H. B. Beal Secondary School
Encyclopedia
The H.B. Beal Secondary School is a high school in London
, Ontario
. It is named after Herbert Benson Beal, the founder and first principal of the school. H.B. Beal is the second largest school in Thames Valley District School Board with approximately 2000 students currently enrolled. The school property
sits on almost two whole city blocks in downtown London. The actual building
sits on one, while the other block is used for parking and the Athletics field including a football field and a track.
that would reflect the emerging needs of society
. The London Industrial School opened its doors in 1912 and began offering both day
and night
programs. Demand was growing rapidly and in 1918, students began moving to a new school building
near Dundas and William Streets. After many additions and increased program demands, it was decided to completely renovate Beal so that it could continue to be a leader in the field of education.
After much re-building, the official opening of "The New Beal" took place in June 1999. Beal now offers approximately 225 courses and 18 Cooperative Education courses.
Originally, the entire school was to be demolished which caused some mild controversy, but because the Queen Elizabeth II
visited the school once in the 1950s, it was decided that it was a historical landmark, and the centre wing, which was part of the original school was saved.
The foundation programs are offered as half day or full day courses. The programs provide students the opportunity to immerse themselves in an intensive, studio based experience.
Although not official studios, these two disciplines are mandatory with all BealArt programs. One day a week is spent divided between the two of them. They are:
news show that highlights topics of interest to the school community and the upcoming events. It was changed in 2005-2006 to Channel 2 news and in 2006-2007 to B Channel News and to The Raider Report in 2007-2008 then changed to BTV in 2008-2009.
Bealart Year End show is an opportunity for students to showcase their talents.
Soundscope is the annual music
al program that highlights students through both group and individual performances of bands, guitar
groups, and choir.
The dance
program also showcases their talents in a public performance at the end of each semester. Beal offers Dance from Grades 9-12 with each class studying Jazz, Ballet and Modern dance. Guest artists are often brought into the school to allow dancers to participate in enrichment pieces such as Hip-Hop and Contemporary dance.
Musical Theatre is a 3 credit program that involves vocal music, dance and dramatic arts. Students are accepted into the program after a successful audition. The program used to run in a 3 year cycle, running for two years in a row, and taking the third year off. Now the school puts on a show every year, following the pattern minor, major, minor, major in their show choices. The program has produced the following shows:
In 2009 Beal was granted a specialized program in performing arts by the Thames Valley District School Board called the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM). Students who are accepted into the program are required to take specific courses so when they graduate they receive a special seal on their diploma saying they majored in Performing Arts in high school. The school now holds an annual gala to thank their many sponsors for their generosity.
The H. B. Beal student council is also highly involved in the school and the community with such events as the S.C.R.O.O.G.E Campaign, which is a canned food drive that benefits the Salvation Army. In 2008, the staff and students collected over 8000 cans for those in need.
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. It is named after Herbert Benson Beal, the founder and first principal of the school. H.B. Beal is the second largest school in Thames Valley District School Board with approximately 2000 students currently enrolled. The school property
Property
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
sits on almost two whole city blocks in downtown London. The actual building
Building
In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
sits on one, while the other block is used for parking and the Athletics field including a football field and a track.
General school description and history
In 1911, Beal recognized the need for a program of technical educationEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
that would reflect the emerging needs of society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
. The London Industrial School opened its doors in 1912 and began offering both day
Day
A day is a unit of time, commonly defined as an interval equal to 24 hours. It also can mean that portion of the full day during which a location is illuminated by the light of the sun...
and night
Night
Night or nighttime is the period of time when the sun is below the horizon. This occurs after dusk. The opposite of night is day...
programs. Demand was growing rapidly and in 1918, students began moving to a new school building
Building
In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
near Dundas and William Streets. After many additions and increased program demands, it was decided to completely renovate Beal so that it could continue to be a leader in the field of education.
After much re-building, the official opening of "The New Beal" took place in June 1999. Beal now offers approximately 225 courses and 18 Cooperative Education courses.
Originally, the entire school was to be demolished which caused some mild controversy, but because the Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
visited the school once in the 1950s, it was decided that it was a historical landmark, and the centre wing, which was part of the original school was saved.
Bealart
Bealart has ten separate fully equipped studio facilities which are augmented by a computer lab, art library, and courses in art history and drawing. Developed by practising artists, the program provides professional instruction with a hands-on approach.The foundation programs are offered as half day or full day courses. The programs provide students the opportunity to immerse themselves in an intensive, studio based experience.
Studios
- Painting (Acrylic, Oil, Encaustic, Watercolour, Gouache)
- Printmaking (Intaglio) (Etching, Drypoint, Lino, Serigraphy, papermaking and book binding)
- Printmaking (Lithography) (Reduction, Photocopy Transfer, CMYK colour separation)
- Sculpture (3-D) (Linear, Form, Assemblage, Casting, Planar, functional and non functional forms)
- Ceramics (slab work, pinch pots, coil forms, wheel work, tile, functional and non functional forms)
- Photography (35mm, medium format, digital, studio and darkroom)
- Film (video production, final cut pro, film criticism)
- Animation (Classical Animation techniques and character design)
- Textiles (Weaving, felting, knitting, silk painting, embellishing, silk screening)
- Commercial Design (advertising, illustration, digital design, Photoshop, Illustrator)
Although not official studios, these two disciplines are mandatory with all BealArt programs. One day a week is spent divided between the two of them. They are:
- Drawing (Observational, analytical, expressive and figure drawing)
- Art History (Art criticism, overview of prehistoric art to present)
Noteworthy items
Broadcast Beal is a daily televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
news show that highlights topics of interest to the school community and the upcoming events. It was changed in 2005-2006 to Channel 2 news and in 2006-2007 to B Channel News and to The Raider Report in 2007-2008 then changed to BTV in 2008-2009.
Bealart Year End show is an opportunity for students to showcase their talents.
Soundscope is the annual music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
al program that highlights students through both group and individual performances of bands, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
groups, and choir.
The dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
program also showcases their talents in a public performance at the end of each semester. Beal offers Dance from Grades 9-12 with each class studying Jazz, Ballet and Modern dance. Guest artists are often brought into the school to allow dancers to participate in enrichment pieces such as Hip-Hop and Contemporary dance.
Musical Theatre is a 3 credit program that involves vocal music, dance and dramatic arts. Students are accepted into the program after a successful audition. The program used to run in a 3 year cycle, running for two years in a row, and taking the third year off. Now the school puts on a show every year, following the pattern minor, major, minor, major in their show choices. The program has produced the following shows:
- FootlooseFootloose (musical)Footloose is a 1998 musical based on the 1984 film of the same name. The music is by Tom Snow , the lyrics by Dean Pitchford , and the book by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie.-Act 1:...
(2002) - Les MisérablesLes Misérables (musical)Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
(2003) - Children of EdenChildren of EdenChildren of Eden is a two-act musical play with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John Caird. The musical is based on the Book of Genesis. Act I tells the story of Adam and Eve, Cain, and Abel, and Act II deals with Noah and the Flood...
(2005) - Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast (musical)Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical...
(2006) - All Shook UpAll Shook Up"All Shook Up" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music and composed by Otis Blackwell. Elvis Presley's single topped the U.S. Pop chart on April 13, 1957, staying there for eight weeks. It also topped the R&B chart for four weeks, becoming Presley's second single to...
(2008) - Into the WoodsInto the WoodsInto the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters' performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason's portrayal of the Baker's Wife brought acclaim...
(2009) - Fame – The MusicalFame (musical)A stage musical based on the 1980 musical film Fame has been staged under two titles. The first, 'Fame – The Musical' conceived and developed by David De Silva, is a musical with a book by Jose Fernandez, music by Steve Margoshes and lyrics by Jacques Levy. The musical premiered in 1988 in Miami,...
(2010) - The Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
(2011)
In 2009 Beal was granted a specialized program in performing arts by the Thames Valley District School Board called the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM). Students who are accepted into the program are required to take specific courses so when they graduate they receive a special seal on their diploma saying they majored in Performing Arts in high school. The school now holds an annual gala to thank their many sponsors for their generosity.
The H. B. Beal student council is also highly involved in the school and the community with such events as the S.C.R.O.O.G.E Campaign, which is a canned food drive that benefits the Salvation Army. In 2008, the staff and students collected over 8000 cans for those in need.
Notable alumni
- Philip AzizPhilip AzizPhilip J.A.F. Aziz was a Canadian artist. He lived in London, Ontario, and was of Lebanese Greek Orthodox descent. He was recognized for his work in the technique of egg tempera-en-gesso panel, a method popular during the Renaissance.-Early years:Aziz was born in St...
, master artist - Jack ChambersJack ChambersJohn "Jack" Chambers was a Canadian artist and filmmaker. Born in London, Ontario, Chambers' painting style shifted from surrealist-influenced to photo-realist. He began working with film in the 1960s, completing six by 1970...
, artist and filmmaker - Paul HaggisPaul HaggisPaul Edward Haggis is a Canadian screenwriter, producer, and director. He spent his early career producing and directing various American and Canadian television network series.-Early life and education:...
, television screenwriter, director and producer - Tommy HunterTommy HunterThomas James "Tommy" Hunter, CM, O.Ont is a Canadian country music performer, known as "Canada's Country Gentleman".-Career:...
, musician and entertainer - Brad TurnerBrad Turner (director)Brad Turner is an award-winning Canadian film and television director who has worked on several popular series. Born in Bayfield, Ontario, Canada, on June 22. He graduated with honors from the Television Arts Program at H. B. Beal Secondary School in London, Ontario.In all he has directed thirteen...
, film and television director - Greg CurnoeGreg CurnoeGreg Curnoe was a Canadian painter known for his concentration on subjects associated with regionalism and London, Ontario. He became known for work similar to the pop art genre, which continued to parallel his later work....
, artist - Murray FavroMurray FavroMurray Favro is a Canadian sculptor who lives in London, Ontario. Favro has designed many guitars. As a member of the Nihilist Spasm Band, he concentrates has occasional forays in percussion. He is represented by the Christopher Cutts Gallery in Toronto....
, artist - Stuart SmithStuart SmithStuart Smith may refer to:*Stuart Lyon Smith , politician, psychiatrist, academic and public servant in Ontario, Canada*Stuart Saunders Smith , American composer and percussionist*Stuart Tyson Smith, American Egyptologist...
, Early Learning Specialist - Ron MartinRon MartinRon Martin is professor of economic geography at the Department of Geography University of Cambridge. He is also a fellow of the Cambridge-MIT Institute, research associate of the Centre for Business Research and professorial fellow of St Catharine's College, Cambridge...
, artist