North Toronto Collegiate Institute
North Toronto Collegiate Institute (North Toronto CI, NTCI, NT, or North Toronto) is a non-semestered, public high school institution with over 1,200 students located in North Toronto area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school is operated and governed by the Toronto District School Board. From its founding until 1998, it was overseen by the Toronto Board of Education. The school is located in Midtown Toronto in the Yonge and Eglinton neighbourhood. The majority of students come from the surrounding Chaplin estates, Lytton Park, Mount Pleasant, Davisville Village, Bayview Avenue, Moore Park, Lawrence Park, Broadway Avenue  and St. Clair Avenue areas (which are typically middle-to-high income earning areas). Most students have North Toronto C.I. as their home school. However, the school still employs a lottery system for students looking to enter from out of district. The closest TTC subway station is Eglinton station. Their motto is "Labor Omnia Vincit" which means "Work conquers all". North Toronto CI celebrated its 100th anniversary in May 2012. History. North Toronto High School was founded in 1910 and was traditionally housed in the North Toronto Town Hall. The original two-storey school building had five rooms, and was  completed in 1912 (the same year that the town of North Toronto became part of the City of Toronto). Later, the school was renovated in 1914 by Charles Hartnoll Bishop to include a third storey and became the north side of the old building, once the south section was built.<ref name="https://www.northtorontoci.ca/"></ref> Other additions included the 1956 math (east) wing, swimming pool, cafeteria and auditorium, as well as the science wing in 1966–1967. New building. In 2002, the North Toronto CI was one of the oldest buildings in the TDSB, and was in need of major repair. A planning process  was undertaken to build a new school. Due to a lack of available capital funding at the school board, a decision was taken in 2003 to seek private investment to augment funding committed by the TDSB. Subsequently, Tridel, a large Canadian condominium development corporation, bought 0.7 acres of land from the TDSB for $23 million. Groundbreaking occurred November 21, 2007, a year after the project had originally been slated for completion. During construction, the school remained open to students because the new building was built on the location of the old sports field. The old building was later demolished  and turned into a turf field and track. Architectural aspects of the old building, Collegiate Gothic, were preserved in the new building's courtyard. Tridel built two condominiums, 24 (25 Broadway Ave) and 27 (70 Roehampton Ave) stories high. The new school was opened in September 2010, and the condominiums and the school's new field October 2011. Its gymnasium and exercise room are located in the basement. The new four-storey building, which cost an estimated $52 million, features a rooftop garden, equipped science labs, a full gymnasium, change rooms, exercise room, an underground parking lot, a cafeteria , and school-wide Wi-Fi. Charity Week. Each year, North Toronto CI runs "Charity Week" to raise money for a charitable foundation that is selected annually by all students. Money is raised through student-organized events, such as home-form booths and specialty shows. "Charity Week" is spearheaded by the two Student Council vice-presidents, who also lead the Charity Week Committee. Sports. North Toronto CI has 50 sports teams, in addition to multiple sports clubs and intramural leagues. Sports teams are classified as "major" or "minor", depending on the commitment levels required by the team. Students are not allowed  to join two major teams in one season. The North Toronto CI's boys' varsity ice hockey team won the TDSSA championship in 2012, for the first time since 1952. The North Toronto CI's girls' field hockey team won the TDSSA championship in 2005, 2006, and 2008. In the 2010/11, the North Toronto junior girls' basketball team won the City of Toronto championship. The TDSB Tier 2 senior boys' rugby league team has won the last two championships after undefeated seasons. In the 2012/2013 season, The North Toronto women's varsity field hockey A Team won the Tier 1  conference championships, and moved onto the City Championships. On Tuesday, March 6, 2012, the North Toronto varsity boys hockey team won the TDSSAA City Championship and qualified for Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations in Peterborough, Ontario. This was North Toronto's first varsity hockey championship since 1952 and first ever OFSAA appearance. Clubs, councils, and publications. Clubs. North Toronto CI provides students with academic and special interest club opportunities. Councils. North Toronto CI's Student Council is composed of democratically elected executive members and a general assembly. There are ten Student Council executive members, who meet weekly and are  responsible for student advocacy, school assemblies, and club funding. The general assembly is made up of home-form representatives, who convene monthly with the executive in order to relay the concerns of students. The school's Music Council organizes fundraising events and other activities for music students, such as "Music Carnival" and the "Charity Week Talent Show". The North Toronto Athletic Association (NTAA) meets weekly and organizes sports-related events, including all intramural leagues and the school's "Red and Grey Day", an annual tradition that includes multiple sports games and home-form contests. The North Toronto Environmental Action Team  (NEAT) is composed of an executive team and general members, who work towards creating an environmentally-friendly community. The council is also responsible for hosting the annual "Earth Week" activities. The Art Council is made up of an executive team and class representatives from each art class, who work on multiple events each year, including "Soda Pop Shop". The presidents of Music Council, Art Council, NTAA, and NEAT also sit on the Student Council. Publications. The school has three publications, the school sponsored newspaper, "Graffiti," the bi-weekly newsletter, the "Red and Grey" (also known as the "RAG"), and the  yearbook, "Pentagon". "Graffiti" is produced entirely by volunteers, while students studying Writer's Craft constitute the "Red and Grey"'s staff and students in the Yearbook class constitute the "Pentagon"'s staff. "Graffiti" is North Toronto CI's award-winning newspaper. It was founded in 1981 and publishes four or five times each school year and also maintains a website. The publication is produced by over 30 student volunteers. "Graffiti" has been recognized at the "Toronto Star" High School Journalism Awards for excellence in student journalism. Most recently in 2019, it won nine awards, including Best High School Newspaper - Over  15 Staff. Music program. North Toronto CI is very well known for its music programs. The music program supports several musical ensembles. The ensembles participate in various musical events and competitions, including the Kiwanis Music Festival, the Ontario Vocal Festival, the Ontario Strings Association Music Festival, and the Contemporary Music Showcase. The school puts on two major concerts each year. "Fall Fare" is in December and is a one night concert, while "Maytime Melodies", an annual tradition dating back to 1946, is spread out over two nights. Students taking a music class are allowed to participate in or try out  for any of these musical ensembles, provided they participate in the musical ensemble associated with their music class. In addition, the music department partners with the visual art department each year to host "Soda Pop Shop", a one night showcase of student performers and artwork. North Toronto is the only high school in the GTA with a performance Marching Band. The band practices weekly before school from September to November to prepare for its annual appearance in the Toronto and Markham Santa Claus Parades. Awards. The School gives out yearly awards to recognize the best students in sports, academics, music , drama, and citizenship. Some notable awards include the following: In its first year in a Gold LEED Facility, North Toronto CI attained the EcoSchools Gold Certification. In 2018, the school was upgraded to EcoSchools Platinum Certification.