The YMCA Academy kicked off another great school year with an incredible guest, storyteller Jim Adams. Jim shared interesting and moving stories from various First Nations, answered questions about political and historical issues and invited participants to choose rocks from a pile as a way to connect with a story. Jim’s warmth, humour and talent was appreciated by all present. Thanks, Jim, and please come back again soon!
Sep. 13th, 2013 – The Academy’s first Spirit Day!
This past Friday, YMCA Academy students transformed into construction workers, outdoor adventurers, cartoon characters, historical warriors, baseball superstars, cool crooners, and animals of every shape and size. Yes, on Friday we wore many hats — literally, I mean, since we were celebrating “Wear Fun(ny) Hats or Headgear Day,” our first Spirit Day of the school year.
The event was a big success: students turned up in all kinds of cranial adornments, and we had a student-run hat-making station in the reception area for anyone in need of some last-minute headgear. Best of all, it was a chance for our new students to engage further in our school community. And there’s more where that came from; the day before Hat Day (Hat Eve, if you will), we brainstormed during TAPS — our monthly small-group sessions that run as part of the Academy’s dedication to Mindfulness practices — and came up with a plethora of fantastic ideas for spirit days to come. Stay tuned!
— Todd Harrison
Sep. 6th, 2013 – Invite to Parent Social
You are invited to The YMCA Academy’s Parent Social
Wednesday September 25th, 2013
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
The YMCA Academy, Fireplace Lounge 2nd Floor
Please join us for a wine and cheese reception honouring our alumni, current and prospective parents.
RSVP by phone 416-928-0124 Ext 0 OR email: bonita.ip@ymcagta.org
July 3rd, 2013 – Student Green Wall Published!
This year the Grade 12 Communication Technology class created a ‘Green Wall’ outlining all the Environmental and Green Initiatives the YMCA Academy participated in. Check out some great student work at the Greening the Y Blog.
Graduation and End of Year
Our annual YMCA Academy Graduation and End of Year Celebration was a huge success! The food spread was amazing, the decorations were spectacular and the energy and excitement was fantastic. A highlight of the evening was the Academy’s first ever “dance”, a dream that was set to motion by our student Dakota, which featured the acclaimed DJ El Machetero on the turntables. Congratulations to Cato, Jamie, Tristan, Joseph, Hannah and Lexie, our Values Awards winners; Yasin, the winner of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Volunteering and Alex, the YMCA Academy Community Involvement Award. And of course, we would like to extend a huge congratulations to our graduates, Ahmed, Yasin, Alex, Diana and Michael. We wish you all the best in your future, and hope you come back to visit often!
Check out the rest of the pictures on our Facebook Page!