Meet the Academy’s Newest Staff

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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

 

Megathon challenge: Rowing for 12 hours

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Students, teachers, staff, and supporters of The YMCA Academy will row for 12 hours straight on Saturday, March 5.

This challenge, part of the YMCA of Greater Toronto’s Megathon event, will also raise awareness about the role physical fitness plays in mental health. Being active reduces the effects of stress, anxiety, and depression — issues that impact many young people. In fact, the 12-hour row will serve as the kickoff of a long-term Academy initiative to promote this connection school-wide,

Best of all, group endurance events like this one are great proof that working as a team to meet a challenge makes you stronger and lets you reach even higher.

To support the Academy’s 12-hour rowing challenge, visit our Megathon fundraising page.

Governor General visits the Academy

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On Friday, The YMCA Academy welcomed a very special guest: Canada’s Governor-General, the Right Honourable David Johnston, visited the school while on a tour of the Toronto Central Grosvenor Street YMCA Centre.

The Governor-General visited a Civics class and chatted with the students about Canada’s government, his memories of school days, and a recent trip to Alert, Nunavut.

Unique experiences like these have a discernible impact on learning; the Civics students are still buzzing about the Governor-General’s visit, and Monday’s class was filled with insightful questions about the structure of Canada’s government.

Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice at The YMCA Academy

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Students from the Academy’s Equity, Diversity and Social Justice class held a Social Justice Fair on Monday to share their research and action plans.

This course, part of the Ministry of Education’s new Social Sciences and Humanities curriculum, has quickly become a vital and popular part of our course calendar. It provides a platform for a wide range of vital learning opportunities, including building empathy, engaging with the community, collaboration, and evaluating information sources.

It’s also the perfect vehicle to reinforce the mission, vision, and values of the YMCA of Greater Toronto, and to reinforce the association’s commitment to diversity and social inclusion.

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

Donation to the Art Class

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You never know what kind of connections you will make. At our recent Student Art Sale fundraiser at the Central Y, Academy art students met Alta, a YMCA member and artist, who was perusing the art for sale. A couple of weeks later, she emailed art teacher Alexi to see if the program could use some supplies she didn’t need anymore. Yesterday Alta arrived at our school with her car full of calligraphy ink and pens, unused pastel sets, tubes of acrylic paint, piles and roles of paper, art books, paint brushes, professional pencils, drafting tools, and many, many more generous offerings!! We promised to gives these donated items a second life in the art room. Thank you, Alta, for your amazing generosity!