Students and alumni of Upper Canada College highlight that the school offers a wide array of activities and clubs that promote personal growth, allowing students to discover and develop their unique talents and interests.
A family that is seeking what our mission defines as a transformational learning experience. A family that wants for their child, for their son, specifically, an opportunity to become the best version of themselves. They want a breadth of opportunities available for their child, opportunities that are clearly within the classroom, a rigorous, Liberal education that is supported by a breadth of cocurricular opportunities, opportunities on a sporting field or in a theater with a musical instrument, a club. There are 20 different sporting activities in the school, performances across all year levels at the school that are theater in nature, musical opportunities across our year levels, there are approaching 100 clubs that are student led for our students in the school. And that breadth of opportunity is what I would anticipate a family would be seeking for their son. Ultimately, what I hope and what I believe we provide is the development of a platform for an individual to stand on when they leave the school.
I was involved athletically. I was on the badminton team as a singles and doubles player. I played competitively against several schools in the region. Apart from that, I was involved a great deal in the band. We travelled to Calgary for a concert/band competition out there. I don't think we won, but we had a lot of fun. I was involved in the Model United Nations, which was really fun. The symposium, which brought people from all over the world, was held in Montreal the year that I was part of it, which is very fortunate for us. We had the somewhat difficult task of playing North Korea on the nuclear disarmament Committee, part of the model UN.
At Upper Canada College boys are given a choice of subjects, I mean, that's not unique, but when they get into those subjects, there are loads of extracurriculars that flow from those subjects. At Upper Canada College, you can study theatre arts as part of the International Baccalaureate subject program and participate in an extracurricular production in a professional-grade theatre. In your early high school years, you can be part of physical education as a subject, but you can then join the hockey team and play in an Olympic class facility with coaches who have the best experience.
At Upper Canada College, I made sure that I took advantage of that full opportunity. I was extremely grateful to be there. At that time, I was on the football team, the basketball team; I was a head steward in my final year. I was part of the Green Club, and I was part of Horizons, which is how I was first introduced to Upper Canada College. I was a math tutor and part of the soccer tutors. I was also involved with admissions a lot, so I gave a lot of speeches to donors, or helped out in that department. I had a lot of attributes. I had a lot of co-curricular activities I was doing with intramurals. I was the athlete of the year my first year in the upper school, and then I got the Studies Math award and the Parents Organization Award. I was also a Lang Scholar from Grade 10 to Grade 12. The Lang Scholars like Upper Canada College's version of the Rose Scholar, which is only offered to Grade 10 and 12 that excel academically, in co-curriculars, and athletically.
I got the acceptance, and the financial aid offer at Upper Canada College was amazing. It made a lot of sense for me to take that opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. I was a founder of the Mock Trial Club at Upper Canada College where I was co-president with others. It was created in Grade 11, and in Grade 12, we placed second in Toronto in the mock trial competition.
The thing I would most appreciate about Upper Canada College is the ability to become extremely well-rounded. I think I came in in Grade 7 knowing that public speaking was one of the things that I enjoyed, and I also played soccer before, but I found that I was able to kind of expand my knowledge of different academic courses as well as the co-curriculars. I played volleyball and I was in the drama club the first year that I got there. I joined the rugby team for my first-ever time. I was able to join the debate club in the prep school, and then as I went and transitioned to the upper school, I was able to expand that knowledge a lot more. As it relates to my applications to universities, that's one of the things that stood out that I was a part of so many different things. I was also the co-president of the Black History Club at Upper Canada College. Upper Canada College allowed me to do many things that I don't think I would have particularly gotten at other schools, build my skill sets, and become very successful.
What differentiates Upper Canada College from other high schools is that balance of making sure that they can help each student become as well rounded as possible, and that they find their niche for what exactly they truly love. I was part of the band in Grade 8, but I found that wasn't the best thing for me; some people were amazing in band and were able to go to the Berkeley School of Music and take that to the next level. The drama program is amazing for those who are interested in that. Our academic program is the best in Canada. Upper Canada College makes sure that students are getting a great academic program, but when it comes to athletics, we're still beating these other schools, because our coaches are there for us, teaching us the ins and outs and the fundamentals of the program.
I believe Upper Canada College is one of the best schools in Canada because we are successful in so many facets of school life. So obviously Upper Canada College is strong in academics, but we also make sure we're very competitive on the band scene, athletic departments, etc. Our Model United Nations team is one of the best. No matter what boys feel that they would be best at, they can still attend Upper Canada College and excel.
I would recommend prospective students attend Upper Canada College as long as when you go to the information session, you see that this is the best school for you. The main reason I would say that is because the opportunities you get at Upper Canada College are plentiful You get funding in different clubs, and you’re able to create your own clubs like I was fortunate enough to do, which means that you can tailor that Upper Canada College experience and get the most out of what you want.
My piece of advice to a new student about to enter Upper Canada College would be to make sure you keep an open mind to different things that you may not have seen that you're interested in before. For me, that came in terms of drama, and being able to enroll in some of those programs, to be a part of different plays that allow me to have a different perspective, and actually improve some of my public speaking skills. As you're going into Upper Canada College, keep an open mind to various opportunities you can have. Don't limit yourself. Make sure that you're taking advantage of all those opportunities, because they sometimes only come once in a lifetime. It will help to show you what you want to get the most out of Upper Canada College.
Athletics wise, Upper Canada College was always a powerhouse when it came to soccer. We won the Championships every year I was there.
That drive and that desire to just want to do well, and it being so common, is something that I would say largely impacts and defines the student body at Upper Canada College. That also goes beyond academics. Athletics-wise, you would go to the gym, and you would see the football team or the hockey team working out, or getting ready for a game. Just seeing how hard they were working, and seeing how that translated on the field when it came to getting that last minute goal, or that last second touchdown was amazing.
You think about a school and you're like, ‘this is an art school’ or ‘this is an athletic school’ or ‘this is where you go for academics’ Here at UCC, we have one of the best jazz bands in the country, they would go to the States to perform We have one of the best model United Nations teams in North America, we won the tournament at Harvard. We had one of the best high school hockey teams. We have some of the best mathematicians who score the highest on tests. No matter what it is that you're into, Upper Canada College won't just introduce it to you to it, they'll show you how you can excel at it, because the student population and the teachers and the people who are there supporting you and helping you there are so good at engaging you and bringing that about.
I don't think you would get the breadth of experience at any other school besides Upper Canada College. I don't think there's any other school that could compare in terms of providing you with the level of academics, athletics, and the level of arts, or whatever else you're interested in. You have the opportunity to learn in all those facets to a very high degree, and you don't have to pigeonhole yourself early on because the school is better at one thing than another, they're amazing in all aspects.
I take part in many extracurriculars activities including many clubs and teams at school as well as outside sport teams. I have been fortunate enough for opportunities UCC has given me to play on the soccer, hockey, basketball, softball and volleyball teams. I also participate in both concert and jazz bands. I participate in a variety of activities and balancing school work and extracurriculars became very challenging. But, with the support of my family and friends I was able to manage all of my activities. UCC offers so many different opportunities that all students have the ability to access. The school allows students to actually create their own clubs for people to join. I myself am trying to participate in as many clubs as I can including debate, entrepreneurial, and marketing club. What is so great about extracurriculars at UCC is that everybody will have the chance to find something they are passionate about outside of school.
—Will Huang, student (beginning 2012) (see
full review)
Upper Canada College provides a wide range of extracurricular programs to students of all ages through their after school program. Beginning in SK there are multiple programs available each afternoon including athletic programs, arts programs, and lego, debating, woodworking and robotics to name a few. Music lessons are available through the college where the boys receive one on one music instruction with a teacher during one of their music classes each week. Once the athletic teams begin, boys may join an athletic team, where they practice during their games (PE) class, boys who do not join a school team participate in intramural sports during this time. The school does their very best to ensure these opportunities are not only available for the boys but that they are able to participate in these activities often within the school day. The wide range of extracurricular activities available as well as the support to participate helps to develop well rounded boys successful in several different areas.
—Julia Pantalone, parent (beginning 2012) (see
full review)
Each grade has at least eight after-school programs, which are age appropriate. Most students can register the programs they like, only a few hot programs like debating need to be selected. Every family can find all their students need for extracurricular. This is what UCC does the best, as they focus on developing all-rounded students. All students are becoming a whole person with confidence and smile.
—Pierre Pong, parent (beginning 2017) (see
full review)
There are plenty of arts, music and sports. There are three parent-teacher interviews each year, including one settle in interview, and one student led interview. Reports card provide lots of individual details. Parents and teachers need to sign off on an agenda everyday for students in SK to Grade 5. The parent website provides student schedule for every hour in school.
—Pierre Pong, parent (beginning 2017) (see
full review)
