University of Toronto Schools

Infobox School
name = University of Toronto schools


streetaddress = 371 Bloor Street West
city = Toronto
province = Ontario
postalcode = M5S 2R8
country = Canada
coordinates = coord|43|40|1|N|79|24|8|W|display=inline,title
schoolboard = Independent
affiliation = University of Toronto
founder = Government of Ontario and the University of Toronto
principal = Michaele Robertson
viceprincipal = Dorothy Davis, Philip Marsh, Rick Parsons
teaching_staff = 50+ University of Toronto Schools. [http://www.utschools.ca/about_uts/quickfacts.html Quick Facts] . Accessed March 16, 2008.]
ratio =
gender = Co-educational
houses = Althouse, Cody, Crawford, Lewis
schooltype = Private (Independent)
tuition = $15,900 (2008-2009)
grades = 7-12
language = English
campustype = Urban
Hours_in_Day = 7.03
classrooms =
motto = Velut Arbor Ita Ramus
motto_translation = As the tree, so the branch
team_name = Blues
school_colours = Blue
yearbook = The Twig
newspaper = Cuspidor
established = 1910
alumni = See below
nobel_laureates = 2
enrollment = 626
enrollment_as_of = 2006
homepage = www.utschools.caThe University of Toronto Schools (UTS) (founded in 1910) is an independent private secondary school in downtown Toronto, Canada for academically-gifted students throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

Admissions

Most students enter in Grade 7 through a two-stage competitive examination. Prior to the admission of the class of 2013, the first stage consisted of a multiple choice exam, with approximately 300 participating; [http://www.uts.utoronto.ca/admissions/faq.html] ] those who pass this test in the top percentiles (usually 200 students) are invited back for a second written exam and an interview. However, starting with the class of 2014, admission to UTS consists of a Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) and an interview with a staff member and UTS alumni. Ultimately, 110 candidates are chosen from more than 300 applicants each year. [ [http://www.utschools.ca/admission/faq.aspx#4 FAQ ] ] On average, for the first year (F1) there are five classes each of which consists of 22 students. For admission in subsequent grade levels, applicants are admitted through a less formal process, albeit one just as rigorous. Candidates must be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants and may apply to enter either Grade 7 or the upper school (Grade 9 and above).

Academics

UTS is attended by students from grades 7 through 12, with 78 students per grade in classes graduating before 2001, 104 students per grade in classes graduating before 2009, and 110 in classes graduating thereafter.

UTS has enriched courses and a specialized curriculum, [ [http://www.uts.utoronto.ca/academics/aboutourprogram.html] ] which are designed to challenge and educate at a higher level than at most public and many independent schools. Because potential UTS candidates are required to pass a rigorous entrance examination to attend the school, its curriculum is accelerated on the assumption that its students assimilate information faster. For this reason several higher-grade subjects are taught at lower grade levels. For example, Grade 10 students can take an enriched version of Ontario's Grade 11 courses in introductory physics, biology, and/or chemistry. As well, effort is made to enrich classes with extra material and more in-depth discussions.

UTS offers Advanced Placement courses, but does not have an International Baccalaureate program. In addition to the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, graduates earn a UTS Diploma, which signifies the completion of certain specialized courses, among them Latin and Romance of Antiquity, and attesting to an attainment level beyond the provincial standards.

UTS's rate of student achievement is commensurate with its selective admissions policy, both in academics and in extracurricular activities. Virtually all UTS students go on to university following graduation: [ [http://www.uts.utoronto.ca/academics/universitydestinations.html] ] in 2004, the University of Toronto, McGill, Queen's, Waterloo, McMaster, and UBC were the most popular destinations, accounting for more than two-thirds of graduates; of the rest, a majority attended U.S. universities (primarily Ivy League and other "top tier" US institutions). The school's alumni include 20 Rhodes Scholars and two Nobel Prize winners.

Grade System

UTS's grade level nomenclature differs from that used commonly in Ontario high schools. This nomenclature has varied somewhat over the many years, and is due in part to a curriculum whose courses do not fit neatly into the provincial grading system, and in part to what had until the elimination of Grade 13 in Ontario constituted a six-year course to seven grade levels. The grade level nomenclature, with rough equivalents, consists of:
*Foundation One (F1): Grade 7. Formerly known as Foundation Year (F)
*Foundation Two (F2): Grade 8. Formerly known as Form I
*Middle Three (M3): Grade 9. Formerly known as Form II
*Middle Four (M4): Grade 10. Formerly known as Form III
*Senior Five (S5): Grade 11. Formerly known as Form IV
*Senior Six (S6): Grade 12. Formerly known as Form V

Prior to the double cohort in 2003, F1 and F2 formed both halves of the Ontario Grade 7-9 curriculum; M3 was equivalent to Grade 10, and so forth.

Extracurriculars

Each student is placed in one of four Houses (Althouse, Cody, Crawford, and Lewis, all named after former Headmasters, with the exception of Cody, which was named after a former University of Toronto president); several "competitive" House events are held throughout the year. The house system is only one facet of an unusually rich extracurricular life at UTS, however, and activities range from the school newspaper and yearbook – "Cuspidor" and "Twig" (along with its offshoot, the "Twig Tape") – to champion sports teams and clubs, from chess to photography and from Investment Club to multiplayer gaming club. UTS students organise the annual Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly, the second-largest Model United Nations conference in Canada for high school students. The school has in recent years been a two-time winner of the Reach for the Top National Trivia Championship and has won the Ontario Student Classics Conference for thirteen years running.

Clubs

There are quite a variety of clubs within UTS. They vary from Wargames to Ping Pong to Hip Hop to DDR to Soccer club and everything in between. The clubs teach the students important skills in life such as getting along with peers.

Events

There are several other events during the school year such as Arts and Music Week, Classics Conference and more. Arts and Music Week is a week when UTS students display their art work and show off their music skills. Either in their music class, in small bands, solo, or in an extracurricular group. There were many good events such as the art work displayed in the UTS gym, battle of the bands where students form into small groups and play the song of their choice on stage in the auditorium, there is also fajita lunch which the student council organizes (informally know as Stud Cow). The student council brings ingredients to make fajitas to sell while there is music being played by students. Also there is junior and senior music night when the senior classes and the junior music classes play their songs.

History

UTS was founded jointly by the province of Ontario and the University of Toronto in 1910 as "practice schools" for the Faculty of Education.Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.35] As originally conceived, UTS was to be a collection of two schools, at least one of which was to be for females [ [http://www.uts.utoronto.ca/about_uts/history.html] ] . The original plan was to recruit 200 teachers and 1200 students, but financial constraints limited the number of students to 375 boys.

1910-1960

The first headmaster in UTS' history was H.J. "Bull" Crawford, who also taught Classics at the school.Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.70] Crawford was responsible for most administrative tasks, which, until a secretary was hired in 1921, included signing admit slips. The school won the first ever Memorial Cup in 1919, as the best junior ice hockey team in the country. They defeated the Regina Patricias in two games, by scores of 14-3 and 15-5. The school was Eastern Canadian Champions, the same year, defeating the Montreal Melvilles 8-2 in a single game playoff. Future NHL defenceman Dunc Munro played for this team.Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.56] In 1925, Mike Rodden coached the UTS Rugby team to an undefeated season, culminating in the Canadian Interscholastic Championship. In 1934, A.C. Lewis succeeded John Althouse to become the third headmaster.Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.71] In 1944, W.B. "Brock" MacMurray, a 1924 graduate of the school, became the fourth headmaster; his 28-year term at UTS remains the longest in school history.Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.39] In 1957, the House System was established, with three of four houses named after the school's first three headmasters - Crawford, Althouse, and Lewis. The fourth house, Cody, was named after a former president of the University of Toronto.

1960-1970

The 1960s were a "turbulent" decade in the history of UTS.Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.34] Prior to the 1960s, the Ontario Ministry of Education required seniors to complete a number of matriculation exams in order to graduate. The student who scored highest in his or her exams province-wide would be awarded the Prince of Wales Scholarship; during the matriculation era, UTS students won thirteen Prince of Wales Scholarships.Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.37] Although matriculation exams would eventually be abolished in the 1960s, UTS students had been calling for change since the late 1930s in the form of valedictory addresses and protests. Addresses by Mark Czarnecki and Richard Reoch in 1936 and 1966, respectively, targeted the tendency for matriculations to reduce "a tangible desire for knowledge", producing instead "a mind that cannot think for itself".Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.44] In 1967, Ian Morrison's valedictory address lambasted a number of teachers and administrators who had been responsible for rigidly holding UTS to its past.Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.40] The speech was not published in "The Twig" the following year, but was still circulated among students. Discontent with the school's inability to reform climaxed in the "Protest for Nothing", which was led by Ed Waitzer in May 1969.Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.44] Unlike most protests, the placards that protesters held were blank; when principal MacMurray asked for their demands, a student famously showed him a blank sheet of paper and stated, "This is a list of our unnegotiable demands." At the turn of the decade, UTS developed a "New Program", which focused on completing subjects ("units") for graduation instead of matriculations.Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.43] The administration also agreed to allow students to complete their secondary school requirements in 4 years instead of 5, an advantage that was enjoyed until the 2003 double cohort. The Executive Council was formed in 1968 to provide a liaison between students and staff. Some of the Executive Council's first recommendations were implemented in 1969, including making Latin optional after grade 11 and introducing non-numerical grades for Arts and Music courses. In addition to academics, certain aspects of the school's extracurricular traditions were gradually being phased out. In 1966, participation in the Cadet Corps, which had been a bastion of UTS tradition, became optional; eventually, the Corps was discontinued.Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.42] Change was also evident in the school's teaching staff: in the 1960s alone, 35 new teachers were hired, compared to only 15 hirings during the 1950s.Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.79]

1970-1990

Don Gutteridge had originally arrived in 1962 at MacMurray's request, and had taught Grade 13 English. In 1972, Gutteridge succeeded MacMurray.Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.64] Although he was the school's fifth headmaster, he was the first to call himself a "principal".Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.65] During his tenure as the Premier of Ontario, Bill Davis came under fire for publicly funding UTS, which Liberal education critic Tom Reed called an "elitist" institution. Under pressure from the provincial government and the University of Toronto, a decision was made to admit girls into the school. Two proposals were tabled: the first involved expanding the school by maintaining the same number of incoming boys, and the second involved maintaining the class size by reducing the number of incoming boys. On January 18, 1973, the University of Toronto approved the second proposal, paving the way for a co-educational UTS the following academic year.Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.66] The first two co-educational cohorts totalled 70 students; each cohort was divided into two classes of 35 students.Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.61] In spite of initial concerns about the watered-down quality of UTS boys athletics, the junior girls basketball team won a city title in 1978. In order to assist families in financial need, the UTS Endowment Fund was set up in 1980; in 1989, approximately $50,000 was distributed to students in need.Advani, "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools", p.27]

1990-2000

In April 1993, the New Democratic government of Ontario announced the withdrawal of public funding from the school, leading to a dramatic rise in tuition costs, and prompting the mobilization of all its constituencies to make up the loss.

2000-present

UTS has remained a part of the University of Toronto's Faculty of Education and its successor, the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto (OISE/UT), until the beginning of 2004. A controversial agreement signed with the University at that time established the school as an independent ancillary body within the University commonwealth. The school was threatened by the TDSB (Toronto District School Board) to change the daily schedule so that the number of hours of education could meet ministry requirements.Fact|date=June 2008

Trivia

*Used as a location for significant exterior and interior shots for the 2006 film Take the Lead, but the school was only credited in the DVD director's commentary.

Notable alumni

*Chris Alexander, former Canadian Ambassador to AfghanistanFact|date=April 2007
*John Allemang, journalistFact|date=April 2007
*John Dowe Keith, eminent pediatric cardiologistFact|date=April 2007
*Charles Baillie, OC, chancellor of Queen's University, former CEO of TD Bank
*Rod Beattie, actor
*Stanley Champion Biggs, jurist, soldier, and lawyer for Lord Haw-Haw [ [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080715.OBBIGGS15/TPStory/Obituaries/?pageRequested=all globeandmail.com: Toronto lawyer survived D-Day, defended Lord Haw-Haw in Old Bailey ] ] [ [http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Strobel_Mike/2008/04/25/5383111-sun.php TorontoSun.com - Mike Strobel - Stan Biggs could not save the treacherous Lord Haw-Haw, but he can teach Miley Cyrus a thing or two about life ] ] [ [www.acc-vac.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=feature/normandy/norm_bios/biggs] ]
*Ian Brodie, chief of staff for Canada's Prime Minister's Office
*Catherine Bush, novelist
*J.M.S. Careless, OC, historian and biographer, two-time winner of the Governor General's Award
*Jim Chamberlin, chief designer of the Avro Arrow
*Noah Cowan, artistic director of Bell Lightbox, former co-director of the Toronto International Film FestivalFact|date=April 2007
*John Evans, CC, Rhodes Scholar, medical leader and former University of Toronto president
*David Frum, journalist and author
*Peter George, CM, president of McMaster University
*Chris Giannou, CM, war surgeon, former Chief Surgeon of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and author
*Donald B. Gillies, computer scientist
*Peter Godsoe, OC, former Chairman of The Bank of Nova Scotia
*Ian Goldberg, computer scientist and cryptographer
*Lawrence Hill, author and essayist
*Dennis Lee, OC, poet
*Jack McClelland, CC, publisher
*Lydia Millet, author
*Dunc Munro, hockey player, Stanley Cup winner, and Olympic gold medallist
*Fraser Mustard, CC, medical pioneer and founder of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
*John C. Polanyi, PC, CC, Nobel Prize winner for Chemistry, 1986
*Jeffrey Simpson, OC, journalist
*James Sommerville, horn player
*A. Michael Spence, Nobel Prize winner for Economics, 2001
*C.P. Stacey, OC, historian
*Harry Stinson, high profile real estate developer
*Wayne Sumner, philosophy professor and member of the Royal Society of Canada
*John Tory, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
*John A. Tory, former financial advisor to Ken Thomson
*Vincent Tovell, OC, CBC broadcaster and producerFact|date=June 2008
*Garth Turner, Conservative, then independent, then Liberal MP

References

External links

* [http://www.utschools.ca University of Toronto Schools]

Further reading

*Advani, Asheesh. "With Pardonable Pride: The University of Toronto Schools." Unionville: Addwin Publishing, 1991. (ISBN 0-9695185-0-1)
*Chapnick, Adam, ed. "Through Our Eyes: An Alumni History of UTS, 1960-2000." Toronto: University of Toronto Schools Alumni Association, 2005 ( [http://www.utschools.ca/alumni/UTS-Alumni-Magazine-Spring-2005.pdf pdf] ).
*Lane, Byron. "University of Toronto Schools: An Academic History of the Era of Province-Wide Standardized Matriculation Testing in Ontario." Toronto: [mailto:[e-mail] Byron Lane] , 2005.
*Wong, Jan, "The Chinese are being UTS-ified." Globe and Mail, 27 November 2007.