- The Dragon Academy
Current Principal Dr Margaret Anne Ennis Fox Grade Levels 6 - 12 (+13) School Type Private Religious Affiliation None Students ~50 Location Downtown Toronto (Near the intersection of Bloor St. and St. George St.)Campus Surroundings Urban The Dragon Academy, or 'the Dragon' as it is colloquially referred to as, is a small co-ed
private school in the historicAnnex district of downtownToronto . The purpose of the school, as has been stated by the principal, Dr. Meg Fox, is to not only enrich theOntario high school curriculum but to provide high school students with an integrated curriculum heavily reliant on theSocratic method . The Dragon Academy has been in operation since September 2001.The typical day at The Dragon Academy goes from a school-wide assembly at 8:45 until dismissal and extra help and 4:15. There are four periods, an hour and a half each. This allows for a large amount of material to be covered in each day. There are two exams a year, one in December and one in June. There is an academic component (written) and also a performance for the art, music, and drama departments. In December, it a mid-winter concert where the students perform songs and scenes, and display their art. In June, the entire student body collaborates to perform a play by Shakespeare which precedes the final graduation ceremony. After a period of analysis, the students take on roles of acting, directing,
scenography , and band.While all courses offered by the school have been enriched, the school also offers
Advanced Placement courses to students students who excel in certain areas. The school also has several educational policies that make it unique.
*Classes are small, and structured both physically and conceptually as seminars, with no more than 15 people sitting around a table.
*Field trips are integrated into the curriculum. The school takes upwards of 20 field trips a year, to plays,operas ,art galleries ,museums , et c.
*Subjects are integrated with one another. The Dragon believes that arts have a cognitive function, and sciences; an aesthetic one, and this is expressed in the curriculum design.
*Up until grade 11, all students must follow a mandatory curriculum of visual arts, music, drama, science, english, french, math, physical education, history, and two social sciencesThe Dragon was founded in 2000 by a group of teachers formerly employed by
the Abelard School . In its fourth year it moved to its current home, the Alexander MacDonald house, appropriately adorned with turrets, gargoyles, et c.External links
*http://www.dragonacademy.org/home.html
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