Annual Cedar Glen Trip

Zareh Demirdji Community, Environmental Stewardship, Experiential Learning, YMCA of Greater Toronto No Comments

October is that time of year where the leaves turn red, orange, and yellow, presenting us with a breathtaking display of the best of nature. It is also the time of year where Academy staff and students gear up for one of the year’s most anticipated and loved events, our annual trip to Cedar Glen. Whereas most years our pilgrimage to Cedar Glen is around the middle of October, this year’s excursion was at the end of the month, the latest we have ever gone. As such, we experienced a much colder experience this time around.

For the second year in a row, in lieu of our tree planting as our school’s means of environmental stewardship we spent the first day at Cedar Glen working their on site farm. This year’s farm was much more advanced than last years, which gave our staff and students the opportunity to try their hands at many new farming activities. On our second day the weather decided to test us and turned cold, overcast and gave us intermittent rain.

Not to be intimidated by cold or precipitation, more than half of the staff and students chose to be outside for programming, while the remaining minority settled for warmth and board games indoors. Our last day was one with a bright blue sky and beautiful weather (which we wished would have made an appearance the day before) and as always, a bit of excitement about going home to our own beds, as well as sadness for having to leave a place that we love visiting. We impatiently wait until our next year’s visit.

Check out the rest the rest of the pictures on our Facebook page!

Album One | Album Two | Album Three

‘We Scare Hunger’ Food Drive

YMCA Academy Community, English and Humanities No Comments

YMCA Academy students participate in the 'We Scare Hunger' Food Drive for the Fort York Food Bank.

Our annual ‘We Scare Hunger’ Food Drive for the Fort York Food Bank was a success in giving! We had a goal of six boxes and we ended up with 10!

Thank you so much for all the amazing contributions. One family even chose to forgo giving out candy at Halloween and went shopping for their donations instead.

A special thanks to the Integrated Arts class for their organizing, promotion and schlepping. Well done!

Feast of Thanks

Katie Freeland Community, Healthy Living, Native Studies No Comments

On Tuesday, October 11th, the YMCA Academy community celebrated the school’s Feast of Thanks for the fifth year. With dozens of families contributing food — from savoury turkey and ham to delectable desserts — for the potluck feast, we gathered in the cafeteria at lunch, to hear and view presentations from students and from our special guest, and, of course, to feast.

Students from Katie’s Aboriginal Voices class presented to the whole school their research and ideas on the Indigenous past and present of the Toronto area, as well as inquiring into the question of how to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in a way that is inclusive and respectful of Indigenous experiences and perspectives. Meanwhile, Brandon’s Origins and Citizenship class contributed visual displays looking at Thanksgiving and related festivities from a newcomer point of view. As teachers committed to inclusiveness and other social justice principles, we cherish this event as an opportunity for diverse voices to be heard, and for our community to gather together in learning from and sharing with one another. And while students were most vocal in expressing their love of meat and homemade cookies, they also expressed plenty of thanks for such opportunities, and desires to learn more.

For the second time, we were fortunate and honoured to welcome Darlene King, who took time out of her busy day at the nearby Native Women’s Resource Centre to speak briefly to students about her own experiences, as well as to bless and open out feast. After thanking our students for their thoughtful presentations, Darlene spoke of her own background and the importance of learning about, and in some cases reconnecting with, Indigenous knowledge and cultural traditions. She also opened our feast with an Anishinaabe prayer, and then began it by preparing a “spirit plate,” a plate of food reserved to acknowledge our ancestors. Darlene would later take this food with her in order to return it to the earth.

The Academy community is also thankful for the contributions of students from the Literacy class, who helped set up on Tuesday and had created posters to advertise the event.

Of course gratitude should never be confined to just one weekend, but we look forward to seeing this particular tradition of learning, sharing, and thanks continue for years to come.

Check out more photos from this event on our Facebook page!

Clouds Over Sidra Virtual Reality Screening

YMCA Academy Beyond the Classroom, Community, English and Humanities, Experiential Learning No Comments

Can you ever really walk a mile in someone’s shoes?
How close can we really get to understanding someone’s experience on the the other side of the planet?
And what do we do with our own experience of that afterwards?

On Thursday, September 29th the YMCA Academy had an exceptional opportunity to view a 360 degree film produced by the United Nations that is shot from the view point of a 12 year old Syrian girl, Sidra, in Za’atari camp in Jordan. Our Virtual Reality experience of Clouds Over Sidra (2015, directed by Gabo Arora and Chris Milk) was the first time in the world that a secondary school viewed the 8 minute film that shows the inside of a refugee camp. Brought to us by The Sidra Project, Hot Docs, Artscape and the United Nations, the students first became acquainted with the cutting edge Samsung Gear VR technology and then became immersed in Sidra’s world.

The film shows the daily life inside of the camp and the VR experience is so life like that students and staff alike found themselves reaching out to touch their surroundings. The close quarters that Sidra’s family live in, her journey to school and her classroom, and the sports and activities that the young people take part in show how resilient the Syrian people have been and how strong their desire is to return to their home. Before and after viewing the film the students engaged in a conversation about the history and recent events in the conflict in Syria, the global refugee crisis, and what we can do as engaged global citizens to help.

Keep an eye out for public screenings! There are some in the near future and this is an opportunity not to be missed.

You can find further information and screening dates on the The Sidra Project website.

Check out more photos from this event on our Facebook page!

Meet the Academy’s Newest Staff

YMCA Academy Community, Events, YMCA of Greater Toronto No Comments


On the first day of school excited students got to meet the newest members of our teaching staff. The YMCA Academy is excited to introduce our four new teachers to the community.

Dayna Dann:
I’ve recently graduated from OISE with a Master of Arts in Child Study and Education with a focus on special education. This degree followed my sociology degree from Western. I have worked for the ymca in various capacities for the last 8 years – primarily as the director for the ymca toronto island day camp. I will be teaching GLE – learning strategies and Working with infants and children.

Luka Ilic:
My name is Luka and I am currently teaching Travel and Tourism, Personal Life Management, and Learning Strategies. Prior to joining the YMCA Academy, I taught Humanities for two years in London, England. I enjoy playing sports such as soccer and volleyball, watching TV shows, keeping up with current events, and generally leading an active and healthy lifestyle. It is an absolute pleasure being a member of the YMCA Academy and I look forward to a fun and successful school year!

Matt Moir:
I have been teaching History and English for more than 8 years. I taught in several schools in the GTA, as well as schools in Australia, England, China and a First Nations community in northern Ontario. I’ve also worked as a reporter for CBC and CTV News.

Amanda Wyman:
I graduated from The Nova Scotia College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Art and a major in photography. I spent a few years with TIFF, mentoring a committee of teens who programmed film-centric, youth-oriented events, and coordinating The TIFF Kids Festival. I earned my Bachelor of Education from OISE. The following year, I taught Art, Math and English to youth with learning disabilities at The Study Academy, and I bring a wealth of visual art experience to the Study. I work towards building community in my classrooms, and fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment in my students. I especially love riding my bicycle, making art at home, and spending time with my two cats.

Find out more about the Academy’s “Back to School” experience at: A big first day at The YMCA Academy

For more back to school tips and tricks check out the YMCA of Greater Toronto blog post series: Fall Into Place