017-2018).Theatre
Each year, a selection of work is performed at the school in the Eva O. Howard Theatre. Usually, two larger productions (one musical, one play) are featured as "Main Stage" shows. These plays or musicals are the largest events in the arts season at Victoria School. Large casts and week-long runs allow students to perform on the main stage in big productions, and satisfy the course requirements for either Theatre Performance 15, 25 and 35 or Musical Theatre 15, 25 and 35. In-timetable theatre courses are also offered: Drama 10, 20 and 30 are available to students with little to no dramatic experience, while Advanced Acting 15, 25 and 35 require an initial audition or a program recommendation. At the junior high level, Drama 7, 8 and 9 are also offered as options.Main Stage performances
Each performance has different grade-level restrictions, with one per year typically being open to senior high (grades 10–12) students and one open to secondary (grades 7–12) students, with occasional performances only open to junior high (grades 7–9) students or students in grades 4–12. Students are chosen for roles through a group audition process held in September every year in which every show in the season is cast. The cast lists for every ensemble throughout the year are posted in the last week of September. Students are also able to gain experience in Technical Theatre by participating in the Main Stage Shows, with opportunities in lighting, sound, set, costume and makeup design, along with opportunities to act as Stage Manager and Assistant Stage Manager.=List of Main Stage performances
= ''Note: plays without a link may be devised creations''.Visual Arts
Design and New Media
Victoria School offers unique courses in the study of Design, Digital Arts, and New Media. Courses available at Victoria at the senior high level include Applied Graphic Arts 15, 25 and 35, Photography 15, 25 and 35, Audio 15, 25 and 35, Animation 25 and 35, and Film & Media Arts 15, 25 and 35. Animation courses require Applied Graphic Arts 15 as a prerequisite. In addition, Visual Communications 7, 8 and 9 are also options available for junior high students.Visual Arts
The Visual Arts department offers Art (IB) 10, 20 and 30 and Ceramics 15, 25 and 35 to senior high students in-timetable, while Drawing 15, 25 and 35, and Painting 15, 25 and 35 are also available out of timetable. Junior high students can choose Art 7, 8 and 9 as options.Music
Music options at Victoria School include General Music 10, Choral Music 10, 20 and 30, Instrumental Music 10, 20 and 30 and Guitar 10, 20 and 30 in-timetable. Concert Choir 10, 20 and 30, Vocal Jazz 15, 25 and 35 and Instrumental Jazz 15, 25 and 35 are all available to students after a successful audition. Junior high students have the option to take Instrumental Music 7, 8 and 9, and Choral Music 7, 8 and 9.Dance
A variety of dance courses are offered to senior high students, ranging from introductory to advanced levels. Dance 15 (3Y) is designed as a starting course for students without prior dance experience, which allows the student to take Contemporary Dance 25 and 25, and Dance 25 and 35 IB. Dance (6Y) 15, 25, and 35, Dance Techniques 15, 25, and 35, Dance Performance 15, 25 and 35, and Performing Arts 15, 25 and 35 are also options for students with previous experience and/or auditions. In junior high, Dance 7, 8 and 9 are offered as introductory dance courses.Food Culture and Innovation
Victoria School offers Culinary Arts 10, 20 and 30 to students in senior high interested in learning about food preparation. These courses will be offered starting in the 2021–2022 school year, coinciding with the opening of the renovated Victoria Cafeteria on the north end of the school. Students enrolled in this program will cook and bake food for the new Victoria Café, and will be eligible to write an equivalency exam to challenge the first year apprenticeship requirements at NAIT. Victoria is also offering a new program at the senior high level focused on building skills related to entrepreneurship. Hospitality Management 10, 20 and 30 are offered focusing on planning, customer service and marketing. Courses on business and finance are also offered, including Financial Management 10, 20 and 30 which focus on personal financial literacy skills such as taxation, credit and investments. Business and Innovation 10, 20 and 30 teach students about planning and executing business ventures.Victoria Foundation for the Arts
The Victoria Foundation for the Arts, established in 1996, offers a variety of scholarships and awards to teachers and students of Victoria School of the Arts each year. $1 million over 385 scholarships and awards have been presented to students since its inception through 2019. Additionally, the foundation funds student master classes and upgrades to the Eva O. Howard Theatre, and provides $5000 annually to the musical Main Stage production. The foundation is run by the Victoria School Foundation Board, and operates an endowment fund through donations, with over 80 donors of $1000 or more. Major donors can be seen on plaques outside of the Eva O. Howard Theatre.Academics
Core subjects
Victoria School of the Arts offers all of the standard Alberta Education courses, including English Language Arts, Social Studies, Indigenous Studies, Mathematics, Science, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. English Language Arts, Social Studies, Mathematics and Biology also have IB streams, with most students opting for an IB Certificate rather than a full IB Diploma. Victoria is one of the only schools in Canada to offer the IB Career-Related Programme, which prepares students for the workplace through the in-depth study of careers in the arts. To meet the IB requirements for either the Career-Related Programme, or the full Diploma Programme, Global Perspectives on Professional Skills 25 and 35 (Career-Related) and Theory of Knowledge, Extended Essay and CAS (Diploma) are available either in-timetable or out of timetable.Second languages
French and Spanish are available as second-language options to both junior and senior high students. The French program requires students to enter in seventh grade, while Spanish offers entry points in seventh and tenth grade. French is also offered in an IB stream. Cree is available at the senior high level.Leadership
Leadership 15, 25 and 35 are available to senior high students who wish to join the Victoria School Leadership Team, which focuses on planning events, fundraising and supporting the school community. The Victoria Leadership Team plans the annual Terry Fox/Clubs Day, Halloween celebration, Helping Hampers donation campaign, and bi-annual VIESTA event. The separate Student Arts Leadership Team is responsible for the planning and execution of arts-related events, such as performances, gallery openings and the bi-annual Festival of the Arts.Physical education and health
Victoria School offers the standard physical education courses from Alberta Education including Physical Education 10, 20 and 30. Recreational Leadership 15, 25 and 35 offer a more rigorous physical education framework. New in the 2021–2022 school year, Victoria offers Physical Education 10 with an emphasis on outdoor education. Career and Life Management is a course required to obtain an Alberta high school diploma, and is offered as a separate course or combined with Physical Education 10.Events
PlayWorks
PlayWorks is a student directed one act festival that occurs every April. Students in Directing 35 go through a play selection process, hold group auditions and callbacks, run rehearsals, and have complete control over every aspect of their chosen play. PlayWorks is open to actors in grade 8–12 and includes a wide variety of theatre pieces. The festival is adjudicated by a notable theatre professional who watches the shows and reflects on the work with the students. It has become an opportunity for students to receive feedback from professionals, who make it a point not to judge or grade the work. In recent years, the adjudication has been the work of Scott Swan, a notable Canadian director whose work has been seen across the country.Leaps and Bounds
This is an annual dance show featuring student choreographed work. This two night showcase has been a staple in Victoria's art season for decades, and is designed to satisfy the presentation component of the IB Dance program for the 20 and 30 level, as well as Composition 35. Composition teaches students the process of choreography. Each student develops a concept and from that develops a dance. The process has five main parts: *Concept development *Auditions *Rehearsals *Performance *Reflection This class offers young choreographers a strong foundation in the task of creation. In Dance 20 IB, students work to create solo compositions, moving into choreographing for groups of dancers in the 30 level. Each student gains important artistic skills and experience through the process. Dance Performance 15, 25 and 35 are also a continuum of locally developed courses for dancers who participate in the process and perform in the show.Festival of the Arts
In the spring of 2010, Victoria hosted the first ever 'Festival of the Arts' which brought together all three levels of school and all the different art disciplines in a large two-day celebration. Events were presented all over the school, allowing parents, students and staff to see performances and student work all over the school. This large-scale event was held a second time in the spring of 2011 and also served as the official opening of the newly renovated building and the celebration Victoria's centennial. A large event was held in the courtyard area of the school and was attended by the Mayor of Edmonton, Stephen Mandel, as well as the Premier of Alberta,Arthur Hiller Student Film Festival
The Arthur Hiller Student Film Festival was named in honor of Arthur Hiller, an alumnus of the school. Hiller, a notable Hollywood director, has returned many times to share his wealth of knowledge and life experience with the students. As a thank you to Hiller, in 2007 the school named their annual student film festival after him. When the school asked if they could use his name for the festival, he wasn't sure. However, after hearing that students wanted to run and lead it, he was convinced. He agreed as long as the word "student" was in the festival name. He wanted it to be about the students, not him. In 2009, the festival featured a new element: a film making challenge in which two teams of students attempted to plan, shoot, edit and present a five-minute short in two hours. This challenge took place simultaneously with the annual film showcase. As the featured films were playing, backstage in the theater, two teams were busy shooting. The audience was kept in the loop through the use of a live feed. This version of the festival was entirely student-run as the goal of the festival was to show current students' work, and also to have alumni share work, much like the way Hiller himself returned to share his knowledge with students. The festival was discontinued following the 2009 year, due primarily to a lack of support from staff. Plans to bring it back are being discussed but no formal plans have yet been announced.VIESTA
VIESTA is an event held by Victoria School each June to raise money for Victoria's sister school. At VIESTA, students have the opportunity to sell their creations, such as food, art, crafts or content to the rest of the school, and donate a minimum of 30% of the profit to the sister school. The event is accompanied by an indie stage, where students can perform. In 2016, this event was held in conjunction with the Festival of the Arts. It was later announced that it would be held every other year, in opposition with the Festival of the Arts. The latest VIESTA was held in June 2019. In 2015, the VIESTA event was put on hold due to a stabbing at the Royal Alexandra Hospital nearby with the suspect at large, triggering aBuilding
The school's facilities include: * Two full-size gymnasiums * Fitness centre * Full-service cafeteria * Marguerite Trussler Library * Science labs * Choral and band rooms * Dance studios * Visual art studios * Art gallery * Media labs * Video studio * Audio studio * Green room * Eva O. Howard TheatreModernization
In the early 2000s, the Victoria building, with sections dating back to 1947, was beginning to show its age and was slated for significant repair or replacement. Infrastructure reports carried out in 2000 saw Victoria as the highest priority modernization project in the district, with particular emphasis placed on the lack of appropriate specialized arts spaces, along with mechanical systems and infrastructure reaching their end-of-life dates and concerns over the safety of the deteriorating building. This project gained support from Alberta Infrastructure,Eva O. Howard Theatre
The Eva O. Howard Theatre is a 685-seat proscenium theatre in the North 400 wing of the school. It was built in 1949, but has been updated extensively throughout the years, and is used frequently by students and members of the community. It includes dressing rooms, prop and costume storage, a set workshop, and a green room, most of which are located below the theatre in the basement. It is named after Eva O. Howard, an English teacher at Victoria who developed one of the school's first theatre programs during the early 20th century.Notable alumni
* Roy Brown – World War I RAF flying ace *References
External links