Mr. Rick Bartolucci, MPP for the City of Sudbury took time from his busy schedule to participate in “Learning Through the Arts” workshops held at Corpus Christi Catholic School recently. The three-year pilot project involving eight of the schools of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board infuses core curriculum subjects such as language arts, math, and science with art forms.

Eleanor Albanese, the project coordinator for Northern Ontario maintains that the use of art to teach the regular curriculum lends itself to a wide variety of individual learning styles among students. “Some children learn best through movement while others are better if they see or hear the words acted out,” stated Albanese.

“A study by Queen’s University showed students in the Learning Through the Arts program scored 11 percent higher in math compared to other students,” noted Albanese. MPP Rick Bartolucci echoed Albanese’s comments after observing the workshops in the Grade 1 and 4 classes at the school stating that, “Learning Through the Arts is an excellent program because it teaches the total child and enhances the students’ ability to understand complex material. Learning Through the Arts brings out the best in all of us,” concluded Bartolucci.