SO LONG AND FARE WELL At the conclusion of the current academic year, St. Michael’s bid adieu to longtime librarian, Sandy Gray, and the school’s longest-serving staff member, Frank Trentadue ’84. Trentadue has packed away his double blue attire in favour of the purple and gold of his new home on the west coast. “After being at St. Michael's for so many years, I never thought my exit would come as fast as it did,” says Trentadue, who leaves after 31 years on staff to assume the role of Senior School Assistant Principal at Vancouver College, in September. “My wife and I are looking forward to a new beginning in new surroundings, and all of the natural beauty that this part of the country has to offer.” Frank Trentadue most recently held the position of Director of Student Affairs and prior to that worked as a teacher, guidance counsellor, and director of St. Michael’s International Summer Academy, providing students with various opportunities to study abroad. Active in athletics, Trentadue coached football, hockey, soccer, and track and field, capturing eight provincial high school football championships, including a three-peat from 2006-08. “Frank is forward-thinking, open-minded, direct, and thoughtful - one of the best bosses I've had in my 40-year career,” says departing SMCS librarian, Sandy Gray. “He can balance gut reaction with research or evidence to help chart the best course to address a challenge. Frank embraces change without sacrificing tradition.” Like Trentadue, Mrs. Gray departs St. Michael’s while remaining at the top of her game. Sandy was honoured with an award from the Association of Independent School Librarians (AISL), which is a first for Canadian librarians. The Marky Award is the highest honour offered by AISL. It is given to members who display exemplary service to the association. The AISL represents 700 librarians from across North America, including 42 from Canada, covering approximately two dozen schools. Mrs. Gray joined the SMCS staff in 2008 and retires having evolved and innovated materials and resources along with the design and layout of the Odette Library. INTERMEDIATE SPEAKING COMPETITION Since 1998, the annual Intermediate Speaking Competition has been essential for St. Michael’s College School. In March, Grade 7 and Grade 8 students presented their speeches in front of their peers. Students had the chance to record and produce a video that was shown to the audience during the intermission. Grade 8 students Jake Lee ’24, Roberto Saverino ’24, and Matthew Kmecz ’24 were the three winners of this year’s competition.
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VIRTUAL ATHLETIC BANQUET On May 22, SMCS hosted the annual Athletic Banquet virtually, which was a first for this 60-plus year tradition. The 2020 Virtual Athletic Banquet, themed on overcoming adversity, featured Team Canada athlete, Justyn Knight ’14, as the keynote speaker. More than 70 awards in 25 categories were presented to student-athletes by 28 presenters, including school staff, alumni, professional and amateur athletes (including Olympians past, present, and future), sports broadcasters, and representatives of all major North American professional sports leagues. "Sometimes some things in life just don't go your way and sometimes it is inconvenient. Even though it might be hard and it might not be fair that it is happening to you, you have to put yourself together and find that strength to keep pushing and keep going because there is something that you can celebrate once you pass that finish line in life," says Knight, a Team Canada athlete competing in track and field, who shares a time he felt adversity during a race in 2017 when he won his first NCAA championship. DEBATING GLOBAL TOPICS – MODEL UN In February 2020, the SMCS Model UN team attended a conference at Havergal College. The students spent time learning important and relevant topics such as climate change, immigration, the state of democracy, sanitation in West Africa, and cyber-security in developing nations. SMCS delivered a strong showing with one Best Delegate (1st place), one Outstanding Delegate (second place), and three Honourable Mentions (third place) finishes. CHESS TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP On March 2, the Blue Knights chess club hosted the Toronto Secondary School Chess League Team Championship for the fourth consecutive year. The Blue Knights had junior and senior teams competing against more than 100 students from across the GTA.
OUR ST. MICHAEL’S COLLEGE SCHOOL COMMUNITY WILL BE STRONGER BECAUSE WE FACED IT TOGETHER
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