Our Philosophy of Arts Education

Arts education is an inclusive activity aimed to provide a positive aesthetic and collective learning experience while still allowing individual expression. It is important to the overall educational experience because it:

• encourages active communication
• creates something together that cannot be created alone
• allows for a sense of belonging, teamwork, safe place
• invites participants to take risks
• creates a sense of pride (self-esteem), belonging, accomplishment
• develops the whole child -- the mind, brain and soul
• builds creativity -- thinking outside the box
• opens the door to human culture and history
• defines who and what we are as a people
• defines who we are as a society

The arts education experience requires the student and teacher to develop a genuine and caring relationship.

The arts are vital to every child's education for its inherent aesthetic, historical and cultural value. If the arts are an inseparable part of our culture, then it should be an inseparable part of our school life.

Arts in the Park

Our division has been running a by-annual celebration of the arts known as Arts in the Park since the spring of 2001. This event celebrates the many Seven Oaks students involved in their K-12 school choirs, fiddle groups, bands, dance groups, and visual art classes to come together to highlight their achievements.

Seven Oaks Performing Arts Centre (SOPAC)

Since 2018, SOPAC has been the home to our performing arts events in Seven Oaks School Division. We’ve had more than 280 events, productions, concerts, dance showcases, grads and more over the past school year. We’ve seen many students from more than 20 of our schools come through and perform on the SOPAC stage with a sense of pride and enthusiasm. Our SOPAC technicians assist our teachers in making every event in SOPAC a success. They also help to teach middle years and senior years students the many aspects of being a theatre tech. 

Musical Productions

In 2024-2025 we have 10 musical theatre productions staged in SOPAC over the course of the year that will involve over 1300 students in the various casts and crews from around the division. Cast and crews are afforded a week in theatre to bring their production to the stage! This year we will be featuring productions such as: Legally Blond, Seussical the Musical, Between the Lines, Madagascar, and School of Rock to name a few.

Spotlight (formally known as Divisional Dance Day)

Newly named for our 2025 edition, Spotlight is a day of celebration for our dance groups in Seven Oaks School Division. This day has been a gathering of many dance groups across the division highlighting the many cultures and traditions of our students and their families. Our dancers bring styles of Bhangra, hip hop, tap, contemporary, jazz, and jigging to our stage at SOPAC.

SO Series

Since 2022, we have developed a performance series held in SOPAC to celebrate our performing arts groups in Seven Oaks School Division called “SO (Seven Oaks).” The series focuses on a performing arts concentration. For example, our first two editions in 2022 and 2023 was called SO JAZZ, highlighting our instrumental and vocal jazz groups in the division. In 2024 we shifted the focus to SO SING, where we invited school choirs from K-12 to participate. In 2025, we are planning another edition of SO SING, to continue the celebration of choir in our division.

Sistema

Sistema Winnipeg was founded in 2011 and serves youth in Winnipeg, Manitoba in underserved communities. These communities have some of the greatest needs, and Sistema Winnipeg aims to help inspire youth to make a difference in their world and communities.

The program is a unique partnership between the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO), Seven Oaks School Division (SOSD) and Winnipeg School Division (WSD), and provides music education to children for 2-hours after every school day throughout the entire school year (Sept – June). Students are provided an instrument, a nutritious snack, a safe space to learn, grow, and flourish where they make friends and memories to last a lifetime – all at no cost to families!

Festivals and Beyond

Our Seven Oaks students participate in many performing arts festivals outside of our division coordinated by the Manitoba Choral Association, the Manitoba Orff Chater, the Manitoba Band Association, the Brandon Jazz Festival, the Moosejaw Band & Choral Festival, and the Winnipeg Music Festival throughout the duration of the school year.