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Volume 50 No. 4
BEACHMETRO.COM
PHOTO: ALAN SHACKLETON
A long line of people winds its way through the Crescent Town Elementary School property last Friday during a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic. Run by East Toronto Health Partners with the support of Michael Garron Hospital for residents living specifically in Crescent Town, the clinic vaccinated a total of 2,000 people over the two days (April 16 and 17) that it was held. For more on this story, please see Page 14.
Glen Ames robotics students qualify for 12th straight provincial tourney Journalism
NO VIRUS is stopping a team of young STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) minds from East Toronto. Grade 8 students from Glen Ames Senior Public School are moving on to the provincial FIRST Lego League (FLL) robotics competition after recently winning the Robot Performance Award and the Core Values Award in the qualifying round. This in a school year that’s been largely dominated by COVID-19 news. This is the 12th consecutive ro-
416-690-1032 • beyrima.ca RBerns-McGown-CO@ndp.on.ca
April 20, 2021
Pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Crescent Town
By Ali Raza, Local Initiative Reporter
Drop in or make an appointment.
botics team from Glen Ames to move on to the annual provincial championships. Last year, one of the school’s robotics teams became the fourth in a row to qualify for the international competition – a feat that this year’s students have in their sights. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) organizes its Lego League (FLL) in part of an international alliance of educators challenging young students to find solutions to real-world challenges using Lego Mindstorms technology. This kind of Lego gives students the opportunity to put their coding skills to the
test while using Lego hardware and software. It’s a competition that promotes STEM learning, teamwork, and collaboration, teacher Luke Martin said. And that has been a challenge made even tougher with COVID-19 restrictions this year, he said. The team – Team 458: Level Playing Field – is made of captain Jimmy L., assistant captain Jared H., table captain Jade D., researcher Saphia K., researcher and programmer Alexandra L., technicians Ella G., Avery D., Cole L., and Liam T., and programmer Audrey B. Continued on Page 10
Winter Stations move off Woodbine Beach for this year JUST CALL them Spring (or Summer) Stations. The organizers of the annual Winter Stations outdoor art festival have revealed a modified schedule for this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of the art installations being placed along Woodbine Beach, as is traditionally done from February to the end of March, this year’s event will see new locations and display dates for the art. Only one of those locations will be in the Beach community. “The Beach will always be our home and we have every intention of returning on Family Day in 2022,” said Winter Stations organizers in an April 15 press release officially announcing the changes to this year’s exhibit. “While the spirit of Winter Stations will always reside in the colder months, along the shorelines of Lake Ontario, the circumstances of the last year have forced us to be creative,” the press release said.
“We’d like to thank our partners at the City, our colleagues in the Parks department, our sponsors, and all of the artists for their patience and understanding.” The modified plan for this spring and summer will some of the five winning art installations for 2021 set up at in the Distillery District, the Graywood Development site at 33 Parliament St., and at a local site to be determined by the Beach Village BIA in the summer. The winning Winter Stations designs for 2021 were Arc de Blob from Austria and the United Kingdom; From Small Beginnings from the United Kingdom; The Epitonium from Iran; THROBBER from Germany; and Embrace from Oakville’s Sheridan College. There were more than 400 submissions from around the world for this year’s event. From May 6 to late June, Spring Stations at the Distillery District will feature ARc de Blob, From Continued on Page 14
Beach Studio Tour returns with virtual version for 2021 By Heidi Burkhardt
THE BEACH Studio Tour (BST) has been a community event for 28 years. As the first studio tour in the Greater Toronto Area, it has provided people with the opportunity to peek inside the unique homes of creative people. Amazingly, two of the founding members are still participating in the seasonal event.
This year, due to COVID-19, it will be a different experience. As with many other cultural events, this year’s Beach Studio Tour is going virtual. No walking is required to do the tour! Participants will meet this year’s lineup of artists on the BST website, with samples of their exquisite work linked to their webpages. Continued on Page 16