Feb. 28th, 2011 – Pictures from Skating Field Trip

On Friday February 25th the YMCA Academy embarked on their second annual skating trip.  The inaugural trip was the brain child of an alumni of the Academy and took place at Nathan Phillips Square.  This year, in light of a new addition of an outdoor rink, the trip took place at Evergreen Brickworks.  With the up and down nature of the weather leading up to the trip, there was a potential that the trip would be hindered by warm weather.  In the end, thankfully, mother nature presented us the best of both worlds.  On the day of the trip the weather was cold enough to keep the outdoor skating rink open while at the same time sunny and warm enough to allow several of the students to skate without a jacket.

The rink, like nature, was organic in its shape, design and flow which allowed for a different skating experience, unique from the more common skating in a circle we are use to at a traditional rink.  Students and teachers alike skated their hearts out.  Those with greater skill helped along those with less skill which led to a great and positive atmosphere.  Some students wowed everyone with their speed and skills on the ice while other super trooper students where on the ice the entire trip.  Overall the experience was everything we could have hoped for and was a true reflection of what the Healthy Choices Program the Academy at Evergreen Brickworks is all about.

For the entire gallery, visit our Facebook Page!

Jan. 7th, 2011 – Academy thinking about RIGHTS!

Canadian Civil Liberties Association get’s the Academy thinking about RIGHTS!

Every month the entire school meets for “ a VOICES exchange”. This is an hour where we can share our ideas about school life at The Academy. Discussions are often stimulated by a staff presentation, a guest speaker, a performance or some other activity. The hope is to create a venue for The Academy community to share their thoughts in an open forum. This month The Academy invited a guest speaker from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association to speak.  She introduced their “Not’s Not Fair to Me” program, which introduces students to the concept of  “rights”.  She used the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as a launching point for discussion, using current legal case studies to make the abstract concepts relevant for students. The presentation was very engaging with one student sharing: “this was our best VOICES assembly so far”. CCLT will be visiting again next week to follow up on issues raised and lead our TAPS session where students break off into small groups and discuss/share ideas in small healing circles.

Canadian Civil Liberties Association Website

Dec. 15th, 2010 – Talent Show Pictures & Video

Here’s what everyone’s been waiting for! Check out the great pictures from our 2010 Talent Show! “What your teachers do after school” video is also hosted! Hope everyone had a great time and thanks for attending! Until next year! Click Here to see all the pictures on Facebook.

YMCA Academy 2010 Talent Show
Academy students showing off bags made in the Fashion Club
Didgeridoo!
Never forget the We Day Dance 🙂

Dec. 14th, 2010 – Fashion Club a great success

With the help of our volunteers Peggy and Valerie, Academy students have been active in our first every fashion club every Wednesday this semester!  The students are just about finished their hand-made tote bags and will unveil their creations at our upcoming talent show.  Students chose their own fabric and followed a simple pattern to create a practical yet stylish bag.


Dec. 9th, 2010 – Retro Arcade Construction

We all have passions, but rarely do we act on them.  If you have a passion for computer programming, circuit building, craft building, design, or video games, come join us every Wednesday in 5G as we build a vintage style video game arcade unit.

Testing the internal components of an old computer
Checking the video out capabilities of our salvaged hardware
YMCA Academy student soldering power controller from a junk LCD TV