Students participate in the Shoebox Project

Zoe Rutherford Community, Events No Comments

Over the month of November the YMCA Academy embraced the spirit of giving and once again participated in the Shoebox Project for Women. Our community went above and beyond and was able to put together 38 gift-filled shoe boxes this year!

The Shoebox Project for Women operates throughout Canada and the United States, delivering shoebox gifts to women in need. In Toronto the shoeboxes are distributed to women accessing a variety of services such as the YMCA Women’s Shelter, CAMH, Native Women’s Resource Centre, Covenant House etc. The aim of the project is to remind women that they have not been forgotten and that they are a valued and respected member of their community. This initiative aligns with the YMCA core values and provides an opportunity to foster empathy, practice civic engagement and collaborate with peers in a meaningful way.

Students attended an assembly to learn about how people, and women in particular, are impacted by homelessness in Toronto and Canada. This helped to put the project into context and to provide students with information about the housing crisis and other issues that Canadians face. In advisory groups, students brainstormed what gifts might help women feel special and devised a plan of who would purchase each item. Then the day came to bring together all the gifts and create the boxes. Each group decorated and filled at least one box and made sure it included everything on the list. Students also wrote thoughtful messages in a card for the recipient. Once all the boxes were ready to go they were taken to a drop off location to be distributed in time for the holidays.

Here is what some of our students had to say about participating in the project:

“I really enjoyed the project. It teaches kids about privilege and gives them a better understanding of the world around them.” – Maiko

“It was a relaxing activity to make the boxes while we listened to music and snow was falling.” – Kelly

“It was a great time. I had a lot of fun hanging out with my friends.” – Jack

“We wanted to make the boxes to deliver to women in need who could use the stuff to comfort them.” – Griffin

“‘I felt the shoebox project was a great way to share joy over the holiday season to people who need the support” – Chloe

Intersectionality in Gender Studies

Zoe Rutherford English and Humanities, Events No Comments

There are lots of topics and concepts to cover in Gender Studies. One of the earliest, and most important, concepts we covered was “Intersectionality”. “Intersectionality” is a framework used to help understand the many intertwined, complex identities that make up an individual. It also provides insight into how these identities may open individuals up to certain levels of privilege or discrimination. This privilege or discrmination can occur on an individual level and/or at a more institutional, systemic level.

One of the first activities our Gender Studies class did was called “Identity Signs”. Using a Google Jamboard, there were 7 questions that required students to reflect on where they stand and have stood in reference to privilege, discrimination and their multiple intersecting identities. When the questions were asked, some students immediately knew where they were dragging their post-it note! While others took their time and thought for a minute about it. It was really interesting to see where students moved and there are even some questions where many students shared the same feelings. Students were invited to share their “choice” if they wanted to, which some did, but no one was forced to. This kind of activity can be vulnerable and open students up to reflections and feelings that may not come up on a regular basis. All students participated and were incredibly honest, patient and kind towards their peers.

We have used the framework of intersectionality to better help us analyze events in class. Most recently, we have used the framework to discuss the shootings in Atlanta, where 8 people were murdered and 6 of them were Asian women. We also applied the framework to try to understand why there are thousands of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Children in Canada. Intersectionality will come up in class again and again and the hope is that this framework will help students analyze events, especially where race and gender are involved, long after the class is done!

Socially Distanced “Front to Front” Drawing

Zoe Rutherford Arts, English and Humanities No Comments



Even though during this pandemic we have to be distanced from each other, communication and collaboration are still important skills to be practicing! Last week, the Grade 9 Learning Strategies class learned about interpersonal skills and collaboration. They discussed what interpersonal skills are, why they are important and how we can best practice them (in a safe way!). They also discussed what it takes to be strong communicators and active listeners.

To put these ideas into practice, we did a “front to front” drawing exercise. In non-COVID times, this activity would be done “back to back”…but 12 students in a room with masks on talking back to back would likely be a bit too tricky! Students were paired up and asked to identify as Person A: The Speaker or Person B: The Listener. Person A was given a picture and Person B was given a blank sheet of paper and a (sanitized) pencil.

The rules were that Person A had to describe the drawing to Person B using as many details as possible! Instead of just saying “draw a circle”, they were encouraged to dive deeper and say “draw a medium sized circle, about the size of the palm of your hand in the exact centre of the page”. The catch was that Person B could not talk at all! They had to really listen to their partner and focus on what they were saying in a room filled with other distractions.

Once pairs finished the first round, they then did another and switched roles. After, we had a discussion of what strategies worked and what didn’t. Some students liked being both Speaker and Listener while others were drawn to one over the other. Overall, the activity was a blast and comparing the drawings in the end created lots of laughs. Not to mention, some of them were really accurate! It was nice to see students enjoying themselves and connecting with fellow students, despite the strange times we are in!

Pop Art Self Portraits

Zoe Rutherford Arts, Beyond the Classroom No Comments

Following our Colour Theory unit, the Grade 9 Visual Arts class explored Pop Art! Pop Art is usually easily identifiable from it’s simple, bold and bright images. Some may think it’s called Pop Art because the colours “POP!”, but it also stems from the fact that artists were inspired by images from popular culture. We specifically looked at famous Pop artists:

  • Andy Warhol — known for his colourful, repetitive prints of soup cans and celebrities.
  • Roy Lichtenstein — known for his cartoon-like paintings, often created using primary colours.
  • Keith Haring — known for his paintings featuring thick-lined, simple figures and bright and bold colours.
  • Yayoi Kusama — known for her outlandish, fascinating paintings made up of beautiful colours and detailed dot work

Before we looked at Pop Art as a class, students were asked to research an artist and present on that artist. Three students researched Warhol, Haring and Kusama and were able to provide the class with a bio of each artist and their major works. So going into the unit, the class had an idea of who these artists were and what Pop Art generally looked like.

In order to put our knowledge of Pop Art to paper, students were given the task of creating a Pop Art Self-Portrait! This project is usually done in the classroom using Photoshop and a projector, where students trace their image onto a piece of paper…however, some adjustments had to be made in these circumstances!

Students printed an image of themselves off at home and outlined the key features of their face/upper body with a Sharpie. Then, they used a bright window to trace the lines onto another piece of paper and then “Pop-ified” it!! Pop-ifying varied from applying dots like Kusama or Lichtenstein to using super bright colours all over their face like all Pop artists did. Students were given the option of including a speech bubble (inspired by some of Lichtenstein’s art) expressing something they think about often during the pandemic (e.g. “What am I having for dinner?”).

Check out the results below!

 

Coronavirus Inspired Art

Zoe Rutherford Arts, Beyond the Classroom, Community, Events No Comments

Throughout Visual Arts, we have discussed how creating art is one of the greatest forms of self-expression. We can create art about anything to show what we feel, how we feel and why we feel it. We create art to communicate. There is no right or wrong way to make it. Coronavirus, a pandemic and online school is not anything we saw coming. Lots of questions and emotions can arise from situations like this.

Before the break, the class was in the middle of learning about Colour Theory. Our initial classes online focused on the psychology of colour and the idea that colours can be used to express specific emotions.
What these Academy Art students did was create art inspired by how they were feeling in the initial weeks of the pandemic, with a focus on colours and what they associate with those colours.

The results were all so different! Students had to get resourceful and use whatever materials they had access to at home. Some painted, some drew with pencil crayons and some made digital art or a collage. It was so interesting and inspiring to read each student’s reflection expressing how they feel and what their art signified.

Academy students create COVID-19 inspired art
The thing that inspired me was the way I was feeling. I was sad and lonely and found myself craving socializing…The way I thought of describing it was by a roll of toilet paper and it felt right to do so considering what’s going on. It’s related to the problem going on with the world right now and the roll will unwind and tell more of a story the more it unrolls more and includes how I am feeling via pictures. It is important [to create art] because it helps you express yourself in pictures and let people know how you are feeling as well as let you get some of that weight off of your chest. – SE
Academy students create COVID-19 inspired art
I have been having a lot of FOMO when I was quarantined, after seeing photos and snapchat stories, but in reality there is not much happening out there….My mom is in the right corner not looking very happy. I am in the top left corner crying. I don’t know why I put myself crying but it’s just there. My cat is in the middle between my mom and I. He is having a really good time and is loving the quarantine. I am in the middle thinking there is nothing going on in my house. I think there is all the colour in life, which is supposed to be people and being outside and fun just outside me. I’m not in there, because I’m in the black, But in reality, it’s all black anyways. – AF
Academy students create COVID-19 inspired art
I used black because it sort represents being sad and the red represents people being sick. what i was thinking when i did my art i was thinking about being protected against the virus the red symbolizes the danger because i cant go out -FL
Academy students create COVID-19 inspired art
I used blue to represent how hot the flame is in hell to kill the virus. I also used blue for the splatters to show how calm I feel about this whole situation. The reason why I chose black for the background is that I feel this shows respect for the people who have died; black is the colour of mourning. White is in this piece because for me, white means life, which contrasts the black for mourning. The white represents the people who have survived after they’ve had the virus…Art is a way to express your feelings and deep, inner thoughts. It’s a good outlet for feelings like fear or anger. Instead of letting these feelings build up, you can express them through art. My art conveys the fact that I strongly dislike the Coronavirus. If other people feel the same way, then when they see my art, it might connect with them (and me).- NP
Academy students create COVID-19 inspired art
I chose blue and green because the average colour for a safety mask is blue and if i think of the coronavirus i see green…It’s important to create art in difficult times because art helps express how you feel…I feel like the message to viewers is that people are trying to fight the virus and there is maybe hope. -OS
Academy students create COVID-19 inspired art
I used dark blue, dark purple and orange and brown. I also used a very dark green because they remind me of how I fell during this time and my emotions. Art can help with your emotions and feelings and it is very relaxing for some people that have a hard time explaining themself. – CK
I am inspired by my artwork because I am sad and worried about other people and inspicaly poor people because they can be affected by coronavirus. The colours I chose are beige, blue, gray and white. I chose these colours to make me feel sad about coronavirus. – AE