Integrated Arts at #TodayatApple Workshop.


The Integrated Arts class attended a workshop at the Apple Store, learning about the software ProCreate to create digital art. Students enjoyed drawing a self-portrait or another portraiture but thought that drawing digitally was not as challenging as traditional art.

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Back Again at Cedar Glen!

There are many things we have all missed out on over the past two years. As life continues to flow ever closer to normalcy, we are all benefiting from being able to do the things we have not been able to. One of those things here at the Academy is the annual expedition to Cedar Glen. Although we were able to do a day trip there last year, is it really a Cedar Glen trip if it isn’t overnight? This school year, the school was once again able to journey to our 262 Acre home away from home, a pilgrimage we look forward to with excitement.

Our trip this year started on Wednesday October 19. After packing up 3 buses with bags, students and staff, the school made its way to Schomberg Ontario where Cedar Glen is situated. As always, our trip began with the students rotating between volunteering on the farm and playing various field games led by the amazing Cedar Glen staff. After lunch the Navy and Maroon squads faced off in a forty five minute game of capture the flag. Students zipped, dodged and zagged to steal each others’ flags while trying to avoid capture. Having moved into cabins and with food in everyone’s belly, students spent the evening doing various indoor activities as the weather outside although not frightful was bad enough to prevent the campfire and night hike.

Thursday morning’s activities had students choosing to partake in one of several activities. While some tested their balance on the low ropes course or played various field or arctic games, others tried channelling their inner Legolas at the archery range. The main focus of Thursday, however, was the fourth annual instalment of the Academy Games. Although young in its inclusion into the Cedar Glen trip, the Academy Games has very quickly become a source of fierce competition between the school’s to squads. Reigning three time champions Maroon were looking to defend their unbroken streak of victories to steal a fourth win, while the Navy team aspired to dethrone Maroon’s string of successes.

After lunch, both squads gathered to receive this year’s team swag which were Navy and Maroon hoodies. With their newly acquired swag on, and some previous ones as well, both teams faced one another and cheered off, trying to outdo one another. When both teams quieted, the official start of the games was announced and both teams ventured to their first stations. After about two and a half hours, the squads slowly started gathering at the final station that pits Navy and Maroon in a fire building competition that is mired in much controversy. The Navy team was first to show up with two of its four squads. Eventually a Maroon team arrived and in the blink of an eye, all four teams from each squad were present.

After looking over penalties and rewards gathered during the game, it was an even start for both teams. With representatives chosen for each team, it was now up to a few members to build the fastest and tallest fire in order to burn through three heights of rope before the other team. Both teams started slowly, battling the dampness in a lot of the tinder, kindling and wood they had gathered from the multiple bouts of precipitation from the day before, and that very morning. Eventually, the Maroon team’s flames started to rise and reach ever higher. The Navy team battled relentlessly to catch up, but had difficulty getting their fire to hold long enough to ignite the larger pieces of kindling and wood. Eventually, time and circumstances conspired against a first ever Navy win, and with the third and highest rope burnt through, the Maroon squad secured its fourth straight Academy Games championship, and still remains undefeated.
Both sides walked back to the main cabin together for dinner. One student disclosed that they had hidden some wood for next year’s game! After dinner students finally got to enjoy the campfire that was cancelled the night before as well as a night hike for those who wanted one.

On our last day we took part in our usual ritual of doing more archery and playing the now infamous teachers vs. students animal survival game in the woods. Eating one last meal at lunch, students packed up the buses and headed back to the Academy. Despite the weather not being great the first two days, everyone toughed out the elements and had a great time. This year’s experience at Cedar Glen was special. It brought everyone another sense of normalcy from the past, and gave an opportunity for some to experience Cedar Glen in its truest form for the first time. We can’t wait to be back next year.

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Album One | Album Two | Album Three

Neighbourhood Prototype Project

Alex’s Exploring Technology has been learning about the design process and how it can be applied to urban planning. We began with research and brainstorming to explore what makes a neighbourhood a good place to live. Students generated lists of “look-fors,” and we furthered our research by heading out on a walk.

During the walk students worked in survey teams to notice aspects of the neighbourhood that make it a good place to live, and aspects that need improvement. Teams took photos as evidence, and marked important findings on a map. Back at school, they worked to record their findings on google earth.

One new insight gained during the walk was the importance of art and cultural spaces (murals, theatres etc.) in a neighbourhood.

Based on their explorations, students worked on designing their own prototype neighbourhoods. Some students used Minecraft to create neighbourhood layouts. Others worked on creating a physical model of an ideal neighbourhood.

Quantitatively Measuring Peace


November was “Peace Month” at the Academy and every class worked on a peace-related project. Alex and Arnold’s Grade 9 math classes learned about one way of quantitatively measuring peace : the Global Peace Index (GPI) published by the Institute for Economics and Peace. Students reflected on the validity of such a measure. They then used their data management skills to investigate how different factors are correlated with GPI.

The Grade 9s collected data using the GPI Score Map, as well as using their research skills to find data sets related to factors of their interest. They then used scatter plots and lines of best fit in google sheets to analyze correlation between the factors of their choosing and GPI.

Our classes came up with some very insightful ideas about what might correlate with GPI. Is the amount of protected terrestrial area in a country correlated to its GPI score? What about a country’s carbon footprint? Or the number of McDonalds in a country? Check out our findings!

Here’s what some students had to say about the project:

“I compared my chosen factor to GPI to see if they had a correlation, put it into a scatter plot and explained and described the correlation between the two. I learned how to write math on a computer and how to write scatter plots too. Math is related to peace because we need to factor the amount of peace in a country.”

“I wrote down the data, I was moral support and a whole lot of other things. This project was really rough but at the end of the day I am taking it as a learning experience.”

“I enjoyed doing this with my partner and we did a great job asking each other and my partner helped me if I am having trouble when finding the big mac index with certain countries. I would definitely do a good job with my partner in the future.”

Middle School: Haunted House

What is the Haunted House?
Our class created a haunted train that we called the Train to Corpses (TTC). When you went through all of the stations, you exited the train and were in a fashion show. Staff and students came through our haunted house and used a pretend Presto card as their ticket to come in. The train was a replica of a TTC subway car, except it had fake dead bodies! We set up the chairs in the room to look like the chairs in the subway car and even had marked accessible seating. We had posters and advertisements. We made our own subway map and displayed it above the doors. We made large subway doors. Zoe’s Media Arts class made soundscapes of ‘creepy subway’ sounds and we played that along with a video with the point of view of riding on the front of the subway. We had LED lights and Georgia flickered the lights when people came in. MJ, John and Dayna dressed up as TTC workers too!

The fashion show was in a long hallway. We set up a LED starlight and played upbeat fashion show music. We had homemade ghosts hanging from the ceiling, spider webs throughout and a bloody sign welcoming people to the fashion show. As people came through, Elliott met them and encouraged them to strut down the runway, passing Mark who was hiding in a box. Mark did a jump scare and slammed the door as people were leaving.

Process of making the haunted house
We spoke about what we wanted the theme of the haunted house to be. We discussed some of the roles and responsibilities to create it. We then each did a job and when we finished, we would help another person who needed support. Each of us had our own task:

  • Samuel: Painting, taped posters, Train to Corpses (TTC) sign and played a corpse during the haunted house
  • Elliott: Co-created and presented the fashion show section of the haunted house with Mark
  • Shea: During the haunted house I was in the subway train and did creepy jump scares
  • Georgia: I made the doors for the haunted house and worked with Matteo and helped to tape up everything on the day of the haunted house. I sort of helped out wherever I was needed. On the day of the haunted house I flickered the lights to create a creepy vibe.
  • Matteo: I painted the subway doors. During the haunted house I wore a mask and shook the chair to scare people.
  • Charlie P.: I painted the subway platform using egg cartons and yellow paint. My job for the haunted house was to tour groups through the subway car.
  • Nico: I created the ‘next station’ signs and helped other people with their jobs. I was the subway expert and shared specific details about the TTC so our subway looked real! During the haunted house I was a train conductor and yelled out the subway stops as groups were touring through.
  • Charlos: I created the posters, painted the subway doors, hung up the different sections of the fashion show and hung up the posters I created. During the haunted house I scared people as they were going through and covered Dayna in spider webs.
  • Mark: I helped to paint parts of the fashion show props. During the haunted house I did a jump scare and toured people through the fashion show section.
  • Julian: I helped MJ put up ghosts on the ceiling in the fashion show. I also made the Train to Corpses map with creepy stations. During the haunted house I ushered people to Charlie P.
  • Alex: I hung up accessible seating signs. I put spiders on the floor. During the haunted house I did my creepy double jointed arm thing as I was collecting students tickets.
  • Rhys: I painted one of the doors with Charlie C. and made a body sketch that we put on the ground of the haunted house. I helped MJ and Julian put up the ghosts. During the haunted house I acted on the TTC car and followed people out.

Favourite moment

I liked how we set it all up! It was a big haunted display with fake blood. I liked how we collaborated with each other and worked together to put on a haunted house for the whole school – Shea

I liked painting – Samuel

I liked making the haunted house and being able to talk to friends at the same time – Georgia

I liked to scare the teachers! I liked using Charlie P. to trace as a dead body – Rhys

Written by: Middle school students