What's New
The S6 (Grade 12) Formal - in pictures!
House Island Day
The annual UTS day trip to Centre Island was a huge success with beautiful weather, beach volleyball, a staff-student softball game, picnicking, sprinklers and lots more: a great way to relax and let off steam at the end of the school year!
Avogadro Contest
A total of 16 UTS students scored in the 95th percentile or better on the Avogadro exam, a national University of Waterloo grade 11 chemistry exam which was held on May 13.
Deutsch ist cool!
UTS German students did the school proud at the recent Ontario High School German Contest, held at North Toronto Collegiate. This year’s theme was celebrating 20 years since Germany was reunified – and the 40th anniversary of the Contest itself! Of UTS German teacher Nicola Townend’s colleagues on the Contest Committee, one was Contest Chair, UTS alumus Jimmy Steele - who remembers participating in the contest himself as a UTS student!Among the UTS honours were: Shanna Shi – 4th; Soohyun Park – 3rd; and Winkae Fung –1st, winning an all expenses paid 4-week Summer language course in Germany from the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany. For the past six years, a UTS student has won such a trip! (In the pic: The contest Executive with Winkae (far right) next to Ms Townend. Jimmy Steele is centre back).
DECA Ontario Student Exec
Following a rigorous and time-consuming selection process - to which students from across the province applied - Nida Noorani has been appointed President of the DECA Ontario Student Executive. She is the second UTS student to earn a place: Samir Kulkarni is on this year’s out-going executive.
UTSers represent Canada in Tokyo!
Richard Liu and Connie Zhao have both been selected to represent Canada at the International Chemistry Olympiad which is to be held in Tokyo in July. They are two of a four-person team made up of students from across the country and Connie is now representing our country for the second year in a row!
Homecoming - a wonderful day!
In its largest alumni gathering ever, over 1200 came home to UTS on Saturday, May 29, for Centennial Homecoming. Alumni from as long ago as the class of ‘32, right through to grads from 2009 - some coming from as far as Europe and California - joined the festivities. Teachers - past and present - also showed up in force to reconnect and reminisce with former students. Current UTS students and parents showed their school pride, too, volunteering, chatting with guests, showing off displays of student work, and helping to make the event a huge success.
The day featured a musical jam session organized by former music teacher John Fautley (on trombone, above), an art exhibition, and the launch of a book about UTS written by author Jack Batten ’50 (middle left, above). A massive crowd gathered in the parking lot for a BBQ. Principal Michaele Robertson and former UTS principals lit celebratory sparklers on the special UTS cake which had been ‘delivered’ by Centennial student reps, Hannah Kopinski and Mark Krass - and a rousing round of “Happy Birthday,” ensued! Then Centennial Honorary Chair, Christopher Alexander ’85, together with Board Chair Bob Lord ’58, made the first cut. Here’s to the next 100 years!
Biotech: way to be!
Four UTS teams spent upwards of 5 months in research labs – and were mentored by U of T personnel – to prepare for the Biotech competition at York University on April 6-7. The judges - scientists from universities and industry were impressed with the calibre of understanding our students showed both in their specific topics and in the biological and technical contexts of their work. Adarsh Gupta and Sam Pramanick earned the Best Commercialization Potential award and also a Gold medal at the Sci-Tech fair. They will present their work at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in May. Their project was: "The use of nano-cellulose in substrates for electronic display systems and medical instruments requiring optical precision" and they were mentored by Dr. Mohini Sain, Ms. Crystal Wu and Dr. Julasak Juntaro. The other UTS projects were:
Norman Yau and Josh Alman: "Establishment of biconditionality of a gene that’s responsibility for arabidopsis root growth and survival under saline conditions." Mentors: Dr. Nicholas Provart (who has worked with this team for 3 years) and Shu Hiu.
Alisa Ugodnikov, Karen Morenz and Julia Romanski: "Comparing the anticarcinogenic properties of Vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry), Vaccinium myrtillus L. (bilberry), Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. (lingonberry), and Vaccinium x intermedium Ruthe (a natural hybrid of lingonberry and bilberry)." Mentors: Dr. Peter O’Brien and Sarah Delaney.
Wilson Wu, Emily Chen and Grace Luo: "Immunosuppressant effect of halofuginone on dendritic and T-cell development." Mentors: Dr. Jennifer Gommerman and Dennis Ng.
Olympians!
Melody Guan has been chosen as one of four young people to represent Canada at the International Biology Olympiad to be held in Changwon, South Korea from 11-18 July 2010. She was selected as a result of her performance on the preliminary exam, an exceptional Skills Portfolio and an outstanding performance on the National Biology Competition. Melody will leave for South Korea directly from the week-long training camp held at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.
Jonathan Zung has placed third in the Canadian Mathematical Olympiad.
Off to OFSAA
UTS athletes have qualified for OFSAA! The track team competed in the at the Metro Track and Field Championships (held at Etobicoke Centennial Stadium on May 19-20) which features the best track and field athletes in the city. Brynne Yarranton qualified for both the 400m and 800m; and Flora Chiang jumped her personal best to qualify for the senior girls long jump. In tennis, Sam Levy defeated his opponent 9 - 7 in a May 20 match to qualify for the upcoming OFSAA Tennis Championships.
GOAL!
Spirited and boisterous House Soccer games were held at the Robert Street Field on May 18 and 19.
A Classic Finish!
Eugene DiSante, UTS Classics Conference Coordinator, writes:
In an extremely decisive victory, the UTS Classics Society landed its fifteenth consecutive win at the XLII Ontario Student Classics Conference, held at Brock University, from May 6 to 9. While the final point differential for the teams finishing 2nd through 5th was just 293, UTS - in first place - was a full 300 points beyond the 2nd place school! Seventeen schools, both public and private, participated in the three-day marathon, and the 40-strong UTS contingent – with many students running from a field event to a stage performance to a written test – received 13 of the 39 possible awards and trophies!
Great Chemistry
After a grueling weekend at the Provincials on the weekend of May 8, three UTSers, were selected to attend the National Chemistry Competition. Only ten students from across the country have been selected to participate. In addition, another UTSer is one of the Ontario students to move onto the national level of competition for the 2010 Canadian Chemistry Contest.
UTS Visual Art Exhibition
From May 3-6, the UTS gym was transformed in to a gallery for the annual UTS Visual Art Exhibition featuring work created by all visual art students.
Music Class Taiko
Anthony Lee ‘86, (inset), taiko drummer extraordinaire, visited UTS in early May to put students through their paces during music class.
UTS Volunteers
A great big thank you to the many UTS students who participated in Volunteer Toronto’s 2010 Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge by providing support to Canadian Breast Cancer’s Pink Ribbon Campaign. Our students made an amazing 6,300 pink ribbons and had a great time working together and making a difference. Volunteer Toronto is a great resource and we hope to work with them again to provide accessible volunteer opportunities for UTS students.
SOMA (Model U.N.) Success
From April 28-30, over 120 UTS students participated in SOMA XXXVIII. This annual Model United Nations conference is organized by UTS students and held on the U of T campus. This year’s conference was one of the best-attended yet, with about 615 students from schools across Ontario participating. As delegates, UTS’ contingent performed exceptionally well, bringing home two Best Delegate awards for their representation of the Russian Federation. UTS students also acquited themselves ably as Crisis Staff, Chairs, and Paging/Security Staff.
DECA
During the week of May 3, three UTS students accompanied by Ms McPhedran, travelled to Louisville, Kentucky for the annual International DECA Competition, for students studying business. At UTS – where no business courses are offered – DECA is a student-run club where over 40 students compete at the regional and provincial level. This is the third year that UTS qualified to attend Internationals, along with 13,000 other competitors. UTS garnered a top 10 placing in a mock job interview oral event – the best Internationals result in UTS DECA history so far!
Middleton Speeches
The month of April saw all F1 and F2 students researching, writing, and delivering persuasive speeches in their English classes. The winning class representatives participated in the annual Middleton Speech competition held on April 29 in the auditorium. F1 students spoke about topics ranging from the merits of dark chocolate to the dark underside of the Vancouver Olympics, and the winner was Divya Santhanam with her speech extolling the benefits of daydreaming. The F2s, with speeches employing classic propaganda techniques, dealt with issues such as the failure of the American state, and the made-up religion of Pastafarianism. George Cheng won the F2 award with his satirical speech on the dangerous hidden agenda of vegetarianism.
Swim-Row-Go Triathlon not too trying!
The focus of the S5 HPE course is on fitness, and the attainment of knowledge of physical training to improve and maintain personal health. To that end, on Friday, April 23, all S5 students had the opportunity to challenge their improved endurance in an indoor triathlon (Swim-Row-Go) at the U of T Athletic Centre. Each student completed a 10-minute lap swim, then moved to the Field House for an 8-minute row and a 12-minute run. All four teachers were very proud of the fitness displayed by their students – and wonder how many schools could challenge all the students from an entire grade to push themselves to complete a triathlon!
The Demodocus Prize
Clemence Wong has won this year's UTS Demodocus Prize - a recitation prize given to the student who is the best interpreter of a memorized 20-25 lines excerpt from the Odyssey. It is named after the skillful bard who entertains Odysseus and the Phaecian court, in Book VIII of the epic poem. Clemence recited the dramatic passage in Book XXIII wherein Eurycleia recounts the Slaughter of the Suitors to an anxious Penelope.
UTS Walks the Jane's Walk
On Saturday, May 1, UTS students conducted a public walking tour of the Annex. Starting at the school with their perspective on the role and future of the school building in the neighbourhood, they then led their audience to Philosopher’s Walk, followed by a look at two neighbourhood parks in need of revitalization. The students’ renewal proposal for Huron Street Playground, conceived after consulting nearby residents, will be forwarded to the City Councillor's office for consideration. The students have also committed to a park maintenance community program to help with the upkeep of the playground.
Lunch with a Laureate
Bonnie Cheung and Annie Cheung participated in the "Lunch with a Laureate" essay contest held by the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto. Bonnie’s essay was on "Atomic Theory: The Root of Structure", and Annie’s was "The Pollution We Breathe". Both Annie and Bonnie have been invited to sit in on a series of lectures at Convocation Hall where they will be joined by other students from across the GTA – and, via live streaming of the event, from across the province. Lunch with the guest lecturers will follow.
Earth Day Scholarship
Amy Jiang is one of 5 regional and 20 national winners (out of 500 applicants) to be awarded an Earth Day Scholarship, sponsored by Toyota, to be contributed to a post-secondary institution of her choice. The scholarship is awarded to students who show leadership in tackling environmental issues – such as Amy’s involvement with the International Climate Champions Program (see below), Green Street and Roots & Shoots.
Bialystock Debating
On April 10, 44 debaters competed in the annual Bialystok tournament. It was a great day of debating two difficult resolutions: "Farms are more important than doctors"; and the even tougher, impromptu, topic of "This house is glad that they don’t make things like they used to." The more than 20 judges had a great day and were constantly commenting on the high calibre of the debates.
UTS Math teacher wins Edyth May Sliffe Award
UTS math teacher, Amy Paradine, has been awarded the Edyth May Sliffe Award for Distinguished Junior High School Mathematics Teaching. The award is given annually by the Mathematical Association of North America to just 48 teachers selected from all the junior high schools situated in 10 US regions and one region in Canada. It is based on the total performance of the three top-scoring students of a school over the past three years.
Chris Alexander ‘85 shares insights with World Issues students
Chris Alexander ‘85, former Canadian Ambassador to Afghanistan, visited UTS on April 16 to meet with the 70 students participating in the World Issues course. He shared his rich knowledge of Afghanistan and the ongoing conflict there, provided a detailed and highly insightful discussion of the Afghanistan’s history, and linked that history to contemporary issues in the region. He also provided the students with an opportunity to ask questions that ranged from women’s rights under the Taliban regime to the ongoing Afghan detainee issue currently dominating Canadian politics.
An Encounter with Dr. Jane Goodall
On April 13, UTS student Ali Damji and teacher Meg O’Mahony, attended the Jane Goodall Institute for Canada volunteer appreciation dinner where they had the opportunity to meet world-renowned primatologist and activist Dr. Jane Goodall. Ms O has volunteered many times for the JGI and Ali is currently serving on the Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots National Youth Council. In addition, on April 8, Ali, fellow students Roohie Sharma, Denisa Rusu, Sarah Liu, Jane Su, and Cydney Kim, and VP Dorothy Davis, attended the Youth 4 Action workshop where they were led by Dr. Goodall in a discussion on forests, and engaged in forest stewardship activities like mulching tree saplings at Downsview Park!
Native Solidarity Group hosts screening
On April 7, the UTS Native Solidarity Group hosted a screening of the documentary “6 Miles Deep” which looks at the roles played by clan mothers during a blockade, in February 2006, mounted by the Iroquois Confederacy to protest housing developments on traditional territories. Sara Roque, the director, was in attendance to answer questions and discuss the film.
Ms O’Mahony in Uganda
Ms O’Mahony spent March break in Uganda under the auspices of the Jane Goodall Institute of Uganda. She ran workshops for teachers of grades 5, 6 and 7, who were selected by their lead teachers to attend the 4-day Environmental Education professional development session. JGI Canada raises the money to run the workshop – which includes the workshop materials, facilitator’s binder, resource books, as well as food, accommodation and the teachers’ travel expenses. Given that the teachers are so poor, they would not be able to attend without this support.
Deutschmobil visits UTS
On March 1, the ‘Deutschmobil’ rolled in to the UTS parking lot as part of its 3-month tour across Canada - an initiative developed by the former German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to encourage young individuals to take an interest in modern Germany, its language and society. UTS German teacher Nicola Townend, as President of the Ontario Association of Teachers of German, has been actively involved in the planning of this project, partnering with representatives at the German Embassy in Ottawa, the German Consulate General in Toronto, and the Goethe-Instituts in Toronto and Montréal. The Deutschmobil’s language ambassadors worked with Ms Townend’s Beginner German students on activities connected to this year’s (soccer) World Cup in South Africa. The students also tried their hands at some rap in German!
UTS student takes part in Climate Change video-conference
At an International Youth Climate Change event on March 9 and 10, Brazil, Britain, Canada and Russia were each represented by five students who were linked in real time via video-conferencing. This erudite group of students discussed the chief challenges they felt their countries were facing, shared their ideas about addressing climate change, and summarized their individual positions as statements to the G8 members - who were soon to arrive in Canada. One of the five Canadian students (and the youngest of all delegates) was our own Allan Luk, who spoke eloquently on Canada, especially regarding the Tar Sands.
Metro Toronto Student Debate Championships
Congratulations to Nida Noorani (R) and Karishma Manji (L) for their first place finish in the West Division of the Metro Toronto Student Debate Championships last Saturday. They won all four of their rounds. This qualifies them to compete in the Ontario Debate Championships in Ottawa on the weekend of March 26 - 28. Nida also won second place in individual speaking.
Charity Week at UTS
UTS has been in the grip of Charity Week - and the Silent Auction is continuing through this week. Among other things, during lunch on February 24, the students made $200 at a Dodgeball game. In addition, the multi-cultural lunch in the Commons on February 26 was a huge hit, with samosas, salad, wraps, dessert, live music - and much more, available for UTSs dining pleasure!
Alumnus teaches Jazz
Mitchell Wong ‘05 (below far right) taught jazz and jazz improvisation to the M4 music class during the month of February. He also performed with the students on Jazz Night.
The Centennial Play
On February 25, the curtain went up on the 2010 Senior Play. The Centennial Play was an original collaborative creation written, directed, produced and performed by UTS students, staff and alumni. It followed the adventures of four Reach for the Top students and their staff advisor as they explore the history of UTS, guided by a mischievous school boy spirit.
At left, the beautiful lobby installation created for The Centennial Play by UTS alumna Margaret Krawecka '96. It took Margaret, and the students who helped her, three full days to create.
Battle of the Bands
Students and staff took to the stage and rocked-on during Battle of the Bands, on Thursday, February 11!
Great Schlerids!
On February 7, Dr. Larry Peterson (U of Guelph) and Dr. Carol Peterson (U of Waterloo) held a Plant Sectioning Techniques workshop for 14 UTS students and 3 biology teachers. This was the first high-school workshop the visitors had run and they were delighted with the enthusiasm and interest shown. They commented on how the students got really involved and developed some very strong technical skills. Students learned multiple skills including freehand sectioning of plant petioles from multiple plants, sectioning bulky material (e.g. potatoes), sectioning with support (eg leaf cross sections), squash and peels. The squash preparations of pear showed great schlerids!
DECA Success
Approximately 7,000 students from across the province competed in the DECA Provincial competition on February 8-9. Events ranged from prepared competitions to sophisticated PowerPoint presentations to on-the-spot case study analyses. In addition, participants wrote an examination in their chosen field of study - especially impressive given that our students had to study their topics on their own time. UTS faced very strong competition (i.e. peers in specialized business programs). UTS garnered two first place, two second place, one third place, and one fifth place finish.
Wrestling Champs
Congratulations to UTS wrestlers: we defeated eleven other teams to become the South/West TDSSAA Champions in the boys’, girls’ and overall divisions, for the third year in a row. The final tally: six gold, three silver and three bronze medals. Thanks to all for your support!
UTS Student takes part in Climate Change video-conference
At an International Youth Climate Change event on March 9 and 10, Brazil, Britain, Canada and Russia were each represented by five students who were linked in real time via video-conferencing. This erudite group of students discussed the chief challenges they felt their countries were facing, shared their ideas about addressing climate change, and summarized their individual positions as statements to the G8 members - who were soon to arrive in Canada. One of the five Canadian students (and the youngest of all delegates) was our own Allan Luk, who spoke eloquently on Canada, especially regarding the Tar Sands.
Well, well, well...
Wellness Wednesday came around again on January 27. The foyer table was loaded with fruits and veggies and Physical Education teacher, Kris Ewing, engaged passersby with a special slide-show on sound nutrition. In addition, a collection box for donations to the relief effort in Haiti was set up.
Fundraising for Haiti
UTS students have been busy raising money for Haiti. The Senior Girls Volleyball team whipped up and sold smoothies, hot chocolate, fair trade coffee, and cookies and raised close to $550.00 for the Haiti relief fund. In addition, Garth Chalmers’ M3 Geography classes had a competition to see which could raise more money for Earthquake Relief. One group sold samosas with great success and raised $650. The other group reached out beyond the UTS community and raised $1168.26. That means that, along with matching funds from the federal government, the two classes raised over $3600!
Toskan Casale
The UTS Toskan Casale Youth and Philanthropy Initiative took place on Wednesday, January 20. As part of the M3 Civics course, students were challenged to research a local not-for-profit organization and to present a case for funding to the judges (previous UTS Toskan Casale participants) – and to their peers. Toskan Casale awards $5000 to the ‘winning’ charity. This year, the winners successfully advocated for Rainbow Songs, a foundation that brings music activities to children in family shelters across the GTA.
UTS British Council International Climate Champ
UTS student, Amy Jiang, is the third UTSer to become a British Council International Climate Champion. She is currently attending a camp to study climate effects on the mountain ecosystem of the Western Ghats. The camp is based around the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in Southern India - one of the world’s "biodiversity hotspots." Amy will also join other Commonwealth students participating in a high profile event in Delhi in early February: the Annual YUVA Meet (Youth Unite for Voluntary Action), organised by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
Bio Art
Our own Ilana Tavshunsky has placed first in the 2009 Lilly BioDreaming Poster Competition, for K-12 students from across the United States and Canada. The finalists' artwork will be displayed at the Biotechnology Institute’s Conference on Biotechnology Education, and also during the BIO 2010 International Convention, for an audience of more than 20,000 attendees!
To see the posters, go to: http://www.biotechinstitute.org/programs/2009BioDreamingContestWinners.htm
Soundstreams Canada
On November 20, as part of the Soundstreams Canada festival, members of the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra, from Germany conducted a music workshop at UTS. UTS students also performed a concert with the German musicians a few days later at the Gardiner Ceramic Museum.
UTS driven to collect groceries
Here, courtesy of the Deputy Prefects (Daniela, Jackie, Fern, Keven), are the stats on the recent UTS Food Drive:
Total servings collected: 15,000 (14,870 to be exact!)
Recipient: The Daily Bread Food Bank
Winning house: Crawford (5600 Servings)
Grade/house with the most Servings: F2 Althouse (3800 servings)
In the pic: - the final haul in UTS’ seasonal Food Drive sits outside the auditiorium during the Winter Concert. Audience members could contribute a food item in exchange for a ticket to the show.
It’s Great to Debate!
Three UTSers joined 16 other teams at the Royal St. George’s Saucer Debating and Public Speaking Challenge. Team UTS debated the resolution that schools are responsible for the moral and spiritual development of youth. UTS snagged both first and second places for individual debaters and, as a team, clinched second.
We are the (South Region Junior Girls Basketball) Champions!
The Junior Girls Basketball team ended a spectacular season by defeating Bloor Collegiate to win the South Region Junior Girls Basketball Championship. In the Championship game, the Blues took the lead at the end of the 1st quarter and never looked back: UTS 33 / Bloor 29.
York University Engineering & Science Competitions
UTS was extremely successful in the York University Engineering and Science Competitions on October 14, taking home the Albridge Cup for best school. Point totals for the 5th to 2nd placed teams were all within 60 points, but UTS came in a noteworthy 140 points over second place.
