Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts

Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts (1989) is unique in Ontario. It provides a rich Arts Program that encompasses all four Arts: Dance, Drama, Visual Arts, Music, etc., unlike other schools. A full academic program is also offered, as in every elementary school in the Thames Valley District School Board. Pearson students spend one-quarter of the instructional week on each Art form each year. The school has insisted that the Arts Education be a piece of the entire student experience. Pearsons Program is designed to develop aesthetic appreciation and concepts and awareness of the interrelationships between the Arts. It also aims to develop a lifelong liking for the Arts. This is our schools mandate: Focus—Creativity in Arts Education. Pearson (1989) places particular importance on Creativity as the fundamental element of Arts Education. Students efforts are shared and applied through the creative process by all instructors. These teachers discuss and study research about creativity, explore its definition, monitor its development, determine how to assess it, and then apply it in the selection process. The school stresses that Creativity is key to all types of learning, including the Arts (Pearson, 1989). Our school strongly believes that this type of study and attention to Creativity will improve student learning in all subject areas, including Arts. Pearson students have a lot of work ahead of them. We have extended our school days by 330 minutes in order to provide more time for them to study our Arts programs. A full-rotational timetable at all grades and an intense performance schedule can have consequences on learning, especially since so many students are also involved in extracurricular activities (mostly artistic, but some athletic).

There have been some mixed reviews provided by students about Pearson College, most noticeably, with the most common issue being a high level of division observed among the students. Differences in opinion can be attributed to the fact that one-half are strong supporters of Tate or the Tetris video game, and the other half are enthusiastic about arts and academic excellence. However, the fact that students are diverse in this school and have varying tastes in these stages of development. Encountered challenges may include requiring heightened security measures to address allegations about stealing or emotional bullying, adequately dealing with some situations may be crucial. High praise for the boarding school is seen in other reviews. The co-curriculum activities and after-school initiative offer an engaging environment that is perfect for learning and self-development. The program is broad since it covers several aspects that could potentially benefit children like music, art, and free-thinking. Also, the school would have a positive impact on a child who might have previously struggled educationally or whose old school lacked high academic standards. Pearson School can provide an exceptional education compared to the typical school setting.