Community members enjoyed the art on display at the Spruceland Community School of the Arts
Arts Extravaganza

Spruceland Community School of the Arts celebrates another year of students’ success

May 13, 2026 | 5:38 PM


PRINCE GEORGE – The Spruceland Community School of the Arts recently celebrated its third annual Arts Extravaganza, a night where the entire school becomes an art gallery celebrating its students’ work.

“It’s pretty cool, like a lot of people here are really talented, and the art is super cool. I saw these cake things, these fake cakes, and it was super cool,” said grade 6 student Emery Gaudet.

The cake art pieces Gaudet was speaking about
The cake art pieces Gaudet was speaking about

“We are in our third year of arts programing as a choice art school in Prince George, Prince George’s first ever choice art school, and this is a celebration of some of our learning, especially in visual arts of course, of the year. It just is showcasing our growth as artists and our learning around the arts,” said the school’s principal Stephanie Coates.

It’s a night to celebrate the students’ passions and accomplishments, and for students like Gaudet, they really enjoy the opportunity to showcase their work and explain why they made the choices they did. Among other pieces, one of Gaudet’s works was a poster with the quote “dream big, dare to fail.”

“I think it just related to me the most. I was looking through all the poems you could choose from, and I looked at that one, I was like, definitely,” he explained.


Among many displays was a display of the Great Wave of Kanagawa, alongside a write up and how it connects to Claude Debussy’s piece “La Mer”

The presentation aspect of the night isn’t just about having fun, Coates explains it’s also a valuable educational opportunity to learn skills like public speaking and confidence.

“They’re speaking to the processes they used or the challenges they may have encountered, or things they liked or maybe didn’t like about a particular piece. It makes it so that they’re taking ownership of their learning,” Coates said.

“All of our students are artists, of course. We want them to see themselves as artists, so in this process, they are all responsible for writing an artist statement of sorts to explain their learning, and what the piece means and what they were thinking or how it was inspired, what mediums they used,” Coates continued.

Clothing and designs was one of many mediums on display.
Clothing and designs was one of many mediums on display.

Many mediums were on display, including but not limited to:

  • Fashion and clothing design
  • Paper mache
  • Paintings
  • Sketches
  • Sculptures

“It’s a reflection of where we’ve been and where we’re going, and we just want to continue to capitalize on all of the wonderful things that are happening here,” Coates said, on the night being one of celebration.

Coates added one of the things she hears the most from people who attend the night is the impressive level of growth the students show year over year, as the arts extravaganza event continues to grow.