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Oakwood Collegiate Institute is building on its reputation as a strong arts school by offering a fine arts certificate beginning next September.

Students with a minimum of eight credits in any art discipline, which includes drama, music, visual arts and dance, are eligible for the certificate.

"We should have done something like this a long time ago," said Roy Greaves, assistant co-ordinator of the arts program at Oakwood. "It (the arts) is a critical aspect of their education."

Some Oakwood graduates have gone on to be highly successful in several arts-related fields, including Canadian recording artist Jully Black and record producer Bob Ezrin who most notably worked on Pink Floyd's classic album, The Wall.

Both are expected to make an appearance at Oakwood's 100th year anniversary celebrations taking place in late April and early May.

Current students like Honor Lay and Sam van Schaik Muir have continued to make the arts program an integral part of Oakwood's curriculum.

"It's made school a lot more fun," said Honor, who joined the dance program that her older sister helped start up just three years ago. "It's also a great social environment."

The Grade 12 student said she's thinking of pursuing dance in post-secondary school next year in addition to majoring in English.

Sam is also looking to enter the performing arts stream at university, having participated in both the music and drama programs throughout high school.

"The teachers are amazing. They really want kids to learn and understand," he said.

Greaves, who has taught at Oakwood since 1980, added that students also take ownership of the various programs through their involvement in the production of plays, concerts and dance performances.

"We're already helping out with the 100th anniversary of the school with concerts at the Toronto Performing Centre for the Arts," Greaves said. "It's amazing the number of musicians at Oakwood Collegiate who are actively involved."