News

Donations to York’s Annual Fund support our school’s highest priorities. This past year, families had the choice of directing their donations to the specific division their children were in, needs-based bursaries for talented and deserving students, or the Head’s Initiative Fund. The Head’s Initiative Fund is among the most popular designations for Annual Fund gifts, as it empowers Struan Robertson to provide teachers and faculty with immediate funding for projects that directly enhance the student experience.

Michael and Kathryn Bowen have had three children graduate from York since enrolling their eldest son Henry ‘17 as a first grader in 2005, followed soon after by Audrey ‘20 and Ross ‘23. Over that 17-year arc, the Bowens say they enjoyed watching the school grow and prosper while staying true to its core values. 

This week, students, faculty and staff remembered the courage, contributions and sacrifices of veterans during two assemblies – one held for the Junior School and one for the Middle and Senior Schools. Both assemblies recognized Indigenous Veterans Day (Nov. 8) and Remembrance Day (Nov. 11).

The Diploma Program promises to expand the breadth of students’ knowledge and put them on a path to becoming well-rounded scholars and citizens. In Grade 11, this involves the completion of the Extended Essay — an independent, self-directed piece of research that culminates in a 4,000-word paper.

To cap off the Middle Years Program in Grade 10, students have the opportunity to bring together all the building blocks of inquiry, action, and reflection that they have acquired to date through an in-depth and sustained investigation called the Personal Project.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was an opportunity for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 to learn about the history and legacy of Canada’s residential school system.

The York School’s newly rebranded Spirit House names and logos were recently revealed at opening assemblies for the Junior, Middle and Senior Schools.

Claire has always been a creative person who is passionate about the environment, so she knew early on that her Personal Project would be centered around these two interests. “I love creating art, but I’m also aware that the chemicals found in some art materials can be harmful to our planet,” explains Claire. “For my Personal Project, I decided to make natural ink out of plants and recycled materials.”

 

“My Advisory always felt like a very safe space where we could just hang out and chat” 

When Abby Nash graduated from York in 2020, she had a culminating high school experience that was certainly memorable -- just not in the ways that she had imagined.

“The IB curriculum definitely made settling in at York easier for me” 

By the time Kaylyn Williams (‘13) joined The York School in Grade 10, she already had a lot of experience adjusting to a new city and home: “My dad worked for General Motors and we moved every 3 or 4 years for his job,” says Kaylyn, “We arrived in Toronto after a year back in Michigan, and before that I had lived in Mexico and Europe as well.” 

Vannakkam or Hello York! We are back from participating in the Global Pathways School Cultural Exchange Trip over the March break, where we travelled to Tamil Nadu, India.

As the debate and public speaking season winds down, humanities teacher and debate coach Rob Burkett would like to recognize our world-class debaters and public speakers. 

The George and Helen Vari Foundation has been supporting educational institutions and students for almost 40 years through bursaries, philanthropic gifts and other initiatives.