Upper Canada College

Upper Canada College rowers earned a second-place finish in the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, Mass. on Oct. 20 and 21.

UCC'€™s team of Graham Buchan, Charlie Walker, Harris Sheldon, Patrick Watt and cox Daniel Hong competed in the youth fours men event against an international field of 85 other crews and finished second.

UCC students Harrison Vincent, Malcolm McKenzie, Trevor Thorburn, Justin Fong and cox Aaron Ho --€” racing as Hanlan Boat Club --€” managed a respectable 17th place finish. The performance of both crews guaranteed them entries in next year's regatta.

"I am very proud of all of our boys,"€ said coach Grant Boyd. "They all displayed great poise and ability, and executed their race plans perfectly. This is a great starting point for our upcoming winter training season as well as the spring season in 2013."

The Head of the Charles is the largest two-day regatta in the world, with 2,031 boats competing in various categories over a challenging three-mile course on the Charles River.

You can watch the 2012 UCC rowing video here.

The Upper Canada College Forest Hill Terry Fox Run is closing in on $7 million raised for cancer research since it began in 1981 and after another successful edition on Sept. 16.

The weather was beautiful and hundreds of people were on campus to traverse the five- or 10-kilometre courses or volunteer in assisting the participants. UCC boarders, staff and faculty members were a big part of the event, as were corporate teams from the financial district who were among the biggest fundraisers.

UCC CAS director Lorne Young estimates that the run based at the school raised approximately $200,000, while The Terry Fox Foundation'€™s Christopher Henry reported that on-site participation and fundraising was up 20 to 30 per cent over last year. You can see photos from the day here.

UCC students took part in a Terry Fox run of their own on Sept. 28 and raised $550 at the Upper School. The run was preceded by a school-wide assembly on the Prep playing field that featured guest speaker Lucy Fitzpatrick. She told the students the story of her cancer diagnosis, surgery, recovery and involvement with the Terry Fox Foundation, which inspired students as they set off on their fundraising run along the Beltline Trail. A barbecue lunch filled up hungry participants before classes resumed in the afternoon.

More than $600 million has been raised for cancer research in Fox's name worldwide since 1981.

Upper Canada College Foundation Year students Harkirat Ahluwalia and Ben Mahon have created a not-for-profit organization called Picharity that aims to collect donated photographs, sell them as prints and hand over the net profits to a humanitarian organization called Right To Play.

“It mixes pictures and charities together, which is essentially what we'€™re doing,"€ is how Ahluwalia explains the name of the venture.

“We’ve learned so much from sports that Ben and myself would like to help kids who actually don'€™t have the opportunity to play sports,"€ says Ahluwalia when asked how they decided what organization would benefit from their ingenuity. "That'€™s why we'€™re donating the money to Right to Play."

The boys have stockpiled high-quality landscape, cityscape and nature photos, and prints can be purchased at prices starting at $15 each on the Picharity website.

“Our plan is to start at UCC and market around the school to students and alumni, and then eventually build out our base to other schools in Toronto and then around Canada and hopefully America," says Ahluwalia.

“I think it teaches you how to deal with people you meet along the road," Mahon says of the experience they'€™ve gained thus far that they hope they can use to their advantage in the business world in the future.

Lorna Pitcher founded the Canadian branch of Children of Hope Uganda after visiting the African country in 2007, and the charity has been the beneficiary of Upper Canada College fundraising projects for the past three years. Pitcher reinforced that UCC connection when she gave the annual Barton Lecture on community service at the school'€™s Oct. 15 principal's assembly.

Children of Hope Uganda (COHU) is a registered Canadian charity that provides educational support and vocational training to hundreds of Ugandan youth who were affected by the decades-long atrocities committed by Joseph Kony and his Lord'€™s Resistance Army (LRA). Jewelry and crafts made by Ugandan women have been sold at UCC via the entrepreneurial club for the past three years, and $1,526 that will plant seedlings in Uganda was raised for the charity at Association Day on Sept. 29.

Pitcher used photographs and videos to enhance her presentation, which described some of the LRA'€™s horrible crimes and what they did to their victims, and then outlined what COHU is doing to help those who were imperiled.

COHU's efforts were brought to life at UCC on July 11 when Grace Acan was the guest speaker at a presentation for Horizons program students at Weston Hall. Acan had eight years of her life taken away after she was abducted by the LRA as a teenager, but she's now using her horrifying experiences to try and promote the rights of children.

While the soft-spoken 31-year-old described few of the most harrowing aspects of her time in captivity, her words were powerful and seemed to have a compelling effect on the young people in the room who could have been forced to become child soldiers had they lived in northern Uganda instead of Canada. You can read more about the plight of Acan and other girls who were abducted by the LRA in this moving 2005 article from The New York Times Magazine.

Acan has finished her second year at Gulu University, where she takes development studies, in her homeland. Her schooling, upon returning to her family after she was rescued, was sponsored by COHU. Please visit www.childrenofhopeuganda.org to find out more information and learn what you can do to help.

Upper Canada College hosted its first "Friday Night Lights"€ football games on Oct. 12, and the junior varsity and varsity Blues both came out on top against the respective teams from Villanova College.

Seven temporary light stands were erected on each side of the football field through a generous sponsorship from Mark'€™s, and hundreds of students and members of the UCC community turned out for the inaugural event. Many had thundersticks and glow sticks to show their team spirit, and a variety of food and drink choices were available to help fill and warm them up. The Beaver Tails truck was particularly busy throughout the evening.

The JV Blues got things started on the right foot as they defeated the Knights 30-20. Members of UCC'€™s DJ club spun tunes to get the crowd pumped up before Cookie and the Blue Army led the varsity team on to the field for the second game. Receiver, defensive back and kick returner Marc-Andre Alexandre, running back Pelle Jorgen and quarterback Liam Power were the stars for the Blues, who built up a 35-7 halftime lead and cruised to a 42-14 victory.

Fans who missed the games in person had the chance to watch them on television, as Rogers TV was on hand to shoot them for later broadcast.

The Blues Booster Club-driven event was a big success, and it's hoped by many that "Friday Night Lights"€ will return again next year and become a new UCC tradition.

Upper Canada College IB2 student Nels Guloien was one of 34 young people to receive a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award from Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex at a Sept. 17 ceremony at Toronto'€™s Design Exchange.

The award program was founded in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh to encourage personal development and community involvement for people between the ages of 14 and 25. It will mark its 50th anniversary in Canada next year and involves almost 38,000 participants from all provinces and territories.

Duke of Edinburgh corresponds nicely with the "Creativity, Action, Service"€ component of the International Baccalaureate program, which all UCC students must complete. There are bronze, silver and gold levels of the award, with gold being the highest standard. Each participant must set his or her own personal goals in four areas: community service; skill development; physical recreation; and adventurous journey, which includes teamwork, appreciation of the environment and adventure.

Guloien fulfilled his respective obligations through: involvement in UCC'€™s Horizons program; performing in bands and being part of UCC'€™s music program; playing house soccer at UCC and tennis outside of school; and taking camping trips to Lake Superior Provincial Park and Algonquin Park.

Prince Edward encouraged more people to become involved with Duke of Edinburgh and told all of the award recipients to "€œwalk a few inches taller and be proud of what you achieved."

The Duke of Edinburgh'€™s Award organization also used the awards ceremony to launch its "Make a Difference"€ campaign, a grassroots storytelling initiative that features participants sharing their experiences of how the program has made a difference in their lives, and celebrating those stories through videos and social media outlets to try and attract new recruits.

Here'€™s how Guloien says Duke of Edinburgh has made a difference to him:

"€œIt'€™s made me think about what I€'m committed to and what I'€™m doing to improve my skills, to stay healthy, to stay active and to get out there and have an adventure. And most importantly, it'€™s made me think about what I'm doing to help others in the community. It's made me think about those things and plan for the future and how I'll contribute in those areas."€

Upper Canada College head of the Prep and Upper Schools Don Kawasoe has been to 33 of the school'€™s 34 Association Days, and he calls this year's Sept. 29 event the best one he's attended.

The day began with new parents packing Weston Hall for breakfast at 8 a.m., followed by the Blue Army leading the Prep parade --€” full of eager and excited youngsters banging thundersticks as they walked up the avenue --€” up to the steps of the Upper School for opening ceremonies. The boys then dispersed to their teams to take part in Soccerfest and various booths that were spread out along the south side of the campus opened and did brisk business in selling food, crafts, books and UCC clothing, or dispersing information and A-Day souvenir freebies.

The organic market was renamed in honour of the late Jon Wookey, who founded it in 2007. Students sold vegetables from the Prep learning garden and the Horizons program collected used hockey equipment, uniforms and books. People lined up for free popcorn and ice cream while the items up for grab on the silent auction tables attracted impressive bids. The St. Jamestown Steel Band presented a nice soundtrack for attendees learning more about the Norval Outdoor School, soaking teachers at the dunk tank or watching children bouncing around the KidZone.

Members of the class of 1987 received 25-year ties at a mid-day reception at Weston Hall, while others chowed down at a barbecue lunch in the Prep parking lot or enjoyed adult beverages on the hospitality terrace on the north side of the William P. Wilder '40 Arena and Sports Complex.

This A-Day had a bigger than normal buzz around it because it also marked the public launch of the $100-million Think Ahead fundraising campaign. The advancement team set up a booth offering information about the campaign and gave people an opportunity to win an iPad at its "€œTweet Suite,"€ where people could send messages of support to the school via Twitter and Facebook. There was also a ceremony recognizing major donors to the boarding campaign and the unveiling of a new display created in their honour.

The 2:30 p.m. campaign launch was a major event on its own. The College's jazz band played, a stirring video narrated by Academy Award winner Christopher Plummer was shown, the Mayhem breakdancing crew performed and principal Jim Power, board chair Andy Burgess '€™83 and campaign co-chairs Loudon Owen '76, Andy Pringle '69 and Laurie Thomson made pronouncements about the campaign before the Blue Army led the varsity Blues football team on to the field for a game against the St. Andrew’s College Saints.

Sports, as always, were a huge part of A-Day. The school'€™s volleyball, soccer and football teams were in action and, while they didn'€™t all of the games, the boys acquitted themselves well and played hard. So did the adults who took part in the Alan Harris Old Boys'€™ Soccer Tournament and the Michael E. Jurist Memorial Tennis Tournament.

A well-attended reunion dinner for the leaving classes of 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002 and 2007 capped off the day’s hectic schedule.

You can watch A-Day highlights at bit.ly/TwrL1P.

It's probably the worst-kept secret in College history and the big moment has finally arrived. It's official: This year's Association Day, September 29, marks the public launch of the $100-million Think Ahead Campaign, with half of the goal earmarked for needs-based scholarships.

Fuelling the excitement is a campaign filled with precedent-setting moments. For one, it's the most ambitious in Canadian independent school history, with an anonymous gift of $11 million to fund scholarships marking the largest donation ever in this sector. 

"This is a moment like no other in UCC's 183-year history," says Principal Jim Power. "This is a defining moment, one that will decide what we will be as a school in 10, 50 even 100 years."

With about $72 million raised to date, the Think Ahead Campaign has three key priorities, the campaign cornerstone being the establishment of needs-based scholarships. 

"We see this as an investment in the country's most important natural resource "the great minds of today and tomorrow," says Board Chair Andy Burgess '83. "We will continue to attract remarkable boys "locally and from a global pool "regardless of means, whether they need a full scholarship or a smaller amount to make their UCC education possible."

While certainly ambitious, the goal is to offer at least 20 per cent of students or 220 boys "needs-based scholarships by 2015-16 to remain competitive in the independent school sector. To date, UCC has raised $30 million for scholarships alone and is offering 137 boys partial or full assistance. 

Additionally, the campaign will raise funds for much-needed renovations to the Upper School, specifically classrooms and science labs that haven't seen improvements in more than 50 years. 

Focusing on the heart of the UCC experience, the campaign also aims to both expand academic and co-curricular programs, and enhance professional development opportunities for teachers so they can truly claim to be international leaders in their field.

Finally, incorporating all three priorities is a boarding component, a commitment to the revitalizing of both Seaton's and Wedd's houses. A campaign within the overall $100-million campaign, the Boarding Campaign will focus on raising funds for needs-based scholarships specifically for boarders, renovating the boarding houses, as well as developing expanded after-school and weekend programs for boarders.

"The Think Ahead Campaign will further secure UCC's reputation as a nurturer of future leaders "the rocket scientist in the making, the budding Picasso, the next Sidney Crosby or future UN Secretary General," says Laurie Thomson, co-chair of the Campaign Cabinet. "With this, the official launch of this transformational campaign, we are thinking ahead as we as a College community enter into a new era. We invite you to step up and share in this defining moment."

Thomson, along with Loudon Owen '76 and Andy Pringle '69, are co-chairing the Campaign Cabinet. Martin Abell '81, Blake Hutcheson '83 and Adam Markwell '92 are co-chairing the Boarding component of the campaign.

For more information on the campaign, the senior volunteer leadership and supporters, please visit www.ucc.on.ca/thinkahead

Upper Canada College IB1 student Marc-Andre Alexandre won the silver medal in the senior 400 metres at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championships at Thousand Islands Secondary School in Brockville, Ont. on the weekend. Alexandre led for 380 metres, but was passed late in the race.

The 18-year-old still posted one of the top times for his age in the country. Alexandre was the busiest runner at OFSAA, as he was the only competitor to take part in the 400-metre, 200-metre, 100-metre and 4 x 100-metre relay races. He won the gold medal with record-breaking times in each race at the recent Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA) championships. He finished sixth in the 200 metres and ninth in the 100 metres, while joining with Alex Malone, Seamus Power and Liam Power to finish 12th in the relay at OFSAA.

"Marc is an amazing person, athlete, and role model," says Vlad Roytberg, who coaches UCC's track and field team along with Christian Heffernan, Richard Tong, Bina Evans, Charlotte Aust and Josh Suteir. "He has been running track for a total of two months and continues to astound us."

Foundation Year student Tyler Farrell dislocated his kneecap two weeks ago and wasn't expected to be able to compete at OFSAA, but he persevered and finished ninth in the junior 300-metre hurdles and 10th in the 100-metre hurdles. Year 2 student Akeil Zarudny finished 17th in the midget 400-metre race.

Joseph Linzon '11 didn't take any physics courses when he was at Upper Canada College, but his basic scientific knowledge and entrepreneurial nature earned him a $10,000 prize last November, the possibility of creating an innovative business in the future, and being named one of Canada's "Top 20 Under 20" at a June 7 awards breakfast in Toronto.

Linzon invented the PowerSole, a shoe that generates power by converting the kinetic energy generated by walking into electricity to charge electronic devices through a port on the side of the sole, which garnered $10,000 at the 2011 University of Virginia Entrepreneurship Cup. The 18-year-old University of Virginia (UVA) freshman came up with the idea during a March break service trip to remote parts of Peru while he was at UCC. Linzon noticed that a lack of electricity to charge cellphones for communication and business purposes, or to provide light for students trying to study at night using kerosene lamps, was holding many people back. He says the PowerSole can "empower the powerless, literally, one step at a time."

Linzon put an inductive coil and a battery into the sole of a running shoe for the prototype that earned him and the PowerSole the recognition in the competition. It took a week to make and he says, "It's not that complicated."

Linzon was therefore pleasantly surprised to learn when a search conducted by lawyers he paid for with his prize money revealed that no one else had come up with the idea before. The PowerSole now has a utility patent in the United States.

One minute of walking produces about 50 seconds of charge, Linzon says, and the PowerSole per unit cost is about $4.80. Durability issues -- so that it can withstand water, dirt and other elements -- have been taken into consideration.

Linzon doesn't want to give up equity in his invention and, while he's had discussions with a couple of hedge funds, he says, "I need connections more than capital, though I'm open to ideas and opinions from people who are interested in helping."

Linzon, one of 19 student entrepreneurs from Atlantic Coast Conference universities chosen to showcase concepts in the Startup Madness event in Durham, N.C. in March, has talked with Nike about shoe design since his invention requires a certain thickness of sole.

Linzon envisions two parts to his business: a for-profit element for developed markets where people could use PowerSoles in hiking boots while in remote areas without access to electricity; and a non-profit aspect that would subsidize the costs of distributing the technology in developing countries where the need is more acute.

The "Top 20 Under 20" program presented by Youth in Motion is designed to identify outstanding young Canadian leaders, further develop their skills and aptitudes, and fuel their passions. The award celebrates the "art of possibilities" and honours Canadians under the age of 20 who've demonstrated significant levels of innovation, leadership and achievement.

While Linzon is interested in social entrepreneurship and helping others, he says he's "extremely fascinated with finance and hedge funds" and is applying to UVA's McIntire School of Commerce for the next school year. It's ranked second among the nation's undergraduate business programs, according to the annual Bloomberg Businessweek rankings, and is the only program to be consistently ranked either first or second in the seven years that Businessweek has ranked undergrad programs.

"UCC has made things easy here," Linzon concludes. "The transition into university has been seamless."

Upper Canada College rowers performed to the best of their abilities at the Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association's 67th annual regatta from June 1 to 3 and ended up as the fourth-ranked men's team with gold, silver and bronze medal finishes.

The highlight of the weekend was a victory in the senior men 72-kilogram eight with coxswain, where UCC's crew came from behind in the second half of the final race and made a furious sprint to the finish to end up 1.5 seconds ahead of Vancouver College.

"I have never been more proud of a crew that I have had the opportunity to coach," says head coach Grant Boyd of both the team's winning performance and the sportsmanship it displayed afterward. "When they came back to the dock after receiving the trophy and their medals, our crew took the time to shake the hands of every single member of the other crews they raced against."

The team members were Patrick Watt, Graham Buchan, Harrison Vincent, Luke Farewell, Sam Frum, Josh Kofman, Paul Soumalias, Jonas Mutukistna and coxie Daniel Hong.

Watt, Farewell, Frum, Buchan and Hong also took part in the senior men 72-kilogram four with coxswain after their victory and the effort expended in the earlier race might have caught up with them as they finished second to St. George's School.

UCCs junior men 66-kilogram four with coxswain team, comprised of Year 1 and Year 2 students, came away with a bronze medal. The team members were Liam Findlay, Drew Willoughby, Brooks Ralph, Jacob Givertz-Steel and coxie Nikhil Kassum.

"They were not the biggest crew, or the most skilled, but they like to race hard," says Boyd. "They were leading the pack coming into the 1,000-metre mark, but then their lack of size and strength compared to the rest of the crews caught up with them.

UCC's senior men 66-kilogram four with coxswain didn't have their best race in the final, but showed real determination in finishing fifth. The heavy eight with coxswain crew had their best race of the season and also finished fifth in the final.

UCC finished with 82 points, which placed it eighth overall and fourth among men's teams behind Vancouver College (117 points), St. George's School (101 points) and overall champion E.L. Crossley Secondary School (89 points).

The event took place at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta Course in St. Catharines, Ont., where the rowers will return again in August for the 130th annual Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.

Boys considering applying at Upper Canada College a year from now will be able to get a panoramic view of the campus even if they can't visit in person after Google Street View came to the school and captured it on camera on May 15. UCC is one of the first sites in Toronto to be mapped with Google's customized tricycle, which is equipped with nine directional cameras that produce 360-degree views in near high-definition quality when viewed on a computer screen. Google approached the College to ask permission to shoot on campus. The service was free and UCC will be able to use the images to promote itself once the footage is edited (which includes blurring out people's faces and vehicle licence plates to protect privacy) and posted online in six to 12 months. "We are building off of what we currently offer Google Earth users, so that they have more options available to them when using our product," says Google Maps operation lead Jill North. "This will allow 'virtual visitors' to be able to explore unique locations, like yours, when researching where they may want to continue their education. Not only would Street View be helpful for prospective students, but it can also be used as a tool for parents, faculty, alumni, the community and beyond." Google Street View launched in May 2007 when cars with roof-mounted cameras first appeared on roads in major American cities. The first Canadian images were made available on Oct. 7, 2009. The trike was introduced in 2009 to map areas that may not be as easily accessible by car, and it now also uses snowmobiles and boats for the same reason. The company has an eastern Canada team based in Scarborough, Ont. and a western Canada crew in Vancouver that travel across the country capturing images with its various vehicles. A lot of people at UCC did double-takes, some students hammed it up for the camera and others stopped Google's Jonathan Chang to ask questions when he was making his rounds of the campus on the trike. Principal Jim Power even took a photo of the trike when it was parked in front of the school. "Turnabout is fair play," he quipped.

Upper Canada College IB1 student Alex Gagliano came out on top over eight other finalists in the national championship of the Poetry In Voice contest at Toronto's Isabel Bader Theatre on April 17. Gagliano competed against students from an original pool of 29 schools in Ontario and several from Quebec to take the title and $5,000 for himself and $2,500 for UCC's Macintosh Library ($500 of which will be used to purchase poetry books). Gagliano won the Ontario competition (along with $1,000 for himself and $500 for poetry books for Macintosh Library) the previous night at the same venue when he recited John Donne's "The Flea," Christian Bok's "Chapter I" and T.S. Eliot's "Journey of the Magi." Poetry In Voice is a national, bilingual poetry recitation contest for high school students in Canada and raises awareness of the role that poetry plays in cultural life. It provides an entry point for students to develop a personal relationship with poetry by learning their favourite poems by heart and encourages them to learn about great poetry through exploration, memorization and performance.

Upper Canada College students posted excellent results at the 12th annual Chinese Arts and Literacy Contest for Youth on April 1. More than 5,000 Ontario students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 competed in nine categories performed in Mandarin, Cantonese and English: recitals (individual and two people); choral speaking; singing; impromptu speaking; composition; painting; calligraphy; translation; storytelling; and a Chinese general knowledge quiz. The goal is to "promote Chinese language and culture as well as to enhance social harmony." UCC's David Wang won the Mandarin impromptu speaking contest while Jonathan Zhu finished right behind him in second place. UCC students also performed well in the Cantonese division. Jasper Kan won impromptu speaking and the two people recital with Calvin Poon. Kinton Cheung finished third in impromptu speaking and teamed with Winston Kwok to take second place in the two people recital. More competitions and results from the contest are pending.

Upper Canada College's varsity swimming team placed first in the open boys category, out of 109 schools at the meet, to claim the banner at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championship at the Milton Sports Centre on March 6 and 7.

UCC placed third, just 32 points out of first place, in the junior boys category. The senior boys placed fifth. In the overall combined section --" which includes points from all boys, girls, open and para categories --" UCC finished third and was the only single gender school in the top 10.

The open medley relay team of Max Celej, Paul Wong, Josh Gold and Oliver Clark almost set an OFSAA record by winning their third gold medal in this race in three years. UCC's U16 team of Hark Ahluwalia, Tor Kitching, Jake Poulton and Seth Zucker won the OFSAA silver medal after finishing just 0.16 seconds behind the winners in the junior medley relay final.

The top individual performances were a silver medal for Jake Poulton in the junior 50-metre backstroke and a bronze medal for Max Carnella in the senior 100-metre individual medley.

Official results can be found on the OFSAA swimming website.

The Upper Canada College Blues are the Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA) champions after an exciting, come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the St. Andrew's College Saints on March 7 at the William P. Wilder '40 Arena and Sports Complex.

The Blues started slowly and found themselves down 3-0 after the first period. St. Andrew's continued to dominate through much of the second period, but the home team turned it on late and scored two goals to make the score 3-2 headed into the third period. P.J. Conlon tied the game about five-and-a-half minutes into the third period and Paul Rekai tipped in a point shot less than two minutes later to stake the Blues to a 4-3 lead that they held through the rest of the game.

This is the first CISAA varsity hockey championship by the Blues since 2004. Congratulations to all of the players, head coach Brian Green, assistant coaches John Cassels and Daniel Tkaczuk, and goalie coach Samuel Saintonge.

More than 500 students, staff and faculty members from eight Toronto-area high schools converged on Upper Canada College's Lett Gym on Feb. 24 to raise $36,000 in the "Race for Dignity" spin-a-thon in support of mother-to-child HIV prevention programs in Malawi.

UCC hosted the student-organized event for the third straight year, and Dignitas International chair Dr. Michael Schull kicked things off at 12:30 p.m. with an introductory address about the event and its purpose. The senior scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences practices as a specialist in emergency medicine at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and has worked with medical aid organizations in South Africa, Iraq, Bangladesh, Burundi, Rwanda, Uzbekistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Schull spent parts of 2009 and 2010 in Malawi with his family volunteering with Dignitas International.

Teams collected donations beforehand and an African drum countdown began the proceedings and provided a rhythm to keep everyone pedalling their stationary bicycles throughout the two-and-a-half-hour event. Most of the teams wore costumes that, what they may have lacked in dignity, made up for with creativity. That helped keep the enthusiasm running high along with other activities, including an educational "iPad Quiz," a "Minute to Win It" competition and performances by various student groups.

Dignitas International is a medical humanitarian organization that develops solutions for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other priority diseases. Dignitas Youth is a growing network of young leaders engaging their communities on global health issues and raising funds in support of the organization's life-saving initiatives. Dignitas Youth high school and university chapters across Canada raised $150,000 to support Dignitas International's HIV treatment and prevention programs in Africa last year.

Registration has opened for the June 3 Dignitas Race for Dignity Challenge at Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square. The challenge has raised more than $1.4 million for innovative health programs in Africa since 2007.

From Feb. 22, 2012 Upper Canada College's Senior Jazz Ensemble scored a double gold at the GTA Musicfest Jazz Festival at York University on Tuesday. The win earned the band, under the direction of Peter Smith, an invitation to the MusicFest Canada national final at Ottawa's National Arts Centre in May. The Intermediate Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Tony Gomes, also performed well at the festival. Senior, Intermediate and Junior bands from UCC are part of the Humber College Next Generation Jazz Festival today and tomorrow. The festival includes 28 big bands and 20 combos from more than 20 schools.

Upper Canada College's varsity swim team won the overall Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association co-ed championship at the Etobicoke Swim Club on Feb. 14 and will send 20 to 25 swimmers to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championship at the Milton Sports Centre on March 6 and 7. "The major achievement --" and something that was set as a goal by all of the high school swimmers --" was winning the overall co-ed championship, which combines points from all boys and girls events," says coach Vlad Roytberg. "As you can imagine, this is very difficult to do for an all-boys or all-girls school. All of the guys swam personal bests and had amazing performances." UCC won with a combined team score of 1,025.5 points, while Appleby College came in second with 941 and Trinity College School finished third with 894. Eighteen schools took part in 62 events and UCC qualified all six of its relay teams for OFSAA.

Two Upper Canada College students had impressive results in preliminary math contests to qualify for the April 4 Canadian Mathematical Olympiad (CMO).

IB2 student Matthew Brennan was one of two gold medalists in the Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge (COMC) and shared the best in Grade 12 award with the same student, Steven Yu of Pinetree Secondary School in Coquitlam, B.C.

Foundation Year student Thomas Wu made the COMC honour roll after finishing in the top 17 in the competition. He shared the gold medal in the Grade 10 division with Desmond Sisson of Calgary's Western Canada High School.

The COMC is the first in a series of Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) competitions leading to the selection of student members for Math Team Canada to compete in the International Mathematical Olympiad. CMS competitions attract student participants from across Canada and around the world.

While swimmers spend much of their time underwater, the out-of-pool experience has become more pleasant at Upper Canada College after a number of renovations were done to the school's swimming facility.

A number of parents and Old Boys kindly contributed to refurbishing the swimming pool area last year, and they were recognized at a Feb. 3 ribbon-cutting ceremony where principal (and former high school swim team member) Jim Power professed his gratitude.

Little had been done to the 20-yard, four-lane pool since it was built in the 1930s and, since constructing a new one is still years down the road, the renovations were welcomed and overdue.

The improvements made were: acid washing and regrouting the pool, pool deck and tile walls; painting the entire pool area, shower and locker rooms; installing a new humidity sensor, bathroom stall, lockers and additional lighting in the shower room; electrical work; and general maintenance.

The generous benefactors who attended the ceremony were: Richard Wu; John and Mimi Carnella and son Max 12; Fiona Lifman and son Gavin 13; and Andrew Munn, Kate Hall and sons Ted 16 and Chris 18.

The other magnanimous contributors to the pool fund were: Tom Huang and Xu Chen; Doug '81 and Susie Marshall; Richard Rooney and Laura Dinner; Richard Stewart '80 and Sandy Walker; Rob and Martine Celej; Karim and Shelina Jessa; and Victor and Courtney Lee.

Cheryl Perera is living proof that high school students can make a major difference in the world.

Perera was appalled when she learned about the child sex trade in Bangkok, Thailand during a civics class. But her disgust soon turned into action as she convinced her parents and school principal to allow her to go to Sri Lanka on her own for three-and-a-half months when she was 17 so she could see what was happening first hand with child sex slaves, and ended up going undercover in a sting operation to arrest a sexual predator.

"I was able to put myself in the shoes of a child,"" Perera, now 26, said after giving the annual Barton Lecture on community service during Upper Canada College's principal's assembly on Nov. 28. "And even for that short time, I was able to understand what it's like to have your childhood commodified. That gave me a whole new resolve to do even more.""

Perera founded OneChild, an organization to inspire youth to take action against child sex slavery, in 2005. That was the year she also started a successful petition campaign that convinced Air Canada to show an in-flight, anti-child sex tourism video created by OneChild. More than 22 million people have now viewed that low-budget video.

It's estimated that 1.2 million children around the world are sold into slavery every year, and that two million children are involved in the global sex trade. It's perhaps most prevalent in Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia and Brazil, but goes on in North America as well.

"We want to make sure that people know that kids are trafficked into Canada and out of Canada,"" says Perera. "Then we'd like to start work on an actual project to help children who have been trafficked in Canada.""

OneChild raised $187,000 to build two rehabilitation centres for victims of the child sex trade in the Philippines, and more awareness is being created through its "Break the Chains"" program that can easily be introduced into schools.

OneChild is doing remarkable things considering that it's an entirely volunteer-run organization headquartered at Perera's Markham, Ont. home, where her mother Trixie now dedicates all of her time to the cause. Perera usually travels to child sex trade hot spots during the summer and flies to Switzerland, where she's completing her master's degree in children's rights at the University of Fribourg, half-a-dozen times a year. She spends much of the rest of her time making presentations like the one on Monday at UCC.

"Girls are more inclined to cry during a presentation,"" says Perera. "Boys may not necessarily show that emotion, but you can tell that they're distraught inside.

"It's a shock for them to find out that it's happening like this and that it's happening to boys as well. That's one of the major shockers for these kids. The sex trade for boys is rampant as well. I've been to these sex bars and clubs where boys are dancing on stage with nothing but a little thong and a number.""

While OneChild is focused on students from grade seven to university, Perera says she'd like to get teachers more involved.

"Teachers are mentors for kids. Something we're trying to do right now is develop a curriculum for teachers to teach about this issue in the classroom. We believe that teachers are one of our greatest allies in fighting this issue."

Please visit the OneChild website for more information about its important cause and efforts.

Upper Canada College recognizes its 420-acre Norval Outdoor Education School as a valuable and unique asset and should make more and better use of it, according to a report by the Norval Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC).

The outdoor environmental experiential education (OEEE) site, located just outside the hamlet of Norval along the Credit River about a 45-minute drive from UCC's main Deer Park campus, has been owned by the College since 1913 and has offered unique learning experiences since 1939. Boys gain a sense of environmental stewardship, learn core values of trust, sharing and cooperation, and acquire lifelong leadership abilities and team-building skills during day trips or overnight stays at the property.

From May 2010 to April 2011, the 12-member LRPC consulted broadly with the UCC community and external consultants with expertise in various fields of environmental science and stewardship.

While the members conceded that urban encroachment around the property will increasingly isolate it as an "island" in an urbanized environment, they concluded that the Norval property is large enough to withstand these pressures and can continue to effectively serve its educational purpose.

Russell Higgins '81, chair of the Norval LRPC, stated: "It became clear to the committee that it would be extremely difficult to replicate the benefits that all UCC boys, and in particular Prep boys, enjoy as a result of running the OEEE program at the Norval site. The benefits of having in-house staff at a facility that is less than an hour from the main UCC campus are immeasurable. We found no other elementary or secondary OEEE program that offered all of the benefits that Norval provides."

The LRPC made the following specific recommendations about the Norval property to the UCC board of governors:

• UCC shouldn't sell the Norval property, but should enhance and protect it as a showpiece OEEE site.
• The UCC Property Committee should monitor development issues (including the proposed Highway 7 Norval bypass) that might impact the property in the future.
• Facilities should be improved and expanded to accommodate a broader range of programs and a greater number of students on an overnight basis, and overnight facilities should be made more conducive to co-ed use.
• The UCC Property Committee should monitor future changes in the zoning, planning or land use designations applicable to the property.
• UCC should consider a strategic educational partnership with an Ontario university to establish the Norval property as the site of enhanced research and field studies on the sustainability of natural environments in the face of urban encroachment.
• Use of the property should be expanded to local public schools and the College's Horizons program on a pro bono basis.
• Once improvements are made, the College should increase the number of paying groups that use the property, and it should serve in the summer as a user-pay OEEE facility.
• The College should investigate the availability of alternative environmentally significant properties which, over time, could provide the same investment benefits as the Norval property has offered, while also offering supplementary educational opportunities to UCC students. This could also act as a hedge against the impact of any future government expropriation of the Norval property for the proposed Highway 7 bypass or other purposes.
• The College should start planning celebrations to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the acquisition of the Norval property.

"The committee believes that the College should be proud of its Norval heritage and should celebrate the beginning of UCC's second century at the Norval Outdoor School with a celebration in 2013 of the century past," said Higgins.

The complete Norval LRPC report can be read at http://www.ucc.on.ca/ftpimages/186/download/Norval%20Report.pdf.

Upper Canada College's Wernham West Centre for Learning (CFL) is using its 10th anniversary to reflect upon and celebrate its many accomplishments in fulfilling its mandate to understand different learning styles and needs, provide learning support to students and professional development for faculty, and share research findings with other schools and organizations.

CFL executive director Mary Gauthier and her team of Susan Elliott, Tina Jagdeo, Jody McLean and Dale Park have a lot to be proud of in developing this fitness centre for the brain along with UCC faculty, staff and administration members.

But this milestone anniversary is also a time to look forward, and Gauthier is just as enthusiastic about what the future holds. She's particularly pleased that neuroscientists are starting to look to educators about how their findings relate to what's being done in classrooms.

Research that's being done on the brain and wellness, and the connection to learning and what schools can do, is an exciting model because that's new, Gauthier says. The whole notion of integrative thinking is what the Centre for Learning's been doing within Upper Canada College, but to move that out into other fields and bring them together is really exciting for us.

Because of the information that we know about the neuroplasticity of the brain and learning " we know now that you're not just born with what you're good at and that's it " and because of new developments in expertise in teaching and powerful tools in technology, we have more opportunities to personalize education for students within the balance of a really challenging curriculum. Moving forward, that's going to be a lot of the Centre for Learning's work.

Where is that balance of being able to personalize within a really exciting program, which is the International Baccalaureate? Where are the tensions, but where are the windows of opportunity to really personalize the experience for students to enrich their learning and enrich the classroom?

The CFL will welcome Dr. Adam Cox "an American clinical psychologist, author and lecturer who has worked with families and schools around the world" to UCC from Nov. 21 to 23 as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations. He'll be part of Monday morning's assembly, will share his knowledge with faculty members, and will speak to parents about his research and relay information on how boys can find significance in their lives in Laidlaw Hall at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Upper Canada College IB1 student Matthew Hong and teammates from two other schools finished first in the fourth annual Chinese Bridge - Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students earlier this week.

Hong earned the right to go to the world championship by winning an initial competition on his own in Toronto in April. He was then placed with two teammates, a student from Toronto's Lycee Francaise and another from Montreal, and practiced with them for a few hours each night for two nights while in Chongqing, China before the competition began. They were led by UCC Mandarin teacher Jane Li.

There were three rounds in the competition. The first involved playing traditional Chinese games and then answering questions involving Chinese writing, reading and listening skills.

The boys were given a set of topics to research before the second round, and then had to go to a supermarket and select items related to the topic given to them and explain why they chose them. Hong's topic was "I know everything about China," and he chose a toy bicycle because "many Chinese people use bicycles as a transportation method."

The third round involved taking part in an eight-minute musical performance with students from local high schools. Scores from each round were added together and Hong's team ended up on top of 47 other teams from 43 countries.

Teams from Singapore won the first three competitions and Li was both surprised and delighted that her squad took the title this time. "I didn't expect that we'd win first place because a lot of Asian teams are very strong," she said.

Hong's family moved to Toronto from Korea and he just started learning Chinese when he entered UCC last year. He says similarities between Korean and Chinese vocabularies made it easier for him to grasp the new language.

Each member of the winning team received a four-year scholarship to any university in Chongqing. Hong's not yet sure if he'll take advantage of the prize, but he definitely wants to continue learning Chinese as a third language.

"China is becoming very economically developed and it's very close to Korea, so Chinese will be an essential skill that I'll have to master if I want to work there," he says.

Upper Canada College won the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) under 13 national soccer championship at a tournament held at Ridley College in St. Catharines, Ont. from Oct. 20 to 22. The squad, coached by Bernard Lecerf and Johnny McGrath, defeated St. Andrew's College in the final to complete the 16-team tournament undefeated. This marks the third time in four years that UCC has won the championship. The U13 team has won all of its games so far this season and will take part in the Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA) championship tournament on Oct. 29 at UCC. UCC's varsity soccer team has also enjoyed another successful year. It lost 1-0 to St. Andrew's in the final of the 20-team CAIS championship tournament on Oct. 15 at Stanstead College in Stanstead, Que. and is preparing for the CISAA championship on Nov. 9.

Upper Canada College's varsity football team may have clinched first place in the Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association after a 37-16 win over Ashbury College on Saturday, but the team members aren't quite ready to turn professional yet.

The entire Upper School student body, however, learned more about the Canadian Football League when commissioner and Old Boy Mark Cohon '85 and longtime player Adriano Belli attended the principal's assembly on Oct. 24 along with the Grey Cup. Principal Jim Power interviewed Cohon before boys in the audience were invited to ask their own insightful questions of the man who previously worked for Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association.

Cohon said he compares notes with fellow professional sports commissioners in the United States and says they have the same issues, but they deal with larger numbers. The average annual CFL salary is $75,000 and the highest paid player earns $500,000, while those in the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB make millions.

The CFL is the oldest professional sports league in North America and, while Cohon admits it has had its ups and downs over the years, he's confident that it's on the rise again with the building of new stadiums and strong television ratings. He's not worried about the Buffalo Bills moving to Toronto and is focused on building his league and its brand.

In response to student questions, Cohon said the league is taking steps to address concussion problems both among high school and professional players, he thinks the Saskatchewan Roughriders have the best fans, and that CFL games are shown on television in the U.S. and Mexico as a way of further exposing Canadian football.

Belli, who retired as a CFL player at the beginning of this season to become a TV analyst, cited his experience at this summer's International Federation of American Football Senior Men's World Championships in Austria (where Canada lost in the final to the U.S.) to illustrate how the game is growing in non-traditional markets in Europe and Asia. The Toronto native also spoke about how proud he was to have played in the CFL and asked everyone to support the league.

Steward and Scadding's House head Sam Frum presented Cohon, a Scadding's alumnus, a House T-shirt and tie as a thank you gift. Frum gave Belli a UCC ball cap and the 6'5, 290-pound former defensive tackle lived up to his Kissing Bandit nickname by planting his lips on both of the young man's cheeks in return.

The Grey Cup will be awarded to the top team in the CFL at this year's championship game in Vancouver on Nov. 27. The Grey Cup's 100th anniversary will be celebrated next year with the east and west division champions squaring off against each other at Toronto's Rogers Centre.

You can read a profile of Cohon in the summer/fall 2011 issue of Old Times at http://www.ucc.on.ca/OldTimes?rc=0 and an article on UCC Old Boy Dan Bederman '05's participation in July's world football championships in the archives of this news section at http://www.ucc.on.ca/podium/default.aspx?t=112809.

Upper Canada College is one of 22 Canadian high schools participating in a pilot program of The Jack Project, which facilitates workshops and presentations, evaluates program components, promotes dialogue about mental health, and encourages collaboration between educators and students. The Jack Project was founded by Eric Windeler to honour his son Jack, who committed suicide while in his first year at Queen's University in March 2010. To help people learn from the tragedy, he teamed up with Kids Help Phone, Canada's only nationwide, bilingual phone and online counselling service for youth aged five to 20. Working in partnership with the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the goal is to promote young people's mental health by providing them with much-needed information and support as they move from late high school into college, university or independent living. It also aims to equip parents, family members and educators with the knowledge they need to support the young people in their lives. The staff of the Upper School health centre is spearheading The Jack Project at UCC with the support of the administration and leadership roles taken by IB2 students who receive "Creativity, Action and Service" hours toward their diploma for participating. They're also hoping to involve students from The Bishop Strachan School. "The aim is to make mental health awareness part of the school culture and curriculum," says UCC nurse Avia Peacock. Brainstorming sessions are taking place to come up with initiatives and activities that will be presented at a faculty seminar in January, which will be followed by similar presentations for parents and students. "Hopefully we'll be able to have a mental health week, in which we'll have some activities to increase awareness about mental health for the IB2s specifically at first, and then hopefully in the future it will spill down to younger years," says Peacock. "We know that stress and anxiety are real issues for our kids, and we need to focus on that as much as on academics and sports. If a kid is stressed out and anxious, it's going to affect his entire wellbeing." More details about The Jack Project at Kids Help Phone can be found at www.thejackproject.org.

Students and parents alike continue to be quite satisfied with Upper Canada College's program and delivery, facilities and overall performance, according to the results of two recent comprehensive surveys. UCC received a high or very high general satisfaction rating from 81.5 per cent of students and 82.7 per cent of parents. The results show an improvement from the last survey done in 2007 and reflect an overall upward trending in positive responses from both constituencies. UCC has traditionally used such surveys to identify areas where the school can improve, which has resulted in concerted efforts to give more individualized attention and support to boys, communicate more clearly and frequently with parents, and offer specific program enhancements in the College's curricular and co-curricular programs. Parents noted an increased sense of school community and better communication from the College, two areas that UCC has focused on improving in recent years to create a "small school feel with big school opportunities." The student survey results showed strong and consistent increases in school culture ratings, including relationships with administrators, peer relations, sense of community and safety. There were also improved indicators of individual attention being given to students, co-curricular engagement and a love of learning and expression. UCC's program and delivery received high or very high ratings from 88.2 per cent of boys attending the College and 82.2 per cent of their parents. The school's facilities were ranked high or very high by 86.7 per cent of students and 91.3 per cent of parents. An impressive 90 per cent of boys rated their overall educational experience high or very high. They were also enthusiastic about UCC's academic facilities (84 per cent high or very high ratings), athletic facilities (89 per cent) and arts facilities (80.3 per cent). The College's technology resources received an 80.2 per cent high or very high approval rating. Boys are also appreciative of what UCC has to offer outside the classroom, as the school's co-curricular program (sports, arts, clubs, service activities and more) received high or very high ratings from 80.6 per cent of them. The quality of a UCC education received an 87.4 per cent high or very high approval rating from parents, who were also impressed with the College's academic facilities (86 per cent high or very high ratings), athletic facilities (90.5 per cent) and arts facilities (86.3 per cent). Parental pride in UCC was quite evident, as 86.9 per cent of parents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "I am proud that my son attends UCC," and 81.8 per cent of them are likely to recommend the College to a friend or family member. These high ratings relate to positive responses to these statements: "I am pleased with my son's interaction with faculty: 82.7 per cent. "My son is comfortable within the College community: 89.4 per cent. "My son is enthusiastic about his UCC experience: 84.3 per cent. "Positive school spirit is evident in the UCC community: 84.7 per cent. Parents of boarding students said the overall boarding experience for their son deserved an 81.8 per cent high or very high rating. That's a significant improvement from 2007, when the future of UCC's boarding program came into question before a wave of support ensured its survival, and bodes well for the College's recently launched boarding fundraising campaign to improve its facilities and increase the availability of needs-based scholarships for deserving boarders. While the survey findings are generally positive, UCC administrators, faculty and staff members are continuously striving to make improvements at the College to further solidify its position as one of the most respected independent boys' schools in the world. "We're encouraged by these survey results, but we know we still have work to do, especially in areas like individual attention," says UCC principal Jim Power. "We know we're only as good as the individual experience of each boy." The surveys were administered by Kevin Graham of Lookout Management Inc., the leading constituent survey firm for independent schools in North America, in February and March. They were answered by 594 parents and 632 students and have a confidence rate of 99 per cent, plus or minus three per cent. These latest survey results add to UCC's long history of data collection, which is the most extensive of any Canadian independent school. For more information, please contact vice-principal Innes van Nostrand at 416-488-1125, ext. 2236 or at ivannostrand@ucc.on.ca.

Top-achieving students were recognized at Upper Canada College's annual Prize Day on Oct. 6.

Prizes, awards and medals for a variety of academic disciplines and extra-curricular accomplishments were presented to dozens of boys ranging from Year 1 to IB2 as the proud parents, staff and faculty members who filled Laidlaw Hall looked on.

Principal Jim Power made opening remarks, UCC's wind ensemble performed Florentiner March op. 21 and the ceremony was capped off by an address from Senator Linda Frum, a respected journalist, vice-chair of the College's board of governors and mother of UCC student Sam Frum.

Here's the transcript of Frum's speech:

Good morning and thank you. Let me begin by saying how excited I am to be here this morning. To the winners of prizes and awards, let me direct a first greeting to you. We are here today to acknowledge your hard work and special accomplishments. May I add my voice to all the others when I say: congratulations to you on your achievement today.

Acknowledgement is due to the parents of today's winners as well. Your boys have earned their accolades, but they did not earn them alone. As the mother of a boy on the UCC crew, I know well the dedication, commitment and support of our UCC parents. And of course I have to greet our magnificent faculty and staff. You inspire these boys, you lead them, you shape them. Their success is your handiwork. On behalf of parents and boys, I say: thank you and thank you and thank you.

I have to say that when I received the email from Dr. Power last month inviting me to be your Prize Day speaker this year I felt like a prizewinner myself. You see, for me, this invitation holds within it the opportunity for a second chance to get something right because returning to this podium actually involves returning to the scene of one of my greatest public speaking failures ever. Twenty-five years ago I was invited to speak at UCC. I can remember it vividly. I was in my early 20s then, and had just completed a Guidebook to Canadian Universities. The book led to many, many speaking engagements at universities and schools across the country, including one here at UCC. Indeed I believe it was Mr. Matthews who extended that invitation and it's reassuring to me that he and I are both still kicking around this place, looking just as youthful as we once did.

Anyway, as a journalist, and now as a parliamentarian, I have faced all kinds of crowds. Sometimes friendly, sometimes hostile, sometimes just confused. But in the case of the boys at UCC I encountered a completely different reaction. I'm not sure how to describe it exactly. But for the entire length of my speech I looked out at a sea of blank, disapproving faces. What was especially baffling was that I was using the same material that had worked perfectly well in other venues. But in this case, my words fell to the ground with a thud. The memory haunts me still.

Studies show that the one thing North Americans fear most, more than death or spiders, is public speaking. And when people wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night because they are having a nightmare about being on a stage making a speech that's just tanking, well, what they are picturing in their minds is exactly what I lived through. Now, it is a little reassuring that no less of an orator than Dr. Power has confessed to me that he also finds you boys can be something of a tough audience. And my son Sam, who coached me for my appearance here today hypothesized that the most probable explanation for my bomb-out in 1986 was:

1) It was 8 am and boys don't pay attention to any speaker at that time day.

2) I'm a girl and boys just aren't' that interested in what girls have to say.

And/or 3) I may have underestimated the risk of agreeing to speak to an audience composed, as he put it, of such high caliber men and therefore, perhaps, my remarks missed their target because they weren't, I don't know, classy enough.

Finally, as a friendly word of caution, my son advised me not to build up too many expectations about this speech today either, because, as he pointed out, nothing's changed. The caliber of the men in the audience, is still, obviously, extremely high. I'm still a girl. And it's still morning. So the dynamics here do not play in my favour.

But regardless of the strength of Sam's analysis, the point of my story is this: I'm back. I'm giving this a second try. And I've learned a lesson from my previous failure - and from the accomplishments of the boys here today - which is that the key to success is: persistence.

Which is why I feel it only fair to deliver this warning: If you don't clap like crazy at the end of this speech, I will return next year and do it all over again.

The lapse of time between that first speech and this one underscores an important message for the boys here who will not receive a prize or award today.

UCC is unusual among today's private schools in its public honoring of success. While many schools in North America have done away with prize day giving altogether out of sensitivity for the delicate psyches of their young students, UCC understands that competition drives boys to thrive and excel. So, to those of you who have won prizes today, let's get this straight: You worked hard. You won. And you rule.

But it's also true - and I can attest to this - that we are not all on the same timetable of success. Some of us were ready to deliver a whizzbang of a speech in 1986. Others needed a quarter century of rehearsal.

In the same way, you boys are unfolding and developing at your own pace. Some of you are sprinters. Some don't gain speed until the second mile. For those boys, the honors are all to come - and the prize days will be the class reunions of future years.

Success comes in many forms. And at different times.

At Harvard Business School they tell a local joke about two students. One excels at math, wins prizes, graduates at the top of his class, and is promptly hired by a major bank. The other is baffled even by basic arithmetic and eventually drops out.

Years pass. The two students meet again, in the lounge of a private aviation terminal. Both are boarding their own planes. The former prizewinner notices the former drop-out. Frankly, he's stunned. He approaches him, reintroduces himself, and then says, ' you don't mind my asking -- but what happened to you?'

The former dropout explains, "When I left B-school, I went to work for a plastics company. They put me in the mailroom. I was bored, so I started reading the catalogues of our suppliers. One day I saw an ad for a new kind of straw, it went sort of all curly. I had the thought you could attach little cartoon characters to it, and that fast food companies might buy them to attract kids. Maybe movie companies would pay you too for the commercial tie-in. I took the catalogue, quit my job, started my own company. The straws have been a huge success for us. I buy them for a dime, I sell them for a dollar -- and over time, those 10% profit margins really add up."

He still couldn't do the math. But he had won his own prize.

Now before I leave this stage, and given that I only get a chance to do this every 25 years, I want to take advantage of this moment to say a word of appreciation to Dr. Power. I have been a mother at this school for twelve years. And I have had the honor to serve as a member of the Board of Governors for five. But by the time June comes around I will no longer belong to either group. This is very sad for me because I am deeply proud of my association with Upper Canada. And one of the chief reasons I am proud of this school is because of Dr. Power. Now it's very bad form to repeat what gets said at a board meeting, boys, because they are held in the strictest of confidence, and when you swear to keep things secret you must. But I think I'm on safe ground when I share this with you at one of my very first ever board meetings, when I was just getting to know Dr. Power, and he himself had only been at the school for about one year, I can remember how upset he was because a fairly large sum of money that had been raised by you boys for charity had gone missing. Or put more plainly, it had been stolen. Dr. Power was absolutely devastated. What good was UCC's reputation as a school of leading scholarship, of high IB totals or impressive university placements, if such lapses of character could take place inside these walls? Dr. Power vowed to make this his mission. He vowed that he would dedicate as much of his energy to your intellectual development as to your moral development. And over the past 5 years, I've seen him, his administration and his teaching staff do precisely that.

As they share today the triumph of your scholarly achievements, they most fundamentally believe that the truest triumphs are personal and moral. What this school - what true education - most upholds and should most recognize is character. The character of the boy that will become the character of the man. The character that earns a future place of leadership by integrity and by service.

Character is honoured - not by a cup or a plaque - but by the recognition of those who know you. It's proven not in a 10-second dash on a track, but over the longest of long hauls.

We'll be following all of you over the decades ahead to hail the honorable, upright men we hope - and expect - you will grow into. As we salute and congratulate today's prizewinners, the highest accolades - and the hardest struggles - still await. Give it your best! We're cheering for you!

And hooray to all the winners here: today's and tomorrow's.

The 33rd annual Association Day on Oct. 1 started as a chilly and overcast morning, but turned into a gloriously sunny autumn day that was capped off on the football field by a 57-7 victory by the Upper Canada College Varsity Blues over the Trinity College School (TCS) Bears.

Coffee sales were brisk in the morning following the 8:15 a.m. new parents' breakfast as the Arts Booster Club and Blues Booster Club opened their information booths and sold promotional items. Scholastic Books had their wares for sale. Prep boys hawked vegetables from the learning garden. A range of snacks were available. Folks could learn about the Norval Outdoor School. The Horizons program held a used hockey equipment drive. The Children of Hope Uganda booth sold crafts for a worthy cause. Ten-minute massages were going for $10. Student clubs had displays. People made bids on a variety of silent auction items. Other UCC supporters were scooping up Believe in Blue Gala raffle tickets as they admired the grand prize: a 2012 Chevrolet Volt.

And that's just what was happening along the main avenue leading up to the front steps of the school.

That was the same route taken by the bagpiper as he led a parade of Prep soccer players, principal Jim Power, Upper and Prep School head Don Kawasoe, UCC Association president John Cape "87, A-Day co-chairs Matt Flynn '96 and Sandy Mingay, and head steward Ryan Manucha to officially open the ceremonies at 11 a.m.

"I hope you have a great time seeing old and new friends, have a chance to catch one of the exciting sporting matches, and enjoy the old and new traditions that are part of A-Day," said Power.

The "Kidzone" featured games and inflatable bouncy rides and slides for the little ones, who were also filling up on free popcorn and ice cream. And kids of all ages took turns tossing softballs at a target to try and soak director of residential life Andrew Turner, teacher Adam Ross, Kawasoe, dean of students Evan Williams, Power, teaching assistant Steve Carr, Senior Division head Scott Cowie and residential assistant Sean Kelly in the dunk tank.

Kawasoe was in the dunk tank hot seat for 20 minutes and got wet almost once a minute, but he said the water was warmer than the air and he was happy to take his turn. "It's all good fun and I love the looks on kids' faces when they hit the target."

The UCC Quintet played a tight set of jazzy rock on the front steps and the St. Jamestown Steel Orchestra added a tropical flavor to a somewhat frigid early afternoon.

The Class of 1986 received 25-year ties at a luncheon reception that was the precursor to a much larger reunion dinner honouring the graduating classes of 1962, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006 that took place in the evening.

Five dollars got people a filling barbecue lunch, while the hospitality area on the Simon and Kit Leung Terrace offered hot chili, cold beer and a great view of the sports action on the oval.

The Prep Soccerfest lasted all morning and the Red House came out on top with 255 points. The Michael E. Jurist Tennis Tournament attracted a full bracket of doubles teams, including a few father and son duos.

The competition was a little less friendly in the Lett and Prep gyms, where UCC volleyball teams won three out of four matches, and on the various soccer fields where the home team won a large majority of the games against squads from other schools. UCC's junior varsity football team beat TCS 23-0 in the morning and set the stage for the final football game of the day, where UCC jumped out to a 50-0 halftime lead before resting a number of starters in a second half that saw both the Blues and the Bears score a touchdown each.

More than 1,000 people took part in and enjoyed all of the Association Day activities, which wouldn't have been possible without the work put in by a Blue Army of volunteers made up of students, staff and faculty members, parents and Old Boys.

The countdown has started to May 12, 2012, as Believe in Blue Gala chairs Pat and Michelle Meneley and members of their team are already working hard to make the exclusive event at Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum a highlight of the social calendar.

A fine wine auction at Weston Hall at UCC's Prep School will precede the gala on April 18, 2012. Proceeds from the gala table and ticket sales, a gala after-party, the fine wine auction, a raffle, silent and live auctions will be targeted towards three areas of vital importance to the College: a state-of-the-art science wing at the Upper School; needs-based scholarships; and the boarding program and facilities.

Gala raffle* tickets ($25 each, or a book of 10 for $200) went on sale at Association Day. Prizes include:

A 2012 Chevrolet Volt five-door hatchback courtesy of John '71 and Michael '97 Carmichael (valued at $44,000);

18K white gold puffed heart diamond pendant courtesy of Royal De Versailles (valued at $11,200); and

two Platinum-level Toronto Maple Leafs tickets and a gift certificate to Real Sports Bar courtesy of the Tanenbaum family (valued at $600).

The fine wine auction kicks off the Believe in Blue Gala festivities. The event begins with a 6:30 p.m. reception with cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction and a performance by the UCC Jazz Ensemble. A live auction offering individual bottles and groupings of fine wine for the discerning palate will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $50.

The gala committee is looking for donations of fine vintage wine for the auction.

Visit the Believe in Blue Gala web page at www.ucc.on.ca/Gala2012 for regular updates about the gala, fine wine auction, ticket sales and volunteer, donation and sponsorship opportunities.

Please contact Maria Karakoulas at 416-488-1125, ext. 2231 for more information.

*(lottery license number 4175)

9/28/2011 Colin Greening '05 has made the Ottawa Senators roster, and the St. John's, Nfld. native captured lots of media attention when the National Hockey League team played an exhibition game against the Winnipeg Jets at the city's Mile One Centre earlier this week. The game was a professional homecoming for Greening, who was a boarding student and hockey star at Upper Canada College for two years before playing for a season with the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League. Greening then attended Cornell University for four years, where he was involved in a number of charitable activities and maintained a 3.99 grade point average while obtaining an applied economics and management degree. Greening, who was profiled in the summer/fall 2011 issue of Old Times as well as this week's Ottawa Sun and The Telegram in St. John's, played 59 games for the American Hockey League's Binghamton Senators last season before he was called up to Ottawa to play 24 games. The 6'3", 210-pound left winger scored six goals and 13 points in those games. "I chose to go to Upper Canada College," the 25-year-old Greening told the Sun. "Hindsight is 20-20. Looking back, I could say I could have done this or I could have done that, but at the time those were the best decisions. I don't regret them. They were great stepping stones. I think I'm better for it." "There were a lot of options open. The way I was raised, there was a lot of academic encouragement in the household. Growing up, I knew if I could play hockey and get my education at the same time, I'd be very lucky. From the time I started playing hockey, we geared towards that route." It appears to have paid off, as Greening has signed a three-year, $2.45-million contract with the Senators and appears to be a key part of the team's future.

9/13/2011 Upper Canada College's boarding fundraising campaign to improve its facilities, enhance residential life, expand recruitment and increase needs-based scholarships is launching today. UCC aims to firmly establish its boys' boarding program as one of the best in the world and enable it to comfortably accommodate and educate boys from across Canada and around the globe. Housing a diverse group of boys, who can offer fresh perspectives in the classroom and socially, benefits both boarders and day students. "Boarding isn't just a strategy at UCC," says principal Jim Power. "It's a part of the school's identity and, in order to make this program all that it was meant to be, we want to make boarding as accessible as possible to as many Canadian and international students as possible. It's all about giving extraordinary boys an extraordinary opportunity." The boarding campaign's goal is to raise $14 million, of which $9.1 million has already been raised from gifts ranging in value from five dollars to $1.5 million. Significant funds will go towards renovating UCC's two boarding residences, Seaton's and Wedd's, which haven't been significantly updated since the 1930s. The remainder of the money will be earmarked for scholarships and bursaries to ensure more boys of exceptional ability have the chance to receive a UCC boarding education, and to expand the range of after-school and weekend programs for boarders. UCC has already increased its staffing so that each residence of 44 students now has two live-in senior house advisers rather than one, ensuring that each boarder gets more individual attention and that staff members have time to communicate with parents about their boy more frequently. "As a kid from Huntsville, I learned a lot about life and responsibility as a boarder at UCC, and I'm committed to seeing it continue -- better than ever -- for other young men who have the privilege of experiencing this same opportunity," says Blake Hutcheson '80, CEO of Oxford Properties and co-chair of UCC's boarding campaign. "If I can help, I'll put my money and my time where my mouth is." The future of boarding at UCC was called into question in 2007, but overwhelming support by students, parents and alumni in favour of keeping the program alive convinced the college's board of governors that it should continue -- but only with a significant investment in both programs and facilities in order to keep pace with the rest of the internationally respected school's offerings. "There's so much UCC has to offer, but, without the boarding program, the College wouldn't have the international recognition as the Canadian hub of excellence in education that it enjoys today," says Adam Markwell '92, vice-president and investment advisor at CIBC Wood Gundy and co-chair of the boarding campaign. "The students' experiences at UCC are also more profound due to the perspective boys from more than 24 countries and across Canada bring to school. I know I benefited greatly from the boarding program, and I wouldn't be the man I am today without it. That's why I was among the many that fought so hard to keep the boarding legacy alive, but we'll need significant support from our community to ensure it remains a strong and vital program for future students." That need for investment has led to this launch of the boarding campaign. A wide variety of recognition opportunities are open to contributors, including the naming of the program, residence complex, study rooms, lounges, scholarships and smaller items. A $1,000 gift allows donors to have personalized plaques installed in a residence room. Here are some of the major contributors to the boarding campaign thus far: Desiree and H. Michael Jebsen (parents of a boarding alumnus) of Hong Kong have committed $1.5 million to establish The Jebsen Family Scholarship for boarding students from western Europe. Anonymous donors from Toronto have committed $1.3 million to establish a scholarship for students from rural Ontario. William Wong '82 of Hong Kong has committed $900,000 to strengthen The Edward Wong Scholarship for boarding students. Hugh '01, Max '07, Kelly and Michael Meighen of Toronto have committed $700,000 to strengthen the Meighen Family Scholarship for boarding students from Quebec and New Brunswick. An anonymous graduate from the United Kingdom has committed $500,000 in support of boarding facilities. An anonymous donor has committed $430,000 to establish a scholarship for boarding students from western Canada. For more information, please contact vice-principal Innes van Nostrand at 416-488-1125, ext. 2236 or at ivannostrand@ucc.on.ca