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Located in North York, Ontario, Canada, Crawford Adventist Academy (CAA) boasts a rich, long standing history dating back to the 1950s when it was first established as Toronto Junior Academy. Created by the faithful members of the Willowdale Seventh-day Adventist Church as an elementary school Grades 1-6 in 1953, it was expanded into a larger facility a year later, thanks, in part to the generous donation of philanthropist, Dr. Erwin Crawford. Operated by the Toronto Adventist District School Board, the corporate body formed in 1978, Crawford remains “Committed to Excellence in Christian Education” and upholds the principles and values of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in nurturing students to achieve academic excellence and to establish a close, personal relationship with God within a Christ-centred, safe, learning environment.
As enrollment at Toronto Junior Academy (TJA) grew, the school was expanded to include Junior High School (Grades 7-8). In the 1980-81 school year, Grade 11 was added followed by Grade 12 in 1981-82. The new and improved school was renamed Crawford Adventist Academy in honour of Dr. Erwin Crawford. In 1995, Junior Kindergarten was added to CAA Elementary in response to overwhelming community demand. The JK & SK full-day program spots are coveted and continue to operate at capacity every year.
In order to serve the needs of neighbouring communities, Brampton and Mississauga, the Peel Adventist School (PAS)was founded in 1994. PAS started out in a rented space at the Brampton Seventh-day Adventist Church until the renovation at the rental space at 147 Queen St. West in Brampton was complete. The new facility was quickly outgrown and the school was relocated to the Mississauga Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1996, where its enrollment grew from 26 to 80 students. In August 2002, a facility at 57 McMurchy Ave. South was purchased. The doors were opened to 95 students in September 2003. Sadly, on Friday, July 4, 2008, a fire devastated the building, but thankfully, the building was empty and there were no casualties. Following the fire, PAS opened at 2626 Mayfield Rd., Caledon, for the 2008/09 school year to current.
In 2003, property located in Scarborough was acquired to build an expandable JK-6 school to serve communities in the east end of the Greater Toronto Area. Now in operation for over two years, Crawford Adventist Academy East is located at 1999 Fairport Rd., Pickering, Ontario.
With a 98% university acceptance rate, CAA continues to produce highly sought after graduates who go on to pursue post-secondary courses of study and become accomplished professionals. Governed by the guidelines of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists, Crawford Adventist Academy is a member of the Ontario Federation of Independent Schools (OFIS) and the National Council for Private School Accreditation (NCPSA).
Crawford Adventist Academy is committed to the holistic development and nurturing of young people who wish to excel in all aspects of life: academically, physically, spiritually and socially. Campus life provides many opportunities for students to participate in interschool team sports through the Girls and Boys Basketball and Flag Football Leagues. The school's athletic teams have consistently ranked as Finalists and Champions in the Toronto District Colleges Athletic Association (TDCAA) from 2005-2011. The Senior Boys Basketball team currently the 2011 TDCAA champions did an exceptionally well job at OFSAA this year. Further, the Student Association House League, envisioned and created in the 1999-2000 school year, cultivates positive sportsmanship, boosts student morale and builds the foundation of friendships that last long after the students graduate from Crawford. Students are divided into four ‘Houses’, each named after a past principal: Janes, Hudgins, Easterbrook, and Rau. Student Association encourages students to run for office and empowers them to hone transferrable leadership and interpersonal skills. A highly anticipated annual event is the Class Challenge where alumni and former students return to Crawford to interact with current students.
The music program at Crawford is exceptional and transcends well beyond celebrating music. The dedicated music teachers build and nurture musicians through Christian applications. The Crawford Adventist Academy Concert Winds achieved Gold in the Senior Band Category at the Kiwanis Music Festival in April 2010. The Junior High Band also achieved Gold at the same festival. They are supported by the Brass and Jazz Bands, middle school band and elementary school band, all performing ensembles within the program. The Feeder Program encourages students in the elementary division to audition for the Elementary Band and sets them on a path towards a natural progression to the Grade 7 & 8 Intermediate Band and High School Concert Winds. The High School Choir is the select performing, touring and recording choir who represent Crawford Adventist Academy at school, church and conference functions. The choir released a CD, Celebrating Sacred Music, in February 2008. A regular participant in the Kiwanis Music Festival, the Choir won Gold in the Open Class in February 2009.
In the spring of 2010, a group of students, faculty and parent chaperones were blessed to embark on a mission of service in Barbados where the highlight of the trip was a sunset concert at Frank Collymore Hall where the band and choir performed with the Royal Barbados Police Force Band to a capacity crowd.