Markville Secondary School (commonly known as MSS or Markville) is a public high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 located in the town of Markham

Markham, Ontario

Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...

,
Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It is known for its exceptionally high academic standards, with consistently high rankings on standardized provincial tests.

It is one of 32 high schools administered by the York Region District School Board

York Region District School Board

The York Region District School Board, also known as YRDSB, is the English-language public school board for York Regional Municipality located in Ontario, Canada. The York Region District School Board is currently the province's third largest school board, with an enrollment of over 115,000 students...

. Markville's feeder schools are Central Park Public School, James Robinson Public School, Ramer Wood Public School, Unionville Public School, and Unionville Meadows Public School. Students attend Markville Secondary School after completing grade 8.

In the 2009 Fraser Institute

Fraser Institute

The Fraser Institute is a Canadian think tank. It has been described as politically conservative and right-wing libertarian and espouses free market principles...

 report, Markville was ranked 70 out of 722.

History

Markville S.S. is located in an area that was developed by the Melchior Quantz family of Germany in the town of Markham who also came to North America with William Berczy. The terrain map of 1860 shows five houses fronting on present day McCowan Road, all of which were inhabited by members of the family, the senior member of which was George B. Quantz and his wife, Jane Bradburn. The original name given to the school was Quantztown Secondary School, but was later changed to Markville Secondary School, named after the shopping mall nearby, Markville Shopping Centre

Markville Shopping Centre

Markville Shopping Centre is a shopping mall located at 5000 Highway 7 East in Markham, Ontario, Canada. Markville Mall opened in 1982. The mall is owned by Cadillac Fairview, and was named for its proximity to both the historical villages of Markham and Unionville...

.

Markville's school motto is Living, Sharing and Learning Together.
The school motto was written by Kristin Derry in 2000.

Facilities

Markville S.S. was officially opened in 1990. In 1996, an addition to the third floor provided a new math and computer wing.

A child-care centre, Markville Child Care Centre, is operated by Family Day Care Services.

School Facilities also include:

• Gymnasiums and Changerooms
• Weight room
• Washrooms and shower facilities
• Classrooms
• Art, music, and special education rooms
• Food Lab
• Sewing Room
• Science labs
• Communication technological lab and computer labs
• Design & technological room

• Yearbook room
• Construction shop
• Drama stage
• Cafeteria
• Staff room
• Guidance office
• Resource Centre
• Outdoor track and fields
• Student parking facilities
• Student store

Computers: over 250

Communications Technology Department

The CT department of Markville S.S. led by Mr. Wineberg, has won numerous awards, for creating public service announcements regarding topics like drinking and driving. One of these awards was a 25 cent coin that was launched at the school.

History Department

The History Department of Markville S.S. is by far one of the best in Ontario. As of 2009, teachers Adrienne Chong, Rob Cotey and Mark Melnyk have received the Prime Minister's Award of Teaching Excellence. They teach Canadian and World History, World Politics and World Religions in grades 10 to 12. The team gives students a voice while equipping them with the knowledge to become responsible and active citizens both in the school community and the world.

Music

Each year, the music students of Markville compete in several Music Festivals. These include festivals such as OBA (Ontario Band Association), Kiwanis Music Festival, and Music Alive. In addition to these festivals, two concerts are held at the Markham Theatre. The first concert called "Festive Sounds" is during the winter season, while the second concert called "Markville Pops" is during the spring season.

Markville offers many music courses for grades 9 through 12.

• Concert Band/Strings
• Symphonic Band/Strings
• Senior Band/Strings
• Senior String
• Chamber Choir
• Junior Choir
• Senior Choir
• Music Theatre
• Music and Computers
• Jazz Band/Choir
• Keyboard Class
• Guitar Class

Sport Teams

Markville offers sports teams for both boys and girls in all grades. All sport teams are extra-curricular, therefore not mandatory for students to participate in, but is highly encouraged. Some sports require tryouts, while others do not depending on the amount of students trying out or whether the team requires one. In order for a student to participate, they must be able to keep up with school work and maintain a good average. Away games, tournaments, or meets will require students to miss part of or a full day of school in order to participate.

Sport Teams include:

• Swimming
• Badminton
• Golf
• Tennis
• Volleyball
• Basketball
• Track and Field
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Field Hockey

• Softball
• Baseball
• Rugby
• Hockey
• Ski/Snowboard
• Cross Country
• Ping Pong
• Soccer
• Curling

For all participating athletes, they are invited to attend the Athletic Ceremony held yearly to commemorate stand-out athletes, hand-out awards, and recognize the team effort to represent Markville.

School bus

As per the criteria of Student Transportation Service (joint school bus service for YRDSB and YCDSB), students from grade 9–12 in the YRDSB are eligible for school bus transportation if they are:

1. Living more than 3.2 km from the school (measured along safe walkways)

and

1. Living in a non-transit served area (A transit served area means that a person can get to and from school using the YRT/Viva in less than an hour, needs to walk no more than 1 km to/from the stop, and needs to take a maximum of 3 buses each way).

Students in a special needs program (excluding gifted), are exempt from the policy and always receive it.

Public Transit

The YRT

York Region Transit

York Region Transit is the public transit operator in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in Richmond Hill, at 50 High Tech Road....

 routes which stop at or near the school are:

• 40 - Unionville Local
• 41 - Markham Local
• 42 - Berczy-South Unionville
• 45 - Mingay
• 85 - Rutherford-16th
• 129A - McCowan North (Operated by the TTC)

There are no high school specials and no other routes divert to the school at the beginning and end of the day.

Markville's Clubs

Markville has a wide variety of clubs to join, for everyone with different interests.

Student Activity Council	Music Council	Athletic Council	Art Club
Helping Hands	Caring and Sharing Club	Environmental Club	Science Club
Boys Club	Girls Club	DECA	Drama Club
Ambassadors Club	Drama Club	Spoken Word Spoken word Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....	White Pine Reading Program
Healthy Living Club (iLive)	Weight/Fitness Club	Prom Committee	Dance Club
ESL Club	True Vine Christian Fellowship	Unplugged Christian Fellowship	The Voice: Student Newspaper
Character in Action (CIA)	Bowling Club	Game Club	Model United Nations
Mock Trial	Yearbook Yearbook A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...  Committee	Markville SOSA	Peer Tutoring

Peer Tutoring

Markville's own students volunteer to help tutor others in subjects such as French and Math. Markville recognizes students' abilities in academics. Through this program, peer tutors receive volunteer hours which is required in order to graduate from high school, while helping others succeed in their academic learning.

Notable alumni

• Jason Chan (singer), Singer
• Janet Chow, Miss Hong Kong First-Runner Up, 2006