Category Archives: Athletics

Taking On The World

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The one thing that has been a constant from when I was a student, a teacher, and an administrator is my involvement in athletics. As a student, I played hockey and t-ball in Woodstock, soccer in Windsor, and every sport available in Goderich. When I was hired as a supply teacher at Mentor/TEAM, I wasn’t expecting to have much contact with sports but fate placed me in a PE class on the first day of school in September 1990 and I ended up coaching 10 different sports. Even when I moved to administration and traded my t-shirt and shorts for a blazer and tie, I continued to coach and I still play volleyball and softball throughout the year.

While I have nothing but fond memories in sports, the one thing I would tell my 13-year-old self (if I would have listened to an old guy like me!) would be to get involved in the arts. In high school, I never set foot in a music room, an art studio, or on the stage. I got so focused on everything to do with sports that it was only later in life that I found out how much I enjoyed performing. In my opinion, one of the big selling points of our school is that our students have a wide variety of choice when it comes to activities. Starting with the “Memories to Music” concert this past week and continuing next week with the “Festival of the Arts” (and even on through to the year-end musicals), I see students with a wide range of interests taking part in arts-related activities. Yes, some students get involved exclusively with arts but I see way more students on our stages who are just as actively involved in athletic and academic competitions. To be sure, these students are learning time management skills as they juggle their school activities, homework/studying, and (as I sometimes forget) their life outside of TEAM/Mentor.

Public education is becoming increasingly focused on specialized and regional learning as the Catholic and public school try to out-do each other with arts schools, IBT (International Business and Technology) programs, and SHSM (specialized high skills majors) streams but our students get the benefit of having a broad base of knowledge and activities. This really hit home with me during the Intermediate Division morning announcements this week when principal Ms. Findlay boasted about the fact that one-quarter of the Peel Region Science Fair team going to the Canadian finals this year will come from Mentor! The same thing happens with our HS students (like Sagar Kothari, who last week represented Ontario at the world championships for the business competition DECA) and younger students when they take part in the choral division of the Peel Music Festival. When we go head-to-head with students in regional programs designed for success in a specialized area (like Science and Technology), our students not only compete, they excel.

Chris Starkey
Administrative Principal
Mentor College/TEAM School

Support Is A Parent

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img_1345It is no secret that everyone wins when parents are engaged in their child’s education. Students with active parental support have greater academic success, stay in school longer, and also become supportive parents for THEIR child’s education later in life.

Parental support comes in many different forms. When I was a student, my parents were always interested in how I was doing at school. I only remember two times when they visited the principal because of me (not counting the time my Mom was the supply teacher for my class and she sent her only son to the principals’ office for being sassy!) but I do remember the support they gave me for my extra-curricular activities. Volleyball started in the first week of high school and because I lived in the country, this meant arranging for after-practice transportation. Volleyball season melded into basketball season (followed by badminton and track and field without a break in between) so I was constantly in their debt for a ride home. Even when I got my drivers’ licence, I know that having the car meant that one of them was going without a vehicle for the day.

At the HS Athletic Banquet each year, the student-athletes get the opportunity to acknowledge their coaches but I always remind them to go home and thank their parents for giving them the opportunity to play because coaches and players are not the only ones who sacrifice some sleep for a 7:00am practice! It is not just our sports programme that requires this form of parental support; many of our clubs, arts groups, and academic competitors have meetings outside regular school hours that require an adjustment to your day as parents as well. I am sure your kids thank you on a regular basis for this extra effort but I would also like to thank you from the school’s perspective. Without “Mom/Dad’s Taxi”, we can’t provide the same quality or quantity of programming. We are highly-regarded for our academics of course but we know from our results in sports tournaments, academic competitions and arts’ performances that we are well-known for our extra-curricular programmes as well. So when you see your child’s name in a drama playbill or a certificate from an academic competition or get the chance to see them win a sports championship, please know that you had a part to play in that success!

Chris Starkey
Administrative Principal
Mentor College / TEAM School

It’s School Musical Season!

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Last night at the HS Athletic Banquet, the theme was “Look How Far We Have Come”. I was able to pass along some anecdotes from the beginning of our sports history and compare and contrast them with the 2015-2016 school year. Other than the greater number of student-athletes participating, the main difference is the facilities our students now enjoy.

Our year-end musicals could also have a “Look How Far We Have Come” theme to them. In fact, the very first school musical held at the Main Campus in 1987 took place before the school was even open! Explanation: the school was entirely housed at the current TEAM School location that year and, as a way of creating some excitement for the move to Port Credit, the founders decided to get the Auditorium (and the hallways leading up to it) all ready for the show. The lighting and sound equipment was rented, there was no air conditioning and the rest of the building was in shambles after being vacant for 3 years. Nowadays, our lights are pre-mounted and programmed, the sound equipment includes wireless microphones and iPad controllers, and we have three shows at three campuses (all in air-conditioned comfort). What hasn’t changed is the sense of accomplishment from the students, the 100% participation behind-the-scenes of our teachers and the smiles on the faces of the audience members.

There is one unfortunate change with modern technology, however. Copyright rules and production agreements no longer make it possible for the school (via the school store, The MT Room) to offer DVD copies of the musical. If you plan on attending “The Lion King”, “Charlotte’s Web”, “Beauty and the Beast”, or all three (!) in the next few weeks, please keep this in mind.

Chris Starkey
Administrative Principal
Mentor College / TEAM School

Thank You For A Busy Saturday!

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When we renovated the field at the Mentor campuses last summer and installed the Dome in November, we knew that our current families would be able to appreciate the difference. At our Open House last Saturday, I was inside the Dome to answer questions and three of the families who came in were actually current families! They had a son/daughter writing the entrance assessment but they were excited to see the Dome themselves because as one Mom put it “Our son talks about it every day but we haven’t had the chance to come inside it yet!”

Our current families notice the improvement but we were not expecting the “buzz” from people outside the Mentor/TEAM community. One family told us that their middle son wanted to come because in his words, “they have an awesome soccer field and a Dome” and “Mentor always has the best sports teams”. Even the casual observer has noticed; my mortgage broker (to whom I speak every 5 years) complimented me on how we have improved the community and that “it really looks sharp from the GO Train!”. Local training facility SWAT knows about our facilities and this afternoon brought CFL star Chad Owens to the Dome for a video shoot.

Our policy of re-investing in the school’s facilities, staff and instructional materials paid off with a very busy Saturday at every division of TEAM and Mentor but we continue to value the personal recommendations that you make to your circle of friends. Thanks again and we accept the challenge of affirming that trust.

Chris Starkey
Administrative Principal
Mentor College / TEAM School