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When the world changes, UTS adapts. The 2020-21 school year at UTS was a school year like never before, as the rapid-fire change wrought by the pandemic required that our school become more agile and innovative than ever. UTS education faced disruption, but our commitment to learning shone through. Innovation became our new normal, and as the pandemic evolved, we adapted to live our commitment to give students the transformative education that is so vital for these changing times.
The challenge: striking a balance for the fall with a hybrid school plan that would provide that vital in-person learning to students, while keeping everyone safe from COVID-19 and allowing students to also attend class virtually.
As soon as the 2019-20 school year ended, UTS leadership began planning in earnest for the 2020-21 school year. We had already transitioned to an online school virtually overnight in March 2020, learning to teach exclusively with Google Classroom, and connect through Google Meets, so some of the systems were in place, but now we had time to plan for the fall.
“The coronavirus provided us with opportunities to try new things – necessity is definitely the mother of invention,” said UTS Principal Rosemary Evans. “We introduced new technologies, communicated in new ways, and experimented with new teaching and learning strategies to support student engagement as well as deep understanding of expectations for all students, whether they are learning at school or at home.”
The UTS leadership team adapted to changing government directives on the fly, constantly adapting the Return-to-School plans as new government directives and COVID-19 health information became available. UTS administration, especially Head of Academics Marc Brims and Vice Principal Garth Chalmers, devised and revised new schedules for the hybrid school. New cleaning and hygiene protocols were established. Facilities made major changes to how we use the school building and created socially distant classrooms. The Learning and Innovation team set up technology for hybrid classrooms. UTS hired an Infection Protection and Control Nurse to guide the school in the process, and many parents, who were physicians and scientists, lent their medical expertise to help our school establish effective plans to keep everyone safe.
After an exhaustive summer of preparation, UTS was ready for a brave new school year in a global pandemic.
While planning for the return to school, the pandemic, Black Lives Matter movement and students’ concerns helped UTS chart a definitive course with four new strategic initiatives launched for the 2020-21 school year:
Just before the return to school, UTS released Action Steps Re: Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to guide the school towards meaningful progress in this area. Read more about this work [link to https://www.utschools.ca/blog/content/uts-action-steps-aim-instill-equity]
UTS also launched the Community of Support to encourage greater diversity at our school, aimed at supporting Black and Indigenous families through the admissions processes and their time at UTS by connecting them with Black or Indigenous UTS students, alumni and UTS community partners.
After the intensive planning, preparation and precautions to keep everyone safe, the first day of school at UTS began with a smooth start. Everyone entering the school was required to complete and display the COVID-19 self-assessment app. Staggered arrival times meant that socially distant lines to enter the school were short and moved quickly. Everyone wore masks. It was so wonderful to see everyone in person again. With a hybrid teaching model, students had the option to fully learn from home and or to attend half of their classes in person.
To create more space for physical distancing, UTS re-opened available classrooms in 371 Bloor West, which was under renovation, with F1 (Grade 7) and F2 (Grade 8) and some S6 (Grade 12) students attending classes there, and the remainder of students attending class at our temporary school at 30 Humbert. Teachers and students adjusted to five-hour classes, a trimester system, three-week schedules as well as an intensive focus on hand hygiene and two-metre distancing.
As we settled into day one of school reopening, Science teacher Katherine Chien and her M4 (Grade 10) Biology class piloted our first outdoor class, setting a trend of taking the learning outside whenever possible. Later that week her AP Chemistry students went outside and did valence shell electron pair repulsion theory (VSEPR) yoga to practice their molecular geometries and bond angles. Soon many classes were taking it outside when possible, as much needed break from screen time. Students also went outside at lunch and for walking breaks, guided by UTS monitors, student teachers hired to supervise students during lunch and breaks, so teachers could have a break during their work day.
Teachers became technologists, developing expertise with tech tools like Padlet and Flipgrid, and had all the new technology in place for the hybrid classroom, thanks to the leadership of Dr. Cresencia Fong, Head of Teacher Learning, Technology and Research, and the Learning Innovation Through Library and Ed Tech Team: UTS Integration Teacher Vernon Kee, Teacher-Librarian Susie Choi and IT Teacher Support Andrew Masse.
Hybrid learning was alive and thriving at UTS in the fall. Alan Kraguljac’s S6 (Grade 12) Biology lab on enzyme rate of reaction brought together lab teams of in-class and at home learners via Google Meet, using creativity and innovation to assign roles and collect data remotely. Ms. Ki's yoga class brought everyone together with the big screen, and Rebecca Levere's F2 (Grade 8) Geography class split into groups to assess how to make a better Bloor Street by improving things like walkability, cyclist access, the environment and more, with online students participating by phone.
Matteo Ferrero-Wong’s F1 (Grade 7) Music class proved we didn’t all have to be together to make magic, composing a body percussion piece as a group. First, students learned four percussion patterns. Then they rearranged them to create big and small group sections with different patterns and choreography. This is the result!
Body percussion piece composed by Mr. Ferrero-Wong's Music class
M3 (Grade 9) Ashwin talks about the E-Sports club at the virutal Club-o-Rama
As fall progressed, virtual assemblies became the new normal, as did virtual co-curriculars. At the end of September, UTS hosted a virtual the Club-o-Rama student club showcase under the leadership of Director of Student Life Garry Kollins (now a Vice Principal), with students exploring the different virtual rooms and a surprising amount of interest in clubs like the competitive coding club (which did not usually get so much interest).
While co-curriculars went virtual, in the early fall students were able to take part in physically distant tennis and lacrosse. In February, UTS hosted after school sports by class for F1, F2 and M3 (Grade 7 to 9) students, with sports like badminton, basketball and volleyball.
Where there’s UTS, there’s a way. UTS couldn’t have its traditional House sorting, so Director of Student Life Garry Kollins took the event to Oakville’s 5 Drive-In in early October, and house spirit came out in full force (physically distant of course). No amount of rain could dampen our House sorting ceremony, as a new generation of Althouse Gators, Crawford Knights, Cody Cougars, and Lewis Vikings joined the ranks of UTS House.
Later in October, socially distant house spirit days took place outside and at the school for F1 and F2 (Grade 7 and 8) students.
UTSPA's Coffee with Marleen Wellness Series for Parents
UTS acknowledged the heavy impact the pandemic-induced social isolation was having on youth mental wellness. Wellness Coordinator Kris Ewing and the UTS Student Wellness Team helped us all take care of our students, each other and ourselves. Students drove an initiative to have crisis resources available as a tab on the UTS students’ web site, so students would have options at hand for help if they needed them. The UTS Parents’ Association began producing Coffee with Marleen wellness sessions for parents, with UTS Social Worker Marleen Constantin discussing pressing issues like social isolation and digital citizenship.
In November, UTS created a new role of School Nurse, combining the Infection Protection and Control responsibilities with the support of student mental health and hiring Registered Nurse Adi Sood for this role.
Little did we know that when UTS broke for the holidays in December, we would not be returning in January. The Government of Ontario instituted a province-wide shutdown on December 26. Schools became closed to in-person learning. With all systems in place for hybrid learning, UTS was ready to flip the switch and go fully online with a seamless transition. While school initially planned to return in January in line with government directives, worsening COVID-19 numbers and new variants of the pandemic pushed the date back. On February 17, UTS resumed hybrid school, but not for long.
When the Province shifted the timing of March Break for all public schools from March 15 to April 12, UTS followed suit, planning for a one-week break in April and creating several long weekends in March and April to make up for the second week of break. Students and staff were more than ready for a break and some off-screen time!
After April Break, it was back to virtual school, in line with the Province’s decision to shift all schools online. While it was disappointing we couldn’t be together in person, we were ready to stay the course for the common good, knowing we would get through this together.
Throughout the winter and spring trimesters, teachers kept class interesting with virtual field trips and guest speakers. Dr. Maureen McCarthy’s F2 (Grade 8) Canadian History class went virtually to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian for a session called Treaties Matter in February. In May, Katherine Joyce’s S5/S6 (Grade 11/12) Politics class was joined by Matthew Carroll, Political Officer at the US Consulate in Toronto, as part of the US Consulate Speakers Bureau program. These are two of many examples of how UTS teachers kept class interesting.
At the virtual Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly from top left clockwise: guest speaker Roman Waschuk ’79, the former Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine; SOMA Secretary-General Matthew; Director-General Laia; and Chief of Staff Sophie, all S6 (Grade 12) students.
UTS students hosted the largest model United Nations in the country, with 400 delegates from Canada and the U.S. attending the Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly virtually in April. This also made it the largest UTS event this year!
UTS Black Equity Committee Daeja, Leyat and Zacharie hosted civil rights leader and educator Dr. Rosemari Mealy for a virtual session over lunch for Black History Month in February.
May wrapped up with the largest Girls in Tech Conference ever, with over 170 girls in Grades 6 to 8 attending the virtual conference, organized by UTS girls for girls with things like music bots, operation robotics, a 3D design bake-off and more.
As COVID-19 numbers remained high, anti-Asian racism became increasingly prevalent in our society, prompting the UTS community to take a stand to Stop Asian Hate in March and April, with students, alumni and staff sharing their experiences and advice at community events and assemblies. That was just the beginning. Also this spring, the UTS community also had an outpouring of support to India for its COVID-19 crisis, and to Muslim communities when a Muslim family of four was targeted in deadly attack in London, Ontario. The news of the remains of 215 schoolchildren found at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, and subsequent discoveries at other residential schools, led to the Indigenous Solidarity Committee and UTS Elder-in-Residence Cat Criger guiding our community in a moment of silence, as well as talking circles, assemblies and more, trying to make sense of the senseless and charting a course toward Reconciliation. Read the story.
UTS Elder-in Residence Cat Criger and Shreya, a leader on the Indigenous Solidarity Committee, shared their reflections on the recent discovery of the remains of 215 Indigeneous children at a B.C. residential school. Following their remarks, UTS held 3 minutes and 35 seconds of silence: one second for each of the children.
While we kept hoping it might be possible to return to in-person learning before the end of the year, it never happened, and students finished the year in virtual school. But we took some time to celebrate the end of this most epic year at UTS with a virtual celebration for Foundation students, and because outdoor gathering restrictions had eased somewhat we were able to host the Graduation Ceremony at the 5 Drive-In.
Class of 2021 Valedictorians Shuruthi and Elizabeth give their speeches at the 5 Drive-In.
The Class of 2021 celebrated the successful completion of their UTS careers together but apart at the 5 Drive-In Theatre in Oakville, enjoying a lovely, sunny Graduation ceremony. “This COVID year tested our resilience as a school more than ever, teaching us that learning extends far beyond the classroom, literally and also metaphorically…” says Elizabeth, one of the Class of 2021 valedictorians. “Learning is not about titrating a liquid perfectly or simply refining the derivative of a curve. It's about experimenting, and attempting to answer risky questions…. So, let's learn for its own sake. Instead of waiting to be taught, let's dig deeper into something because it's interesting. Hard and scary and rewarding, but you will soon find out that almost everything you run into contains a question.”
Staff and alumni shared their appreciation and well wishes to grads via video on the big screen. There were beautiful musical performances. Rimmy Kaur P '21 delivered greetings on behalf of the UTS Parents' Association. It was wonderful to see the grads walk across the stage in their blue caps and gowns, receive their diplomas from Principal Rosemary Evans and Vice Principal Garth Chalmers and enter their next stage of their lives!
“We don't have the traditional send-off, it’s true,” said Shuruthi. “We've been through so much together, and grown emotionally. What we've experienced over these years has ensured that we are leaving UTS as better people than when we came.”
It was a year of remarkable resilience for everyone in the UTS community. Together we made it through, learning more than ever before as we adapted to rapid change and remained committed to the power of a transformative UTS education. Even in the face of a global pandemic we took the time to focus on issues that matter like inclusion, as well as caring for each other.
“Looking back, I am amazed how everyone worked together to navigate the new landscape while demonstrating the values UTS stands for: a love of learning, taking initiative and innovating as socially responsible global citizens,” said UTS Principal Rosemary Evans.
Congratulations to students and their families for completing what was surely one of the most challenging school years in the history of UTS. You faced the challenges admirably, and we should be so proud of what we accomplished together.
