E.C. Drury High School is taking its lead from the popular television show, Glee, and getting its own club up and running – or dancing in this case.

The students’ love for music and dance seem as palpable as it does on the hit musical series, which chronicles the lives of high school students intermingled with infectious singing and dancing.

Singing and dancing draw E.C. Drury students to Glee but the education, work ethic and self-discovery they get in participating in the group keeps them staying, says Glee teachers, Kathy Cates and Dave Di Giorgio. They say the club instils leadership skills, confidence and teamwork.

Cates says the school is “riding the pop culture wave” with Glee and getting great results from it, so much so the club is being credited with the possibility of a Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) in musical theatre production at the school next year.

The Ontario Ministry of Education needs to approve the program, which could happen in January or February.

The SHSM enables students to customize their high school experience to suit their interests and talents, and prepare for a successful post-secondary transition to apprenticeship training, college, university, or employment while meeting the requirements of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

Specifically, the musical theatre production SHSM will provide Grade 11 and 12 students with four major credits toward their high school diploma.

“Without the (Glee) club, we probably wouldn’t have been able to run (musical theatre production SHSM); we wouldn’t have had the interest,” Cates says.

E.C. Drury is into its second season of Glee club and loving every minute of it. The school recently held auditions for the club because of its popularity.

Grade 12 student Cory Early – a member of last year’s team – says he loves Glee because it’s a “good way” to “express yourselves” through song and dance.

“It helps build confidence to get you out and do something new,” the 17 year old says, hoping to show the school why Glee is a great club. He adds singing is his strength.

Cates, who teaches drama, and Di Giorgio, who teaches music, are especially excited by the impact the 10-male, 10-female Glee Club is having on the E.C. Drury community.

Di Giorgio says incorporating the elements of the Glee TV show seemed to spark interest in people wanting to join. It allows all students the chance to belong to a school club and give fellow students a sense of pride, he explains. 

“We had people (figuratively) breaking down the door to get into this group,” he says, adding Queen, Bon Jovi and Hairspray songs have been covered. “Glee really took everybody by surprise. We think its really starting to change the school culture because people are really interested in what we’re doing.”

The club put on a half-dozen performances last year.

Cates says the club creates good camaraderie.

“We really want the kids to feel like they belong somewhere,” she says, adding a goal of the school is “developing leadership through the arts.”