Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute
Encyclopedia
The Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute is a secondary school located in Scarborough, Ontario
at 2300 Pharmacy Avenue. The school was opened in the fall of 1964 when there was only farmland around it, and as the population in the area grew, so did the school. The school's main building was then extended to have more classrooms, along with larger rooms used for music, art, and autoshop. The school has an academic level named "Medallion" where exceptional students are encouraged to enrich themselves through an in-depth coverage of topics taught in regular classes. Students in the "Medallion" program are also taught topics that are not found in the curriculum, and are encouraged to write an academic competition related to their subject. Sir John A. Macdonald also has a reputation for its music program. With dedicated teachers, students, and parents, the many ensembles at the school raise funds through fundraisers and performances (gigs in the case of the jazz bands).
There are clubs for science, math, and computers. Students regularly participate in academic competitions, such as the University of Waterloo
's mathematics (Pascal, Cayley, Fermat, and Euclid), chemistry (Avogadro and Chem 13), and physics (Sir Isaac Newton) exams, University of Toronto
's engineering exam (DaVinci Engineering Competition), and several American ones.
Music ensembles include Intermediate Jazz band, Senior Jazz Band, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Strings, Symphony, and Choir, along with junior band and strings. Each year these groups compete in regional, provincial, and occasionally international competitions, and have trips internationally to perform.
Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
at 2300 Pharmacy Avenue. The school was opened in the fall of 1964 when there was only farmland around it, and as the population in the area grew, so did the school. The school's main building was then extended to have more classrooms, along with larger rooms used for music, art, and autoshop. The school has an academic level named "Medallion" where exceptional students are encouraged to enrich themselves through an in-depth coverage of topics taught in regular classes. Students in the "Medallion" program are also taught topics that are not found in the curriculum, and are encouraged to write an academic competition related to their subject. Sir John A. Macdonald also has a reputation for its music program. With dedicated teachers, students, and parents, the many ensembles at the school raise funds through fundraisers and performances (gigs in the case of the jazz bands).
There are clubs for science, math, and computers. Students regularly participate in academic competitions, such as the University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
's mathematics (Pascal, Cayley, Fermat, and Euclid), chemistry (Avogadro and Chem 13), and physics (Sir Isaac Newton) exams, University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
's engineering exam (DaVinci Engineering Competition), and several American ones.
Music ensembles include Intermediate Jazz band, Senior Jazz Band, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Strings, Symphony, and Choir, along with junior band and strings. Each year these groups compete in regional, provincial, and occasionally international competitions, and have trips internationally to perform.
School crest, colours, and motto
The official school crest, colours and motto were selected to reflect the life and work Sir John. The crest contains a map of Canada and the symbols of the Macdonald clan: a white coronet, a mailed fist, and crossed crosslets. Red, Royal Purple, and White, which predominate in the tartan of Sir John's family clan, Clanranald, were selected as official school colours. It is hoped that the school motto, "Prudentia et Scientia" (Vision and knowledge), will continue to encourage future students to emulate these qualities which were possessed to a high degree by Sir John A. Macdonald.Mission statement
"Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate is a student-centered, non-semestered community school which strives to maintain its traditions of academic, athletic, and artistic excellence, to educate the whole person and to encourage all students to reach their individual potentials."Notable alumni
- Mike Johnson, NHL Hockey player, Montreal CanadiensMontreal CanadiensThe Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
, formerly of the Toronto Maple LeafsToronto Maple LeafsThe Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... - David FurnishDavid FurnishDavid James Furnish is a Canadian/British filmmaker, former advertising executive, and now a film director and producer most known for his documentary Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras...
, filmmaker/director/producer and civil partner of Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor... - Eric McCormackEric McCormackEric James McCormack is a Canadian American actor, musician, writer and producer. Born in Toronto, he began his acting career performing in school plays at Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute High School...
, actor, producer and musician, star of TV series Will and Grace - Mike MyersMike Myers (actor)Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
, comedian and Hollywood movie actor (attended Macdonald, but graduated at a different school) - Duff GibsonDuff GibsonDuff Gibson is a Canadian skeleton racer who competed from 1999 to 2006. He was born in Vaughan, Ontario. His father was born on December 13, 1937. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, He won the gold medal in the men's skeleton, narrowly beating out his teammate Jeff Pain...
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gold medalist in singles skeleton; firefighter with Calgary International AirportCalgary International AirportCalgary International Airport, , is the international airport that serves Calgary, Alberta, Canada and the surrounding region; it is situated approximately northeast of downtown Calgary... - William BlairBill Blair (police chief)William Sterling "Bill" Blair, is the police chief of Toronto, Ontario. He was selected in a 4–2 vote of the Toronto Police Services Board in early April 2005, and formally appointed Chief of the Toronto Police Service on April 26, 2005. He succeeded Mike Boyd, who had served as interim chief...
, Chief of PoliceChief of policeA Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
of the Toronto Police ServiceToronto Police ServiceThe Toronto Police Service , formerly the Metropolitan Toronto Police, is the police service for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest municipal police service in Canada and second largest police force in Canada after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police... - Shaun ChenShaun ChenShaun Chen is a MediaCorp actor, most notable for his role in Holland V. He married his girlfriend of 6 years, fellow MediaCorp artiste Michelle Chia in May 2009. However, they had confirmed their divorce on 27 April 2011.-Career:...
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Trustee (Ward 21) - Michelle MacPhersonMichelle MacPhersonMichelle MacPherson is a former backstroke and butterfly swimmer from Canada, who competed for her native country at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. There the resident of Chandler, Arizona won the bronze medal in the 4×100 m medley relay, alongside Anne Ottenbrite, Reema...
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bronze medalist, 1982 Commonwealth Games double bronze medallist and gold medal relay, swimming - Brad ParkBrad ParkDouglas Bradford Park is a retired ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings...
, retired NHL player (with New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, and Detroit Red Wings), Member of Hockey Hall of FameHockey Hall of FameThe Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
; briefy coach with the Red Wings - Barbara GowdyBarbara GowdyBarbara Gowdy, CM is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. Born in Windsor, Ontario, she is the long-time partner of poet Christopher Dewdney and resides in Toronto.-Literary career:...
, novelist and short story author - Michael RudderMichael RudderMichael Rudder is a Canadian film, television, theatre and voice actor, who was injured in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.-Acting work:...
, Canadian stage, film and voice actor, survived shooting in Mumbai, India - Peter Howell, Toronto StarToronto StarThe Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
journalist (film critic) - Mike Levine, bass player for TriumphTriumph (band)Triumph is a Canadian hard rock power trio that was popular in the late 1970s through the 1980s. Eight of the band's albums were certified gold or higher, and Triumph was nominated for multiple Juno Awards, including Group of the Year Award in 1979, 1985, 1986 and 1987.Like their fellow Canadians...
- Sherko Haji RasouliSherko Haji-RasouliSherko Haji-Rasouli is a professional Canadian football player who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for six seasons with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League.- College career :...
, football player for the BC LionsBC LionsThe BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954... - Bob McPherson, keyboards for "Abraham's Children"