“I appreciate the hard work that went into creating such a valuable program.”
Those words from community member Sandi Cooper-Leblanc, and echoed by many others, were posted on the Sudbury Then and Now Facebook group in the hours after Sudbury Secondary School’s (SSS) performance of “Grease” closed on the night of Nov. 29.
It’s fitting that a musical rooted in nostalgia and youthful camaraderie would be the backdrop for revisiting the long and winding, joyful and triumphant history of the Sudbury Secondary School performing arts program.
To tell this story is to stitch together the voices of generations. It is to hear from the founders, from alumni whose lives were transformed, from teachers who returned home, and from students now creating their own first memories.
And through it all runs the same thread: Sudbury Secondary is more than a school, it’s a place where people find their people, their passion, and sometimes their future.
This is their shared story.
The Vision: “A Powerhouse in Our System”
When Sudbury Secondary’s performing arts program officially opened in 1984, it did not arrive quietly. It arrived because then-principal Joe Drago refused to let the idea be dismissed.
He remembers every detail of those early battles and early dreams.
“I enjoyed so much during the investigation period,” he said. “I knew I had to have concrete materials to get the (school) board to even look at the possibility, as well as the pressures I knew I would receive from other schools.”
He understood from day one that creating a program like this required boldness.
“We would need to be able to recruit teachers and staff,” he said. “We would need students from other areas and schools if we were to have a quality program. A couple of principals worked hard to have this stopped.”
But Drago pressed on. He traveled to study similar programs, gathering inspiration and strategy.
“I had much help from two schools, one in Ottawa and one in Toronto,” he said. “I also spent a couple of days in New York watching the program “Fame” that was so popular on TV. It was exciting and I knew this type of program would make the school a powerhouse in our system.”
The first presentation to the school board was tense. “It was a tough evening making the first presentation,” he remembers. “I knew two trustees had been lobbied by the principals located in their areas, they were going to be hard to convince.”
But bold ideas attract bold supporters and thanks to the support of “a couple of superintendents”, Drago got the go-ahead to pilot a Grade 9 class.
Once the door cracked open, the momentum built. Grade 9 led to Grade 10. Year by year, the program expanded until it no longer needed annual approval; it had earned permanence.
Drago reflected on the massive undertaking behind the scenes.
“There was so much more — converting areas, support from the plant department, obtaining equipment, facilities etc. without having a large budget. It was a huge challenge and rejuvenated my career as a principal.”
Even decades later, the satisfaction is unmistakable. “I loved my time in the program and feel very good that many students remained in school because they had the opportunity to be involved with a program that was so special to them.”
And then there is his favourite memory — the legendary “Phantom of the Opera” incident of 1991. He laughs as he retells it.
“I received a call from Garth Drabinsky’s (the producer of the show’s Toronto production) lawyer informing me that they had a person in the audience and we were using a number from their production without permission… . He demanded that I travel to Toronto to meet with him face to face.”
Drago described what followed as a panic amongst the board’s lawyers, a tense flight to Toronto, an hour-long wait in Drabinsky’s penthouse office followed by a surreal conversation. In the end, “The meeting was a joke… . He wanted an apology printed in all major newspapers in Ontario… . That never happened.”
Oddly, Drabinsky invited him to a show, an absurd, theatrical twist ending befitting the arts program itself.
Drago still teases former Ralph McIntosh, a retired teacher and one of the founders of the Sudbury Sec performing arts program, about it.
“I often think of this and never forget to rub it in to Mr. McIntosh and his escape from a possible prison term.”
Students who found themselves here
For Amy Blount, the performing arts program was a turning point.
“I was in the drama program when I attended SSS in the ’90s,” she says. “I had Mrs. (Judi) Straughan in Grade 9. She lit a passion for theatre in me!”
That spark was so powerful that now, as an adult, she is experiencing a full-circle moment. “Next September my daughter will follow in my footsteps, already a theatre lover, and join the performing arts program enthusiastically.”
The 1990s also produced students like Heather Downey, someone who would one day return not just as a teacher, but as the current principal of the very school where she once rehearsed late into the night.
Downey reaches back across decades with striking clarity, “and I trust this is due to the positive experiences that I garnered at Sudbury Secondary School.”
Her memories are vivid and musical, woven from the rhythms and routines that defined her adolescence.
“What I remember with the most fondness and clarity is the countless hours in the dance studio, auditorium and on stage rehearsing and performing.”
For Downey, muscle memory and emotional memory are inseparable; a single melody has the power to transport her instantly back to those formative years. “To this day a song can bring me back and I can still remember the choreography from decades ago.”
And just as lasting as the choreography were the friendships shaped in those spaces. Downey emphasizes that the bonds formed through shared effort — late-night rehearsals, long days of preparation, nerves before performances — became the foundation of lifelong relationships.
As she puts it, “My very best friends were made in the arts program at SSS and to this day they remain my besties. This is what happens when you bring like-minded individuals together.”
The program, in her experience, wasn’t just a training ground for performance; it was a community where young people found others who understood their passions and quirks, and where acceptance felt wonderfully ordinary.
As a teenager, Downey’s career aspirations took form early, inspired by the mentors who guided her.
“When I was in Grade 10, I told Carolle Mageau that when I grew up I wanted to be a dance teacher at SSS, and less than a decade later I would do exactly that.”
For Downey, Sudbury Secondary School was never just a place she passed through — it became the anchor point of her life’s work, the community she grew up in, and the one she chose to serve for decades. “My entire teaching career was at SSS, as well as the majority of my time as an administrator. When people ask me how long I have been at SSS my usual response is ‘Since Grade 9’!”
Another former student, Codie Fortin Lalonde (SSS 2004–2008), remembers the program as nothing short of transformative.
The impression those productions left was immediate and lasting. “I was blown away by ‘Guys and Dolls’, was in the crowd openly weeping at ‘The Laramie Project’ and ‘I Never Saw Another Butterfly’, and had to refrain from singing along loudly with ‘The Sound of Music’.”
She even recalls “an absurdist rendition of Hamlet, which looped over and over, each time fast-forwarding more quickly to each character’s death, until the final loop in which each character entered stage, immediately dying in a heap over one another.”
Codie joined SSS as a visual arts major before shifting her focus. “After Grade 9, I dropped it as a major and picked up photography (amongst other arts classes like media studies and even fashion).” Photography wasn’t yet an official major, but she remained committed to the program and the school community.
SSS quickly became the place where she thrived. “As a kid who really didn’t fit in in my elementary school years, SSS was the place where I blossomed and thrived.”
For Codie, Sudbury Secondary remains unforgettable.
“SSS was (and hopefully still is) a haven for young creatives, neurodivergents, and 2SQLGBTIAs to safely explore and be themselves. It was a unique and special experience that I still treasure.”
Staff who came home
Some alumni not only stayed connected, they returned to teach.
For Vanessa Chevrette (student, 2000–2005; staff,2017–present), SSS has been the defining backdrop of her life—first as a student, then as an educator.
She remembers arriving as a teenager in 2000 and immediately sensing she had made the right decision. The arts program, she said, “helped shape me into the person and teacher I am today.”
What stands out most, though, is the environment. “I felt safe, loved, and cared for at this school, and not many people get to experience that in high school.”
Chevrette recalls how the program nurtured her confidence and offered her the foundation she would later draw on as an educator. “The arts program allowed me to build on my confidence … It helped me with lifelong skills I carry with me and hope to instill in my students.”
Now a long-serving drama and vocal teacher, Chevrette is passionate about what meaningful arts education requires. “Having a student-centered approach brings with it personal connections, self-discovery, and expression.”
For Stéphane Ostrander (student, 1996–2001; staff, 2008–present) the arts program at Sudbury Secondary remains the place where his love of music — and later his calling as a teacher — truly began.
His favourite memory dates back to his final year as a student, performing on stage in ‘West Side Story’.
“I’d always played in the pit bands from Grade 9 onward,” he said, “but in my final year, I decided to put my acting, singing and dancing skills to the test. I was cast as one of the Jets, and it became the highlight of my entire high school career.”
The experience stayed with him not only because of the show, but because of the people. The friendships formed during that production “are friendships I still have today,” he added. The lessons he learned “truly transcended the walls of the classroom.”
Ostrander credits his teachers with giving him something essential: time.
“My teachers gave me time … time to explore, experiment and create,” he said.
He recalls spending countless hours in the practice rooms pushing himself as a pianist and budding composer — work that “went beyond what any book could teach.” It was in those quiet rooms, he said, that his passion for composition “really took root,” eventually leading him to study composition at McGill University.
Although composition first shaped his academic path, teaching ultimately became his vocation. Once he began teacher training, the decision was clear. “I knew there was only one place I truly wanted to teach: the place where my love of music, the arts, and education all began.” For Ostrander, returning to SSS wasn’t just coming back to a workplace, it was coming home.
The Present: New Voices, New Memories
Forty years after that first cohort of Grade 9 students walked through the doors, the program continues to attract young artists who find their first true sense of belonging here.
Grade 9 student Brayden Belanger Burton describes his first months in the arts program as life-changing. For him, the turning point came the very first day he walked into his drama class. “The moment I stepped inside, I felt like I had finally found the place where I truly belonged.”
After years of feeling out of place elsewhere, the sudden sense of acceptance was overwhelming.
“Everyone there was kind and welcoming, and I immediately felt supported.”
That shift — being welcomed rather than judged — reshaped his confidence. “I’ve already learned so much,” he said.
Brayden arrived at SSS specifically for drama, determined to pursue his passion. “I’ve been acting for about two years. My biggest dream is to become a professional actor one day,” he said.
One of his most cherished early experiences was joining the cast of ‘Grease’. Through the production, he not only learned more about theatre, but also found friendships he never would have made otherwise.
“It’s a memory I’ll always be grateful for.”
Current senior student Kaleo Duncanson-Hales says their years in the arts program have been life-changing, too.
“One of my favourite memories from my time at SSS was definitely my time in our musicals. The friendships and relationships I curated over this time are some of the most meaningful to me.”
They recall laughing through rehearsals “while Ms. Chevrette tried desperately to direct us,” quiet afternoons painting sets and the emotional end of their final show, “cleaning up a change room in tears with my closest friends realizing just how lucky I am.”
Kaleo said the program shaped them both academically and personally.
“At Sudbury Secondary I learned that I am worthy and capable of doing amazing things. Above all else, I've learned that having a positive community dramatically influences your ability to succeed.”
Chris Hammond describes his time in the program as nothing short of formative. Now completing his senior year, he said his favourite memory “by far” has been taking part in the school’s annual musical.
For Chris — who has “been a theatre kid for at least a decade” — landing the lead role was a moment he had imagined long before he stepped onto the Sudbury Secondary stage.
“Being part of a musical like ‘Grease’ was a genuine dream come true,” he explained. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more in my senior year than to play Danny Zuko.”
He spoke fondly of how the cast bonded in the months leading up to opening night, describing the rehearsal period as one of the most meaningful experiences of his high school years.
“Being part of a tightly knit cast for three months where we spent days and nights together having fun and getting ready for our show … is the most fun you’ll ever have,” he said.
His advice to the next generation of arts students is clear and heartfelt. “Take the leap, even if it’s something new.”
A Legacy Carried Forward
When you listen to these stories — from founders, alumni, teachers, and current students — patterns become clear. This is a place where students discovered themselves.
Where teachers return because they can’t imagine being anywhere else. Where principals lead with both memory and vision.
Where friendships last decades. And, where a school musical can be a life-changing journey for a shy ninth-grader or a veteran senior ready to step into the world.
Joe Drago’s early dream — of building a program that was more than a timetable, more than a set of classes — came true. The performing arts program became a home.
The Final Curtain Call
And so, dear readers, as ‘Grease’ fades into the school’s long lineup of beloved shows, the memories will continue to build. New students will walk through the doors. Alumni will return for performances (or to teach the next generation). Former principals will read the playbill and smile.
The story keeps growing. And, just like the lyric from the closing song of ‘Grease’, you can all say to one another: “We'll always be together (Chang chang changitty chang sha-bop)”.
See you again in two weeks for another trip down Memory Lane.
Jason Marcon is a writer and history enthusiast in Greater Sudbury. He runs the Coniston Historical Group and the Sudbury Then and Now Facebook page. Memory Lane is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.