Digital Photography

Ryo Taleporos

Karen Thai

 Gr. 12 Photography Class outstanding digital photos illustrating the fall season interrpruted through the five senses.   Enjoy!

Amanda Theyers

Luis Silva

Laura Bremner

Daniel Sos

Jacob

Spreading Fun Across the TDSB

Congratulations to the Warp7 Team for putting on a great Robotics Engineering presentation at the 2011 Tech Expo held at Kent Public School. The event spanned over two days. Team members divide themselves into two groups of 5 and made original inspiring robotics presentations to senior elementary students from across the city. In all, over 600 students were awed by their knowledge and ingenuity.  It was a magnificent opportunity for public speaking and event organization. Topics included the secrets to past competition success, robot control – where students were invited to drive our competition bots, inputs and outputs, robotic arms and our new pneumatic cannon – a blast of excitement.  They did a magnificent job representing Western.











It's no wonder Western Tech's Warp7 Robotics Team has won the Gracious Professionalism award for the last two consecutive seasons at FIRST Robotics.

If you would like us to come and visit your elementary school please contact eric.halling@tdsb.on.ca. We are looking to expand our presentation season and would love to share our technology and know-how.

An evening with FELA!

Our students with the cast of FELA!

On November 4^th   five WTCS students had the opportunity to see the Broadway Production FELA!  and visit backstage and meet the entire cast as well as the Ambassador of Nigeria.  FELA!  Is the story about Fela Kutu and his music that came from Nigeria.  He created a new kind of music, Afrobeat with lyrics to openly attack the corrupt and repressive military dictatorships that rule Nigeria and much of Africa.  It was an exciting experience for some of our WTCS students and a moment they will not forget!

Our students spending an evening with the Ambassador of Nigeria

Halloween Bookmark Contest a Great Success!

Every October our school Library holds a Halloween bookmark contest. All students from grades 9 to 12 have the opportunity to design their own bookmark.   Students vote for their favourite ones. Every year the top five are chosen as the winners and made into proper bookmarks that are given out free in the library. This year we had 87 entries made by the students and staff.  The library provides Gift Certificates for a local bookstore as prizes.  The bookmarks are a huge success.  They encourage students to show their creativity and love of reading. 

Congratulations to Ana who won 1^st and 2^nd prize, Genovieve who won 3rd, Quinn who won 4^th and Alexandria who won 5^th .

Prokaryotic or Eukaryotic?

  In October, the Grade 11 College Biology class worked on developing cell models of different types of cells. The chose between prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells. Each student worked very hard and their finished projects turned out amazing! They should be very proud of their work!



The models are displayed on the first floor across from rooms 137 and 138. Come check them out for yourself!





As the rest of the semester flies by, come check out what else Grade 11 Biology is all about! You might just come across a bacteria growth lab or a dissection!

Co-operative Education Shines At Western Tech!

Once again, we are up and running at Western with our unique experiential learning program, integrating academic study with practical experience in business and industry. This month's showcased co-op student is Theo C.-B. 

Theo is gaining valuable work expertise and experience in the film/sound engineering sector working at downtown based Thatchannel.com, a company that  has created a vibrant platform for live internet broadcast and professional video production. For more information about other experiential learning opportunities, come by the co-op department across from the cafeteria or give us a call at 416393 0500 extension 3.

So What's Wrong With This Picture?

            “So, what’s wrong with this picture?” asks Hannah Rengele, a facilitator at Queen’s Park. Western Tech students are sitting around her examining the diets and food profiles of typical Torontonians and trying to figure out exactly how sustainable and healthy they are.

            “It’s too expensive,” says D’Andre a student in Mr. Pegg’s class, “and the carbon footprint for the groceries is enormous.” 

            “Precisely!” says Rengele.

            Students in Ms. De Rosa, and Mr. Pegg’s  Food and Nutrition classes are here at Queen’s Park to get a free lunch and to sample some of the  better food choices that they can make in their own diets. The initiative sponsored by Toronto’s Food Share  is meant to introduce students to a new perspective on what they eat and the importance of food production to their lives. It was all free - from the beet muffins, to the zuccinni/squash vichychoise. “This was the easiest field trip to organize, ever, “ says Ms De Rosa with a smile, “everyone loves a free lunch!”

Western Goes Down The Mississippi

Students at Western Tech had the luxury of floating down a theatrical  Mississippi River with the Classical Theatre Project’s production of Huck Finn. Viewing and participating in live theatre production is an element of the English Curriculum  in Ontario and teachers at WTCS make every attempt to expose students to a variety of  plays and theatre experiences. Principal Linton also subsidizes the cost of tickets to allow as many students to participate as fully as possible. 

“It’s a fantastic way to introduce my students to the performing arts,” says ESL teacher Ms Genine Natale, “This really tests their oral communication skills, but it’s also tons of fun.”

Some of the future theatrical excursions are two Shakespeare Classics: “Romeo and Juliet” and “MacBeth”. 

Spirit Week

This year's spirit week was a great success. It took place during the week of October 3rd to 7th. Many Western student's took part and showed their enthusiasm. Thanks to all those students and teachers who participated. Here are a few participants of our spirit week.

Monday Pajama Day

 

Tuesday Wacky Hair Day



Wednesday Twin Day

Thursday Formal Day

Friday Retro Day

Commencement 2011 - October 14

Welcome  Western graduates and family members

We would like to congratulate our graduates for their efforts and successes and their contributions to our school community. As you are probably aware, our school Commencement Ceremony will take place in the main auditorium beginning at 7pm sharp. If by circumstance you cannot attend in person then may we suggest that you take advantage of our webcast where our students, lead by Connor McBrine-Ellis, will stream the entire ceremony using digital technology. The channel will go live at approximately 6:50pm. Join us at http://www.ustream.tv/channel-popup/westerntech or simply click on the bright green “Commencement 2011” link at the bottom right corner of our school website http://www.wtcs.ca/

Note that the "Commencement 2011" link will become inactive after the event and will be replaced by a new feature "Western TV". Stay tuned!!!

Congratulations to the class of 2011

Student Council welcomes you to Western Technical-Commercial School

Your Student Council for the 2011-2012 school year would like to welcome you to Western Technical – Commercial School if this is your first year here or welcome you back if you are a returning student!

We are your Student Council Executive for this year and we are busy planning some exciting events. If you would like to contact any of us please see Ms. Khan in room 385 or come to our weekly student council meetings at 11:15 am every Monday in room 385.

Co-Presidents - Priyanka Sivaloganathan and Thushara Vigneswaran
Vice-President - Zach Fava
Treasurer - Anjali Kugathas
Secretary - Deborah Mililo
Girl’s Athletic Rep. – Marieke Pynn Coates Boy’s Athletic Rep. – Chris Sgouraditis

Events Co-coordinators - Madeline Biggs and Sameer Rai

Super Council Representative Wan Qi Luo

Our year has started with a bang! On September 1st the Student Council was busy meeting and greeting grade 9 students at our annual Moving on Up Day . We took grade 9’s on tours; lead scavenger hunts and enjoyed a lunch with them.

You may have also seen us in our leadership t-shirts, bright and early at 8 am the first week of school in the grade nine locker hallway making sure everyone knew where they were going, helping open locks or guiding students to their home form classes.

Our September 13 Club Fair took place in the cafeteria. We had about 30 extra-curricular clubs showcasing what the clubs do and how students can sign up. As a school, we try to encourage our grade nine students to sign up for at least 2 different clubs over the course of the year. With so many options who can resist!! If you missed Club Fair Day no need to fear ……. a list of clubs and contact information will be posted in each class and on the Club Board across from guidance by the beginning of October.

Students in the grade 11 Leadership classes have been busy organizing the annual school wide Terry Fox Run. The run took place on Wednesday September 28th period 2 and our turn out was amazing. Congratulations Western you collaboratively raised 830 dollars for cancer research! A big shout to Ms. Natale’s ESL class who were the top class fundraisers for this event.

Upcoming Events Monday October 3 – Friday October 7th is Spirit Week. If you dress up for each theme day come to the cafeteria at lunch to pick up a spirit treat and enter our raffle to win a pizza pizza gift certificate. Monday - Pyjama Day

Tuesday is Wacky Hair Day  

Wednesday is Twin Day

Thursday is Formal Day
Friday is Retro Day (Meet us for a fashion show in the cafeteria at lunch.)

October 28th is our Halloween Carnival Period 4 Buy Out!!

Citizens of the Global Village

We are all citizens of the global village and as such, are responsible for our neighbours in difficult times. That is exactly what the World Issues Class (CGW4U1) experienced recently. Upon discussion of the drought in East Africa it was decided that fund-raising would be necessary. The grade 12 geography class held a “bucket drive” where they took buckets to all the classrooms in the school and appealed to the students and teachers for donations for the victims of the drought. Happiness ensued! The people of Western were generous to the total of $800. With the government matching that amount that we gave to “Free the Children” aid will be sent to East Africa in the amount of $1600!

Thank you so much to everyone who donated. The Canadian and World Studies students will continue to learn and experience life in the Global Village.

Spring into Action – News from the Gifted/Enriched Program

It was a mad dash to the finish line for students in the Gifted/Enriched program. As the school year drew to a close, they took part in a range of initiatives that allowed them to further develop and demonstrate their leadership skills:

* Battle of the Bands, which was filmed by Rogers for High School Rush, featured numerous Gifted students. Top honours went to Dear Reader, showcasing the superb musicianship of George Chenery and Liam Stevenson. Placing first was a fitting farewell to George who is off to study jazz next year with a scholarship to George Brown.

* The May issue of Western’s student newspaper, The Hidden Agenda, was the largest since the paper was created by Grade 11 Gifted students Geoff Bercarich and Alda Escareno in 1999. This year’s editors Cindy Bui and Chelsea Viray are both graduating but will pass the helm to Gifted student Kaelan Myerscough.

* On Saturday May 22, several Grade 9 Gifted/Enriched students volunteered at the Junction’s annual Creative Children’s Dance Show, working behind the scenes with kids aged 5-11. The Grade 9s did such a great job that organizer Laurie Raymond extended an invitation for them to return next year.

* On May 19, Grade 10-Gifted/Enriched students joined senior Leadership students to participate in a project run by TREC Renewable Energy Co-operative at the Evergreen Brick Works Urban Environmental Park. Western students hosted and facilitated over 25 workshops for 600 Grade 5 students from across the GTA.

* On June 14, Gifted/Enriched students met with other WTCS students to plan Moving On Up, Western’s welcome to new Grade 9 students that is scheduled for September 1. The event offers orientation, information and celebration, and is a great way for current Gifted/Enriched students to model community leadership for younger students.

W.T.C.S. Student wins T.G.H./University Health Network Award

Once again, Western Tech wins the Bette J. Johnston Director's Award! This
year Kritika G. received the award for excellence and achievement in
a co-operative education placement at University Health Network.

Kritika did her co-op placement in the Cancer Pain Research Program at Toronto General Hospital/University Health Network. During her time at the placement, Kritika helped with managing data, research and updating the program website. Throughout the placement, Kritika demonstrated a quick
mind and meticulous work. We congratulate Kritika on her award.

Grads Return Assembly

The PLC Transitions held a Grads Return Assembly on May 17th for grade 11
Western students. Grads shared the ups and downs of making the move from
high school to apprenticeships, college, university, or directly into the
world of work. .

Given the positive student feedback for this very successful event, we plan to host another Grads Return Assembly next year

New Scholarship For WTCS Students

Western Tech has always had an ample scholarship fund. Notably, the school is one of most well-endowed in the TDSB for awards and bursaries in the Technical Studies area. Students in academic studies are also well-rewarded for their outstanding efforts and that pot of money has just increased with a new bursary to be funded in part by the Toronto media company “Back Alley Productions”. The scholarship will be called The Barry Duncan Media Literacy Scholarship/Bursary and is in honor of Barry Duncan a longtime teacher and proponent of Media Studies at the Toronto Board of Education, and within the province.

Media studies are an integral part of the English Curriculum at WTCS and are a vibrant and inspirational way to challenge and tap into students' creative and academic abilities. Working with film, video, sound production, script-writing and graphical texts is a core and essential component of the English curriculum and it is one that draws in a wide range of students and abilities.

Adrienne Mitchell a producer and director for Back Alley wanted to recognize the importance of media studies to the high school curriculum and to developing the future of Canadian film, TV, and radio production. “Media studies is very important to Canadian society,” says Mitchell, “ and we’re seeing how influential the media can be all across the Middle East in promoting and democracy and holding governments accountable. That’s partly why I believe Media Studies is so important to support at the high school level.”

This graduating scholarship will be used to support Mitchell’s aims. The bursary will be awarded to grade 12 students who show strong commitment and skill in the use of media in regular English classes. “It’s an exciting development,” says Ian Esquivel, the media studies teacher at WTCS. “Western’s a school that can proudly support and develop students and develop with these gifts. The scholarship gives us another reason to keep on encouraging students to explore media and to consider it in their future plans after graduation. We’re delighted with the support that the film industry is giving us.”

The first winner of the scholarship is grade 12 student Chelsea Viray, who has made a range of videos, collages, installations, and soundscapes at Western Tech, her latest shown at Western’s most recent Prom.

If you are interested in donating to the Barry Duncan Media Literacy Bursary Scholarship, please contact Tina Morrison in Guidance or Ian Esquivel in Media Studies. We’d be delighted to have your support.

Pennies For Peace

Once again the LEAP students did their spring blitz penny collection in an effort to raise money for Pennies For Peace, an organization that provides educational supplies to remote schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This year the class collected $144 entirely in pennies! That's more than double what they raised last year. The champion fundraiser, Celine Ndongo, brought in over thirty-four dollars most of which she collected on her own street, noting: "Once people knew we were only asking for pennies, they were happy to contribute." So a big thank you goes out not only to our students but also to our great neighbours!

Engineering/Robotics – S.H.S.M.

Our Engineering/Robotics Specialist High Skills Major program provides students with a potent foundation for a wide variety of post secondary avenues. The program builds on a strong design component and problem-solving approach and is delivered in an atmosphere where ingenuity, collaboration and creativity are encouraged and recognized as valuable components of learning. Registered students are offered valuable experiential learning opportunities that help prepare them for real world challenges and advancement.

In our first year offering this unique program to incoming grade 9 students, we have accepted 60 applicants and look forward to an exciting upcoming year. Who said it wasn’t cool to be smart?

TBBT Sheldon: A neutron walks into a bar and asks how much for a drink. The bartender replies "for you, no charge". Have a great summer!

Gracious Professionalism Award – for the second consecutive year!

Congratulations to the Western Robotics team – Warp7. This year’s team competed in two regional competitions, the Greater Toronto Regional (the world’s largest with over 60 teams competing for top prize) and the Waterloo Regional (widely regarded as one of the toughest in the circuit).

The Waterloo competition was held on campus at the University of Waterloo. There were numerous sites to see and many students took advantage of time between matches to explore the campus and campus life. Of particular interest were the many fascinating thesis displays from the nano engineering and software engineering students that were being showcased in their building across campus. Our students rubbed elbows and exchanged ideas with some of the world’s brightest minds.

Not only was it a very inspirational trip for these future engineers and programmers because of the intellectual energy that abounds at UofW, but once again, Western Tech Robotics was honoured with one of the most coveted prizes – the Gracious Professionalism Award. To quote from the FIRST Robotics website:
Dr. Woodie Flowers, FIRST National Advisor and Pappalardo Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, coined the term "Gracious ProfessionalismTM."

Gracious Professionalism is part of the ethos of FIRST. It's a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. With Gracious Professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate notions. Gracious professionals learn and compete like crazy, but treat one another with respect and kindness in the process. They avoid treating anyone like losers. No chest thumping tough talk, but no sticky-sweet platitudes either. Knowledge, competition, and empathy are comfortably blended.

In the long run, Gracious Professionalism is part of pursuing a meaningful life. One can add to society and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing one has acted with integrity and sensitivity.

Western's 8th Annual Battle of the Bands

Hey all you rockers and singers out there, Western's 8th Annual Battle of the Bands is next Wednesday June 1, 7-11, at Lula Lounge. Come on out for a night of homegrown music and good times. And bring friends and family!

CyberARTS

It’s been almost 5 years now that our CyberARTS program has been offering an amazing combination of fine and digital arts.

Students have been busy sculpting green-screen claymation animations and jumping into the story as actors, designing posters and wine bottle labels, shooting videos, and painting up a storm.

And for the first time we have TWO incoming grade 9 classes for the fall 2011 CyberARTS season.

Drop by 274B anytime to catch a glimpse of the action. Western’s CyberARTS program is growing into a monster!! And it’s a very welcoming monster.

Co-op Celebrates Experiential Learning

The Co-op teachers and students invite parents and employers to attend our THANK-YOU OPEN HOUSE to showcase Co-op and to acknowledge community contribution to our program. Check out where our students get valuable real world experience. This past year our students were placed at over 200 locations including Hospitals, apprenticeships, accounting firms, marketing think tanks, hotels, restaurants and many, many more dynamic locations. Drop in between 8am and 2pm and find out how Western students excel.

When:
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
between 8:00 am – 2:00 pm
Refreshments will be served

Where:
Co-op Office and Classroom
Room 278
Western Technical–Commercial School
125 Evelyn Crescent
Toronto, Ontario M6P 3E3
Street parking on:
Evelyn Avenue (behind the tennis courts) and Fairview Avenue

FIRST Robotics - CNN TV Special

Greetings Friends of FIRST!

Western Technical-Comme​rcial School has an Engineering Robotics program. Within that program there are a large percentage of students enrolled in what is officially called our Manufacturing Specialist High Skills Major. The course work for that S.H.S.M., as we call it, involves participation in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)Robotics.

The value of FIRST Robotics and how it could tie into the future of education in North America is the focus of a TV special scheduled for this coming weekend on CNN entitled “Education in America: Don’t Fail Me” which prominently features three FIRST Robotics Competition teams as they navigate the 2011 FIRST Season. What you are likely to see is not exactly what we do at Western, but it should give you an idea of what FIRST Robotics is all about.

At Western we integrate FIRST Robotics and use it as a means to encourage and inspire future innovators, scientists, engineers, problem solvers and leaders.

If you have the time and the interest, mark your calendar and tune into CNN, Sunday May 15 at 8pm ET. If you missed it, you can find the special on youtube with the links provided below:

Part 1 of the CNN special "Education in America: Don't Fail Me
Part 2 of the CNN special "Education in America: Don't Fail Me
Part 3 of the CNN special "Education in America: Don't Fail Me
Part 4 of the CNN special "Education in America: Don't Fail Me
Part 5 of the CNN special "Education in America: Don't Fail Me
Part 6 of the CNN special "Education in America: Don't Fail Me

Western Networking Students Best in Ontario, 23rd Best in the World

Congratulations to David A. and Henry T. for their excellent standing at the World Championships of Computer Networking. By being ranked #1 in Ontario, David and Henry qualified for the World Class event, broadcast live over the Internet and hosted by CISCO, where they were up against hundreds of elite networking students from all over the world. Our team’s final ranking was 3rd in Canada and 23rd in the world. Congratulations David and Henry.
Honourable mention also goes to Yao Wen Yu and Morgane Davis for finishing 5th in the Ontario regional competition and Brandon Wood and Simon Zhong for finishing 9th in the Ontario regional competition. Well done Western Tech Computer Networking students.