Value Awards

Brydie Smith Community, Events No Comments

As a YMCA program, we strive to uphold the YMCA’s core values; Inclusiveness, Integrity, Kindness, Optimism, Respect, and Well-Being. We see our students demonstrate these values every day, but each year we recognize students who have been selected by their peers as someone who exemplifies each of these values.

As we approach the end of the 2023 school year, we would like to take the time to acknowledge our 2022 winners who have continued to uphold these values.

Inclusiveness: Sammy E
The award for Inclusiveness recognizes the student who ensures that all students, staff, friends and visitors at the Academy are made to feel welcomed and valued for their gifts, talents and contributions to the community. This student helps others, doesn’t judge people and welcomes anyone who seems like they need a friend or helping hand.

Integrity: Ben S
The award for Integrity recognizes the student who demonstrates a willingness to receive and offer feedback about strengths and areas for improvement and who always maintains the highest degree of honesty and truth in their relationships with others. They stick to their values and say their authentic feelings, ideas and beliefs.

Kindness: Griffin H
The award for Kindness recognizes the student who demonstrates a capacity for developing genuine relationships with others and who carefully weighs the needs of the individual and the community when making decisions. They take an active role in the happiness of others and above all else, show compassion for others.

Optimism: Sam C
The award for Optimism recognizes the student who demonstrates an attitude of positivity in their identity and voice at the Academy. They are hopeful and work hard to see the positive side of things. They believe they have the skill and ability to make good things happen!

Respect: Ella K
The award for Respect recognizes the student who is developing a greater sense of self and their place in the world. This student treats others the way they would want to be treated, pays attention and listens in all situations. They recognize the value in all people.

Wellbeing: Lex B
The award for Well-Being recognizes the student who has become to incorporate into their young life a valuing of well-being and who is developing attitudes and habits that promote healthy living in a holistic way. The student not only values physical fitness, but values emotional, mental and spiritual fitness as well.

YMCA Academy Community Involvement Award: Ally B
This award is presented to a senior student that shows exceptional commitment and dedication to all facets of the YMCA Academy school experience. This student demonstrates an unparalleled investment when supporting the community life of the Academy, including involvement in school events both at the school and events involving our many partnering organizations.

Back Again at Cedar Glen!

YMCA Academy Community, Events No Comments

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.

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

Album One | Album Two | Album Three

Raptor’s Day at the YMCA Academy

Brydie Smith Community, Events No Comments

To wrap up their placement at the YMCA Academy, Seneca College student Ambar Fadul Gonzalez recruited her peers Zach and Jenta to plan an epic “Raptor’s Day” for the Academy students! This day included fun activities such as designing a Toronto Raptors logo, slogan, or poster, and participating in “blindfolded basketball,” where the students used teamwork to help their classmates score a mini basket. Meanwhile, a small film crew was on site conducting interviews for their upcoming documentary about Toronto Raptors Fans!

These activities built anticipation for the beloved annual Students vs Staff basketball game which took place later that afternoon. It was an incredibly fun experience for the entire school, whether they were there to play, cheer, or watch! Students from both the middle school and high school participated, filling the court with spirit, effort, excitement, and teamwork! In addition to playing on the day, YMCA Academy student Nathan M. has provided an excellent account of how the game went:

TEACHERS BLOW STUDENTS OUT OF THE WATER IN ANNUAL BASKETBALL GAME – Nathan M.

Two weeks ago, the staff and students of the Y Academy took to the court to compete in the annual Students vs Staff basketball game. Midway through the afternoon, most of the school filed into the gym either to play or to cheer on the teams, assisted by college placement students.

The student team clearly came in without much of a game plan, as they quickly racked up turnover after turnover and missed shot after shot. Apart from inspiring defense by Nathan Moloney on Luka, and a few good moves by Zach and others, the students were hounded on both ends of the court. Indeed it was truly a struggle for the younger students. The game opened with a 12-2 run by the teachers before the students even got another basket.

Yet the student team was not to be held back, rallying amongst themselves to get a good run going. Taking pride in their attacks on the teachers, with a very lively bench getting the student team into the flow of things, they developed some momentum.

By the turn of the second half however, things had entered into “a match of D,” with both teams using defense more than the offensive end. Fighting tooth and nail, the students took a chance to launch a comeback.

Shots came aplenty yet baskets were hard to make. Ryan and Zach led the charge on that end, while the entire team fought hard on the other end. However it would not be quite so easy as Brandon and Katie began to take over the game, tearing up the D. Luka became a third titan of the court as the lineup went smaller on him, allowing him to grab the rebounds and nail easy layups on small ball defenders.

The students had to draft in outside help from a member of the Y, but it was too late in the game. The teachers’ three basketbrutes dealt a huge blow to the student team, leaving them buried around a mountain of dirt and basketballs.

The game did not even get a true ending, as the game had to be ended early due to time issues, leaving the teachers on top with just a little more left on the clock. Hopefully this leads to a better student attack next year for a rematch of the much anticipated annual basketball game.

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

Mental Health Promotion Workshops

Brandon Stewart Community, Events, Healthy Living No Comments

The YMCA Academy has been hosting placement students from the Ryerson, Centennial, and George Brown Collaborative Nursing Degree Program. The placement students set an independent goal to develop and run a series of Positive Mental Health Promotion Workshops. High School students rotated through four workshops:

  • Affirmations and Positive Self Talk
  • Stress Ball Making
  • Mindfulness and Rest
  • Stress Management

High School students developed skills, strategies, and tools for taking better care of themselves and their mental well being. Each student left with a stress ball, a set of positive self affirmations, and a range of strategies to help prepare them for better self care.

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

Middle School: Haunted House

YMCA Academy Arts, Community, Events No Comments

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