Banting prides itself on delivering powerful programs in Visual Arts, Media Arts, Dance, Dramatic Arts, and Music.

 

Visual Arts & Media Arts

The Visual & Media Arts program at Banting provides students with a solid foundation rooted in skill development and creative thinking. Students are provided with opportunities to develop their own sense of creativity using a variety of media, and are challenged to make connections between their own work and the world around them. Banting's Visual and Media Arts students have a long-standing history of winning awards for their work in the community and in the province, in addition to having their work exhibited in venues such as The Gibson Centre in Alliston and the MacLaren Art Centre in Barrie.

 

Dramatic Arts

Drama is a subject which encourages students to explore and to expand their creative and expressive potential. A first-time dramatic arts student does not have to be a great actor or actress --she/he just has to be willing to work hard and try new ideas. The students will also be developing their ability to speak and perform in front of an audience. Banting has a very lively Dramatic Arts program that has produced many professional scale productions. 

 

Music

The Music program provides students with musical experiences that will teach the students to know and appreciate music in as many forms as possible; thus they will bring added joy and enrichment to the quality of their lives and ultimately to their environment. Students will have an opportunity to participate in a wide variety of musical experiences by taking part in Concert Bands, Guitar Bands, and Choirs.  

 

Dance

Dance is currently offered for Grade 10 and Grade 11 students. This course is for all levels of dancers from beginners to advanced. Genres such as ballet, lyrical, jazz and hip-hop will be explored as well as how to create and choreograph individual dance routines. 

 

ASSESSMENT + EVALUATION
Our department initiative is to develop Assessment Capable Learners with a focus on feedback rather than numerical grades. This approach is intended to allow students to have a greater awareness and ownership of their learning. Throughout the course you will have many opportunities to demonstrate your learning. A variety of activities, their products, conversations and observations will act as evidence of your learning. Over the course of the semester you will receive written and verbal feedback on what you did well, what you could improve and what your next steps are. You are expected to use this feedback to improve. This might mean revising and resubmitting your work or taking feedback from one task and applying it to another similar task in the future. You will also be expected to use learning goals and success criteria to assess your own work and to give descriptive feedback to your peers.

Midterm and Final reports will be calculated in a conference where student and teacher assess progress and come to a consensus on the most consistent level of achievement.

These practices are consistent with the policies and practices defined by the Ministry of Education in the document Growing Success and with current SCDSB policy pertaining to Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting. These policies describe best practices for assessment, including:

  • assessing achievement categories (Knowledge and Understanding, Thinking and Investigation, Communication, and Application) in a balanced manner that reflects course curriculum and instruction

  • providing numerous and varied opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning

  • clearly communicating assessment practices with students and parents at the beginning of the course and at other appropriate points throughout the course

  • providing ongoing descriptive feedback that is clear, specific, meaningful, and timely to support improved learning and achievement

  • developing students' self-assessment skills to enable them to assess their own learning, set specific goals, and plan next steps for their learning

(Note: For more detailed information on the achievement levels and on assessment, evaluation, and reporting policy, please see Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools, as set out by the Ministry of Education.)