The Etobicoke School of the Arts (ESA) is a specialized public arts-academic high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located in Etobicoke, it has been housed in the former Royal York Collegiate Institute facility since 1983. Founded on September 8, 1981, the Etobicoke School of the Arts has the distinction of being the oldest, free standing, arts-focused high school in Canada.
Overview
ESA is part of the Toronto District School Board and accepts students from all over southern Ontario from Grade 9 to 12. The school runs on a two-day schedule with 4 periods a day. Each week is either week A, or week B, and based on which week it is, the 2 afternoon classes are switched in order to ensure a student does not miss the same class every week for rehearsals or appointments. The female-to-male ratio of the school is about 4 to 1.<ref>{ { cite web|url=http://www.tdsb.on.ca/profiles/new_profiles/2905.pdf|title=TDSB School Profile" Our Students|website=tdsb.on.ca|access-date=24 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093816/http://www.tdsb.on.ca/profiles/new_profiles/2905.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>
The school has been publicized in Maclean's, The Toronto Star and in a national newspaper, The Globe and Mail. As well, in the September 2006 issue of the Toronto arts magazine Toronto Life, ESA was named Toronto's best arts high school and is also widely known as the best arts high school in Canada. The school was the feature of CTV's Canada AM'' in September 2006.
History
By the late 1970s The Etobicoke Board of Education had gone through the process of closing over thirty schools because of a dramatic decline in enrolment, which dropped from 65,000 to fewer than 35,000 pupils. In spite of this, the senior staff felt compelled to resume innovative programs that had characterized the Board during the 1960s and 1970s. One idea had been talked about in the program department was a school for artistic students.
In the fall of 1979, the board visited the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City. They came away convinced that a successful arts school would have to have an exclusive program, that is, a program that would function on its own, without sharing space within an existing secondary school. To ensure that the right students enrolled, they also agreed that admission would be subject to an audition.
The school was opened on September 8, 1981 at a closed Queensway Senior School.
In September 1983 ESA moved to its current home in the building of Royal York Collegiate Institute which had been closed in June 1982. The school gained a strong reputation over the next decade as one of Toronto's best secondary schools. Students began to apply from all over the Greater Toronto Area and southern Ontario.
Application and audition process
Students are accepted into their chosen field, namely drama, dance, contemporary art, music (band or strings), film and musical theatre, after undergoing an application process and passing an audition the year before.
They must submit their grade seven, last term report card and grade eight, first term report card. They must also submit a filled-out form indicating their preference of arts major(s) and minor, their preference of academic subjects (academic, applied or locally developed) and their past instruction in their area(s) of interest.
As part of the audition process, they must write an essay on a suggested topic (known only on the day of the audition and written on location) and undergo an interview with some distinguished individuals from the school (graduates, instructors, etc.) in their area of interest. Each year approximately 1000 students are auditioned and 200 students are accepted, primarily at the grade 9 level, however, some students may be accepted at higher grade levels should places become available.
The arts
ESA offers artistic programs for students who successfully complete the audition process in the major of their choice, namely Drama, Dance, Contemporary Art, Film, Music (Band or Strings), and musical theatre. At ESA students have the chance to work with an experienced arts faculty as well as numerous professional "visiting artists".
Drama
Mainstage, the departments headliner production presented each year in the Nancy Main Theatre, has been held since the school opened in 1981. The department participates in many competitions such as the Sears Ontario Drama Festival where it has won many awards in its history.
