Student voice is under attack.
The Claude Watson Film Arts program at Earl Haig Secondary School is being cut for incoming students.
It's time to show the Toronto District School Board that cutting the arts is not okay.
What We're Fighting For
I am a working film and television screenwriter with the EHSS Film Arts program to thank for my career trajectory. At a time where media literacy is more important than ever, it seems to me deeply misguided to cut a program that encourages students to create, interact with (and criticize) the medium that – like it or not – dictates how we all see the world.
– Daniel Gold, Screenwriter, Producer, and CW Film Arts Alumnus
It is all about the story.
This line has become something of a motto for the Film Arts students. Film Arts is one of 5 majors in the Claude Watson Arts program at Earl Haig Secondary School. Students are challenged to think critically and creatively to produce original short films that consistently win awards and gain recognition. Many alumni of the program, like Daniel, have gone on to have successful careers in the film & television industry.
But the story is coming to an end.
The CW Arts program is usually allowed 125 spots for new students each year. The Toronto District School Board has cut this to 100 for the 2025/2026 school year, claiming that there has been “inconsistent enrollment” over the past several years. However, the “inconsistent enrollment” they are referring to is a direct result of the flawed admission policies that the TDSB has mandated for the program, including a lottery-based admission system and the de-streaming of the application process, meaning that students who applied for Film Arts for the 2024/2025 school year were competing for spots with applicants for other majors in the program.
This resulted in only nine grade 9 students being selected for Film Arts for the 2024/2025 school year, despite there being HUNDREDS of students who applied. The TDSB is trying to pass off their flawed policies as a decrease in interest, and as a result has taken away 25 spots for incoming students, forcing one major to be cut from the program. The school decided it would be Film Arts. This is not a budget issue. There is no excuse for this cut.
By taking away those 25 spots, the TDSB is taking away the opportunity for an enriching, life-changing education from thousands of future students.
WE WANT 125 SPOTS.
What You Can Do
The Save Film Arts movement is an entirely student-run initiative, and we need YOUR help!
It starts with signing and sharing the petition. If you are a TDSB parent, the best thing you can do is reach out to the trustee for Earl Haig SS, Weidong Pei, to express the importance of keeping all 125 spots for future students. You can view the contact information for Trustee Pei here.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: We need help telling our story.
We need to get the word out, but as students, we are working with limited resources. If you, either through your work, a connection you have, or simply an idea, have a way for us to further spread the word about the closure of our beloved program, please do not hesitate to reach out. It would mean the world to us.
The TDSB claims to promote student voice, technological literacy, and critical thinking.
Yet they seem to have no problem abandoning these values at the drop of a hat. Help us end the attack on student voice.
DISCLAIMER:
The Save Film Arts movement, as well as the email address, petition, and Instagram account linked on this page, are monitored and operated solely by students of the Claude Watson Film Arts program at Earl Haig Secondary School. They are in no way affiliated with any teachers, administrators, or other staff members associated with the above mentioned school or program.