Fine Arts Academy

The Fine Arts program at St. Mary’s School offers an intense Fine Arts experience delivered by highly trained staff. In addition to their core subjects, students are immersed in Band, Choir, Dance, Drama, and Art and are ambassadors of the school, the division, our city, and of the Fine Arts. Students are continuously in the community; they are frequently asked to perform and are often learning from professionals in the field by taking in shows, going on field trips, and learning from special guests. This program meets the needs of many students: those students who have a keen interest in the arts and enjoy working in them, and those students who see themselves pursuing a career in the Fine Arts.

Furthermore, students also have additional opportunities to experience Regular-stream option programming such as computers, foods, shop, etc. This program attracts students from all over the city and surrounding area and continuously receives recognition and
awards on local and provincial stages (check out our trophy case next time you’re in the building, or, check it out virtually here).

Check out the video above.

To protect the integrity of the program, class sizes are capped and therefore often operate at full capacity. In these situations, students wanting to enter the program are placed on a waiting list and currently enrolled students must meet certain standards. Therefore, to maintain the integrity of the Fine Arts program, parents and students must continuously strive to meet the following:

Fine Arts Program Standards

1. All Fine Arts fees must be paid in full or be arranged to be paid in installments. In
   extenuating circumstances, arrangements may be made to have fees waived but these arrangements need to be made in advance.
2. Students must maintain regular and punctual attendance at school including Fine Arts engagements which take place outside regular school hours.
3. Students must be an active participant in all Fine Arts subjects. Active participation is considered to be the regular and ongoing participation in the activities of the Fine Arts classes, including engagements which take place outside of regular school hours.
4. Students must maintain an exemplary attitude, effort, work ethic, and interest in the Fine Arts.
5. Students will maintain positive behaviour in accordance with the MHCBE Student Code of Conduct. This includes the responsibility of being an ambassador of St. Mary’s School.
6. Students must maintain a level of good academic standing or show evidence of academic accountability and improvement.
7. Parents and students must agree to support and participate in the activities of the Fine Arts Parent Council. This includes the donation of a piece of student artwork, selected by a teacher-student conference, to the annual Fine Arts Wine Gala.

Student performance in the Fine Arts program will be reviewed at the end of each reporting period, including the end of the academic year. Students found to be struggling with any of the above criteria may be required to meet with Fine Arts faculty, meet with administration, put on a period of probation, and/or be removed from the program. The implementation of this process and interpretation of these standards are subject to the discretion of the Fine Arts Faculty and administration. Administrators reserve the right to have the final say in student programming.

Selection Process

In the event that the number of students enrolling in a particular grade exceeds the
capacity of the program, students in good standing (see Fine Arts Program Standards) will be selected in the following order:

1. Current Grade 7 & 8 St. Mary’s School Fine Arts Academy students
2. Current Grade 6 students registered at and attending a Medicine Hat Catholic school
3. Current Grade 7 & 8 non-academy St. Mary’s School students
4. Current Grade 7 & 8 Notre Dame students
5. New Catholic students to Medicine Hat Catholic once accepted into the division
6. All other new students to Medicine Hat Catholic once accepted into the division

Once a class has reached capacity, all remaining students will be placed on a waiting list.
In order to maintain a spot on the waiting list, students must be registered at St. Mary’s as a non-academy student. As spots become available, students will be transferred into the Academy Program.

Registration opens on February 1. All selection process criteria (see above) remain in force during open registration. On March 1, any further registrations will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Administrators reserve the right to have the final say in student programming. Parents will be notified by email regarding acceptance into the Fine Arts Academy program each spring.

Class Load - Grade 7/8/9

Core Subjects: Religion, Language Arts, Math, Social Students, Science
Flex: Physical Education, Health, Computers, additional option experiences
Fine Arts Academy Program: Art, Band, Choral, Dance, Drama

Fee Schedule / Payment Plans

The Fine Arts Academy is a program of choice, therefore a fee will be charged to be in the program. All fee payments and arrangements are processed through School Cash Online. Payments can be lump-sum or scheduled up to 10 monthly payments. More information regarding payment plans will be provided at the beginning of the school year.

Should unforeseen circumstances arise and schools experience a temporary closure, scheduled payments will not be stopped. Refunds (if applicable) will be calculated depending on the length of closure, the academy expenses and revenue collected. Refunds would only be issued at the end of the school year after all factors have been taken into account and have been approved by MHCBE Senior Administration.