» Owners: Charie Van Dyke, President & John Craig, Vice-President

Charie Van Dyke, President & John Craig, Vice-President

« It's like having 500 children. We have our own kids, so we just added our students to the family. »

New Image College of Fine Arts is growing, not only in size, but in influence. The Vancouver based school is building on its foundation and history to reach aspiring actors, make-up artists, and aestheticians, and aid them in their careers.

Husband and wife team John Craig and Charie Van Dyke have been running an accredited educational institution in the heart of downtown Vancouver. From its beginnings in 1980, New Image has grown into one of the most recognizable schools of its kind in the city. Many of its students have gone onto great success in their careers, either in film and TV as actors and make-up artists or as aestheticians opening and operating their own spa businesses.

This is what drives them forward. "Its like having 500 children," Charie Van Dyke jokes, "We have our own kids and just added our students to the family." And she's right; the atmosphere of family is very alive at New Image College of Fine Arts. All of their faculty work in the field that they teach in, which allows them to relate with their students not only as teachers, but as equals.

However, John Craig and Charie Van Dyke are not finished yet. All three of their programs are in a state of constant evolution. As the industries in which these programs change, so must the school in order to prepare students for the real world. These past seven years have been in preparation for further growth.

"We spend a lot of time, 24/7, together," says John Craig, "We talk about the school, and how we want to grow the school, and how we want to build the school, but now we're in a position where we can step away and the school is running itself, which allows us to go out together and promote it." This is to the great credit of the faculty and support staff that John Craig and Charie Van Dyke have brought into the school. There is no friction between students or teachers from different programs; everyone takes pride in the school, no matter their relation to it.

New Image College of Fine Arts is proactive in that they understand learning is a lifetime process. Their former students continue to frequent the halls, helping other classes, sharing their experiences outside of school, and even creating extracurricular programs that students can participate in on their own time. Perhaps this is what separates New Image College of Fine Arts from other schools, the student is not finished once they receive their diploma; the programs always look to their alumni to compliment their films and other projects.

Looking forward, the New Image College of Fine Arts has built a solid learning environment because of the dedication and passion of John Craig and Charie Van Dyke. Being a husband and wife team helps them; it is a source of the vast energy and drive that they use to continue, push forward, and never be satisfied with sitting back. They reach out to the community and build relationships which will benefit their students. After all, the students are why they do it. They give their lives willingly for their children, all 500 and more of them.