By Jessica Lee
As the new school year begins, many sports teams and clubs around STA are gathering. The great thing about our school is that we have a large variety of extracurricular activities! For those of us who love the arts — whether that be drawing, photography, dancing, music, or acting — there are many opportunities to continue pursuing those talents. Here are some of the amazing activities and programs you can participate in this year:
STArt Council
STArt Council would like to encourage any artists, photographers, dancers, musicians, actors, and anyone with a passion for creativity to get involved with them. This year, the heads of the council — Sierra Vaillancourt and Jack Kukolic — are looking to work closer with Student Council to actively promote many arts programs and events here at STA.
They are also planning a talent show in March and will hold the third annual Arts Banquet in June. They will continue their “Artist of the Month” tradition, where every month an artist from STA has their work displayed to the rest of the school in the atrium. Anyone who loves drawing, painting, photography, dancing, singing, poetry, creative writing, or acting can submit their art for a chance to win.
If you have any questions are looking to start a new club relating to the visual or performing arts, visit the STArt Council for help and information!
Advisor: Mrs Agbonwaneten, Ms Bradica, and Ms Klimitz
Meeting Times: Thursday mornings at 7:50 AM
Location: Room 100 (drama room)
Theatre Aquinas
Theatre Aquinas is well-known in STA to have put on high-quality plays these last few years. Last year the team was very dedicated and had great success with the play, Peter and the Starcatcher.
This year, Theatre Aquinas will be putting on Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), a 1988 comedic play by Anne-Marie MacDonald. In this play, a young English literature professor from Queen’s University goes on a journey of self-discovery and growth. It is a modern feminist twist on two Shakespearean classics, Othello and Romeo and Juliet.
Auditions will start the coming Tuesday, September 18th, with rehearsals usually held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in the theatre as well as the drama room. There are plenty of opportunities to sign up for auditions. The forms are outside room 100, the drama room. The auditions are in groups of six — you can sign up in groups or be sorted into a group.
There are also plenty of backstage and production opportunities with tech crew, costumes, makeup, hair, prop crew, set design, advertising, and ticket sales. There will be a separate meeting for those interested in backstage crews soon, so pay attention to the announcements!
“Theatre Aquinas, no matter what role you play in it, is just a big, happy family. We all work very hard and we love each other very much! I encourage any grade 9s or new students to join our family — the drama program at STA is fantastic and an amazing opportunity,” says Gabbie Cruz, the head backstage manager.
Advisor: Mrs Agbonwaneten and Ms Klimitz
Meeting Times: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
Location: Room 100 (drama room) and the theatre
Dance Team
For all the dancers of STA, the dance team will be holding their auditions around late Fall. The dance team plans their choreography here at the school and attends competitions in the spring. Last year, the dance team sent five dancers to the Niagara Best Dance Team competition in May!
This year, they are also looking towards performing at various competitions as well as the school talent show and the Art’s Banquet. So if you have a passion for dancing, keep an ear open for morning announcements!
Advisor: Mme Young
Practice Times: To be determined – decided according to the schedule of team members
Location: Theatre and/or the drama room (room 100)
Below are some dance videos from the talented dance team last year:
Concert Band
The concert band met as a group for the first time this school year last Wednesday, 12th of September. The band will meet every Wednesday after school in the music room, and would love new people with a love for music to join them!
The concert band will focus on performing music compositions at assemblies, the school talent show, and the Art’s Banquet. Music pieces are generally chosen by Ms Verhoeven, but she is open to student suggestions! Some students in the past have made their own mini ensemble within concert band to perform special songs they love.
If you want to meet new friends, practice your musicianship, or learn and perform songs with a big group of people, the concert band is the perfect place for you. Playing and learning music increases the capacity of your memory, enhances your coordination, and leads to a better brain development. In fact, listening to music on a regular basis can relieve the stress many students experience during the school year.
See you Wednesday after school with your instruments!
Advisor: Ms Verhoeven
Practice Times: Wednesdays after school
Location: The music room (Room 101)