Live from TDChristian

What do you want to be?

2012-02-08T00:17:00.000-05:00

When you were in grade ten, did you know what you wanted to do after high school? Hey, maybe you still don't know!

Today was Career Day at TDChristian. Primarily organized by Ms. Kerry Simpson, more than 200 grade ten and eleven students participated in sessions from over 20 community members representing a host of professions. From a nurse to an art gallery curator, a software programmer to a chef, a police officer to a cabinetmaker, there were all kinds of fascinating careers to explore.

Each presenter talked about their journey from high school until now, and was not afraid to cover both the rewards and the challenges of his or her career. They gave the students practical advice about how they could follow their dreams and ambitions, and at the same time, listen for God's call.

Brenda Bruinooge talks about her work as a pharmacist

Throughout the day, students filled out a booklet on the sessions they attended and their impressions on the world of work and what they might do after high school. They asked questions and you could see students thinking about what they might want to explore. Later this year, the grade 11 students will spend three days job shadowing with mentors to learn even more.

Here are just a few quotes from the students on what workshop they enjoyed the most:
"The EMS worker. It was a career that I never would have thought of, yet it was very interesting."
"The most useful presentation was the culinary arts one by Rose Hiebert because not only did she talk about something I like, she talked about how you get to where you want to be- regardless of what your interests are."
"I really enjoyed the mathematician; he finaly made me understand how math is used in everyday life."

"The small business presentation was pretty useful, because anyone can use business skills in real life. I think that one was pretty interesting."

"The social work one by Mrs. Garbe. She was engaging, I like her career and she described it well."

If you think about it, most of the "career" stories we encounter nowadays are about a poor economy, bleak job prospects, uncertain future pension benefits, and increased competition from workers from other countries. Students hear these stories as well, and it's no wonder many aren't ready to think much about the future. That's what makes a day like today so powerful. It brings everything back to... hope.

Larry Baziw, Director, Next Generation Service Planning and Voice Product Development for Rogers Communications

Students learning about CEF- Child Evangelism Fellowship

John Galbraith from the University of Waterloo opens students up to careers in mathematics

Live in Concert...

2011-12-22T12:13:00.001-05:00

Our assemblies usually feature student performances. It's a chance for students to hone their raw skills and get immediate feedback from the audience. We are always amazed by the talents in our school!

Trista plays and sings Sour Candy

Recently, Mr. Fluit's Guitar Class rocked our assembly with a concert. This became each student's Presentation of Learning. The students organized all the concert details like staging, tech details, and MCing.

Dimitrios and Blake hosted the concert

Dimaz plays guitar, with Kat in the background

But, a concert quickly comes down to the music. What a group of talented musicians! You can check out the videos below to see 4 of the performances. For a larger gallery of pics, just surf over to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/tdchristianhighschool

Finding community through homerooms

2011-12-15T09:19:00.000-05:00

How do you get grade twelve students to interact more with grade 10 students? How do you get grade 9s to feel comfortable striking up conversations with grade 11 students? One way we do that at TD is through homerooms.

Homerooms at TD are cross-grade, so people from each grade mingle together. It's quiet at first, but soon things get livelier. Two people who usually travel in different circles will share a joke. A grade 9 student will suggest something our homeroom should do as an activity. A grade 12 student will get brave and sit away from people she knows and meet someone new.

A few weeks ago we had Homeroom Competitions at TDChristian. Organized each year by Mrs. Dengerink's P.E. class, it brings the whole school together for some friendly rivalry and lots of laughs. I could tell you more about it, but you really just need to see it. So, check it out:

Who will win next year's Homeroom Competitions? It doesn't really matter, it's all just for fun.

Well, there goes the warning bell... it's time again for Homeroom! Today we are doing devotions, reading a Christmas story, praying, figuring out the support for our sponsor child, and planning next week's Homeroom Christmas party. Oops, second bell, now I am late!

Innovation in our Grade Nine Classrooms

2011-12-02T15:24:00.001-05:00

New technologies, mixed with creativity and imagination, allow our students to bring innovation to their own education. Here are just a few examples of the innovation you'll find from teachers and grade nine students at our school:

In Grade 9 Geography, Miss Helder's class has been studying earthquakes. To make it more interesting, Miss Helder arranged a live Skype session with her sister MaryJane, a teacher who lives in an earthquake zone on the coast in BC.

Miss Helder connects to her sister live in B.C.

She was able to share with the class how they train students in the event of an earthquake and how the community prepares for a possible earthquake. The students had a chance to ask questions about the different geographical differences between here and there.

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In Grade 9 English, Miss Simpson's class is in the middle of a media unit. They've been doing group projects where they are exploring advertising by creating parody commercials. One group- Christina, Anya, Danielle, Tricia, Braelynn, and Sarah, decided to parody a Tropicana commercial they watched that seemed to promise that drinking Tropicana would solve all your problems. What really made their parody commercial innovative was that they made the video in 3D! So, break out your red and blue glasses. You can watch it here:

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In Mr. Vriend's Grade 9 English class, students created presentations on topics from their study of Romeo & Juliet. While everyone else started using Power Point to make their visuals, Kuhn L. decided to use a program called Prezi.

Prezi allowed Kuhn to make an exciting, different, visually interesting visual presentation that kept the attention of the audience and impressed the teacher. This was a live presentation, but you can see the visuals Kuhn used by following this link (make sure you watch it FULL SCREEN).

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Last year, David A. was in my Grade 9 English class. After reading the thrilling short story The Most Dangerous Game, the students were assigned to each make a detailed map of the island setting. While most students began drawing their maps, David asked if he could use his computer. David used a first person video game that allows users to create their own level maps. After many hours, he completed an interactive map that allowed users to explore the whole Ship-Trap Island, from the waves crashing on the rocks to the thick foliage of the jungle to the ominous castle of General Zaroff.

All of these innovations make learning more interesting and exciting. What will they think of next?

The birds their carols raise...

2011-11-18T16:03:00.000-05:00

"... the morning light, the lily white, declare their maker's praise." -This is My Father's World

At TDChristian we really like our building. We like it so much that we often forget about our stunning outdoor campus.

Looking West

Our grounds are green, vibrant, alive. Turning in from Woodbridge Avenue, you'll first pass a small grove of trees and "Place of Grace", a memorial and gardens that on warm days is a favourite spot for students to gather and eat lunch.

To the South of the school, there are four acres of forest that are part of our campus (Seriously- how many schools have their very own forest?!). Numerous paths wind through the trees and down the hill, culminating to where an even bigger path connects our property to a network of City of Vaughan parks and trails.

To the immediate West of the school, a steep hill, a legendary winter tubing spot for Homeroom 28, rolls towards our sports field. Beyond that, a beautiful creek, meanders right through our property.

A Creek Runs Through It

The grounds are more than just a serene place, they serve as another classroom. For years, E-block students have done outdoor projects, from xeroscaping to creating bird habitats, creek cleanups to tree planting. One of our newest classes, Green Industries, has been doing all kinds of landscaping, water management and gardening work; their latest project is building a waterfall feature beside the school. The sports fields are used by our P.E. classes, soccer teams and ultimate frisbee teams. The forest has starred in dozens of student films from English class to Video Block.

So, the next time you visit our school, step out of the building. Close your eyes and listen to the birds chirping, the trees swaying, the wind whistling, the water rushing. They are declaring their maker's praise!

E-Block students fix up a forest path

Lauren B. works on a bird bath

Another view of the creek

This tree was recently planted to honour our retiring principal, Mr. Siebenga

The tree in place at the front entrance

Welcome to Grade 8 Day!

2011-11-09T11:47:00.000-05:00

Are you reading this in a quiet place? It's quiet here in the school right now, but a few days ago, you could barely hear yourself think over the excited buzz of the crowd.

Every year, TDChristian holds a Grade Eight Day, where grade eight students and their parents come check us out and hopefully decide that this is the high school they will become a part of. We try to cram in as much info, activities, and fun for them as we can.

This year, we entertained the Class of 2016. More than 170 grade eight students poured into the school from Mississauga to Newmarket, Orangeville to Etobicoke. Now, we're used to working with teens, but on Grade Eight Day, there was an even higher energy level reverberating down the halls and off the walls!

Grade Eights arrive to check out the school

Students improvised in Drama. Made wooden napkin holders in Shop. Played dodgeball in Phys. Ed., crafted booklets in Art, conducted experiments in Chemistry and discussed worldview in Perspectives. We haven't even covered Music, Environmental Block, Science, English or any of the other stops on the program for the day.

Making a run for it in the gym

Our theme for Grade Eight Day was, "Be @ TDChristian." The idea is that at TDChristian, students are free to be: Be Inspired, Be Cutting Edge, Be Creative, Be Academic, Be Athletic, Be Yourself, Be Known, Be Involved, Be Selfless, and Be Connected. No matter what a student's passion, personality, or interests are, there's a place for him or her at TDChristian. We also like the "Be" because it's a verb. God calls us to be a people of action, and that is something we take to heart at our school.

As part of our theme, in advance, we had given each grade eight student a T-shirt that read, "Be___________ @ TDChristian". The idea was that students could write in their own word in the blank that described what they would like to be at TDChristian. We got all kinds of interesting, revealing answers; it was cool to see all the different ideas.

The day whipped by. Just before our guests left, we had them fill out a survey on their experiences. Here are a few comments from those Grade Eights:

"I think this is a really great school."
"I liked the art program and the art teacher. And the science teacher; he was funny."
"It was a lot of fun. I'm really looking forward to coming here next year."
"I really liked all the teachers because they were so nice and made you feel very welcome."
"It was one of the best times I ever had."
"It was really fun learning all the things I learned today."

What a wonderful day. In a few weeks, we'll be sending out our Application Packages and hope to see all of those happy, excited, energetic students this coming September!

Checking out the wildlife in E-Block

Having fun in Science

Lunch for 200+ students & parents? No problem!

5...4...3...2...1....

Another Bountiful Harvest

2011-10-26T09:30:00.000-04:00

Walk through our hallways and you'll see student paintings, drawing and photos everywhere you look. Yep, we really love the arts here at TD!

Every year the Vaughan Public Library hosts an arts contest open to all teens who attend school in Vaughan.Once again, our school did very well in many categories. Six of our students walked away with awards.

Ben Hiebert won Photography, 3rd place for this photo of a graveyard that he took on last year's Canadian Battlefields Trip:

Kara Schuringa took Photography 2nd place with this photo of her dog:

1st place in photography went to Erin Steckley for this photo:

In the category of Poetry, Aaron Sawczak won 3rd place for his poem "Burn Your Finger":

Finally, in the Video category, students Elisha Wielinga and Ryan Odenthal took 1st place (team) for their short video, "Evolution of Emotion", a response to Hamlet. You can watch it here:

The students were honoured at an awards night at the Vaughan City Playhouse on October 18. After the ceremony, they were ready to sign autographs for their fans.

Congratulations to all our students, and a special thank you to Mrs. Vandenberg, our librarian, who encourages so many students to enter their work.

Quebec City Here We Come!

2011-10-19T11:46:00.000-04:00

Earlier this month, our Grade 12 French class embarked on a week long field trip. They kindly kept a diary of their time away:

Lundi
We all woke up bright and early to set off for our 10 hour drive to Quebec City. We arrived in the city around 7:30 and listened to our lovely tour guide, Madame Vanderkooy, as she took us through the Plains of Abraham and the heart of the city. It feels great to be here! Thank God for safe travels! A bientôt!



We've arrived

Mardi
LEAPIN' LEMURS! What a great day! We started off early after our first night in our swanky chalets. For the most part everyone was well rested and ready to explore Quebec. Robert, the best tour guide ever, led us through old Quebec on a two hour walking tour. Although the wind nearly blew us away and Robert spoke a lot of French, we managed to enjoy ourselves and suprised ourselves when we understood more than we thought we would. After the tour we were ready to get out of the wind and warm up with a hot drink. We had some time to get something to eat and wander around the city on our own before heading to the Musée de la civilisation. We're now back at the chalets eager to eat dinner, rest up, and head back to the city for a ferry ride. Au Revoir, nos amis.

Natasha, Collette and Courtney prepare a snack

Mercredi

If there is a word to describe today, it would be "awkward". From talking to students we didn't know en français, to singing in front of complete strangers, it was quite a bungle some day.
We travelled to a school outside Quebec City, where we were dumped in amongst French students in an English class, where our French fell short of their English. Yet it was challenging and entertaining.

Lunch with our new French Canadian friends

Our efforts and obligatory awkwardness were rewarded with a fine meal, at an even finer restaurant, where we enjoyed our steller four-course meal. All in all a fantastic, hilarious, and quite filling day.

All dressed up for dinner

Regards and goodnight from Mont St. Anne.

Jeudi
What a wonderful, sunny day in Québec city! We woke up early to meet our tour guide Jean-François, for a tour of the parliament buildings. He took us on a short tour of the building, and then we were on our own for a couple of hours. First, our whole class went to the Observatoire overlooking the city and we had a breathtaking view of Québec from all angles.




                     
                                         Check out that view

Then we split up and shopped, ate food, walked, and walked some more. It was a great way to see and experience the Québec culture. We all met at 2:30 for some delicious crepes and a much needed break from walking.

An even better view

After that we went to George, the legend teller and wood carver. He told us a couple of legends and then we got to wander around his shop and see all his creations. We then went back to our chalets and played many riveting games of Dutch Blitz and Apples to Apples. At night we had our talent night. It consisted of singing, dancing, story telling, rapping, playing the ukulele, and reading poems. We even played "telestrations" a mix between Pictionary and Telephone. By the end of the night many of us had tears in our eyes and sore stomachs from laughing so hard. It was a great way to end our time in Québec.

French Trip Talent Contest

Vendredi
Soooo....the week is coming to an end, and as we head back to Toronto and the land of the English, we realize how odd it is to understand conversations around us. After many hours of driving, many stops along the way, many French mishaps, and many good memories, we are not so eager to go back to school. We have learned a new language and culture, and immersed ourselves in a different way of life.

Looking back at the week, we can see how much we've progressed and come together as a class and as friends. Even though you may not understand our many inside jokes, we have many stories to share! After many Apples to Apples games, Blitzing, and Trivial Pursuit, we have learned a lot more than just French. It was a wonderful week full of French. Signing off for the last time: the bestest french class EVER!!! (We may not be the greatest at English now though! Oh well!)

Thanks, guys. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip.

So, WHO won the election?

2011-10-11T23:36:00.021-04:00

We all know the results of the recent Ontario provincial election. Out of 107 seats, the Liberals captured 53 seats, the Conservatives secured 37 seats, and the NDP won 17 seats. Grade 10 Civics student Rebecca B. decorated a cake to show you what that looks like:

Mmmm.... election cake!

But what does it look like if Ontario's elementary and high school students were the ones doing the voting?

An organization called Student Vote does just that. In a move to get students more involved and interested in politics and voting, they organized simulated elections across Ontario for about 300,000 students. Students vote for the candidates in their school's riding.

The results were revealed on election day on October 6. When the students of Ontario voted, here's how it all broke down:

2011 Provincial Election Results, according to Ontario's students

TDChristian High School was just one of the 2807 schools that participated. So, how did our students vote as compared to the rest of the province?

Grade 12 student Katie R. takes to the polls

From our results, the PCs won, taking 57.6% of the popular vote. This was followed by independent candidates, who captured 13.5% of the vote. The Liberals were next at 12.1%, followed by the Green Party at 11.5%, with the NDP at only 5.3%. How interesting!

The students seemed genuinely excited to be voting (in an ironic turn, voter turnout for the REAL election was at its lowest point ever), especially those students in Grade 10 Civics class.

Polling stations, counting, and analysis was provided by students from the Grade 12 Data Management class. Simulated elections- yet another way to make learning more meaningful!

Rawan M. gets ready to cast her ballot

Data Management students Josh B. and Ian M. ran the polling station

Grade 11 students casting their ballots

Walking our Talk, Talking our Walk

2011-09-14T15:21:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year!

Our theme this year is the also the title of this post. We believe in“Educating Teens for Service in the Light of God's word”- that'swhy each year the entire grade nine class starts their TDChristianexperience in service to the needy in downtown Toronto. From makingbeds in shelters to stocking shelves in a food bank to visiting withthe elderly in nursing homes, students work together, making newfriends and making a difference; even if that difference is just asmall one.

Making beds at the Good Shepherd

What do they get out of this trip? Here are a few reflections from thegrade nine students upon their return:

Stephen VanAndel: “Beforeleaving I was a little bit nervous and I thought it would be a bitcreepy having to walk out on the streets of Toronto at night and Ithought that some of the homeless people would be kind of scary. ButI was surprised to find that almost all the homeless people that Imet, served, and gave things away to were nice, friendly, and evenextremely grateful for what we were doing.”

Anya Van Rooyen: “The bestpart of the service trip was giving out socks and water. It surprisedme that some of the homeless people didn't want to accept our socksand water, and also that so many people are homeless in Toronto.”

Mark Hanna: “The surprisingthing for me was when we got a gospel message preached to us by ahomeless man.”

Lunch at the Good Shepherd

Sarah Stewart: "I learnedthat homeless people are still people. They have feelings,personalities, and desires just like me."

KuhnLee: “This is a self-centered world that we live in, butwe can choose to be different. We can support organizations that helphomeless people, volunteer for service in the streets, or justprovide a good meal for someone on the street. As you help a homelessperson, you can give them hope for a better present, a better future,a better life.”

Christine Halim: “The servicetrip was a real eye opener for me because it showed me how blessed Iam. I am blessed because I have a family that loves me. I am blessedbecause I have a house where I can sleep without having to worryabout my safety. I am blessed with proper clothing and food. I am sothankful for all these things and it makes me upset that not everyonehas these privileges.”

Service Education- it's part of who we are here at TDChristian.

TDChristian enters the Dragon's Den.

2011-06-21T11:39:00.000-04:00

If you've seen CBC's Dragon's Den, you know how it works. Would-be entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to wealthy dragons, hoping to snare investment dollars and valuable advice.

All semester long, the 26 students in TDChristian's Grade 11 Entrepreneurship class, taught by Mr. Buwalda, have each been planning an imaginary business startup. There were all kinds of businesses, from a hair salon to a landscaping company, a caterer to an online clothing store, a used car dealership to a soccer camp. The students created detailed business plans that covered operational plans, startup needs, market research, marketing, the financial details, future growth ideas and more.

On Thursday, June 9, the class held a business fair as part of the school's Presentations of Learning evening. Each student created a presentation booth and was ready to give their best pitch to anyone walking by.

John Baldeo shows a visitor his landscaping business booth

Each person visiting the business fair was given $2000 (in TD money!) to invest. Visitors went from booth to booth, asking questions and determining which businesses were the most promising to invest in. We don't have an exact count of how many visitors went through the business fair, but, more than $230,000 was given out!

Andy Savovski pitches for investment dollars for his cell phone accessories business

Ben Bowcott explains his idea for "Rent-A-Grandson"

Visitors really enjoyed the evening. They were impressed by the imagination of the business owners and their ability to answer questions. One overheard comment was, "I just did a business plan for my university course, and this one was way more real."

Jordan Vahrmeyer shows off his business, "Second Life Automotive"

The students also had a meaningful evening. Many commented afterwards that by presenting to strangers at the business fair, it made it more authentic; they had to be prepared for criticism and unexpected questions. It was an especially good night for student Philip Kesthely, who out of everyone attracted the most investment dollars for his business, a sporting goods store.

Student Matt Northrop reads the business plan for Aaron Bierling's "Mama's Pizza"

A visitor checks out Phil Kesthely's sporting goods store booth

Next year, we hope to run a business fair again. We hope you'll join us and see just how much our students are learning.

What can you learn from a roller coaster?

2011-06-05T00:09:00.000-04:00

Canada's Wonderland may be only eleven minutes away from our school, but recently, the Grade 12 Physics class made their own roller coasters in room 28. Okay, so maybe the roller coasters were a little bit smaller, but they were definitely inventive.

I asked their teacher, David Robinson, what they were learning. "Conservation of energy, friction, and circular motion," he said. "We do roller coasters because it's an opportunity for cooperative learning in a real-life, problem-solving environment. We also delve briefly into concepts most students won't explore until university, such as angular velocity and rotational energy of spheres."

Student David DeVries really enjoyed the unit. "These rollercoasters give us a chance to not only learn on our own, but also to use this independent learning in an interesting and "real-life" way. It takes learning out of the textbook and into our hands. Besides that, it's really fun too!"

Another student, Jordan Kooring, had this to say: "I've really enjoyed this roller coaster unit.It's been a great way to switch things up and give us a bit more freedom. I have learned a lotfrom this unit and it has been fun finding things out for yourself. This also is a great way to give us a taste of the the group work for how university will be."

Elisha makes an adjustment as Aaron looks on

Another team creates their roller coaster

Just like Canada's Wonderland, without the hour line-up!

Mr. Robinson discussing David's design

Making a Difference: TDChristian Environmental Science Students

2011-04-29T15:59:00.001-04:00

God calls every one of us to be stewards of the earth. This theme comes up in many of our classes here at TDChristian. But, as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words.

Recently, over two weeks at the school, both the Grade 10 Environmental Block class and the Grade 12 Environmental Science class participated in two major community clean-ups in Vaughan; the 20 Minute Makeover and Pitch-In Week Canada.

I asked Grade 12 student Curtiss Straatsma, who coordinated the clean-up events, to tell the story:

"On Thursday, April 14th, both classes headed out to clean up our school and the surrounding areas. First the grade 12 class of 28 students headed out to pick up garbage and the results were awesome. In half an hour alone, they picked up enough trash to fill 4 extra large black garbage bags.

Later that day, the grade 10 class of 25 students headed out, focusing on areas of concern around our school. The students were excited to get down and dirty to help out the environment and came back with another 4 extra large garbage bags full of trash. Overall, a very successful day for garbage cleanup.

Dean, Laura, Monika and Tyler with some of the garbage they collected

The following week, over two days, both classes participated in "Pitch-In Canada." This awareness program encourages Canadians to get out into the environment around them and make a positive difference.

The first day, the Grade 10 E-Block class spent 80 minutes cleaning up Rainbow Creek Park, a park TDChristian adopted through the Adopt-A-Park program in Vaughan. The students braved the rain and collected a total of 14 bags of garbage, 3 bags of recycling, and many miscellaneous items.

Grade 12 student Emily W. with teacher Mr. Freeman

The following day, the grade 12 class collected 12 bags of garbage and 3 bags of recycling.
Overall, the experience was very rewarding, not only for the students, but also for the community. Our garbage total for both clean ups are:

34 bags of garbage
6 bags of recycling
Construction debris
Shopping Carts
1 tire
1 scooter
Lawn chairs
and a rusted metal fence."

Ryan R. in Rainbow Creek collecting garbage

Ryan R., Curtiss S., Steven V., Kristyn R., and Sophie T. with some of their "treasures"

400 voices singing as one...

2011-04-19T11:05:00.001-04:00

On Friday, May 6, more than 400 students will descend upon TDChristian for one of the most looked forward to events of the year.... the 35th edition of the Ontario Christian High School Choral Festival.

The day is filled with singing as all the different high schools rehearse their selections, and as they also come together to learn and rehearse a few numbers as one mass choir. They are led by highly sought after guest conductors, like Jennifer Moir of the University of Western Ontario and Colin Clarke, founder and artistic director of the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra .

On that night, Friday, May 6 at 7:30 pm, you're invited to the festival's culminating concert, "One Voice". It's always an uplifting experience- filled with the energy of 400 teenagers singing as one to the glory of God.

Tickets are only $10 for adults, and $5 for students. This concert often sells out, so reserve your seats by calling the school at 905-851-1772, or email choralfest@tdchristian.ca.

To whet your appetite, check out this Youtube clip of It Is Well from last year's concert....

Insight at 30,000 Feet

2011-04-04T13:26:00.000-04:00

Over March Break, students and staff from TDChristian visited Europe on a tour of historic Canadian battlefields. Ms. Alice Vanderkooy was along as one of the teachers/chaperones. Here is what she wrote of her experience...

"As I write this we're on our way home - we are somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, flying at 30 000 feet at 772 mph. We left Schiphol, Amsterdam in two separate groups this morning and expect to arrive at Pearson around 6:30 pm.

Who are we? 23 Grade 11 and 12 students, as well as eight adults, four of them teacher chaperones. We were led by our tour director, Colin Peck, who was a fount of knowledge and wit. He along with our coach driver, Willy, from Belgium, moved us from place to place safely and with an eye to our comfort and enjoyment.

We began in Paris with its energy and noise, seeing the Louvre, the Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, monuments to past grandeur with a concluding visit to Versailles. There the excesses of royalty led to the demise of Louis XVI and his Queen Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution.

At Dieppe we were moved by the stories of defeat and slaughter; some wept to see the loss of so many young lives.

We followed in the footsteps of our Canadian soldiers from town to town, proud to see the many memorials and acknowledgements of thanksgiving to our countrymen. It was also difficult, at times, to be confronted with so much death, not just of Canadians but of people of every nation.

Each cemetery and memorial had its own character from the quiet reflectiveness of Dieppe, to the symmetry of the American crosses, to the depressing bleakness of the mass grave of 44 000 German soldiers, covered by a plaque which read, "Ich habe dich bei deine name gerufet. Du bist mein". (I have called you by name. You are mine.)

Two of many highlights: finding the plaque of Luke Stevens' great grandfather, Raphael Garvie, at Juno Beach, Normandy, where he fought during WW II; and the stunning Canadian monument overlooking Vimy Ridge, particularly the statue of the spirit of Canada, mourning its young dead.

In Belgium we were able to experience walking around the fields that had been mined, through the German and Allied trenches with No Man's Land inbetween. We were led by Canadian university students from all over Canada, who were spending four months at the sites of Canada's battlefields.

Lest you think we spent all our time in cemeteries, we also drove through the picturesque villages and countryside of France and Belgium. As well as visiting Rouen, the birthplace of Joan of Arc, who led the French army as a woman and was burned at the stake for "not knowing her place", we spent time in Ypres, ably led by Henri, a local guide who was an expert on WWI in that area. We then moved on to supper in Brussels, with its ornate Grande Place.

Our final stop was Amsterdam, where we visited Madurodam, The Hague, Vollendam, the Anne Frank House and a cheese and clog making factory. The sights and sounds of Amsterdam were overwhelming to many of us, bustling with people from every tribe and nation, bicycles coming at us from unexpected directions, tourist shops beckoning, demonstrations in the Dam Square.

Sunday morning we attended the English Reformed Church in the Begijnhof, Amsterdam. Here, as Joni Knibbe observed, out of the dizzying experiences of the past week, we were able to ground ourselves: grounded in the prayers of thanksgiving for God's presence evident all around us in creation, the songs of praise, the intercession for the many places in the world still torn by war and natural disasters, the reminders of the greatness of God's love.

Now we return home, having been immersed in a history and culture that we had previously only read or heard about. We have been changed in ways that we may not realize or understand until later. May we use what we have learned about ourselves, about courage, fear and suffering in the face of injustice, to continue to live as transformed people."

To see more photos of the group's European Trip, go to our Facebook page at facebook.com/tdchristianhighschool

A Lizard, Chinese Acrobats, and a Juno Winner Walk into a School...

2011-03-25T15:42:00.001-04:00

So far this semester, we've had some really interesting visitors come to our school.

It started with the animals. E-block students hosted an assembly that was all about protecting biodiversity and adopting more sustainable behaviours. We were excited that they brought along the Earth Rangers from the Kortwright Living City Campus in Woodbridge for their message to "Bring Back the Wild". They brought along some animal ambassadors that were a big hit with the crowd. We were wowed by the piercing gaze of the barn owl, the agility of the falcon, and the wonder of the black/white Tegu- a large and intelligent lizard named Dora.

A few weeks later we were blessed with the "Fabulous Chinese Acrobats". 2 male and 2 female acrobats came out to perform for us. It started simply, with a balancing act with an acrobat standing on a board on top of a cylinder. Then, he added a second cylinder. Then another one. By the end, he was balancing on top a board and not three, not four, but five cylinders!

They proceeded to do routines with spinning plates, spinning rugs, hat juggling, more insane balancing and an extreme amount of athleticism and gymnastics.

Our students were even more impressed when they tried doing some of the tricks themselves. Then, when it was all over, we found out that the athletes were all teenagers themselves, needed to practise up to 9 hours a day, and had all started when they were 8 years old.

In our most recent assembly, we were treated to a concert by the Juno award winning and Canadian gospel/soul artist Greg Sczebel. Greg sings and plays an eclectic mix of pop, jazz, soul and funk, and he's shared the stage with such greats as Grammy Award winning Producer David Foster, Jazz sensation Michael Buble and six time Juno winner Colin James. He's also a Christian and many of his songs had great lyrics about redemption and staying true to your beliefs when the world is tempting you with misdirection and false hopes.

Greg sings and plays the keyboard with Hank Insell on bass

It was fantastic music; at one point the entire crowd was singing along as he led us through the Beatles' All You Need Is Love. At the end there was a huge crowd buying CDs and seeking autographs after the assembly.

Greg's really getting into it.

Crowd shot

Our assemblies are definitely about learning... about ourselves, our world, and our God. Perhaps the greatest kind of learning is when you're so into what's going on that you don't even realize you're learning.

You're invited to a party...

2011-03-09T14:47:00.002-05:00

One of the most challenging jobs of a teacher is figuring out how to make a lesson really stick. Earlier this semester, Grade 12 History with Mr. Vanderkloet held a rather unique party. I asked him to tell the story.

"We spend about 1/4 of the course studying the French Revolution. Students are assigned an "alter ego" from a list of people who played some significant role in that event. The characters include the King and Queen, radical mob leaders, corrupt politicians, ego-centric ideologically warped and powerful people, the executioner, the boy prince, and many others. Most die at the hands of the executioner, on the guillotine - a device just introduced into service as a humane method of execution. Ironically, the guillotine design was improved by King Louis XVI, and he ended up being beheaded by it. Students write biographies on their "alter ego", do small group skits of realistic dialogues between them, make bulletin boards charting the connections between them, and watch a 6-hour mini-series in which most of them appear at some point or other.

Party guests await their introductions

The crowning activity is the "mocktail party"- a fictitious event that occurs after they are all dead set in a hypothetical limbo. Students dress up in appropriate costumes and present short 2-person dialogues before partaking of the party foods and drinks that I provide. They must try to converse as if they are still in role.

All dressed up for the party

Students are encouraged to conscript their moms into helping them devise costumes, which is a great way of getting parental involvement in their education. As a "live event learning" activity, I find it does a great job of integrating the students' awareness of many of the factors at play. Students enjoy the experience, and by walking in the shoes of historical characters get a better inside look at what was going on."

Daniel and Calvin confront one another in character

Phil and Brent's characters meet in the afterlife

Mr. Vanderkloet gets in on the party

What a great idea for students to "get into" the French revolution. To see more pics from the party, go to our Facebook page by clicking here.

Living and serving in the Dominican Republic

2011-03-03T12:25:00.000-05:00

Perhaps the most unique and life changing program we have here at TD is International Block. For 8 weeks, a group of grade 11 and 12 students will be experiencing a culture 180 degrees from their own.

International Block class 2011

This past week, 18 students, teacher Miss Rachael Weening, and 3 chaperones headed to Pearson airport at 3 in the morning. Hours later, they arrived in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where they will stay in basic accommodations for much of their two months abroad. While they are there they will live together, work together, and experience the country together. They will be working on construction sites (service projects), in an orphanage, and remote villages. Not only is it an amazing, rewarding experience, they also earn Ontario high school credits while they are there.

What's really exciting about the trip is that students go to help people and serve others, but come back feeling that they were the ones that were helped and served. They come back to our school as leaders.

Members of last year's Int. Block class send off this year's team in song

We hope you will pray for our students on the trip. To find out what the students are doing week by week, you can read Miss Weening's updates on our main page. You can also read the general details about the trip in our info guide here.

Thanking our Peer Counselors

2011-02-22T15:12:00.000-05:00

High school is a fun but stressful time for many teens. Besides the anxiety that can come with academics, there are pressures to fit in, in trying to plan a path to the future, learning to deal with other people and with broken friendships and other relationships, and issues that come from home.

Our peer counselors are ready and eager to help. Led by Ms. Vanderkooy and by Mr. Freeman, peer counselors are recruited from our grade ten class, specially trained, and then are made available to be a friendly, listening ear to any student who needs them.

2010-11 peer counselors

The main job of a peer counselor is to be an empathetic listener. Support is offered and conversations are kept confidential. We also have a professional Christian counselor come in one day per week, who offers deeper counseling and can offer referrals to other resources and professionals.

Mr. Freeman's group of peer counselors

Ms. Vanderkooy's group

Today at assembly we thanked our outgoing peer counselors for their work in our school. They each received a diploma and a book for their service. In the audience, behind the applause, were many, many students who have benefited from their work.

Sylvan is honoured for his work

Honouring our athletes...

2011-02-10T13:03:00.000-05:00

This Monday as the students arrived at school, we held a special 15 minute assembly to honour two of our many sports teams on recent accomplishments.

The crowd happily wonders why we are having an assembly on a Monday

In the OCSSAA Girls Volleyball tournament held February 4th & 5th at DCHS in Bowmanville, our team came in first place, never losing a set, and beating Hamilton 2-0 in the Finals.

The Senior Girls' Volleyball Team at assembly

The same weekend, our Senior Boys' Basketball team played in the Christian High School tournament in Hamilton. They made it all the way to the finals, ending up in second place when King's scored 3 points in the last ten seconds.

The Senior Boys' Basketball Team takes the stage

We gathered in the Commons, recognized our athletes, cheered and clapped for them, prayed together, and formed lines to shake hands as we left. What a nice way to start the week!

Need a mountain moved?

2011-02-08T16:23:00.000-05:00

Soon, our International Block class, 18 students in all, will travel to the Dominican Republic for two months for a cross cultural trip. They will be teaching English, working in construction, visiting an orphanage and interacting with those who live there. They will see first hand the incredible divide between rich and poor. It's the kind of learning that lasts a lifetime, and fits in perfectly with our school mission statement: "Educating Teens For Service in the Light of God's Word".

You can be a part of the trip! Right now, the students are collecting donations of items: crocs/shoes/sandals, baseball gloves, school supplies, reading glasses, toothbrushes/paste, and medicine for kids (acetaminophen, Advil/Tylenol). If you are able to donate any of these items please contact the school a.s.a.p.

There's another way you can help. The students are still hoping to raise $2000 more for their trip. If you need a mountain moved, just tell them where to put it. Any spare work around the house? Painting? Cleaning? Old furniture moved? Physical labour? We would LOVE to help. Available dates are February 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18. Just send an email to either mpiccolo@tdchristian.ca or skooy@tdchristian.ca and consider that mountain MOVED!

The last way you can help... is to pray. Pray that our students stay safe and healthy. Pray for our leaders. Pray for the students' families who will miss them. Pray for the hundreds of people who's lives they will touch.

How do you make learning authentic?

2011-01-27T10:20:00.001-05:00

On Friday, January 25th, the OACS News Service published another article about TDChristian High School. Click here to find out some ways we make learning authentic.

Another news story: Innovation at TDChristian

2011-01-19T11:56:00.000-05:00

Today, the OACS (Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools) News Service published a story about our school.

All computers are accessible at TDChristian. While the
school has two computer labs, neither is "behind lock
and key," says principal Ren Siebenga. Above, a school
hallway that has been transformed into a learning space.

Innovative Toronto school sparks smiles in teens

School pushes for learning that makes a real difference in the world, builds community and adult relationships

Wednesday January 19, 2011 -- Michelle Strutzenberger

Toronto District Christian High School (TDChristian) has introduced a number of innovations, from unique learning spaces to a different sort of learning approach to an innovative “green” classroom.

Asked how these and other initiatives are or could enhance outcomes at the school, Siebenga says they have the potential to generate smiles from the students who attend.

“Smiles on the faces of children who are sometimes in their cynical years,” Siebenga tells OACS News.

“I think if you can make that an experience that’s happy, that’s fruitful, that’s empowering and engaging, and allows their creativity and imagination to flourish, you have their passion, their heart and their excitement,” he says.

Siebenga says he defines innovation as something that sets you apart.

“Innovation is the thing that you do that others shake their heads at and say, ‘Yeah, that’s pretty good, but we’re not sure we’d do it.’”

He contrasts it to improvement, which is “bringing something up to standard,” although he sees all innovations having “lots of improvement in them.”

The challenge with innovation is once other people start copying it, it loses that quality of being set apart, says Siebenga.

Asked about the most exciting innovations at TDChristian, the principal says the school’s physical space is what strikes people first. The school has the unique characteristic of having no hallways, no long corridors that are intended solely for traversing the building.

No hallways were designed into a recent new addition to the building, and two existing hallways have been transformed into learning spaces.

Along the entire wall of each of these corridors sits a line of flat-screen computers for students to conduct their work.

“Everywhere you go, you have learning space at the school,” he says.

“The classroom is about instruction, the classroom is about group work, and then the kids flow out into the hallways and do their research and their projects.”

On a side note, the school has made the decision twice not to have laptops, after visiting several laptop schools and seeing teachers instructing while students “played around on their laptops. They could be hundreds of miles away from where the teacher’s mind is, what the teacher is explaining,” says Siebenga.

Toronto District Christian High School has a strong
commitment to environmental sustainability efforts.
Pictured above, a classroom dedicated to
environmental projects.

E-block program featured in Toronto Star

2011-01-11T11:11:00.002-05:00

This past Saturday, our Environmental Block class was profiled in an article in the Toronto Star.

There are lots of great quotes from our Grade 10 students.

You can read the article by clicking on this link:
http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/green/article/916590--trash-talk-students-sound

He Shoots, He Scores!

2011-01-07T15:28:00.001-05:00

Hockey is a big part of life here at TDChristian. Did you know about 25 percent of our student body, both guys and girls, play in our very own intramural hockey league? I'll tell you all about the TDCHIHL in a future post, but this past Tuesday, we had an exciting Can-Am exhibition game.

Our junior boys hockey team played an exhibition game against Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy from Ohio. They are a school team traveling through Southern Ontario to play in a number of games and tournaments.

The start of the game

Here's how Mr. Eric Vrieling, TDChristian's athletic director, described the action:

"Tuesday's game was a seesaw battle, with either team no more than one goal ahead through the entire contest. TD, trailing 2-1 after one period, and leading 3-2 after two, needed a late goal by defenceman Nat Halbert to tie it up with 7 seconds left in regulation. After a scoreless overtime period, forward Graeme Lee was the only scorer in the shootout to give TD the win."

It was truly an exciting game. Both teams played well, and hopefully will meet again in the future.


Nat pushes through Cuyahoga Valley's defence

Ryan in the shootout

Shaking hands at the end of the game

Canadian American relations strengthened once again!

Semester One is almost complete... there's even more school events, plays, sports, and service trips happening in Semester Two.

Christmas comes to Homerooms

2011-01-01T21:44:00.001-05:00

I'm writing this on the last day of school before Christmas break. Today at lunch, you'd find an impromptu band of musicians (students and teachers) playing Christmas tunes in the atrium. Other students are doing some charoling around the school. Everywhere you look people are eating Christmas goodies and exchanging candy canes. Some grade ten girls have made baby snowmen.

Carleen with her baby snowman

Lauren with her baby snowman

An impromptu band plays Christmas music at lunch

Earlier today, we came together in our homerooms and enjoyed a time of community. It was interesting to see how each homeroom celebrated differently. Each homeroom started with devotions, but after that, it went in many directions. Some homerooms had a full breakfast including bacon, waffles, hash browns and orange juice. Some homerooms played games. Others did wacky gift exchanges, watched fun Christmas movies, and stuffed themselves with cookies, squares and donuts. One homeroom even went tobogganing!

Today also marked the end of our clothing drive for Salvation Army Gateway. Salvation Army Gateway is a place we always visit on our Grade 11 service trips to downtown Toronto. We know the great work they do and the challenges their clients face. Over the last few months, bags and bags of men's coats, gloves and hats were collected by our students. Tomorrow, they might already be handed out to someone who needs them.

People might wonder, what makes this school different? Why do families send their teenagers here?

If you walked into our school today for the first time, you would have known instantly what we are all about. We are a community. We strive to know each and every student, and celebrate their uniqueness.

It's about love... and as a community, we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, who taught us to love unconditionally. Have a wonderful Christmas!

Rising to the challenge in French class

2010-12-17T11:39:00.001-05:00

The other day, Ms. Vanderkooy's Grade 12U French class moved from Room 25 to the performance stage just outside our library in the atrium. They've been studying Molière's "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme", a famous, funny play about a middle-class, middle-aged "bourgeois" who dreams of being accepted as an aristocrat.

Juliana and Hendrik perform their scene

After studying the play, one of their tasks was to memorize and dramatize a scene. The students did a great job with their scenes. It's one thing to act when it's your first language; the stakes are high when you have to act in your second one. The stakes are even higher when you move out of the "safe" classroom and perform your scenes IN PUBLIC on the stage in the atrium.

Hannah, Tiffany, and Miraya in a funny scene

The students seemed to really enjoy this assignment, and in April will be traveling to see a play by Moliere at the Theatre français de Toronto.

Nathan, Jani, and Tiffany "tailor" a scene

Nathan and Nicholas

The French teachers go out of their way to make learning a new language fun and interesting. In addition to the assignments like the one above, Ms. Vanderkooy arranges a class trip to Quebec City every year.

Having fun in Quebec City

TDChristian also has a grade ten class called, "French History Block." Taught by Mr. Vanderkloet and Mrs. Joosse, students delve into Canadian francophone culture while exploring the local, national and global forces that have shaped Canada’s national identity from World War 1 to the present. In that class, students also enjoy a class trip to Ottawa and Montreal every year. Students are in French History Block for two classes a day for one semester; this innovative class is exclusive to TDChristian High School. You can read more about our block programs at this link: http://www.tdchristian.ca/academics/uniquePrograms.php

Learning about our neighbours...

2010-12-08T11:00:00.002-05:00

One of the best ways to learn about other people is to walk a mile in their shoes. In the Grade 11 World Religions Perspectives course, students learn more about each of the major religions in the world and the beliefs of each. This course is taught by Mr. John Terpstra.

“The goal of this course is for students to develop a loving, tolerant attitude for the faith statements of others, yet never wavering from our stand of ultimate truth in Christ alone,” says Mr. Terpstra.

Recently, his class held a “Taste of Arabia” lunch as part of their unit on Islam. Students dressed in traditional Arabic clothing and brought in authentic Arabic foods. They followed the customs of removing their shoes, sitting on the floor, and eating only with their right hand. The class did a great job of decorating the room, playing Middle Eastern background music, and showing respect to the Middle Eastern culture they were studying.

Some of the food at the lunch

Students eating their meal

I appreciate the way Mr. Terpstra teaches this class, making it real, and making it interesting. This assignment engaged students with sight, smell, touch, taste, and sound.

In this course he shows what Christianity has in common with, and how it is different from, other religions in the world. He explores students' questions and gets personal about his own faith journey. He prepares students to encounter those with different beliefs the same way Jesus would... with tolerance, patience, and most of all, love.

Showing respect to Middle Eastern traditions

Mr. Terpstra

A project you can sink your teeth into...

2010-12-01T10:01:00.001-05:00

Each semester, there are 4 project days, one for each class period of our 4 period school day.   While the students are at home working on their projects, staff are at school participating in professional development. On a project day, students stay home to work on a project for a specific course.   Each project is developed to take from 4 to 6 hours complete. Projects are designed by teachers to be interesting and relevant, and can be extremely varied.

Recently, Mr. Westerhof's Grade Nine Geography class had a project day.   They were in their Physical Connections unit, so their assignment was to create a visually interesting presentation about how all the various elements in a particular ecosystem interrelate with one another.   These elements include climate, flora, fauna, soil, water/drainage, human activity, land forms and more.

Many students decided to make interesting models. One student made a calendar. Two students baked and decorated cakes with all their information.   Some students made videos.

Take a look at some of the results:

Eric with his Boreal Plains Ecosystem model

Konstantine with his Atlantic Maritime Ecosystem model

Rebecca with her Mixed Wood Plains Ecosystem Model (Arielle helping her hold it up)


Peter with his Montane Cordillera Ecosystem Cake

Arielle made a calendar for her project

Caleb with his model of the Pacific Maritime Ecosystem

Sam's Taiga Plains Ecosystem cake

Erin and the Southern Arctic Ecosystem

Evan's Boreal Shield Ecosystem

Electricity Project sparks creativity

2010-11-29T11:12:00.002-05:00

The other day I noticed students carrying in interesting projects to Mr. Robinson's Science class. His students are near the end of their electricity unit, and the house wiring project is the grande finale.


Monika and Monika's model house

Students get to demonstrate what they've learned in an authentic project- wiring up a model house. The practical aspects of series and parallel circuitry, combined with LEDs, switches and the electrical components that they discover, bring the unit to an exciting conclusion.

Their house had a working door bell and lighting in every room

I asked David Robinson what he liked about the project. "I'm never sure of where the students' imaginations will take them", he said. "Students show tremendous initiative in dissecting old electrical devices, learning about their components, and incorporating them in creative ways".

Jesse and Aidan wired up a model of the interior of a plane.

This is the kind of project that makes me wish I was in the course. The students love wiring up their mini houses because it's real. They can see the connection to their lives. This is what hands on learning is all about.

Mr. Robinson inspects and grades their project.

Tori made a haunted house.

It had some neat strobe light effects

Graeme's wired model house

Staff honoured last night...

2010-11-26T10:43:00.000-05:00

Our school is truly blessed by a talented, creative, and caring staff. Last night at our Fall Membership Meeting, we had a chance to honour two of them.

Fran Joosse spoke on behalf of Marg Laswick, our school's secretary for the past 13 years. She gave a heartfelt tribute as to how important Marg is to our school. She's great at her job. She's a wealth of information. She is a friend, confidante, mother and mentor to both our students and staff. This place simply wouldn't be the same without Marg.

Fran Joosse (with mic) honours Marg Laswick.

Fran was a great choice to pay tribute to Marg. The two of them are very close and go walking almost every afternoon.

Next, John Terpstra spoke on behalf of David Robinson.

John Terpstra (with mic) honours David Robinson

David is in his tenth year at TD, teaching physics, physical geography, science and world issues at our school. He's also head of our Robotics Club, and plays in the school's intramural ice hockey league. It was another wonderful speech, full of moments of wit and emotion, insight and connection. John spoke of David's incredible curiosity, passion, intellect, and his heart for students. He also shared how much he's learned from David, and how their friendship has grown.

Thanks Marg and David, for who you are and what you do!

School Spirit is Alive and Well

2010-11-23T11:57:00.000-05:00

This past Friday we all came together in the gym for homeroom competitions. Earlier that week, each homeroom met to bond and to make a sign for the event. Many homerooms planned what colours they would all wear for Friday. The competitions were also a kickoff for our campaign to bring in warm men's clothing for the Salvation Army Gateway, a men's shelter many of our students have visited on service trips.

Michelle competes in Musical Chairs

More than 460 people squeezed into the gym, bringing lots of clothing donations with them. The competitions kicked off by Homeroom 22 teasingly doing a victory lap around the gym, to many boos and challenges. Next, homerooms competed in a variety of events, organized by Mrs. Dengerink's P.E. Leadership class. M.C. Nicholas F. kept the event moving with good commentary and plenty of "Let's Make A Deal" mini competitions.

Jeremy gets ready to enter the relay, as Ben looks on.

After an hour of fierce rivalry and deep laughs, Homeroom 22, led by Mr. Heinbuch, did indeed end up in first place. Did they know something when they did that earlier victory lap?

Heinbuch's Heroes, the winners of this year's competitions!

To see a huge gallery of pictures from this event, go over to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/tdchristianhighschool.

Today's guest speaker...

2010-11-18T16:15:00.000-05:00

Quite often, we have guests come into our classes here at TD. Two weeks ago, two former students, who are now at Redeemer University, came back to speak to a few art classes. They shared their journey so far, and how to continue in art after leaving TD. They also shared how to get the most out of the TDChristian experience.

Today, Pastor Erick Schuringa of Immanuel Christian Reformed Church in Brampton came to speak to two different Family Studies classes, taught by Mrs. Joosse. Both classes are in the middle of a marriage unit and Pastor Erick shared his thoughts on topics like premarital conversations, sexuality, and how to build a good marriage.

This is not the first time Pastor Erick has agreed to come in and share with the students. They appreciate his candor and his willingness to explore difficult topics and answer any and all questions.

"What I love about Pastor Erick is that he doesn't shy away from awkward or difficult topics. A lot of adults find it difficult to talk to student about these issues," says Ms. Joosse. "Considering how many of these kids will be getting married in the next five to ten years, it's invaluable to a class like this."

Did you take woodworking in high school?

2010-11-15T10:04:00.000-05:00

There's a really nice display of woodworking projects in the hallway this morning so I thought I'd tell you a little bit about our woodshop.

The woodshop itself is a large, high ceilinged room filled with tools, tables, and machinery. That wonderful scent of wood hits you when you walk in; it's definitely the best smelling room in the school.

The woodworking courses at our school are taught by Mr. Harry Huyer and Mr. Richard Vanderkloet. Harry is a qualified technology teacher; he's also a much sought after finish carpenter. Richard is one of those teachers that is extremely knowledgeable and skilled in all kinds of areas; that's the canoe he built hanging from the ceiling of the shop.

One thing that's neat about woodworking in our school is that everyone has a chance to try it. In grade nine it's part of the integrated technology course; each grade nine student, male and female, goes through it. This is very intentional. Many students might dismiss working in the woodshop before even trying it; this way, everyone gets to experience working with their hands, measuring, using tools, and creating interesting projects. Quite often, students are doing woodworking for the very first time.

Mr. Huyer with students.

After grade nine, students can also take construction technology courses in grades 10 and 11. Other students go on related co-op placements.

Mr. Vanderkloet helping with measuring

Students do some planing.

If you ever get the chance, drop by and see the woodshop for yourself. Ask Harry or Richard to show you past projects, or about the joy they experience from students who discover something new they are good at.

A display of past woodworking projects

Making learning real...

2010-11-11T10:35:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you can imagine that at some point every student has asked, "But what does what we're learning have to do with the real world?"   Authentic projects help make those connections.

Essentially, authentic projects are about making learning real.   Teachers think up essential questions for each course, and then develop authentic projects for students to seek answers to those questions in a meaningful way.

Every course takes advantage of authentic projects.   Here are a few examples:

In Environmental block, students learn about how to care for the environment by running our recycling program, by composting, by creating presentations to promote "green" awareness in our school, and by looking after our outside campus through landscaping, and plant, tree and animal care.

In Grade 10 science, students learn about electricity by wiring up a mini house.

In Small Engines, students work on customers' actual lawn mowers, trimmers, chain saws and more to repair and maintain them. Working for real customers on their real machines makes the learning more authentic.

In Grade 11 Small Business, the students run the school store... our cafeteria here at TD. They become the employees... serving customers, counting money, cleaning, doing marketing, and ordering supplies.

Essentially, they learn about business by running a business. Now that's an authentic project.

Can you see how this type of learning is more compelling than just reading a text book?

Grade 8 Day was a blast!

2010-11-05T08:48:00.001-04:00

More than 165 grade eight students from our feeder, public, private, and Catholic schools came out to experience our school for the day. To see all the pictures, go to our Facebook page and see the photo galleries.

Grade 8 Day 2010

Group shots at the start of Grade Eight Day...

2010-11-03T11:36:00.000-04:00

TD students Rachel and Curtiss welcome Grade 8s

It's 11:22 AM, and right now 175 grade eight students, their teachers, and about 50 parents are checking out everything our school has to offer. On the way in to our school, we took some group shots:

Check back later and we'll have more photos and highlights from the day!

Did you make it out to the Fall Rummage Sale?

2010-11-01T13:00:00.001-04:00

One of the advantages of being part of a Christian school is that strong sense of community. Twice a year, we have the opportunity to include many of our Vaughan neighbours in that feeling of community.

The Fall Rummage Sale was held on October 23rd. Overnight, on the Friday night, an army of volunteers transformed the school into a massive sales floor. Thousands of items were brought in, arranged, and priced.

The doors were set to open at 9 AM, but by 7:55 AM, people were already beginning to line up. The doors finally opened at 8:58, and hundreds of bargain seekers rushed in.

In addition to all the clothes, furniture, electronics, books, DVDs, toys and miscellaneous items for sale, there was a massive baked goods table, a plant sale, and a produce sale.

The Commons was turned into a cafe with live entertainment provided by one of our gifted students. There was a free jumping castle and free popcorn for the kids, and displays from the York Regional Police and the Vaughan Fire Department. Even the canine unit made an appearance!

By 1 pm, it was all over. Not only is the Fall Rummage Sale a lot of fun, it's also a fundraiser for our school. So make sure you watch out for the next one, but in the meantime, bring the whole family out to the Spring Rummage Sale on Saturday, April 16.

The @TD Newsletter & the Fridge Door

2010-10-31T17:44:00.003-04:00

For a school of about 430 students, it's amazing just how many different things are students and teachers are up to. Tournaments, trips, interesting projects, guest speakers, mentoring, co-op... there's so much to keep track of.

Two of the best ways are through the Fridge Door (our biweekly newsletter, mostly for our parents and students to keep track of what's going on in the next few weeks) and the @TD Newsletter (our quarterly publication for the greater school community).

Of course, you can always read BOTH on our website. Give them a read... and you'll get just a sense of all the activities and opportunities for learning going on at our high school
If you're really curious, read through some of the archived newsletters.

For the latest @TD Newsletter, click on this link: http://www.tdchristian.ca/news/pdf/@tdChristian/@TDChristian_Fall10.pdf

For the latest Fridge Door, click on this link:
http://www.tdchristian.ca/news/pdf/fridgeDoor/FridgeDoor_Oct2710.pdf

Hands On Learning in the Back of a Canoe

2010-10-18T10:43:00.000-04:00

Our school is always pushing itself to answer the questions, "How do we make learning authentic? How do we make learning come alive for our students?"

Every year, the Grade 11 Physical Geography class packs up their tents, tarps and sleeping bags and heads off for Algonquin Park. It's the highlight of the class and sets the tone for the rest of the semester.

This year, 22 students and 5 adults spent five days in Algonquin. The trip was organized and led by teacher David Robinson. "Students study geology, hydrology, biology, atmospheric systems, and the connections between them," says Robinson. "We also look at the human interactions with all of these."

During the trip, the students spend two days in a group campground and three days in the interior of the park. Cooking, making camp, hauling water, and other jobs are shared by everyone. Learning happens anywhere and everywhere.

"It makes learning so much fun. Instead of learning about lakes from a desk, you learn about them from the back of a canoe. We collect and ignite the methane gas we find in swamps. We learn by rubbing our fingers over the scratches left behind by boulders dragged by ancient glaciers."

The learning doesn't stop with the trip; the lessons come up again and again as the course progresses over the next few months. The trip has other benefits as well.

"What I like is also what the trip does for my feeling in my course. All the students really get to know each other and become good friends. When they get back, the seating plan in class changes from day to day. Everyone hangs out with everyone."

For Mr. Robinson, the trip is one of the most exciting and meaningful learning experiences he's been a part of. The students love it as well. If you would like to experience it for yourself, make sure you sign up for Grade 11 Physical Geography.

Son of Hamas...

2010-10-14T11:59:00.000-04:00

Sorry it's been a while since the last blog post... more will be coming very soon.

In the meantime, Mr. Siebenga, our principal, has been recommending that everyone in the school community should read the book, Son of Hamas. The book is written by Mosab Hassan Yousef.

Here is the write-up from http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/:
"Since he was a small boy, Mosab Hassan Yousef has had an inside view of the deadly terrorist group Hamas. The oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founding member of Hamas and its most popular leader, young Mosab assisted his father for years in his political activities while being groomed to assume his legacy, politics, status . . . and power. But everything changed when Mosab turned away from terror and violence, and embraced instead the teachings of another famous Middle East leader. In Son of Hamas, Mosab Yousef, now called Joseph, reveals new information about the world's most dangerous terrorist organization and unveils the truth about his own role, his agonizing separation from family and homeland, the dangerous decision to make his newfound faith public, and his belief that the Christian mandate to love your enemies is the only way to peace in the Middle East."

All of our grade 11 students will be reading it as part of their courses. The teachers and staff have also committed to reading it. The hope is that many in the school community (especially parents of grade 11 students) will read it as well, and that we will have a discussion on it in a future public meeting.

We hope you will join us in reading Son of Hamas. You can pick it up at any book store or public library.

If you want to buy it online from Chapters/Indigo... here is the link: http://tinyurl.com/2dg3cp2

If you want to buy it online from Amazon.ca... here is the link: http://tinyurl.com/38t2fks

He's Got the Whole World...

2010-10-02T13:59:00.000-04:00

This year, our school has been blessed by the arrival of 22 new international students. That means that we now have 31 international students from China, South Korea, and Vietnam. Six more international students have been signed up for next semester. In the past, we've also had students come to us from South Africa, the U.S., Brazil, Germany, and Russia.

International students getting to know each other

Diversity makes our school a better place. Most of the international students do receive some ESL support, but for the most part are integrated into regular classes. They bring different ideas and experiences into class discussions. For example, due to its size and population, China comes up in a lot of classes from Geography to Family Studies, Civics to World Issues. There is a lot of information about China to explore, but also a lot of misconceptions. It's wonderful to have students with first hand knowledge to share in these discussions.

Allen telling a joke to Roy

The international students learn and participate outside the classroom as well. They learn about Canadian traditions (in the first week of school many tried Tim Hortons donuts for the first time), and our Canadian students learn about their cultures. One international student, Lisa, has already played the piano for our assembly, and another, Luna, has won a spot in the cast in this year's school play.

Luna shares details about where she is from

Nearly all of the international students are living with host families in the TDChristian community. This gives them an even more immersed Canadian experience. Meg Cate, our Homestay Coordinator, has two international students from China living with her family. “It's been a great experience. The girls have really become a part of the family. They spend time with our six year old. They go where we go. I'm getting to learn more and more about my own country by seeing it through their eyes. It's a whole new window on teen culture as well.”

Merry with her host family, the Pypkers

Toronto (the whole GTA, really) is a huge mix of cultures. Having more international students in our hallways truly is a blessing, and better reflects just how large, and small, is our 21st century world.

Newspaper, rubber bands, and tape...

2010-09-28T11:13:00.000-04:00

I'm always impressed by the art projects displayed around our school. Everywhere you look you'll find student work on display... from paintings to photography, sculpture to illustration.

Last week, I noticed grade nine students were doing presentations on the library stage in the new atrium. The projects looked intriguing.

I asked our imaginative art teacher, June Tenyenhuis, to explain the project:

The students were given newspaper, rubber bands, and only two class periods. They worked in small groups to design trees. The idea centres on structure,community and conceptualization. Structure, in how God has designed trees as structures of height, balance and grounding. Community, in that as trees, we are all unique, but we can work together to build ideas. Conceptualization, in that the students generated ideas from popular culture OR every day life to express through their trees.

Two classes later, and the grade nine students came up with some very interesting pieces.

They then explained their creations to and got feedback from the rest of the class.

That's one thing that's neat about our school. When you turn a corner, you never know what creative project or presentation you'll see next.

This is the "Teepee Tree"

This tree is inspired by space travel

This is the "Whisk Tree"

Grade nine students after their presentations

Get to know your homeroom

2010-09-18T23:28:00.000-04:00

High school can be a bit intimidating when you're new. In our school, students come from all across the GTA and from many different backgrounds. Homeroom helps to break down barriers and make new connections.

Here at TDChristian, we have mixed homerooms. That means each homeroom of about 24 students has a mix of people from each grade. By doing it this way, the grade nine students can get to know the grade twelves, and students can form friendships with other students that they may never see in the same classroom. It makes for a far more varied and interesting experience.

Homeroom 20 begins to file in

Homeroom doesn't happen every day; devotions and announcements are done in first period classes. We get together in homerooms every two weeks or so to get information, discuss school-wide topics that transcend grade, to pray together and to have fun.

This past Wednesday, we all broke into our homerooms for an hour for some bonding time. What better way to start bonding than over donuts?

Each homeroom did their own get-to-know-you games and activities, including introducing all the new students.

Homeroom 32 plays a trust game

Students introduce one another in Homeroom 33

Valerie B. (Grade 9) hangs out with Curtiss S. (Grade 12)

The homeroom bonding time seemed like quite a hit from one end of the school to the other; stay tuned throughout the year for more stories from homeroom.

Bonding by Subway and Shelter

2010-09-14T20:20:00.000-04:00

Every school in Ontario plans activities to help new grade nine students bond with their classmates. But how do you make those bonding activities truly meaningful?

Our school's vision statement is, "Educating Teens for Service in the Light of God's Word." Every year, that service begins in the very first week, as dozens and dozens of our grade nine students board the buses for two days of helping the less fortunate on the streets of Toronto.

This year the students found themselves serving lunch at the Scott Mission and Salvation Army, making beds at the Good Shepherd Centre, cleaning at the Yonge Street Mission, and sorting onions at the Daily Bread Food Bank. Some helped the very young at the after school program at St. Felix Centre and others played bingo with the seniors and shut-ins at Fudger House.

At night, students slept on the hard floor of a church (no air mattresses allowed), debriefed about where they served and who they met, and went on a "Night Run", handing out socks and water to the homeless.

Making beds at the Good Shepherd

These students have all been downtown many times before. But for many, this trip is like visiting a city they've never seen. They witness poverty, addiction, and mental illness up close. They ask "why" a lot. They feel empathy. Sometimes they get angry at the brokenness and injustice. Then they cheerfully and eagerly get to work.

And suddenly, the trip is over. The buses return to the school, the students are tired but happy, and many friendships that will last all four years of high school are beginning to take shape. Bonding has taken place. Service has been offered. Eyes have been opened.

Now that's education.

Getting ready to clean the kitchen

Waiting for the kids to arrive at St. Felix Centre

Making new friends

Lunch break

Finishing lunch at the Good Shepherd

Assembly-munity!

2010-09-10T12:56:00.001-04:00

Today we had our first assembly of the year. Assembly is one of the highlights of life at TDChristian; we have assembly nearly every Friday.

If there was a theme to today's assembly, it was "community". That's what really makes our assemblies work. We have all kinds of talented students who perform music, dances, poetry, speeches, skits... whatever! We laugh together, cheer each other on, and when tragedy strikes, we grieve together.

Andrea speaks to the crowd.

This morning's assembly started with grade twelve student Andrea K. doing devotions. He talked about what our school strives for... to be authentic about our Christianity, and to make it intentional in every part of our lives. He also challenged us to create community in our school by welcoming the newcomer into our groups of friends. Well said, Andrea!

We then had musical performances by Jeremy B., Amanda M., and Julie O., as well as Calvin G. and Alex M. One of our brand new international students, Lisa Z., played wonderfully on the piano. We also had Maameama M. up to sing, Jenna B. sang and played the guitar, and Rhiannon K. sang and played the ukulele.

Rhiannon sings and plays the ukulele

We watch a lot of videos in assembly from our video block class. This morning we watched a really good one from last year, Brittany H.'s music video for the song "Mad World". We will see even more work in the weeks to come.

The assembly ended with Ms. Vanderkooy leading prayer. Over the summer, the mother of one of our students passed away. This was the first chance that we could come together and pray for the family as a school.

And that's what we have, and what we are, here at TDChristian. Community.

Maameama sings

Lisa Z. plays the piano

Calvin (guitar) and Alex (singing) make the big screen

Amanda & Julie perform a Taylor Swift song

Jenna performs

First Day of School- Buzz Fills the Air

2010-09-07T11:56:00.001-04:00

Matt N. arrives at school

The hallways are full again and a great noise has filled the school. It's the kind of noise we like; excited students talking about their summers, old friends getting reacquainted, new students finding their way and their lockers.

The beginning of the school year is full of activity here at TDChristian. Students have the opportunity to join band and choir. All kinds of sports team are holding tryouts. International students are going through orientation sessions and the grade nine students are getting ready to go on service trips.

Finding their lockers

Mrs. Templeton starts her class

We have plenty of new students this year in the upper grades as well. There's still time to enroll- so if you know someone who's looking for a fantastic school experience filled with unique opportunities, friendly people and an innovative curriculum, call or email us today.

Hundreds show up for Back in the Groove Again night

2010-09-03T15:11:00.000-04:00

Last night, the Commons was packed and overflowing as we asked God to bless our new school year.

Back in the Groove Again night brings everyone together... to catch up on busy summers, to meet new students & families, to find your homeroom and your locker. Students also pick up last year's yearbook and see their schedules.

The best thing about BITGA night was the buzz of friendliness and excitement in the air. Even though most of the night's program finished at 8 pm, many people were still talking and laughing at 10!

Enjoy the long weekend! We can't wait to see everyone this Tuesday!

The very first post

2010-08-24T22:10:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone. This is the brand new blog for TDChristian High School. There's so much going on every week, that we thought a blog would be the best way to keep you informed about the latest happenings.

The hallways are empty right now, but join hundreds of students and parents on Thursday, August 2nd at 7 pm for Back in the Groove Again. It's a great time to catch up with all your old friends, find out what's new, and get materials like your Student Handbook.

So, thanks for reading, and be sure to tell your friends about our new blog!