What do we offer?

At VSS we offer virtual courses in Visual Art, Expressions of First Nation, Metis, and Inuit Cultures, Media Art, Drama, and Dance.  Students learn innovative ways to express themselves in the arts through technology and hands-on activities.  

The Visual Arts

In the visual arts students learn about the creative process, critical thinking, and skills in a variety of art mediums.  Visual art courses are offered in grades 9 through to 12. Intermediate courses focus on applying the elements and principles of art and design to their own self expression.  Students are exposed to a variety of artists from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and genres.  Students begin to develop their own artistic style and begin to be able to critically analyze both contemporary and traditional art.  In senior art classes students focus on the creative process and critical analysis.  Students develop their portfolios and explore career pathways in the arts.  Our visual art classes go on virtual field trips to a variety of galleries and museums.  Guest artists are often featured in our classes and offer unique opportunities for our students to learn from professional artists.

Expressions of First Nation, Metis, and Inuit Cultures

This course is offered in our intermediate art courses and is taught through an Indigenous lens.  Students learn about Indigenous cultures in Canada through an exploration of art forms including printmaking, sculpture, beading, storytelling, and photography.  Guest Indigenous artists are a large part of this course and offer first-hand experience and wisdom that they generously share with our students.  Students learn how to create artwork that expresses their understanding of Indigenous sovereignty, treaty rights, and respect for the land in which we inhabit, and challenges facing Indigenous people’s in the past and present.

Media Art

In this course, students produce media art works that communicate ideas, feelings, and beliefs to specific audiences. It also provides students with the opportunity to reflect on the social, cultural, and historical contexts of media art, which enhances their understanding of the world in which they live. The technologies and processes used and adapted to create media art may be traditional, including, but not limited to, photography, film, classical animation, and video/television. The technologies and processes may also be digital: computer software, digital imaging and graphics, and web page design.  Students in this course learn the skills to think critically about media forms in society and are also exposed to a variety of media artists both past and present.

Drama

In Drama classes, students work collaboratively to develop characters, learn different performance techniques and styles while looking at how the film and television industry has adapted to virtual auditions, table reds and training. Students in drama classes will work through zoom on performances for class and assemblies. They learn script writing techniques and will have the opportunity to share their work with the larger community. Students in these courses will learn the skills to think critically and creatively about performances, screenplays, scripts and audition sides from a variety of artists both locally and internationally. 

Dance

In Dance classes students will learn a variety of dance styles including but not limited to, HipHop, Jazz, Contemporary, Ballroom, AfroFunk, Traditional World Dances and more. In dance education a focus on the elements of dance is key and students will focus on how to apply those elements to their dances. Students learn about nutrition, anatomy and physiology, as well as choreographic elements. Students in all grades will have the opportunity to learn choreography and choreograph their own dances throughout the semester. There will be opportunities to learn about famous dancers and choreographers from around the world in a variety of styles of dance. Students will be up and moving around, participating in physical activities during dance classes.