Story by Meghan Gorman, Eden Van Waveren, and Marly Ackley - Jonathan Law High School
Students aren’t afraid to put their dreams in action under the lights at the Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven, Connecticut.
ECA is an additional program offered to students all around the region with exceptional artistic talents. ECA offers five different programs - Creative Writing, Theatre, Vocal and Instrumental Music, Dance, and Visual Arts.
Senior vocalist Zoe O’Neil feels that ECA has given her a valuable opportunity to pursue her talents.
“ECA has definitely brought me closer to a community of artists from all over New Haven county,” O’Neil said. “Public schools often focus their attention on athletics or academics, so having a place that really fosters a passion for art is super-important.”
ECA is an environment where students can freely collaborate with each other and share ideas. At ECA, students are able to work and grow next to peers that all have a similar passion for their talent.
Students who attend ECA go to regular high school for the morning and then head over to ECA to work on their specific area of study.
Jonathan Law High School senior Anton Kot chose to attend the program his freshman year.
“From starting at a very young age at ECA, I’ve learned to collaborate with other people, especially because there are many other departments,” Kot said. “I’ve worked with people from Dance to create music for their dances, I’ve worked with Creative Writing where we’ve done collaborations with lyrics and song writing. I think because of that, it’s helped me become more well-rounded with other mediums in the arts.”
Throughout his time at ECA, Anton has excelled in the music industry and was even invited to join the National Youth Orchestra organized by Carnegie Hall.
ECA continues to open doors for students, providing them opportunities to display their talents and leading them to a successful future.