Nurturing Creativity

Drama

Our Drama program provides students with a framework within which they can explore and evaluate the artistic components of the dramatic process. In the drama program, students will have opportunities to develop acting, directing, scriptwriting, and production skills, and learn about a range of dramatic styles and conventions. Some of these include Commedia Del’Arte, Realism, Physical Theatre, Puppetry, and Musical Theatre. Through imagination, interaction, and reflection, students are encouraged to examine their own thoughts, feelings, beliefs and actions. The program fosters personal growth, self-confidence, and a variety of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are valuable for careers in many fields. Students are encouraged to explore and interpret how drama celebrates and questions the values, issues, and events of societies past and present. Integrated with, and in addition to our formal Judaic Studies curriculum, our students participate in and help plan and organize a wide array of social service and activism programs and projects as well as school-wide celebrations, learning opportunities and activities.

Visual Arts

Taking advantage of our school’s facilities for working with diverse media, visual art students are exposed to new concepts and techniques, allowing for the exploration of ideas both individually and in a collaborative context. The examination of historical and contemporary trends in visual culture is embedded in all activity in the studio. Students are encouraged to follow paths of inquiry, working toward original expression that develops self-confidence and fulfills their personal potential. Ongoing studio assessments, discussions and vibrant exhibitions reflect our philosophy, which encourages students to develop complex ideas, reflect upon themselves and their community, and hone the technical skills necessary to express their visions.

Music

King David is a very musical school. More than half of our student body participate in musical activities throughout the year. Acoustic guitars and singing can be heard in the atrium and throughout the halls during recess and lunch breaks. Music classes focus on performance practices, practical music theory, event planning, and how they apply to community. Every Jewish holiday, beginning with Rosh Hashanah, is celebrated with the appropriate music and an opportunity for students to perform solo, in groups, and of course, with the bands. The students are encouraged to learn about music through traditional Jewish song, popular Folk, Funk, Rock, Rap, Pop, Hip-hop, Techno and Jazz music. Watch the video below of our future Class of 2021 performing “On Top of the World” by Imagine Dragons. King David – 604 Records – Top of the World – Standard from King David High School on Vimeo.

Foods and Nutrition

Our Foods and Nutrition program provides students with the practical tools necessary to choose and prepare food safely while having fun in our parve kitchen. Starting with basic concepts in Grade 8 and moving onto more complicated items by Grade 12, students move through different recipes and labs in order to practice, play and engage with common and uncommon recipes and ingredients. From sushi to cake decorating students spend most of their time learning by doing with guidance from their instructor. All students assist with the catering of school events based on their skill level with the senior students acting as leaders along the way. The highlight of year is the Lion’s Den where our students transform our atrium into elite kosher restaurant. Our graduates have studied at the The Culinary Art Institute of Vancouver and in hands-on positions at a variety of local restaurants.

Robotics

Robotics focuses on the design cycle, creating opportunities for students to learn how to plan, build, test, iterate, program, and control a robot. In the course, students are introduced to the idea of computational thinking, a problem-solving approach that involves breaking down complex problems into smaller, more manageable parts or steps, and then using algorithms and logical thinking to develop solutions. It is a foundational skill in computer science and is often applied in various fields beyond just programming. Students work collaboratively, engaging with problem-solving through gameplay using their robots. Programming will be learned through a block-based programming language, which serves to introduce our learners to programming with VEX robotics. More advanced programmers can take advantage of the Robot C programming language to unlock even more complex programs. As learners become more comfortable with some of the basic tenets of computer programming, we will explore how to create smarter programs using conditional and iterative statements, as well as the use of variables.