Category Archives: In The Community

Amazing!

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At the end of the Inside Ride event, I was pleased to speak to our student, teacher, and parent participants. I told them that they were amazing; but more importantly, that what they had done was amazing. Their fundraising totals for the event and their enthusiasm during the day was amazing and they had truly made a difference in the efforts to eliminate children’s cancers in supporting SickKids, Coast to Coast Against Cancer, and Jenna’s Angels.

We have had a number of special events at Mentor and TEAM recently. As a group of students and teachers, we have found these events to be truly moving and memorable, fun and meaningful.

Why do we do have all of these special activities and events at Mentor College and TEAM School?

Definitely, these activities provide an opportunity for our students to participate in an event. The events foster school spirit and a sense of community across the campuses and divisions of TEAM and Mentor. Leadership opportunities abound for our students when they get involved in these initiatives. We showcase our fantastic students and their many talents of course, but the awareness that they take away from these activities is so important. They gain an awareness of some of the challenges that families may face. Most importantly, they learn the importance of giving back to the community, whether through time and effort, or financial donation. The special events and activities encourage our students to adopt an understanding of giving back, and they become leaders in their school community who want to give back to the larger community.

In the past few weeks we have seen our students involved in many events and activities where they were involved, enthusiastic participants in the community. Students have participated with the Outreach clubs at the Humane Society, the Children’s Aid Toy Room, and they have visited Armagh House, senior centres, and have presented Memories to Music in partnership with the Alzeheimer Society-Peel; students worked at the gingerbread build in support of Habitat for Humanity, supported the Make-a-Wish campaign, our elementary choirs and Leaders for Change group will visit local retirement residences before the Christmas break, and our high school play production in December will support Doctors Without Borders and Gua Africa.

All of these are examples of events where our amazing students truly shine. Thank you, parents, for supporting the students in their many initiatives. Thank you also to the many teachers who devote time and effort in “leading by example, and inspiring excellence” in our students’ participation in the many activities provided by our school. Our students surely will grow up to be leaders in their community who will be participants in various opportunities for involvement, giving, and community outreach. Our students are amazing, but more importantly, what they have done is truly amazing!

Chuck Macdonald
Director
Mentor College / TEAM School

The Best Students & The Best Possible Education

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I have believed for quite a long time that our school is the best possible education but there have been a number of things happen over the past while that have cemented that realization.

It was Chris Hadfield that got me thinking about this again. We sometimes take what we have for granted but when he told the students that they were in a great place (Mentor/TEAM) to learn in a great country, it was a great reminder. There are students right in our neighbourhoods who do not have the same opportunities as our kids do and there are many countries in the world where sadly, education is a privilege at best (and where simply seeking an education can make you a target for terrorism).

Last Wednesday night, I had the opportunity to hear a homeroom of Mentor Grade 10 speeches. And while only one of those speakers will get the opportunity to say their speech again (at tomorrow’s Speech Contest), every one of those students will be asked to speak in public dozens of times in their lives. The experience with Speech Night every year puts our students at a competitive advantage in post-secondary education and long into their employment years. If you need proof, just click on this CTV news link to see how polished our students are in front of the camera!

Over the past two days, I have heard from perfect strangers how wonderful our kids are. At yesterday’s HS wrestling tournament, guests (parents) commented on how helpful some students in the front lobby were in escorting them to a washroom and the coaches glowed about the efficiency and teamwork that our 30 student volunteers exhibited in keeping the tournament flowing. Today, it was satisfying to hear the students leading the HS Business Conference speaking with the guest speakers in the room next door to mine. They were businesslike (but in a good way, if you think that is a negative connotation) and friendly and I could tell by the responses of the guest speakers that they were impressed with the professionalism of both the afternoon’s programme and the poise of the students.

It will be interesting to hear from prospective parents this Saturday at our Open House what they know about the school and more importantly, about our students. I am confident that if these families have any experience dealing with our students, our school (like a good business product or service) will “sell itself”.

Chris Starkey
Administrative Principal
Mentor College / TEAM School

See You On Saturday!

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A slow transformation from gymnasium to “Fashion Week Event” is taking place at the Main Campus in preparation for Saturday’s charity Fashion Show. The students from the Primary, TEAM and Intermediate divisions are on stage right now going through their technical rehearsal (walking on the actual runway instead of one defined by tape or pylons!) and this evening, the high school models will go through their final rehearsal before the dress rehearsal tomorrow morning.

If you are coming to the show, please come prepared with your usual chequebook/cash/bars of gold that you carry around but if you spend more than you have on hand (strongly encouraged!), there will be credit/debit machines on site as well! There is literally something for everyone in the silent and live auction listings and even if you are not a successful bidder, you are helping to support the 2014 charities, Sheena’s Place and Trillium Health Partners. See you there!

Chris Starkey
Administrative Principal
Mentor College / TEAM School

It’s Almost 6:00 … Better Check Your Email!

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While watching the morning news today, I learned about this story.

If you don’t want to check out the link, this new French law does not allow companies to expect employees to check or answer email after 6:00pm. About 1 million French workers are covered by this law and it is geared particularly at the tech sector. I thought the story was interesting and then realized, when I checked first thing in the morning, that I had been spared the usual handful of overnight emails (it was only upon getting to work that I learned there was a glitch with the phone provider and that Mentor/TEAM had not been taken over by a French firm…c’est la vie!).

I can understand the allure from the employee side of things (particularly in a country where 5 weeks’ vacation and a 35 hour work week are already mandated) and the obvious difficulties this would place on companies who have come to expect workers to be available after-hours. I think, however, that our connected society actually looks upon after-hours work as a form of flex time.

When you think about it, our students would also find the concept of shutting down their “job” as students after 6:00 a monumental shift. They have some daily homework, various projects and long-term studying schedules that occupy their evenings and weekends but it is incorporating these duties into the rest of their lives that is part of the process of time management. We have some VERY busy girls and boys in our schools who take part in extra-curriculars, volunteer in community organizations, take music lessons and participate in sports (sometimes all of those things!) AND they maintain and exceed their academic goals as well. Not to be outdone, I know that our teachers are also involved in all these activities (both for themselves and their own kids) and they not only make it all work, but successfully so. Students and teachers who get time during the school day can choose to get a head start on some homework or some marking or they can socialize with their friends; it is all part of time management and prioritization. I see this in both my daughters (one of whom still uses her version of a homework book in university!).

I know personally that I can’t plan for everything that might happen in my workday. If it is 4:00 and I have three hours of work to do, I want the freedom to go home (take advantage of the sunshine for some yard work, have dinner with the family) and put off work until later in the evening. And with that, I am heading home to see if the snow has melted in the back yard so I can rake! I can check my emails tonight…

PS: Remember the old school video I mentioned last week? Well, here it is…we hope you enjoy it!

Chris Starkey
Administrative Principal
Mentor College / TEAM School

Constantly Complimented Both Locally & Abroad

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Parents of students in Grades 8 to 11 may have already heard about some overseas HS trip opportunities in the next school year (one trip to Germany/Belgium/France, one to Nepal and another to Ghana) and the Grade 8s have already learned that the Class of 2014 year-end trip will be to Chicago.

Starting in a week, it will be the privilege of 9 staff members to take more than 60 of our HS students on three overseas trips (Cambodia, South Africa and China/Hong Kong). Even though I have been on many of these trips, I am always surprised when flight attendants, bus drivers and tour guides stop me to compliment me on the behaviour of our students. (I also still get a chuckle when travellers in the airport ask the teachers for directions to the Westjet counter…is it because we look knowledgeable or is it our navy, crested blazers and grey pants?)

I still remember the flight attendant who served our group back from Europe who told me that she had been away from Toronto for almost 2 weeks and ours was the very last flight. She told me that to be honest, when she saw our group of “private school kids” get on the plane, she said to herself that it was going to be a lonnnggg flight and she knew she would need to speak to the person in charge. She did, but it was to let me and Mr. Young know what a pleasure it was to deal with our teenagers and that we were so unlike a number of other schools (and she gave us names!) she had served over the past few years.

Probably because I have been here for so long, I sometimes forget how fortunate I am that we have such great kids here AND how so many people are not prepared to give compliments to teenagers. We will get them in South Africa just as we do at the Science Centre. In the same way that the Barrick Gold head office staff was impressed, the business people in Beijing will be. The story will be the same in Cambodia as it is at the Compass Food Bank; we graciously accept the compliments on behalf of the kids and say to ourselves how lucky we are to be working here.

Chris Starkey
Administrative Principal
Mentor College / TEAM School