Eastdale Collegiate and Vocational Institute

Eastdale Collegiate and Vocational Institute is located in Oshawa, Ontario within the Durham District School Board. The school has students in grades 9-12 and offers a wide range of academic and extracurricular activities. Eastdale is noted for having the largest technology program in the Durham District School Board, featuring courses in construction, communications, and manufacturing technology, as well as technical design.

Eastdale Collegiate and Vocational Institute has a widely celebrated Performing Arts Program called the Eastdale School of Theatre, Music, and Dance. This program allows students from Grade 9 to 12 to focus on two areas of general arts study while completing their Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

This Performing Arts program also allows students to expand their arts experience by linking to the Ministry of Education - Ontario's Specialist High Skills Major Pathway program in Arts and Culture. Created in 2008, this Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM - pronounced "Shazaam") is the first Arts and Culture SHSM in the Durham Region. It allows students to focus on applied or performing arts while experiencing "Reach Ahead" activities. These activities include individual clinics with artists, participation in provincial and national performing groups, certification in several first-aid and artistic programs and allow their Pathway Program focus to appear on their official OSSD transcript and diploma.

Eastdale CVI is home to the Eastdale Theatre Company, an organization that began in the late 1970's to produce quality musical productions. Recent performances have included FAME (2002), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (2003), Once Upon a Mattress (2004), Grease (2005), The Sound of Music (2006), The Wizard of Oz (2007), Footloose (2008), Crazy For You (2009), The Music Man (2010), Peter Pan (2011), Back to the 80s (2012), Little Shop of Horrors (2014), and Willy Wonka, The Musical (upcoming - May 2015). During the summer of 2005, the theatre company partnered with Summerstock Calgary to organize a performance of "Guys & Dolls", which performed at Parkwood and Yonge-Dundas Square. Summerstock was an arts infused cooperative education program in which students from across Durham learned the career-based details of putting on a Broadway show. The Summerstock production was directed by Jim Senft and produced by Joan Mansfield.

The Eastdale Theatre Company remained an extra-curricular from its beginning right to 2012's "Back to the 80s". In 2013, the E.T.C. took a brief intermission. The musicals begun their second act as an accredited course. The inaugural production of this brand-new theatre programme was 2014's "Little Shop of Horrors".

Eastdale CVI has been designated as one of the original eight sites in 2009-2010 for the Artist in Residence program, an Arts Infused Learning partnership program between the Durham District School Board and the Ontario Arts Council. Arts Infused Learning is the teaching of core curriculum subject expectations through an arts medium. Artists and teachers collaborate to teach students Ministry of Education curriculum by engaging them in their interest areas within the arts and track the success of the project by collecting data regarding achievement, attendance, and engagement.

In September 2010, Eastdale CVI and Dr. F. J. Donevan Collegiate merged after lengthy public consultation by the ARC Committee of the Durham District School Board. The Elementary schools within Donevan's Family of Schools have now become part of Eastdale's Family of Schools and, as such, will participate in Eastdale's academic initiatives.

In 2011, the Eastdale Theatre underwent a massive refurbishment, including the creation of an orchestra-level sound/lighting booth, additional accessible seating, creation of a set construction room with expanded double-door access to the stage, and installation of an accessible ramp to the main stage area.

The alumni of Eastdale CVI include Canadian pair skater Barbara Underhill and Durham Regional Police Chief Michael Ewles.

Athletic History

Matt Kolodzie, from 1981 to 1984 led OFSCAA in yards rushing with his spectacular rushing ability within the senior football team. He later went on to take a full scholarship at Ohio State, where he then finished his career with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the CFL. Scott Adams and Steve Barchard also, during the same time frame, led the schools archery team to 3 consecutive district high school titles, partnering with Paul Dwyer Catholic,to represent the DYSA area athletic federation. (1982 to 1985) Also, school Alumni, Dean Hickey, captured 4 gold medals at the OFSSA senior wrestling championships, and the proceeded into York University where he now coaches inter squad hockey. Recently, Eastdale has not seen much focus or success in athletics, mostly because of a shift to the arts and craft funding for school programs. Today, a group of alumni and ex school athletes are trying to influence the Durham school board to allow them to take ownership and prime operating responsibility of the football, soccer and archery programs, as the ongoing lack of attention to the programs has them in demise. Peter Crocker and Chris Armitage lead this group of alumni, and have most recently recruited several high profile graduates to help them in this challenge.

Many ex Oshawa Hawkeye Football players have worn the Eastdale Eagle jersey over the years, such as Matt Kolodzie, Jim Burkitt, Chris Gill, Bunny Panasar, Glenroy Brown, Nick Benjamin and Jim Bowers. Recent retired NFL punter, Mike Snelgrove- also played 1 season for Eastdale- before moving to Carolia in 1983.

Notable Alumni

Stefan Charles Garrett MacKeen

See also

• List of high schools in Ontario

External links

• Eastdale Collegiate and Vocational Institute
• Eastdale Arts Program Page