Education & Classes in Vaughan

At Art One Academy, a team of practicing painters, sculptors, and illustrators share their expertise with a new generation of artists. Their curriculum, geared toward children and teenagers, includes painting, pottery, comic-book art, and digital-art classes, which can be taken individually or as a 19-week course. Adult workshops are also available and are led by impressionist painter Margarita Kukhtina, who guides students through the process of creating their own masterpieces in a single two-hour session.

Canadian Flight Academy's seven master instructors train students of all skill levels on the complexities of fixed-wing flight inside one of four types of aircraft such as a Cessna or Piper Cherokee. Pilots are born from the 52-hour ground school, which covers everything from meteorology to air law. In addition to teaching basic flight lessons, the instructors impart their knowledge in more advance topics such as instrument ratings, multi-engine ratings, airline transport, and what to do when an eagle falls in love with your plane. Six licensed mechanics combine their 65 combined years of experience when tending to aircraft with their maintenance services, and online planning references help captains prepare for take offs.

The Adobe- and Microsoft-certified instructors at Photo Art Studio prepare pupils for careers in graphic design, web development, and photography during 14-hour certification programs. The digital photography course drills novices in handling and cleaning their cameras, regulating light, and convincing jumping beans to hold still for track-team portraits. During Adobe Photoshop classes, students survey the program's myriad manipulation and touch-up options by applying such flourishes as modified hues and formatted text over their own compositions. Other courses in software such as Adobe Flash and Dreamweaver focus on animation, image design, and web development respectively. The studio also hosts in-depth classes on Microsoft Office software to instill practical administrative skills.

Though its main draws include sprawling, verdant grounds and a sand-bottom stadium ring, Raynham Stables is well equipped to serve equestrian offerings all year long. Two expansive indoor riding arenas beckon cold-weather guests to perch atop gentle, reliable horses well trained in the ways of trotting, jumping, galloping, and saying nay to performance-enhancing carrots. Working closely with his experienced staff, Equine Canada Level 3 coach Lindsay Mahon takes the reins of the establishment and its lessons, which encourage students to develop into confident competitors and show-team riders.

Raynham Stables also offers pony parties for ages 4–adult with optional add-ons such as horse-themed goodie bags and craft sessions. Summer camps and year-long riding lessons coach riders on trotting, dressage, cross-country riding, and jumps of various heights.

The seeds of Chantel Almeida's 600-student shimmying empire were humbly sown 25 years ago with a class of five in her parents' basement. These days, the school's annual summer camps boast such smooth-moved visitors as Jesse Weafer and Joey Arrigo from "So You Think You Can Dance Canada." Ballroom, hip-hop, ballet, Zumba, and tap are just a few of the year-round courses the school opens up to recreational and competitive dancers aged 2 through adult. A mezzanine overlooking the studios' gleaming sprung floors and a sky-lit lobby equipped with camera feeds from classrooms mean that parents no longer need to identify their children's footsteps by ear to keep track of the littlest leapers.

Founded with the goal of introducing pupils of all ages to the visual arts, Bronte Art Academy coaxes forth the inner Renoirs within all those who enter the studio during a host of hands-on lessons and camps. Under the capable direction of Paul Ross Sandilands, a local portrait artist who has taught at the Ontario College of Art & Design and served as a painting companion to Canadian artist Harold Town, budding masters explore their potential with a variety of artistic media, from watercolour to graphite. Paul also shares his knowledge, techniques, and passion for creative expression during in-studio sessions, where students can create their own take-home masterpieces portraying family, the ocean at sunset, or Roger Clemens as a 19th-century robber baron.