I have three boys at The York School and started four years ago with my eldest in Grade 9. He is now graduating this year and what a wonderful experience this has been – for our entire family. After research, tours and many, many coffees with parents at schools across Toronto, we chose The York School because of its smaller size, convenient location, IB academics and coeducational and international student body. Certain things have had a greater impact than we had expected such as the school's location and the focus on the entire student, not just academics. However, if you ask my boys, they would say they love The York School because of their teachers, their friends, their basketball teams and being at a school that is close to home.
Without hesitation, both our children (Gr. 8 and 11) cite their teachers at the school as being the experience they appreciate most at York. Enthusiastic, passionate and encouraging are the words that best describe our children’s teachers and this has been the case each of the five years we have been associated with the school. This positive attitude permeates throughout the school and this “feeling” contributes to the overall experience. Although they do not mention this, as parents we feel our children benefit from the inclusive environment that the school works hard to foster, and at no time have we sensed our children felt they did not belong. Other than the disappointment of not having gym class daily or having to wear a uniform (which has been relatively relaxed over the years), our children are happy to attend class each day.
The York School is a community that shaped me into the person that I am today. The list of opportunities is almost comical, to name some: band, choir, basketball, softball, volleyball, ultimate, chess club, debate club, morning announcements, plays, musicals, student council, volunteering, outreach, exchange and so much more. My classmates and I had an opportunity to experience all that the school had to offer, in addition to the MYP and IB programs, challenge weeks and immersive laptop program.
