User:Uncompetence/Victoria Park CI
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| Victoria Park Collegiate Institute | |
 (Take Action and Pursue our Goals with Enthusiasm) |
|
| Address | |
| 15 Wallingford Rd. North York, Ontario, M3A 2V1, Canada |
|
| Information | |
| School board | Toronto District School Board |
| Superintendent | Gloria Baxter |
| Area trustee | Micheal Coteau |
| Principal | Diana Panagiotopoulos |
| Vice Principals | Neil Dyal Eija Forster |
| School type | Public High school |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Language | English |
| Mascot | Panther |
| Colours | Red, Gold and Black |
| Established | 1960 |
| Enrollment | 1400 (As of Spring 2006) |
| Homepage | http://www.victoriaparkci.com |
Message to Wikinoob: See, this is how Wikipedia totally works, any moron can edit a page (i.e you)! I mean like zomg, you managed to find the 'edit this page' button. Was it difficult? Did you have to look up the individual words of the link? In the end, you DID manage it! Like zomg you're like SO SKILLZORS, what are you going to do next? Move the page?
Victoria Park C.I. is a collegiate institute located south of Ellesmere Road and west of Victoria Park Ave. at 15 Wallingford Rd. in the North York area of Toronto, Canada. It is the first publicly-funded school in Ontario to host the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Authorized to offer the IB Diploma Programme since July 1987, the programme is taught in English. The school is open to male and female students.
[edit] History
Victoria Park Collegiate Institute was offically opened to students in 1960. Approximately two decades after its founding, Victoria Park C.I. became the first public school within Ontario to offer the International Baccalaureate Program. Throughout recent years, Victoria Park C.I. has produced graduates that have successfully gained entrance to some of the best universities in the world.
[edit] Provincial Assesment
In 2005/2006,
- 15% of Victoria Park's academic students scored level 4 (80% or above) in EQAO Math Assessment (only 7% of all students in Ontario achieved this standard).[1]
- 80% of Victoria Park's students passed the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, which is one of the requirements for achieving the high school diploma, compared at 71% of students from the Toronto District School Board.
[edit] Administration
- Diana Panagiotopoulos (Principal) BAYAK
- Neil Dyal(Vice-Principal) BAYAK
- Eija Forster(Vice-Principal) BAYAK
- C. Connor (Curriculum Leader of Student Services)
- Susan Shank (Administrative Assistant)
- G. Hauser (School Council Chairs)
- Micheal Coteau (School Trustee)
- Gloria Baxter (Superintendent)
- Sheldon Usprech (IB Coordinator)
- R. Yoshida (SLC Staff-adviser)
[edit] International Baccalaureate Program at Victoria Park
The International Baccalaureate (IB) offers programs of international education to a worldwide community of schools. Victoria Park CI was the first public school in Ontario to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. Our graduates consistently score within the top 5% of all students enrolled in the IB. Following are some information on the IB Program and its existence at Victoria Park C.I.
[edit] The History of International Baccalaureate At Victoria Park
International Baccalaureate has been offered at Victoria Park since 1987. Started in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1968, it was designed to be a rigorous academic program for dedicated students. Offered at Victoria Park is one of three levels of the IB Program. The Diploma Program was created for students aged 16 to 19. It was intended to teach students to question and critically examine. Also offered by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) are the Primary Years Program and the Middle Years Program. Today, the IB Program is offered in more than 1000 schools in over 100 countries.
[edit] Application to IB at Victoria Park
Here in the IB program at Victoria Park Collegiate Institute, along with the guidance of our teachers, students must be personally motivated to pursue this curriculum. Grade nine and ten students are admitted into a pre-IB program at Victoria Park where they are given the opportunity to perceive the IB curriculum. Individuals who wish to apply for the pre-IB program must write a Student Application Essay of 400-500 words. This essay should include the reasons why the applicant believes that he, or she, is suited for the program. The applicant then must attend an interview with our IB Coordinator in order to complete the application process.
[edit] Benefits of the IB Program at Victoria Park
Graduates from the International Baccalaureate Program at Victoria Park CI have many post secondary options. Most universities accept the IB Diploma as an alternative to A-levels. In fact,IB students gain admissions to some of the well known universities in the world. In 2006, an IB undergraduate at Victoria Park Collegiate Institute was accepted to one of the world’s highest-ranked universities, Harvard. Aside from that, IB graduates from Victoria Park have been accepted to universities such as University of California, Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania and London School of Economics. In addition, IB graduates from Victoria Park have been awarded by universities and colleges with first-year credit for their high IB exam scores.Successful IB graduates have many opportunities before them upon high school completion.
[edit] Disadvantages of IB Program at Victoria Park
The I.B. (international baccalaureate) program is truly enhancing, but also comes with many disadvantages. Firstly, students find that there is a homework overload and find that they cannot handle it and end up procrastinating. Eventually, procrastination causes these students a lot of stress and they end up staying up all night working on their assignments. The next day, they find themselves sleeping during their period A classes. Other disadvantages students find in the I.B. program is the way their course are very limited since most of them are already set for them for the net grade. Examples can be in grade 10 where all course are already set and one of the only choices they have is picking between geography and economics. Also students don’t have a variety of course choices. I.B. students cannot choose courses such as woodshop, physical education and other courses. Students in the school are also often referred as the “nerds” by the regular academic and applied students and thought to have “no life,” of course seeing as how they are thought of student's who do work constantly but this is not true. With this in mind, it will be very difficult to want to join the I.B. program if the student know's that they will be given a label in the student body. These are just some of the disadvantages students find in the I.B. program at Victoria Park C.I.
[edit] IB at Victoria Park
Many secondary schools only have 3 courses but at VP, there is an extra course called the IB course. The IB Program is a nonprofit educational foundation, motivated by its mission and focused on students’ successes. Today, almost half of the students are engaged in IB Program at Victoria Park. In the Victoria Park IB courses, students will learn more concepts in depth. The students are required 150 volunteer hours and are given 5 enrichment core subject areas that focus on the students to be independent studiers. Even so, the IB students still need to have one creditin the arts, and one credit in Computers and Information Science or Introduction to Information Technology in Business before graduating. Victoria Park is the first publicly-funded school in Ontario to offer the IB courses in 1987 and since then, the VP graduates have been scoring 5% higher than the average IB graduate in the final exam. 90% of the IB graduates are accepted in the university they want to attend. And in addition, the student will receive an extra 3 university credits.
[edit] Students of Victoria Park
[edit] Recent Student Achievements
Students of Victoria Park C.I participate in assessments and various contests, and the results demonstrate the academic achievements comparatively. In the most recent 2005/2006 reports of the Ontario Provincial Assessment, EQAO, the percentage of students above level 3 and 4 was 71% in the Academic Program and 17% in the Applied Program. In The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, 83% of all students participated passed compared to the 80% average of TDSB. The students are also active participants in various contests such as the Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge, Fryer, Euclid, Ontario Ergometer Championships, Galois, Pascal, Math Kangaroo and the 2007 National Biology Competition. In the most recent Pascal Math Contest, the combined results of all grades ranked as the 5th highest score in Canada. While in the 2007 National Biology Competition, the grade 11 placed in the 37th spot amongst 423 participating schools.
[edit] Ambitions and Goals
The students at Victoria Park C.I. come from many different schools with diverse educational backgrounds. They also depart to several different post-secondary educations and proceed to different career paths. Most students at Victoria Park plan to pursue their education by heading to colleges and universities once they have graduated. Victoria Park’s graduating students have been known to be accepted and attend countless prestigious universities such as Harvard, Yale & Berkeley, which further establishes the point that they follow multi career paths. Another popular target for Vic. Park graduates is the University of Toronto (U of T). Every year several students form both the International Baccalaureate (I.B.) and the academic program get accepted to and attend U of T. Although they all take different paths the one similarity that will never change is their roots in Victoria Park.
[edit] Graduating Students of 2006-07
Since 1960, when it started, Victoria Park has graduated more than 100 students every year. This year, 2006-07, 193 grade 12 students and 77 I.B students will be graduating from 12 classes. There is no graduation trip for the graduating students of 2006-2007. However, the Prom, which took place on Friday, May 25, 2007, was an evening for the grade 12s. The Prom included a 5-course dinner accompanied with a dance and a D.J. The most popular universities that some of Victoria Park’s students are going to are University of Toronto, York University, Western university of Ontario, and Queens University.
[edit] Student Leadership Council Members
The students remaining at or joining Victoria Park C.I. are represented by the Student Leadership Council (SLC), a group of 9 student-elected representatives, all with different roles, but as a whole, mainly focused on improving school spirit at Victoria Park C.I. The elections for all of the positions in 2007-08, except for a possible Grade 9 Rep, have ended with the winners already starting their jobs. Dimitri K. was elected as the new President. The students chose Sumi V. to be Dimitri’s Vice-President. The only returning member from the 2006-07 Student Council was Aathmika K., leaving her role as Arts Rep, and becoming the Secretary. The position for Arts Rep was filled by one of two current Grade 9 members, Janet E. The other Grade 9, Abishek S., became the Grade 10 Rep, for 2007-08. Piro D. was elected as the Social Events Coordinator, Dilan V. became the Clubs Rep and Leandros V. completed the elections by winning Athletics Rep. Next year, their responsibilities will include overseeing major school events, such as dances, talent shows, Battle of the Bands, etc.
[edit] Student Attitude
Student opinions about teachers are crucial in a learning environment. The more preferred a teacher is, the higher the likelihood that the student will benefit from the class. That’s why the students at Victoria Park are so intelligent “The teachers are fabulous at what they do, they are very intellectual as well as helpful people. They care about whether or not students complete their work, and have set consequences for students who choose not to finish their work” as quoted by the students. This encourages students to try their hardest and consistently complete their homework on time. School events are also something that brings the school together. It is a time, where people can meet new people; people can meet others who may have same interests as them. These school events are an important part in VP, because many of the students participate in them, and have fun. All together, it is evident that many aspects come together to make a school what it is. Whether is be dances, clubs, or events, everyone has a different perspective on it. This is what makes Victoria Park a culturally diverse school.
[edit] Facilities of Victoria Park
Victoria Park CI offers a wide array of facilities. From the pool to the weight room, the varieties of the facilities are huge. Meeting the need of each student, the differentiated types of facilities would benefit all. Some facilities have been built a short while ago while some has been there there since the opening of the school. To learn more about Victoria Park's facilities, read on.
[edit] The Pool
Victoria Park CI is one of the schools in the TDSB that has possession of a pool on school grounds. The pool is 25 yards by 10 yards. The pool has a deep end and a shallow end, they are divided exactly halfway, making each section 12.5 yards by 10 yards. The depth of the deepest part of the deep end is 9 feet while the depth of the shallowest part of the shallow end is 3 feet. Where the deep end and the shallow end is divided the pool is 4.2 feet. The pool is equipped with a diving board, 2 "water-basketball" nets, a lifeguard tower and underwater light fixtures. The pool also has 2 change rooms which is equipped with 5 shower heads and benches.
[edit] The JetFac
The JetFac, or the Jackson E. Tovell Fine Arts Centre, is an indoor space at Victoria Park C.I. serving department, extracurricular, and community uses. Named after the principal, Mr.Tovell, it was established 25 years ago and has hosted many events and shows, including music and drama performances, guest speakers, and the annual Art Gallery, which showcases visual artworks from all grades and classes. During such events, presentations and slide shows can be projected onto an existing cyclorama wall; lighting and sound booths, as well as curtains, are available for performances; stage risers can be moved and rearranged to create depth and height for exhibits; and a slide-out wall that is able to divide the room in half allow for the accommodation of various activities.
[edit] The Gymnasiums
There are three indoor gym facilities at Victoria Park CI and each one is used on a daily basis by the athletes and sport teams. There are two single gyms, one is the Girls gym and the other is the Boys gym. There is also a double gym; the approximate size of the two single gyms joined together, that is used by everyone, no matter their gender. These facilities are used for highschool intescholastic sports, physical education courses, and for intramurals. Each gym has its own storage of sports equipment which can be used for any of these activities.
[edit] The Weight Lifting Room
Victoria Park CI consists of many programs and services, which the students can decide on using. One of the many services that this school provides is the Weight Lifting Room. The Weight Lifting Room at Victoria Park CI is located near the hallway opposite to the Phys Ed. Office. 3 years ago, the current Health Room used to be the Weight Lifting Room when it was changed to its current position. The current Weight Lifting Room used be a Sheet Shop, a few years back. As well as the opportunity for students to come work out in the Weight Lifting Room for a time apart from school time, there is also a Weight Lifting course that is offered to both male and female students for a full semester.
[edit] Clubs, teams and other groups
Victoria Park C.I offers a mixed variety of leadership organizations, sport teams,and student clubs. This unique diversity at Victoria Park C.I represents the multicultural attributes and combinations of interests within the school.
[edit] Sports
Just because the I.B program is happening in this time period doesn’t mean that it was always like this. Victoria Park was very much like an American school where most of the students were in to playing football and where Victoria Park was known for the sport teams, the cheerleaders and lots of school spirit. Like at most of the American high schools, football was the thing and if you were the quarterback of the team, you were like a school king. The school didn’t just have football, but a variety of many other sports which of course meant that Vitoria Park was more of a jock school. Just after the school was opened, the first Victoria Park baseball team was formed; one of the first and even an ice hockey began; founded in the early 1970’s. Victoria Park has come a long way since the beginning of its sporting history.
Volleyball
Victoria Park’s volleyball has been competitive since the school began. It is open to both male and female students and comprises of junior teams as well as senior teams.
- In 1982, the junior boys placed second place in a tournament held at George S. Henry, losing only to Downsview High School. The senior boys won the North York League, and the junior girls placed first in their season, however they lost in the semi-finals to Parkdale.
- There were scattered wins and losses for a time, but in 1988, the senior girls came back with the North York Championships.
- Most recently, in the 2006/2007 season, the junior boys placed second in their season, and lost in the playoffs to Earl Haig. The junior girl team placed second in the overall league.
The volleyball teams will play for the 2007 season, however the players will be chosen in the beginning of the 2007/2008 school year. The junior boys’ volleyball team is currently coached by Mr. Ivans.
Basketball and Baseball
Victoria Park's basketball and baseball teams have always been fierce competitors. In 1976, Haine’s Globe Toddlers (girls' team) had an undefeated season and went to the playoffs. However, they lost in the semifinals against Bathurst. In 1982, the junior boy’s basketball team made it to the North York Quarterfinals and won the Mackenzie Earlybird Tournament. At the Xerox-Overlea tournament, they were the consolation winners. The senior basketball team had 15 wins and 9 losses, and won consolation championship at the Overlea. In 2000, the boy’s baseball team made it to the North York Final. However, they lost to York Mills Collegiate Institute in the championship game. These are just some of VPCI's accomplishments in basket-ball and baseball.
Football
Football used to be a part of Victoria Park It is to be said that there weren't enough players who wanted to join the team so it just stopped. In this case, 2002-2003 was the last team in Victoria Park C.I. In November 1978, the football team won their 3rd consecutive North York football championship. Also, the football team was and still is special because they won a Metro Bowl in 1980. During the games, there were a lot of people who went and enjoyed the pep rally. The school had a lot of pride and sprit for their team. Sometimes, the teachers let their students out early when there was a football game.
Archery
The archery club at Victoria Park C.I. is a club and team that needs to be recognized more and has had its many victories. The archery club was started in 2002 by Mr. R. Schweitzer, though the equipment was present in the school for many years. The club has had many achievements over the past four years, with at least one medal every year, except for the first. Some major accomplishments have been, in 2007, Lora Moutofova received 5th Place Olympic from the Ontario Championships. In 2006, Victoria Park had a girl’s standard team which received the silver medal from the Ontario Championships. Also, in the same year the girl’s standard team won a bronze medal. Additionally, Hanbing Wang won gold in an individual competition at the Ontario Championships. She was eight points away from the record. The archery club meets every Friday and Tuesday after school in the boy’s single gym. Meetings are not necessary to attend, but are a good practice before competitions.
[edit] DECA
The Victoria Park CI DECA chapter focuses on the study of business branches such as marketing, hospitality, services, and finance. The chapter held many fundraisers, such as the distribution of Student Price Card, during the 2006 school year. The group hosts weekly meetings and sharpen business skills by reviewing case studies for the annual DECA Ontario meet. Two Victoria Park chapter members achieved top ten in the 2006 provincial meet and traveled to Houston for the national meet.
[edit] School Newspaper
Victoria Park C. I.’s school newspaper is run by students. In the late 60's there was a controversial but extremely popular rag published called "ZERO". Semi-sanctioned by the liberal leadership of the current principal, Jack Tovell, It was largely a humour magazine, filled with gossipy and often insulting articles and cartoons. Rumoured to have contributed to the nervous breakdown of its long suffering staff advisor, it led to a formal complaint by a neighouring school principal on at least one occasion. In 1977, Abacus was the first official school newspaper. (edit, actually Abacus had a brief earlier run in 1970, after ZERO was killed by the man) Later, a group of students formed The Panther Press, which became the second official school newspaper. Kasi Shanmukanathan, the first editor-in-chief of this club, created a well-established modern communication system for The Panther Press. Currently, this club is a monthly newspaper. A photo essay that visually expresses a certain topic was a new edition to the paper this year. The club’s goal for 2007-2008 is to further improve on their writing and distribute more papers.
[edit] Orchestra
The Orchestra is another club in Victoria Park Collegiate Institute and it started in 1976. It consists of 40 strings and band players. Currently, the Orchestra has become more “timetabled” and extracurricular. In 2006-2007, Mr. Gelbloom led the Orchestra in several events such as the Rock opera and Commencement. The Rock Opera consisted of the orchestra, drama students and art students. “Music Night” was dedicated mostly for music. This event was usually held every semester to help students reveal their talents. The future expectations of the orchestra would be that more people would participate in this club.
[edit] Student Leadership Council
The SLC (Student Leadership Council) at VP is an important part of the school, and is generally considered more of an organization or council then a club, mainly because of the rigorous election process and many responsibilities to the school. It is a group of dedicated and responsible individuals taking up positions like President, Treasurer, Athletic Rep and Gr. 10 Rep...etc.
It's purpose is to represent the opinions of the student body, and serve as a unified voice to influence school-wide decisions so the years may be more enjoyable for the students. They greatly enhance the running of the school and supplements the staff with all sorts of activities throughout the school. They help organize events such as spirit days and fundraisers for the school and events such as dances, Victoria Park's own Battle of the Bands and much much more. This not only diverts some stress from the teachers, but offers more opportunities and ideas to improve the school, and promotes student involvement and teaches life lasting skills.
The teacher supervisor of the SLC is Mr. Yoshida.
[edit] Athletic Council
The Athletic Council is an organization of students who throughout the year organize sport-related activities. The past athletic councils at Victoria Park have organized ep rally’s and means of transportation for past sports teams. They have also held and organized several intramural sports and Athletic Banquets. At present the athletic council organizes tournaments and intramurals. They also plan the Athletic Banquet that is held towards the end of the school year. In the future this council wishes to continue organizing and holding athletic events for the school. Current Admin consists of Furqan T. as President, Saahil V.and Vishaka C. as Vice President and Mara T. as secretary
[edit] Free the Children Club
In addition to the many clubs offered at Victoria Park, there are also many charity organizations like the Free the Children club. This club was started in March 2006 by a group of students, who were inspired by the guest speakers of a conference attended by the grade 11 and 12 IB classes and the World Issues class. The student leaders of this club are currently Yasmin Mussa, Lucy Li, Akilya Ratnavidel and Dina Tranze-Drabinia and their staff advisor is Mrs. Bremner. A group of students who are a part of this club meet every Thursday at lunch. The purpose of this club was to raise money to build a well in Sierra Leone and the students have already raised approximately $1000 since the start of this club. Some of the ways they have raised money was through bake sales and the selling of raffle tickets. However, the major event they participated in was the Walk for Water event. Therefore, the Free the Children club is one of the newer charity organizations at Victoria Park.
[edit] VP Ambassadors
VP Ambassadors is another club, amongst many offered at Victoria Park. This club gives students opportunities to volunteer at events within the school. The club leaders of 2006-2007 are Claudia Lee and Jasmine Chan. In addition, the future club leaders for 2007-2008 will be Laxy Saunthar and Mihika Kashyap. One of the staff advisors for the Ambassadors is Mr.Zuppo. The Ambassadors have helped out on many occasions like Curriculum Night, Grade 9 Activity Day, Memorial and Commencement, International Night and a few others. At the end of each year, the club leaders hand out volunteer hours according to the number of hours contributed by each member. In conclusion, VP Ambassadors is a club that allows students to be more involved in the school as well as gaining volunteering experiences.
[edit] Drama Club
Along with many other clubs in Victoria Park CI, one is the Drama club which first started in 1988. There have been many plays, musicals and activities performed for the school since then. One of the first two productions ever presented were “Heroes” and “Hamlet” which were both short, comedic plays. Since then there have been many other plays done, the latest being the Rock Opera which not only involved the Drama club but also other members of the school. Other than major productions, the club has also been involved this year in things such as the AIDS assembly in which they performed monologues and a skit for Arts Week. The Drama club’s current head is Ms. Roach.
[edit] Special Events
Special assemblies and concerts are frequently organized in Victoria Park CI, many of which are for the purposes of fund raising and education. Besides annual holiday assemblies that showcase performances of the students (orchestra, band, drama club, etc) and teachers (self-organized plays), many special concert and events are organized for the students such as Grade Nine Day. The school's staff and students have oftentimes in the past set up events and assemblies on the topic of AIDS/HIV Awareness, 10% Reality(Anti-Homophobia), eating disorders, and anti-bullying. Such assemblies have raised the awareness of students on problems and issues around both themselves and the world. Other types of events which are arranged for educational purposes include the annual Student Achievements Recognition and SLC (Student Leader Council) speeches assemblies. In addition, Victoria Park is very fond of holding concerts and special musical events that explore the talent of the students. Some examples include The Rock Opera of 2006/2007, a special production written and performed by the rock band and drama club; The Talent Show; and International Night, showcasing the multi-ethnicalism and multi-culturism that is Victoria Park.
[edit] Semi-Formals
Though not held every year, the semi-formal at Victoria Park is always looked forward too. They are held at banquet halls with a dinner and dance afterwords. The majority of students that attend the semi-formal are in grade 10, 11 and 12. Guests of students of the school are welcome to come and have fun with their friends and some of the staff come to "keep an eye" on the things going on during the night. Everyone comes dressed to impress. The event is one of the larger ones during the school year and all that come have a great time.
[edit] School Dances
Victoria Park C.I offers and organizes many social events and gatherings for the staff and students of Victoria Park. These events get students more involved with the school and is a great way for people to meet others and get to know one another. One of the bigger gatherings at Victoria Park would be the school dances. Victoria Park C.I has been holding dances for our students for many years now. Since the first time this idea came through, dances grew to become a big and safe social gathering for our students due to its exciting themes. Usually the staff and students hire a professional DJ for the night along with a selection of staff monitoring the event for safety purposes. The many unforgettable nights of dances held here at Victoria Park were organized mostly by the SLC with the help of some staff.
[edit] Prom
The prom at Victoria Park Collegiate Institute is a momentous event for the graduating class. Each year there is a central theme to the dance and students come dressed according to the theme. There’s dancing, eating and conversing with one another while enjoying the festivities. Students choose Prom King, Queen, Couple amongst other titles. At the end of the Prom, students receive memorabilia to commemorate the time they had at VP. Some themes at the VP prom have been: Classic Hollywood and Nuit Blanche.
[edit] Athletes of VP
Athletes of VP
Sports at Victoria Park CI
Since opening its doors in 1960, Victoria Park CI has offered a variety of sports for students to get involved in. The panther, noted for its strengths and invincibility, was chosen as the name for all school teams. Over the years, Victoria Park CI has offered many sports for students to participate in, including basketball teams, volleyball teams and cross-country teams. In the height of the baby boomer enrolment in the 1960s and 1970s, Victoria Park CI offered rugby and football for boys at bantam, junior and senior levels. The senior boys’ football team was the North York Senior Football Champions for three consecutive years, from 1976 to 1978. Today, sports like swimming, cricket, tennis and hockey are also offered at Victoria Park CI and students can participate on varsity teams for soccer and baseball.
[edit] Victoria Park Staff
Victoria Park C.I. has collected a group of dedicated staff members, each hired for their ability to teach. Below is a list of some of the staff that are also heads of the major departments.
Mr. Gelbloom -Music
Ms. Katsinos -Math
Mrs. Shanks -Administrative
Ms. Abrakasa
Mrs. Maize - Library
Science Department
[edit] Academic Achievements
Victoria Park has participated in numerous competitions throughout its years. These include various fields of mathematics, the sciences, as well as the social services; some of which take place beyond school walls.
- As a result of the 2007 Pascal Contest, Victoria Park ranks as the 5th highest scoring high school in Canada.[2]
- At the University of Toronto's 2007 National Biology Competiton, the school placed in the top 50 amongst 423 participating schools worldwide.[3]
- After the 2006 Cayley Contest, Victoria Park ranked in the top 10 highest scoring high schools in Canada. Students have also been recognized for individual achievement. [4]
- Furthermore, many have participated in the Math Kangaroo Contest and have excelled at both regional and national levels. [5]
- Students have also competed at the Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge[6], Ontario Ergometer Championships[7], Euclid Contest[8], Fryer Contest, and Galois Contest[9] with successful results.
[edit] Guidance
Guidance in Victoria Park Collegiate Institute has changed as time went by. Guidance in Victoria Park Collegiate Institute is very important because the people in guidance help students with problems students have academically and emotionally. They help make sure students aren't distracted by issues that could harm them or anyone else because they want school to be a warm environment for learning. Around 1998, there were less full time counselors working, as more counselors worked part time. Today, we have child in youth workers and more social workers now. They work full time and play a more significant role in the school. Furthermore, the counseling system has changed dramatically, especially because of the fact that counseling summary forms are available today. In guidance, computer systems influence this department much more which results in a more organized track of the student records. There is also way more feeder school access which is a great benefit. Also, as more students started to join the International Baccalaureate program, the IB office was moved into the guidance department which was very convenient and important in the evolution of guidance. In brief, guidance is and will still be very important in Victoria Park.
[edit] Library
Victoria Park C.I., like all high schools in the TDSB, has a very resourceful library. The library offers over 20 workstations, two computer labs, independent study areas, printing services, and photocopying services. The library is also the home to over a thousand books of all genres. The library occasionally holds fundraisers for the Hospital for Sick Children and much more.
The library at Victoria Park is where students attending this school can go to take out books for both pleasure and research, use the internet for educational purposes and print and photocopy for a small fee. It features various cubicles for independent study as well as workstations suited for group work. There are over 1000 books of many different genres to choose from as well as a selection of graphic novels and magazines. With the program called Accelerated Reader, grade nine students are encouraged to read and are tested afterwards on the content of the novel they chose. Some other programs on the 50 computers are spreadsheets, turing, Microsoft Word, and graphic editors such as Adobe Photoshop.
[edit] Librarians
- Ms. Maize
- Ms. Stephens
- Ms. Abrakasa
- Ms. Derosario
- Ms. Waybrant
[edit] Student Librarians
- D, Sedkin Worked during second semester,afterschool,06/07
[edit] White Pine at VP
The White Pine high school reading program started in Victoria Park CI in the spring of 2003. Every year at the beginning of semester two, a meeting is held in the school library to gather students who are interested in participating in this reading program. All books nominated for White Pine are young adult fictions written by Canadian authors. The ten nominated books are introduced to the students who will have to read at least seven out of the ten selections to be eligible to vote for their favourite book.
A meeting takes place every three weeks in the library where students get an opportunity to discuss, with their peers as well as other teachers, about the books they have read. The voting for the favourite book takes place in mid May at the school. After all the votes from across Ontario have been accounted for, teachers and students of Victoria Park CI who have participated in the White Pine reading program are then invited to the ceremony where the winning author of the nominated books is announced.
[edit] Notable alumni
[edit] References
- ^ "EQAO results", Toronto District School Board, September 13, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
- ^ http://www.cemc.uwaterloo.ca/english/contests/past_result/2007/pcf_results.pdf
- ^ http://www.biocomp.utoronto.ca/2007/school-name2007.htm
- ^ http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:dgVdxfIHI5cJ:www.cemc.uwaterloo.ca/english/contests/past_result/2006/cayley_honour_roll.pdf+%22Victoria+Park+C.I.%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=50&gl=ca
- ^ http://www.math.toronto.edu/oz/turgor/news.php
- ^ http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:5OivVcwGfX8J:www.math.ca/Competitions/COMC/COMC06/results2006.pdf+%22Victoria+Park+C.I.%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=24&gl=ca
- ^ http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:7X-jbspDEPEJ:www.rowontario.ca/Groups/Documents/2006%2520Draw.doc+%22Victoria+Park+C.I.%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=27&gl=ca
- ^ http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:tvkEmXG5stcJ:www.cmc.uwaterloo.ca/english/contests/past_result/2006/euclid_results.pdf+%22Victoria+Park+C.I.%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=35&gl=ca
- ^ http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:3pf9_I7HTPEJ:cmc.uwaterloo.ca/english/contests/past_result/2006/fgh_results.pdf+%22Victoria+Park+C.I.%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=36&gl=ca
[edit] External links
- Victoria Park Collegiate Institute's Official Website
- TDSB School Info
- Victoria Park Collegiate Institute's IB Program Information
Category:High schools in Toronto Category:Schools in the TDSB
