TMS Friends of the Community

The TMS Friends of the Community is a group of young students who, through their service to the community, showcase the importance of giving back to the less fortunate. The students meet every other week and through their various initiatives learn about the values of citizenship towards those most vulnerable in the community. At the same time, the students also learn different skills such as making and designing posters, promoting each event to all the classes and teachers at the Lower School and actively contributing to a variety of different causes.

Winter Drive for 360°kids

As a school we wanted to continue our support of youth in need by collecting items to help them get through the cold winter months. The Winter Drive in February for the 360°kids charity gathered a large amount of food and warm winter accessories, as well as over $700 in gift cards. The initiative highlighted the importance of supporting vulnerable community members, while fostering a commitment to service and cultivating compassion within our students as they internalize and understand the importance of empathy and kindness.

Salvation Army Annual Toy Drive

During the December holiday season, the group collected toys and gift cards for the Salvation Army’s annual toy drive which resulted in a huge mountain of toys in our Lower School Atrium. The Salvation Army representatives were so impressed with the efforts of our students and the generous contribution by the TMS Community.

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

In the spirit of raising awareness and promoting respect for the environment, the club members cleaned up our playground and collected garbage and litter from the school yard during Earth Week. The group ends the year with the Friends of the Community Used Book Sale. At this event, students learn the importance of reducing waste and reusing items. In addition, all proceeds raised go to WorldVision to help two young children, similar in age, with whom the group has been exchanging postcards and letters throughout the year.

Upper School Justice League

Local Environment Clean Up

In collaboration with the City of Richmond Hill, the Upper School Justice League and the Environmental Stewardship Club joined forces to collect trash and recyclables around our local area. A community cleanup is a wonderful eco-action opportunity for everyone to get involved. For the three Mondays following Earth Day, we invited the Upper School student body to join in cleaning up our local environment, with great progress being made during the clean-ups. Students who participated enjoyed an impactful collective experience taking care of our Earth.

Aside from the clean-up, the Justice League and Environmental Stewardship Clubs joined together to create presentations and activities for the school to raise awareness about how students can make changes to their daily routine to create a more environmentally friendly community.

Cupcake Fundraiser for Patients' Amenities Fund at Sick Kids

This year, funds raised at the annual Upper School Justice League Cupcake Sale went to help the Patients' Amenities Fund at Sick Kids. The Patient Amenities Fund provides support to families with low financial means whose children are receiving care at Sick Kids. The fund assists qualified families with expenses that are not or only partially covered by public health insurance and community resources. These include transportation, food, lodging, medication, and medical equipment. Many of the club members dedicated a lot of time to helping make this initiative a success. The fundraiser ended up being a huge success, with a very fast sell out.

Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and the Justice League raised money for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) by selling cookies that could be decorated using special pens. Students were encouraged to wear stickers and pins to help take a ‘Bite out of the Stigma’ of mental health challenges!

Montessori Education Week

The last week of February is designated across the world as Montessori Education Week. During the week we take time to celebrate Maria Montessori. This year was the 116th anniversary of the first Montessori school, the Casa dei Bambini, which opened in Italy.

In our classrooms, we celebrated Dr. Montessori in a variety of ways. The students read books about her accomplishments, wrote stories about TMS and their favourite materials, learned the geography of Italy, sang songs and made delicious foods representing Dr. Montessori’s Italian heritage – pizzelle cookies and pizza. We came together to reflect on her work and the value of a Montessori education at a Lower School Assembly.

During this week, our students also recognized Pink Shirt Day. Our youngest students focused on “Being the I in Kind”; The pairing of Montessori Education Week and Pink Shirt Day is fitting as Dr. Montessori’s pedagogy places a strong emphasis on grace and courtesy, the importance of being kind, inclusivity and maintaining peaceful classrooms. As a devoted humanitarian, Dr. Montessori was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times for her advocacy towards a more peaceful humanity. We are proud to continue her desire for the world to be a peaceful, accepting and loving place for all!

Thomas Xiong Achieves Gold Level Duke of Edinburgh Award

The Duke of Edinburgh Award, marking its 60th anniversary this year, empowers young people between the ages of 14 and 24 to discover hidden talents, broaden their abilities, increase their self confidence, develop untapped leadership potential and make a difference in their community.

The unique framework of the Award encourages young people to set and achieve goals in four sections, and a fifth at the Gold level: Voluntary Service, Physical Recreation, Skill, Adventurous Journey and the Gold Residential Project. There are three progressive levels to the Award: Bronze, Silver and Gold.

The Award is a marathon and not a sprint. It is all about dedication and commitment to staying consistently active. Volunteer activities boost high-yield skills like advocacy, leadership and empathy. Physical Recreation activities and the Adventurous Journeys not only establish healthy physical habits, but build transferable skills such as collaboration, motivation, resilience and self-awareness. Meeting the demands of the Gold Level Award isn’t easy, but when met, participants broaden their experience of life and make choices as responsible citizens in life away from work.

Despite the challenges we faced through the COVID-19 pandemic, Thomas Xiong completed and achieved the Gold Level award. He and 67 other individuals from Canada were invited to the Award Holder Celebration. Thomas was recognized for his Gold Award achievement by His Royal Highness, Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh KG GCVO and Her Honour, the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, OC, OOnt, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

The Award experience helped me to meet new people, develop new skills and become more physically active!

Thomas Xiong, ‘23

At TMS, we believe that not all learning happens in the classroom. In fact, we register all our students in Grade 9 to start the Award at the Bronze Level. Through outdoor education, school clubs and school athletics, TMS enables students to complete all three award levels of the Duke of Edinburgh Award by the time they graduate from high school.

TMS Triumphs on the Local, Provincial and National Public Speaking Podium

In a little over a year, our debate and public speaking co-curricular club has grown from its new beginning to a fierce competitor. Our students work tirelessly on eloquently articulating thoughts, arguments, and broadening their viewpoint. They develop strong research skills and an initiative to learn, all which increases their confidence. This co-curricular is favourably looked upon by University applications in law, political science, marketing, and biomedical degree programs where there is a need for strong communication skills.

While the rest of the world was getting ready for holidays in December, the club was competing in the Ontario qualifier to secure a place in the National Public Speaking Championships. At this qualifier, Maryam J. placed 5th in impromptu debate, 2nd in persuasive, and 1st in impromptu speaking. She placed 2nd overall, making TMS history. Maryam qualified for the National Public Speaking Championships.

Nationals found a home for three fun and challenging days in wintery Winnipeg. Maryam was one of only a few students to break into finals for multiple categories. She is one of the top students in all of Canada for impromptu speaking and impromptu debate, and 11th overall.

Maryam’s success continued in the Nora McRae Tournament, as the 1st place Senior Speaker. In this tournament TMS's Ava L. received 1st place for dramatic interpretation, and Aryana K. received 3rd place for impromptu speaking (Junior Division). Maryam placed 1st in After Dinner, 1st in Declamation, and 3rd for Impromptu. Winning the Nora McRae trophy, the team of Maryam, Ava, and Ayden, won the Senior Division!

Our students have put in countless hours preparing for these competitions, supported by a strong community around them. TMS coach Ms. Dickson collaborates with other faculty for speech stylization critiques as well as securing an Assistant Crown Attorney coach to support our students. We are excited to see the group continue to excel in the years to come.

“If I had to describe my public speaking experience at TMS in one word, it would be: invaluable. Competing in these tournaments has allowed me to enhance my public speaking, leadership, and critical thinking skills. I definitely feel as though I have grown as an individual as a result of these experiences, and I look forward to future events next year!

Maryam J. ‘24