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The Raven’s Nest Semester 2 Newsletter for Runnymede CI

Runnymede Collegiate Institute Toronto, ON, Canada

Semester 2 Newsletter

June 2014

Message from the Principal: Mr. Edwards “Runnymede CI: Worth Studying”

As the 2013-2014 school year, comes to an end and we reflect on all the positive moments, the challenging moments, our relationships, our classes, our teachers, our students, our families, we all have good reasons to say thanks for another incredible year of high achievement. Please join me in giving special thanks to those who played very significant roles in our lives this year.

As Principal I am very proud of our students, teachers, parents and all the significant supports in place to improve student achievement. I would also like to thank our Heads of the English and Math Departments, Ms. Heather Anderer and Ms. Priscilla Bengo, for their work in helping our students prepare for this year’s EQAO Assessments. To our parents and guardians, I ask that you continue to take the time to review your child’s academic progress, and continue to work with your child on shaping future realistic academic goals. This continues to be our highest priority.

A special note of thanks to our Office Administrator, Ms. Lina Menssen, our Chief Caretaker, Mr. Edward Barras and all of our support staff for their work this year. A very special note of thanks to the members of our School Council and our Chair, Mrs. Denise Kirke for their ongoing support of Runnymede CI.

We would also like to acknowledge the long standing exemplary career of Dr. Miroslaw Jastrzebski as one of our senior science teachers who is retiring this year. We wish you all the best in your future, Dr. J.

To our coaches, staff advisors and mentors, special thanks for the work that you have done with our students. Thanks to our Student Council – RUSTCO, President Johvonna Murray-Bradshaw and their staff Advisor, Ms. Carlotta Lovell, our Athletic Council members led by Mrs. Kotsopoulos, and our Yearbook Team led by Mr. Enns and student leader Thanh Tran whose team created another excellent Yearbook. A special note of thanks to our Head of the Health and Physical Education Department, Mr. John Kalantzakos, who organized this years’ team sports. These teams include our new Championship Football Team, under Head Coach Mr. Kotsopoulos, back after 30 years. It also includes our Championship Robotics Team 1310 representing us at the World Championships in the USA for a second consecutive year and our newly created Business Club, organized by the Head of our Business and Computer Technology Department, Ms. Lea Konforte. A very special note of thanks to our Vice-Principal, Mrs. Julie Ardell, for helping to shape Runnymede CI’s code of excellence on a daily basis. Both the Yearbook and this Special Edition Newsletter captures the highlights of another incredible year of high achievement and further shows why Runnymede CI is Worth Studying.

To our Graduates: we wish you well in the next stages of your lives and we look forward to celebrating this special occasion with you at our October Commencement.

To our dear students, staff, parents, guardians and our special community members, we wish you well in all you do. Have a safe and enjoyable summer with family and friends. See you all in September.

Paul Edwards, Principal


THE ARTS DEPARTMENT Artscapes – May 1st Thanks to all the teachers, performers, and volunteers who contributed to this year’s spring concert at Runnymede. A variety of performers took the stage that night including students from band, strings, choir, steel pan, dance, and special solo performances. We also had an art exhibit and photography silent auction. We have many talented students at Runnymede and they had the opportunity to shine during “Artscapes” on May 1st. A special thanks to the Arts Council, Tech Crew,

Ms. Brickus-Hollett, Ms. Kemp, Mr. Gayle, Mr. Kane, Ms. Csontos, and Ms. Lambert.

DARE2CREATE – May 21st

Congratulations to our grade 12 Photography student Alanis Sanchez Araujo! Her work was part of this year’s TDSB’s Dare2 Create exhibition. Her piece titled “True Colours” is a photomontage of Kensington Market emphasizing the multiculturalism of Toronto. Alanis had the opportunity to work with our guest artist and mentor Mr. Keesic, an Aboriginal artist who also teaches photography at OCAD University

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MUSIC DEPARTMENT Runnymede’s Music Department had many wonderful events this semester. Welcome back Ms. Lambert (head of Arts) and thank you for your expertise and ability to coordinate a myriad of activities in the Arts and make things run smoothly. Thank you to Ms. Walters for organizing the Black History Assembly in February 2014. Mr. Mark Zuccato (student teacher) spent four weeks in the music department, whereby he did a fantastic job assisting students in the piano, band and string classes to learn their songs. Mr. Zuccato jumped right in when a bassist was needed and played electric bass in a duo setting which accompanied vocalists: Alia Richardson and Latavia Burke during Black History Assembly in February 2014. Joel Cornejo also sang “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder for the Black History Assembly. The Artscape concert on Thursday, May 1, 2014 was a tremendous success and it featured many talented RCI students in dance, guitar, steel pan, strings and band classes. I am very proud of the grade 9 band class this semester.

A special note of recognition to: Grade 9 students: Aven Chhouk (Flute & piano) and Quantrelle Marner (Tuba & Electric Guitar) for their musical talents which inspired your class-mates to follow. Thank you to Dillon Kong our trombonist/cellist for switching to the band class; we need more

trombonists like you. Our outdoor band concert in June was a lot of fun. Thank you to everyone for helping with transporting instruments and music stands. The grade 10/11 piano class performed

very well during their end of semester recital on May 21, 2014 in front of a respectful audience. Thank you to string students: Caitlin Withrow, Ashleigh Sanchez Massella, Yusuf Sevim and other dedicated string students for attending classes

regularly and learning class repertoire to the best of your ability. Bravo to Sally Hong and Aden Downes, they are Runnymede’s virtuoso classical duo on flute and

cello respectively, Sally and Aden are able to sight-read any type of music and are ready to perform at a high level with just one short rehearsal. All music concerts and school activities would not be possible, without the extraordinary skill, long hours setting up and breaking down equipment by Runnymede’s Tech crew members: Diana Ha, Toheed Elahi, Mumtasim Hossain and the other tech team members for providing sound, videos and lights throughout the school year. Live music is best and there are many outdoor concerts taking place as part of The Toronto downtown jazz festival and Habour Front Festivals

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We wish you all a restful, happy and musical summer.


Guidance Congratulations and good luck to all grads who are continuing their studies at post-secondary institutions starting this September. This year, we had 73 university applicants and 42 college applicants. Special congratulations to the many grads who received scholarships and bursaries. We look forward to seeing you all at Commencement in October! Students are reminded that some university and college programs are still open for September admission – check out the OUAC and OCAS websites for more information. Students with documented learning disabilities or mental health issues are encouraged to contact the centre for students with disabilities at their chosen university or college in order to access support for their learning needs.

The Guidance Office will be open the last week of August for students who would like to change their timetables for the 2014/2015 school year. In September, we shall be concentrating on students whose timetables MUST be changed because they have spares that must be filled or they are missing a prerequisite, not on students who have changed their minds on which electives to take. Anyone who has taken summer school classes through other boards or at private schools must bring in their final report cards to Guidance during the last week of August.

All students are encouraged to continue to explore the resources available to them online at: www.myblueprint.ca/tdsb in order to help them map out their future studies and careers. Whether you are working at a summer job, taking a class at summer school, or working on your community service hours, the Guidance Department wishes you a safe and happy summer!

Take Your Work to Kids Day

On 8 May, Runnymede welcomed almost 50 professionals who volunteered their time to speak to all of our senior (and some of our junior) classes about their careers. Speakers encompassed many careers, including: veterinarian, lawyer, engineer, plumber, fitness trainer, financial analyst, photographer, chef, electrician, police, military, fire, paramedic, psychologist, nurse, social worker, dietician, entrepreneur, and many more. Students were given the opportunity to learn about different careers and ask the experts questions about their pathways to success. Many thanks to our awesome guests, our well-behaved students, and our Pathways Committee for setting up this outstanding experiential learning initiative!

Tina Sing

(Biochemist/Cancer Researcher)

Jason Langen (Red Seal Plumber/Welder) and Sal Nardi (Master Electrician)

Ron Barrow (Toronto Fire Services)

http://www.myblueprint.ca/tdsb


Taushauna Moore (Civil Engineer)

Danika (Veterinary Technician), Officer Eric Berridge (Toronto Police), and Dr. Scott Bainbridge (Veterinarian)

Amy Ogilvie and Alissa Gillespie (Halton EMS)

Library/Learning Commons

summer reading All students are invited to join the Summer Reading Challenge. Summer is the perfect time for students to read for pleasure. Students may read fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, e-books, comic books, journal articles on any

subject of interest and be involved in the challenge. In September all participating students will get together for a pizza party. In addition, draws will be held for prizes in a number of categories. . Participating students must record information about their reading using the template provided by the library. Encourage your son or daughter to get involved and increase their reading over the summer. Library re-modeL update The café tables have arrived and we will soon have café stools to complete the work stations. Students are already enjoying the new tables and look forward to the next step in our update: a student reading area!

Masters Program Report Our Masters Program has selected two new Grade 9 Entrance classes for 2014-2015. Next school year will be the largest Masters Program Year ever. There will be two Masters classes in Grade 9 10 and 11 as well as 19 Masters students that will be in their Grade 12 year. The program will have over 150 students for 2014-2015. Next year we will continue with trips to The Ontario Science Centre, The Toronto Zoo, The Aquarium, Canada’s Wonderland and our outdoor nature trip in April and May for Grade 10 students to the SOES facility near Huntsville. Our Grade 11 Masters students will spend a week in May at the Enriched Studies Program at Queens University. Our Grade 9 students will work on rockets and house building and wiring. Our Grade 10’s will build airplanes and study flight characteristics as well as learning about DNA sequencing. We will continue our Engineer in Residence program with new


lectures and hands on activities. We will also provide lectures from our local research hospitals and The Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics. Our entrance exam will be earlier this year in late November and early December. Thank you to all our students and teachers in the Masters program for a very successful school year. See you in September. Runnymede CI - Athletics Department This year saw a return to an amazing athletics program that the Runnymede CI community, staff, students, and alumni have become accustomed to. Throughout the year the Ravens experienced the turbulence that accompanies any athletic program. We overcame many hurdles, experienced successes, achieved personal bests, won championships, but most of all we competed with dignity and displayed the usual high sportsmanship that has been expected from all Runnymede athletes.

A very special thank-you to the entire coaching staff at Runnymede C.I. who gave endless hours to see that the students at Runnymede had the opportunity to learn and grow as they move through their high-school years.

Highlights from the Fall Season….

Football (Coaches: Mr. Kotsopoulos, Mr. Rowland, Mr. Davidson) After a 30 year absence, football returned to Runnymede CI. What an amazing experience this was for the school! With an extraordinary amount of support from the community, and the Toronto Argos the team had a fun-filled year. The season started with team fittings and try-outs. The boys learned quickly that football requires an enormous commitment. Once things settled down the boys were hosted by the Argos at the Tim Horton’s Leadership Camp. They got to know each other, and quickly gelled as a team before their first game. The boys were treated to numerous Games at the Roger’s Centre, they

even lead the team out of the tunnel before a great game against the Hamilton Ti-Cats. This excitement would have been enough to close a season as a success, but not for our boys!! Homecoming went off with a blast. The school paraded down to Rockcliffe and was treated to a great homecoming win. The boys worked hard, practicing every night. In the end it was all worth it as they brought home The ARGOS CUP, winning the Varsity Development Championship. Quite an amazing feat for a first year team.

Congratulations to the entire team, you have started a new page of Runnymede History.

Golf (Coach: Mr.Murray)

Golf returned to Runnymede CI this year. An experienced team was given the opportunity to learn an amazing game. They improved the entire season scoring better with each round they played, and always walking away with “Most Honest Golfer” distinctions.

Junior Girls Basketball (Coaches: Mr. Kalantzakos)

This young team has made their mark in the West Region as they finished their regular season in third place. Improving on last year’s ¼ final finish the girls defeated Silverthorn and advanced to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals our girls executed the game plan perfectly, but came up a little short against a very discipline team from ECI. The girls look forward to joining some of their classmates at the senior level next year to try and move past the competition in the West.

Congratulations Girls!!!


Senior Girls Basketball (Coaches: Richard Kurczyk, Ms.Ruscigno)

This year’s girl’s basketball team started with some controversy. Having seen the many successes that come with hardwork, and dedication over the last four years, this team struggled to find its identity. With the departure of Head Coach Melanie Belore, the team challenged proven head coach Richard Kurczyk the entire season. The girls over achieved as they competed against the toughest competition in the West Region advancing to the City semi-finals where the team bowed out of competition due to the lack of commitment of the team. Congratulations to senior leaders Anna-Kay Hyatt and Dennisha Thompson for all that they did in this tough season. This team will look to bounce back next year with an improved attitude and a young motivated roster.

X-Country (Coach: Ms.Kotsopoulos)

The interest in x-country has continued to grow. This year’s team saw students at all ages and levels compete and represent our school, with many advancing to the City Championship. Led by the experience of graduating runner Kofi Antwi, this team has grown in the last few years. With up-and-coming young hopefuls the future years of x-country at Runnymede look to be as bright as the last few.

Highlights from the Winter Season

Swimming Coaches: Pam Noseworthy, Ms. Pidhayny, Mrs. Fife)

This year’s swim team was one of the most competitive Runnymede CI has seen in years. Having had an influx of talented young swimmers the team saw many individual bests as they swam their way to a number of 1st place individual and team relay finishes. Congratulations to all of this year’s competitors.

Badminton (Coach: Mr.Rowland)

Recognizing that there was an enormous interest in badminton this year, Mr. Rowland stepped up at the last second to ensure that these students had a chance to compete. Bringing an unmatched expertise to the practices and training, Mr.Rowland made sure that the team honed their individual skillsl and team tactics as they moved towards Regional playdowns. One team advanced to the City Championships where they witnessed a level of experience that had only seen when facing their coach. Congratulations on a great season by all team members.

Bantam Boys Basketball (Coaches: Mr.Kotsopoulos, Mr.Kurczyk)

Bantam boy’s basketball made a return to Runnymede CI this year. Eighteen young men had an opportunity to play Basketball. The team worked hard to learn the intricacies of the team game, while focusing their efforts on the demands of Grade 9 school work. Finishing in second place after the regular season the boys advanced to the semi-finals against rival York Memorial. Playing shorthanded the boys were narrowly defeated in a tightly contested game that would have seen them advance to the championship. These young players will have an opportunity to bounce back next year with a full squad, the future of basketball at Runnymede continues to be strong.

Junior Boys Basketball (Coach: Mr. Kalantzakos)

This year’s Junior boys Basketball team was affected by the one year absence of sport at Runnymede CI. This talented team started slowly and looked unorganized. As the season progressed the boys developed into a very organized, disciplined team, narrowly making the playoffs in their last game of the season. The


boys defeated West Humber in the ¼ finals, where they advanced to play undefeated #1 Ranked ECI in the semi-final. In the semi-final the boys put it all together and played the game of their lives defeating ECI and showing that they have the ability to be one of the best teams in the City. In the West Region Championship the boys came up short and brought home the West Region Silver Medal. Other highlights include a 2nd place Silver finish in Peterborough. Congratulations Boys…you will be a force in the West in the years to come.

Senior Boys Basketball (Coaches: Colin Adams and Mr.Kalantzakos)

Lead by the experience of Head Coach Mr. Adams this team had the highest expectations and made their mark on the Basketball scene in the City and in the Province. Travelling to two weekend tournaments the boys showed the Province that they had the ability to be one of the best. Silver–medal finishes in Peterborough and Ridley College, St. Catherines helped the boys get ready for what surely would have been a “AA” OFSAA run. In the West Region the boys finished second in the regular season, but were the most feared team in the west by season’s end. Unfortunately, due to player decisions, and commitment failures the team did not compete in the playoffs, and saw a promising season end in disappointment.

Junior Girls Volleyball (Coach: Mrs. Kotsopoulos)

This year’s Junior Girls Volleyball team was one with very little experience. Young girls learning a new game with very specialized skills proved to be difficult. The girls fully committed practicing and learning, and by season’s end could hold their own against the serves and spikes of the other more experienced teams. It was great to see that regardless of skill at the beginning of the season, the lessons of sport are

learned through having fun, participation and team work. Good work girls, the skills and lessons you have learned will serve you well in the future.

Senior Girls Volleyball (Coaches: Mr.Cronin, Ms. Fernandes, Ms.Sabetti)

This year’s Senior Girls Volleyball team had a great season. The girls came together, adjusted to a new coaching staff, and worked hard to learn the systems of Volleyball. They competed fiercely the entire season and after beating West Humber in the ¼ finals they were narrowly defeated in the semi-final 2-1. Congratulations to the entire team, we will be following some of you as you take your skills to the college and university level.

Junior and Senior Boys Indoor Soccer (Coach: Mr. Murray)

Prepping for the outdoor season Mr. Murray put together two teams for the indoor soccer league. The boys practiced at lunch and enjoyed the perfect conditions at the Hangar. Both teams battled hard in this City wide league and missed the playoffs in their last match. Congratulations to all the boys!

Highlights from the Spring Season…

Girls Softball (Coaches: Ms.Kotsopoulos)

After last year’s playoff run, Ms Kotsopoulos focused her energy on rebuilding this year. Keeping 25 players and teaching them the game of slo-pitch was the best decision she could have ever made. This group of young dedicated athletes emerged as an exciting, spirited and fun team representing RCI in the West Region.

The season saw many ups and downs, with improvements in all areas.


CONGRATULATIONS on a great season, the rebuilding process is grueling but the hard work pays off.

Track and Field (Coaches: Mr.Kotsopoulos, Mrs.Livingstone, Mr.Blyth, Mr.Cronin, Mr.Kurczyk)

The track and field team continues to grow. The expertise of the coaching staff (the largest coaching staff Runnymede has ever seen) helped all of our athletes make significant gains in their events. Many won medals at Regionals and advanced to City Championships. Sam Decruyenaere was one spot away from representing Runnymede CI at the OFSAA Championships. Now that the athletes have an understanding of where the competition is, and what it will take to get there, their training will become more focused and intense for the upcoming years.

Girls Soccer (Coaches: Ms.Fernandes, Ms.Anderer)

What can I say? This team just has a knack for making it to the championship. For the 3rd consecutive year, this spirited group impressed their coaches and opponents with their outstanding effort and team play. The girls continued to improve throughout the season as they qualified for the playoffs. The girls beat NACI in the quarter-finals. The team went on to get revenge from a regular season loss when they defeated a feisty group from York Memorial in the semi-final. With this the girls advanced to the tier 2 championships where they were narrowly defeated by Vaughn Road 3-2. Congratulations girls you made Runnymede C.I. extremely proud. A special thank you to coach Fernandes and Ms. Anderer for the leadership and expertise they provided throughout the season.

Jr. Boys Soccer (Coach: Mr. Murray, Mr.Puniska, Mr.Davidson)

The boys soccer team showed improvement again this year. Being tied for the last playoff spot the boys were eliminated by the tie-breaker. A team that much resembled Spain….. amazing skill but just couldn’t do enough to make the playoff rounds. The boys will look to put it all together as they try and get to the playoffs as a senior team next year.

Boys Baseball (Coach: Joel Jansen, Ryan Panas, Ms Kurchak, Mr. Kalantzakos)

This young team was the best Baseball team Runnymede CI has seen in the last decade. This year’s coaching staff was loaded with experience, and the boys benefited from the knowledge on the bench. Their skills improved with every practice and yes this year they were one game away from bringing the Championship home to Runnymede. They faced an experienced Grade 2 team from Weston CI in the semi-finals and were beaten in the top of the 10th inning. They now will be the favourites in next year’s league, if they can stay healthy watch out West region!! A special thanks to Joel Jansen, Ryan Panas, and Ms Kurchak who are not currently on staff at Runnymede CI, but continue to come back and provide these valuable opportunities for these young men.

Cheerleading (Coach: Ms. Kemp)

A very enthusiastic coach, putting together a very enthusiastic group of girls and making a difference in the entire school spirit. This year this new team did it all. They cheered, they performed, and they competed. This team although listed as a spring team trained, performed and competed for the entire school year. They attended Football games, Basketball games, spirit events, and even competed in a provincial cheer competition. Under the


expertise of Ms. Kemp this high flying group brought a new look to what it means to support everything that is Runnymede Athletics. Congratulations on an incredible year, we look forward to having this team around our fields and in our gyms for years to come.

WILL BE MISSED………

Runnymede CI will miss the coaching of Ms.Kemp and Mr. Blyth who currently are not slated to be back at Runnymede CI next year. Thank-you for the time you spent with our athletes, and we will remain hopeful that there is a possible return to Runnymede.

ATHLETIC BANQUET

It is amazing what our athletes are able to accomplish year after year, and this year was no exception. This year’s athletic banquet was a tremendous success. Approximately 220 coaches and athletes attended the semi-formal event, and enjoyed a semi-formal night of dining, entertainment, and awards as we honoured some of this year’s outstanding individual and team performances, along with some outstanding coaches.

James Haines and Anna-Kay Hyatt, our Senior Athletes of the Year, made exceptional contributions to athletics at Runnymede CI throughout their high school years.

OUR ATHLETES:

GRADE 9 Most Promising Athlete

Male: ELVIS TAT

Female: KARLIE JANES

JUNIOR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Male: SAM DECRUYENAERE

Female: ALEXANDRA JOSEPH

SENIOR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Male: JAMES HAINES

Female: ANNA-KAY HYATT

2013-14 Most Valuable Players and Most Improved Players Fall Sports MVP MIP X Country Angel Nguyen Kofi Antwi Jr. Girls Basketball

Abigail Delumban Eunice Kalaw

Sr. Girls Basketball

Anna-Kay Hyatt DenishaThompson

Golf Jacob Bradbeer Tracey Kolthoff Football James Haines

Donovan Hayden Malcolm Fenech

Winter Sports MVP MIP Jr. Girls Volleyball

Abigail De De Lumban

Ramona Mohabir

Sr. Girls Volleyball

Anna-Kay Hyatt

Katrina Bongalon

Bantam Boys Basketball

Shamare Welcome

Taye Bailey

Junior Boys Basketball

Sharmarke Farah (gr.10)

John Yang

Sr. Boys Basketball

Shirwac Farah

Sharmarke Farah (gr.12)

Swimming Karlie Janes Sarah Kirke Badminton Karlie Janes Henry Tran Jr. Boys Indoor Soccer

Clarence Castro

Stuart Dietrich

Sr. Boys Indoor Soccer

Hakim Louis Leeban Ali

Spring Sports MVP MIP Baseball Salim

Fleming-Smikle

Kyle Laughton

Jr. Boys Soccer

Eyob Zewdu Mohid Khalid

Girls Soccer

Erica Ochendoski

Breanna Ritlop

Slo-pitch Lisa Isoshima Blossom Dostalie Track & Field

Angel Nguyen Kofi Antwi


Athletic Letter Award Winners Junior Letter

• Fardowsa Ali • Kofi Antwi • Shamir Bell • Katrina Bongalon • Jake Bradbeer • Carlo Bunalade • Christiane Castro • Shirwac Farah • Liliana Figueroa • Salim Fleming-Smikle • Alicia Gonzalez • Jahvonni Greaves • James Haines • Alexandra Joseph • Eunice Kalaw • Abdul Khatib • Rebecca Knapp • Sarah Kirke • Kyle Laughton • Wesley Laughton • Uriah Layne • Elaine Lo • Gatee Madriaga • Nicholas Moore-Samaroo • Angel Nguyen • Fiona Nguyen • Erica Ochendoski • Kieran Patrick • Haley Rath • Breanna Ritlop • Klevis Saraci • Shyon Swaby • Hai Tang • Selina Tanti • Thanasi Verros • Eyob Zewdu

Senior Letter • Kofi Antwi • Katrina Bongalon • Giovanny Felicitas • Salim Fleming-Smikle • Erika King • Angel Nguyen • Hai Tang • Melika Taylor • Johvonna Murray-Bradshaw • Anna-Kay Hyatt • Larissa Ngwe • Erica Ochendoski

Honour Plaque

• Kofi Antwi • Anna-Kay Hyatt • Johvonna Murray-Bradshaw

RAC (Runnymede Athletic Council) (Staff Advisor: Mrs. Kotsopoulos) Runnymede’s Athletic Council had another outstanding year under the guidance of Mrs. Kotsopoulos. Thank-you to all members for their efforts, and all the hours spent to make athletics, intramurals, and various activities at Runnymede CI extremely successful.

These years events included:

• Grade 9 Welcome- Moving on Up

• Camp Trip 2013 • TTC Photo Day • Right to Play • Intramurals (hockey, dodge ball,

badminton, soccer, basketball) • Scoring • Spirit Weeks • Athletic Banquet

RAC – Runnymede Athletic Council positions have been filled for next year. We look forward to another exciting and rewarding year in 2014-2015

2014 – 2015 RAC Members Executive Members Olivia Pitcher Lena Chhouk Delali Egyima Emily Le Carlo Bunalade Laura Kelly Ali Eshaghpour


General Members Grade 10

• Stuart Dietrick • Nicholas Dietrich • Sharon Quan • Jennifer Nguyen • Karlie Janes • Dillon Kong • Jahmela Wizzard • Aven Chhouk • Jigme Dorjee • Stephanie Tang

Grade 11

• Aden Downes • Tina Huynh • Malcolm Fenech • Battungalag Batsaikhan • Nahid Iseyas • Shaswati Chowdbury • Julie Chen • Carmen Duong • Alicia Wilson • Keyshawn Davey-Kellerman • Gattee Madriaga • Thivija Thavarajah • Nazdar Sadik • Amanda Nguyen • Faduma Ahmed • Stephanie Le • Derek Tang

Grade 12

• Katrina Bongalon • Anagha Kuppadakath • Anjana Kuppadakath • Aleefah Hossein • Julie Lee • Sarah Kirke • Jake Bradbeer • Marissa Jacinto • Kyle Laughton • Jacky Yang

Science Department

As always, the Science Department traversed the ether of reality in search of the mysteries of the multiverse. There were “ups”, there were “downs”, and the enigmatic pink goo persisted despite our best efforts to eradicate it. In our reflections upon the year just past, all things have been considered except for the spectral ferrets, which we have gone to great lengths to ignore. The year ended on something of a sad note. Our indomitable Doctor “J” dissected his final rat, genetically engineered his last bacterium, electrophoresed his ultimate DNA sample, and retired after many years of service. We will miss him greatly, and wish him well as he continues his life-journey, drinking Qimen red tea (祁门红茶)and listening to Latin-Jazz. Eco Club This year, the Eco Club team was inspired at the EcoSchools kick off at the University of Toronto. During a scavenger hunt, the team discovered a water fountain at Sydney Smith Hall that easily allows you to refill a reusable water bottle. The Eco Club decided to write a proposal and ended up receiving $1000 from the Ontario Speak Up Grant. The water fountain was installed in February 2014. This new water fountain will reduce the amount of plastic bottles RCI students and staff discard. Congratulations team, great job!

Eco Club at the EcoSchools Kick Off at the University of Toronto


School Water Fountain

BEFORE AFTER

Colourful GOOS paper boxes

Symbol of Wasteful Water Consumption The Eco Club worked hard all year to educate staff and students about the harmful effects of putting electronic waste in the regular waste stream. The school had an e-waste drive to collect electronic waste in order to prevent it from entering landfills. In an effort to reduce paper, Ms. Csonto's grade 9 art class designed

colourful GOOS (Good On One Side) boxes that were distributed to all classes. These boxes encourage students to waste less useable paper and to think more about reusing with other daily practices. Mrs. Fernandes' and Mrs. Brennan's classes restored the two gardens at the front of the school, learning important gardening steps like proper edging techniques and how to read plant labels. Thank you to all the students who keep our school grounds looking good and litter free.

Ms. Fernandes’ 3 rd Period Class

2014 Ontario EcoSchools Certification


Co-operative Education The Co-operative Education students of semester two had many memorable experiences working in community businesses and schools. Students explored career choices, gained real world experience and improved communication skills and self-confidence through their work placements. I am happy to announce that 5 hard working co-op students earned part-time and full-time paid employment positions as a result of their strong work ethic and professional behavior. Congratulations to Subeyda Hussein, Bromley Walker, Lisa Taylor, Kevin Nguyen and Aleefah Hossein. Individual highlights: Klevis Saraci and Brandon M. Wilson worked with computers and expanded their knowledge of hardware parts, computer software and customer service. The two dismantled computers, erased hard drives, learned how to prepare orders, made customer phone calls and installed various computer programs. Aleefah Hossein was one of 28 students chosen to participate in the St. Michael's Co-op Porgram. She worked in the Nephrology/Kidney Transplant Unit and learned various tasks such as making patient beds, filing patient charts, putting together surgical packs, collecting trays and learning how to answer and transfer calls. Aleefah also had a chance to participate in many educational tours around St. Michael’s Hospital including the morgue, ER, TIPSY and a Medical Imaging facility.

Klevis Saraci opening a new shipment at Best Buy

Brandon Wilson dismantling computers at Computation

Aleefah Hossein at St. Michael's Hospital Several students worked in TDSB elementary and middle schools in various departments. Ly Chung, Tessa Nembhard and Bromley Walker assisted in Special Education classes learning how to accommodate students with various learning challenges. Tessa will be missed most by her favorite student, Charlie. Melanie Ramos worked as a librarian learning how to catalog, renew and reserve books for students. Dennisha Thompson found out that teaching Physical Education is not all fun and games. According to Dennisha, you need a lot of energy to be an effective P.E. teacher. Having a loud voice, staying firm with gym rules and time management are more important than knowing how to throw a dodge ball. Working with 50-60 boys and girls in one gymnasium every afternoon can be tiring but she developed good relationships with her students as her confidence soared.


Tessa Nembhard helping Ben and Richie at Humbercrest Public School

Ly Chung helping students with math at Bala Avenue Community School

Melanie Ramos working in the library at Humbercrest Public School

Taneisha Chambers, Meratun Mohamed and Juliana Ponceano experienced life as Junior Kindergarten teaching assistants. These ladies quickly learned that teaching kindergarten entails much more than sand boxes and crafts. The girls experienced lesson preparation and learned the importance of patience and

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flexibility. They planned activities in line with the Ontario curriculum and had a great time teaching lessons and assisting with classroom activities. The ladies did a wonderful job and will be missed by all the little students they worked with. All students working as teacher assistants enjoyed how each day was busy, unpredictable and the students made sure you never have dull moment.

Meratun Mohamed teaching students why the beaver is on the Canadian nickel at Humbercrest Public School

Taneisha Chambers teaching students how to use a ruler at Humbercrest Public School

Kristianette Calmerin worked at the Runnymede Healthcare Centre. Kristianette was a perfect co-op student for this placement because she interacted so naturally with the patients. I was amazed at how quickly she learned the patient’s names. Kristianette was responsible for porting patients down to their activation therapy where patients would re-build fine-motor skills. Kristianette shadowed nurses and learned how to use the blood pressure machine. Subeyda Hussein was hired as a part time staff member after her co-op placement at Shoppers Drug Mart. Her supervisor appreciated her


willingness to take initiative by asking lots of questions, and her desire to learn all aspects of the Shoppers Drug Mart merchandising operation. Congratulations to Subeyda for landing her first part time job! Saadat Alam and Musap Ahmed completed their co-op placements working as automotive service technicians. Saadat demonstrated his learning by performing an oil change for his teacher and walked us through how to properly lift a vehicle on the hoist to rotate tires and inspect brakes.

SubeydaHussein scanning products at Shoppers Drug Mart

Kristianette Calmerin taking her teacher's blood pressure at the Runnymede Healthcare Centre

Saadat Alam working on his teacher's car at A&I Auto

Lisa Taylor experienced her dream of one day becoming a veterinarian. Lisa learned to restrain large animals during procedures like blood/urine draws, examinations, taking body temperature, and/or cleaning a wound. She also learned how to take vital signs during dental procedures and expanded her vocabulary and knowledge of surgical instruments.

Latavia Burke worked at a Recording Studio in Liberty Village called The Remix Project. She learned how to set up for recording artists and made several key observations about how the business works. Latavia even got a chance to record and polish her own recordings! Kevin Nguyen committed to waking up before dawn every morning to work at Rudolph's Bread Factory. His commitment over the semester landed him a great reference and full time job at Maple Leafs Food. Runnymede would like to thank all schools, businesses and placement supervisors for working so well with our student and taking an interest in their learning. We look forward to working with the new group of co-op students in September. DUAL CREDITS (Student Success Initiative) Latavia Burke, Brandon M. Wilson, Aleefah Hossein and Dennisha Thompson participated in the TDSB Dual Credit Program. They attended Seneca and Humber College once a week studying Social Psychology, ECE Health and Safety and CNC programming. All four students earned their first college credit in addition to a high school credit. Each student loved the college experience and proved to themselves that they are ready and capable for post-secondary education.

SWAC - School Within A College (Student Success Initiative) Bromley Walker successfully completed his O.S.S.D. through the School Within A College (SWAC) Program at George Brown College. He enrolled in two college courses and completed the remainder of his secondary school courses. Bromley completed the co-op component working in a special education class at Essex Bromley Walker successfully completed his O.S.S.D. through the School Within A College (SWAC) Program at George Brown

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