At the end of each project, students, teachers and artists are invited to fill out evaluation surveys, the results of which are available to the school.
"I think we should have something like this every year. I believe that the arts are a good way of expressing one's feelings and emotions, and that art should be in our every day learning."
- Gr. 8 student, Pine Glen Public School
"I used to hate art and I wasn't very good at it but I learned so much from my artist that I really enjoy doing art and I think I am getting better at art."
-Gr. 6 student, Macaulay Public School
"I learned that boys will talk to you if you're paper macheing, normally they yell at you but you can learn stuff from them, you just have to ask them at the right time."
-Gr. 5 student, Pine Glen Public School
"I loved going up on stage! I wish it could have been in front of the whole world instead of just our town!"
-Gr. 6 student, Pine Glen Public School
"The tremendous amount of support in the community was heart-warming… It was fantastic for a group such as the Muskoka Lakes Music Festival to come on board and take responsibility for the project, in conjunction with a school contact person. Because of the time and responsibility demands on school administration, if they were to be responsible for the funding, it would not happen."
- Brenda St. John, teacher, Pine Glen Public School
"It proved to us that we have many talented individuals in our schools, and that the teachers are more creative than they thought they were."
- Teacher, Pine Glen Public School
"Although disruption to schedule and flexibility are required, pro's far outweigh any negatives. This was a great experience for all - worth the extra work."
-Dave Lyons, Pine Glen Public School
"I learned a great deal about the process and there was great P.D. - I'll be able to use this experience again."
- Shelly Wood, Macaulay Public School
"The world needs creative thinkers! All kids are artists anyway but it is so important to nurture them. The new curriculum demands a lot of teachers. Too often the arts are left out but yet they are so important in so many ways.
This program is great because it connects the artists in the community with kids - the kids get a glimpse into another kind of lifestyle, that of an artist. It was great for the school as a whole - it was a school-wide, long-term project... I could tell the kids really got into it. It pulled the school together - great spirit, great message, great experience."
- Brenda Wainman Goulet, sculptor
"My own experiences over the years have clearly shown the need for art programs among students and teachers. It has been proven that art programs provide a positive influence to learning; also reaching students who may have difficulty with other subjects. I thoroughly enjoy teaching in the classroom and believe strongly in the benefits for all."
- Nancy Gray Ogle, wildlife artist