Ursula Franklin Academy
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| Ursula Franklin Academy | |
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| Address | |
| 146 Glendonwynne Road Toronto, Ontario, M6P 3E3, Canada |
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| Information | |
| School number | 1504 |
| School board | Toronto District School Board |
| Superintendent | Karen Falconer |
| Area trustee | Irene Atkinson |
| Principal | Tito Faria |
| Vice principal | Lorraine Linton |
| Administrator | Heather Woodtke |
| School type | Public Alternative High school |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Language | English |
| Mascot | Bear, Flame |
| Team name | Flames |
| Colours | Navy Blue, Hunter Green, Burgundy |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Enrollment | Approx. 500 |
| Homepage | http://www.ufacademy.org |
Ursula Franklin Academy (UFA) is a high school located in the High Park area of Toronto, Canada. Originally located in the Dufferin-Bloor area at 90 Croatia Street, UFA moved in 2002 to share a building with Western Technical-Commercial School and The Student School. Students can attend UFA from anywhere in the Toronto District School Board. Founded in 1995, Ursula Franklin Academy's style of teaching is a doctrine of Dr. Ursula Franklin's work in the field of education.
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[edit] Uniform
Students of UFA must wear uniforms in order to ensure that they all share the same status in the image-based teen culture found in Toronto. Students generally wear a navy blue uniform, although variations of uniform style do exist. The existing variations include white and navy blue polo, oxford shirts and T shirts, and rugby shirts sporting the school colours. Many students also alter uniform requirements. Currently there is an organization within the school called the Student Uniform Association, whose mandate is to provide new and comfortable uniforms at a discount price and to ensure that the production of students uniforms' does not break Human Rights laws.
[edit] School Values
UFA's school values are closely tied to the life and work of its namesake, Dr. Ursula Franklin. Students are attracted to UFA for its innovative technology programs, Wednesday Sessions and school values. Students call teachers by their first names and classrooms are also referred to by its teacher's name (and not its room number). This creates a pleasant atmosphere for both students and teachers. The School Values include high expectations, diversity, self esteem, democracy, community service, connected knowledge and creating a community of learners. UFA's mission statement is as follows:
Ursula Franklin Academy is a small community of learners which offers integrated liberal arts and science packages, preparing students for academic programs at the post-secondary level.
[edit] School Colours
When the school opened in 1995, Dr. Ursula Franklin chose the official school colours as navy blue, hunter green and burgundy. These colours were chosen because in combination, they do not represent the flag of any nation-state. This was intended to create an atmosphere of global citizenship for students at UFA. Students, Teachers and the Administration are working on adding different colour combinations to the uniform. The uniform will still not represent the flag of any nation-state.
[edit] Schedule
At Ursula Franklin Academy students go through an 'eight day' rotation. Each month, students sign up for their favourite Wednesday Sessions that happen on every Wednesday. Typical Wednesday Sessions include student council, guitar jam sessions, fashion class, study halls, remedial tutorials, yearbook preparation, jazz appreciation, films of nature, etc. Students are encouraged to run their own Wednesday Sessions with a supervising teacher or staff member.
[edit] Sports
Although UFA is a rather small school, many of its students and teachers pride in UFA's numerous sports teams. Aside from the usual High School teams (boy's soccer, baseball, swim team), UFA offers some unusual sports. The Dragonboat Team and the Ultimate Team (a.k.a. the Ultimate Frisbee Team) are exemplary highlights. Although many teams are coached by teachers and/or "community coaches", some teams are coached and managed by UFA students (e.g. the Ultimate Team). Like many schools, the annual Athletic Banquet is a major event for many staff and students.
[edit] Virtual UFA (VUFA)
Virtual UFA is an internal BBS. It allows students, parents, and staff to communicate with one another via the Internet. For example, it allows students to post their ideas, questions, or concerns in a variety of online conferences including Student Issues, Student Lounge, and Student Council; ask teachers for help through instant messaging, or read important announcements. New students are given an account of their own at the beginning of the school year.
In October, 2006, VUFA crashed, leaving many students and parents without connection to the school. The IT Department fixed it within a week, though the online access was still unavailable for the following couple of months. The IT Department and administration are currently looking to upgrade both the hardware and software used to host it to avoid such incidents in the future.
[edit] Administration
[edit] Principals
- Myrna Mather (1995 - 1997)
- Anne Kerr (1997 - 2006)
- Tito Faria (2006 - Present)
[edit] Vice Principals
- David Freedman (1996 - 2004)
- Rod Fuentes (2004 - 2007)
- Lorraine Linton (2007 - Present)
[edit] Courses
UFA offers an assortment of courses at four grade levels.
[edit] Grade 9 Level Courses
- English
- Geography
- Mathematics
- Mathematics (Enriched)
- Science
- French
- French (Enriched)
- Health & Physical Education (Female or Male)
- Introduction to Computers
[edit] Grade 10 Level Courses
- English
- History - Canada in the 20th Century
- Guidance - Career Studies
- Civics
- Mathematics
- Mathematics (Enriched)
- Science
- Drama
- Music - Music and Computers
- Music - Electronic Keyboarding
- Art - Media
- French
- French (Enriched)
- Physical and Health Education (Female or Male)
[edit] Grade 11 Level Courses
- English
- Science
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Mathematics - Functions
- Mathematics - Functions and Relations
- Drama
- Art - Visual
- Art - Visual Arts: Photography
- Geography - The Americas: Geographic Patterns & Issues
- History - World History to the 16th Century
- History - Understanding Canadian Law
- Introduction to Anthropology, Psychology & Sociology
- World Religions: Beliefs, Issues & Religious Traditions
- Politics
- Computer and Information Science
- English Media
- French - Core
- Healthy Active Living Education (Co-ed)
- Interdisciplinary Studies
- Co-op Education
[edit] Grade 12 Level Courses
- English
- English - Writer's Craft
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Mathematics - Data Management
- Mathematics - Advanced Functions & Introductory Calculus
- Mathematics - Geometry and Discrete Mathematics
- Geography - Canadian and World Issues: a Geographic Analysis
- Canadian and International Law
- World History - The West and the World
- Philosophy - Questions & Theories
- Politics
- Interdisciplinary Studies
- Drama
- Art - Visual
- Art - Visual Arts: Film/Video
- Music - Vocal
- Computer and Information Science
- French - Core
- Exercise Science
- Co-op Education
Students do not necessarily need to have all their courses correspond to their particular grade level. For instance, first year students are required to select a grade 10 arts course. Similarly, older students may choose lower grade level courses. However, in most instances when younger grades select higher grade courses, they require a prerequisite to be admitted.
[edit] Extra-Curricular Activities
There are many extra-curricular activities that students can take part in. These include:
- S.A.S.S (Students Against Stereotyping Sexuality)
- Improv Team
- FAA (Franklin Athletic Association)
- UFA Robotics (Silver Medalist in City wide high school robotics competition)
- Student Council
- Guatemala Project
- The Guatemala Project is a group of students at Ursula Franklin Academy who have an interest to learn about Guatemala's violent past and current injustices. They learn about the civil war and how Mayan peasants are treated today. One of the things the group does is sells fair trade plus, organic coffee with Cafe Justicia, working with the CCDA. The Guatemala project also plans trips for students to go to Guatemala and help the CCDA/HIJOS (an Other Organization they work with)
- Chess Team
- B.S.A. (Black Student Association)
- Radio Club
- Anime Club
- Peer Tutoring
- Newspaper
- Dance Committee
- Prom Committee
- ESP (Empowered Student Partnership)
- Yearbook Committee
- Literary Journal
- Rights of Animals Restored (ROAR)
- Environmental Alliance
- UFA Radio Pictures (School Movie)
