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Alumni News

Fiftieth reunion weekend features football, guided tours, and lots of time to mingle

Calling all members of the Class of ‘69: join us for our 50th anniversary weekend on October 25 & 26! Here are the details:

  • Friday afternoon @ 2:00: Join us at our new home field at the school, 17 Broadway Avenue, as our North Toronto Norseman take on their arch-rivals, Malvern. Kick-off is at 2 pm.
  • Friday evening @ 6.30: Enjoy an intimate evening at the historic Campbell House Museum, located right by the Osgoode Hall subway station. Renew old acquaintances and swap stories in a congenial setting. There will be a buffet dinner and a cash bar. Cost: $50. Get tickets here: https://bit.ly/2myqDRD.
  • Saturday morning @ 11:00: Meet us at the entrance to the school and join us for a tour of the new school (approx. 45 minutes). See how parts of the old façade have been retained and integrated into the new building. Cost: Free. Get tickets here: https://bit.ly/2l7PDim.
  • Saturday morning @ 12.00: Meet us at the entrance to the school and join us for a guided walking tour of the area around Yonge and Eglinton (approx. 45 minutes). Cost: Free. Get tickets: https://bit.ly/2n5NEeR.  
  • Saturday lunch @ 1:00: Join us for lunch at The Duke of Kent pub at the corner of Yonge and Roehampton. (You know you know the corner!) We will have the upstairs room all to ourselves. (You don’t need to have been on the school tour or the walking tour to join us for lunch.) The price includes a buffet lunch. There will be a cash bar. Cost: $25. Get tickets here: https://bit.ly/2ncsJHn.
  • Saturday evening: No planned activities; you’re free to get together in smaller groups.

Don’t forget:

  • You need to get tickets for each event you’re planning to attend (other than the football game). While there is no charge for either the tour of the new school or the guided tour, we ask you to register so we have a good idea as to numbers.
  • For the ticketed events, please use the links above, as the Eventbrite search only discloses two of the four events.
  • If you’re looking for a place to stay, consider the Roehampton Hotel at Mount Pleasant and Roehampton. Subject to availability, you may be able to secure a preferential rate of $149 plus tax (breakfast included – single/double occupancy), but you need to phone the hotel directly (1-800-387-8899) and specifically mention the NTCI 50th reunion.

We’ve posted photos and other information on our reunion blog: https://ntci1969reunion.blogspot.com/. We’ll post more, so check it regularly. Questions? Contact john.s.gillies@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible!

Alumni News

Special reunion activities for North Toronto football alumni from 1968 to 1970

Football players, coaches, managers and trainers from 1968-1970 are invited to two special events in conjunction with the Class of ’69 reunion activities on October 25-26:

  • Friday afternoon @ 2:00: Join your former teammates at our new NTCI home fieldl, 17 Broadway Avenue, as our North Toronto Norseman take on their arch-rivals, Malvern. Kick-off is at 2 pm.
  • Saturday evening @ 6.30: Dine with former team members in Greek Town. Invitees include former NT football and hockey Coach Bob “Spider” Awrey, now an internationally ranked tennis player for his age group.

Please contact Glen Jones (glenjonesdesu@gmail.com) if you plan to attend either or both events or if you have any questions.  If you know of any other players who might want to attend please forward their name, telephone number, and/or email address to Glen.

Alumni News

Our athletes need your support–join the North Toronto Athletics Committee!

Whether on the field, on the ice, or in the pool, NT has enjoyed success for many years. However, we need more resources to keep that tradition alive.

The North Toronto Athletics Committee (NTAC) was formed three years ago to meet that need. Made up of NT alumni, staff, and parents, NTAC’s mission is to connect the past with the present and build towards the future. It has raised over $10,000 since forming, and has helped purchase equipment for the weight room and team uniforms, as well as cover tournament fees.

But there is more to do.

Come to our next meeting on November 25 at 6.30 p.m. at NTCI Room 251 or contact Michael Colley at michaelcolley@bell.net to find out how you can support our athletes!

Alumni News, NTCI Today

School pride on display at Red & Grey Day 2019

Do you remember the words of our school song?

Hail North Toronto! was a key feature of this year’s Red & Grey Day, NT’s annual celebration of athletics and school spirit. This year, each home form picked a theme to celebrate, then decorated their classroom and dressed up according to that theme. Each class sang the school song, and the different versions were then pulled together into two (mostly) spirited videos. Follow along with students in grades 9 and 12 and grades 10 and 11.

October 10 also featured assemblies, a hot dog BBQ lunch, and a performance from the school band. Of course, the day’s main attraction was a packed sports schedule, with students being dismissed early to watch different teams play throughout the day. A great day for NT sports, as the school won or tied every game: two field hockey, two boys volleyball, girls ultimate, girls basketball, boys soccer, and a football game.

Alumni Events, Alumni News

Reunion Announcement: Calling All Members of the Class of ’69…

To celebrate “50 Years Later”, exciting plans are in the works to hold a Class of ’69 reunion this coming October. At this point the exact timing and location of the event is TBD although the tentative plan is to hold a dinner event at a Toronto venue and include a visit to the new school.

To make sure you don’t miss out, watch the NTCI Foundation website for more information and/or contact any of the organizing committee:

Alumni In The News, NT Entrepreneurs

Looking for NT’s Entrepreneurs

Are you an artist, writer, musician or inventor? Have you established your own business specializing in a unique product or service? If so, we would love to hear from YOU!

To further support NT alumni and share the many different career paths NT grads take, the Foundation is initiating a new feature highlighting entrepreneurial alumni. If you have started a venture that you would like to share with fellow alumni, please send a note to entrepreneurs@ntcifoundation.ca. We will get in touch with you and do a short Q&A to post on the website along with a brief bio, photo, and your business contact information.    

Our first featured entrepreneur is Bernice Lum (‘82)

Bernice Lum (’82): An NT Entrepreneur

After graduating from North Toronto, Bernice studied graphic design at Sheridan College. Following her graduation from Sheridan, she freelanced at several Toronto design companies as well as CityTV. In 1988, she relocated to London, England where she continued to freelance for design consultants. With more design work being done by computer, Bernice decided to do the other thing she loved to do…draw! In recent years, her career as an illustrator has taken her in many directions. She has published over 50 books and has clients in North America and abroad. In addition to illustration, her unique “bowling pin” characters are adding to her success story. Foundation vice-chair Lisa Cain recently spoke to Bernice about her creations.

You have a great body of work behind you but most recently you have been having great success with your bowling pins. Tell us a little bit about how that started?

The shape of the bowling pins emulate the human form in a fun caricature way so I decided to use the pins as my diary of sorts. The inspiration to use bowling pins came from the story of when my oldest brother, Charles, was born. On that day, my mother was at Women’s College Hospital and on that very same day, my father had a Bowling Tournament Final, so he went to play while my mother was at the hospital. When Charles was born, the hospital called the bowling alley to tell my dad the news and celebratory cigars were bought for everyone at the bowling alley. The idea to work with the pins was to pay homage to my brother who passed away seven years ago and my father who passed away just three years ago. 

Your bowling pins were featured at PULSE Contemporary Art Fair in Miami in December. Congratulations on a SOLD OUT show. How has this new notoriety changed your life?

Thank you and it was so very unexpected to have all the pins sell out. As for the notoriety… I wouldn’t say there has been notoriety, but I will say that it has definitely helped my trajectory, my confidence and [provided] a lovely confirmation that the work I am doing is connecting with people.

Thanks to Bernice for sharing her story; to contact Bernice or find out more about her work, point your browser to: www.bernicelum.com and https://galerieyoun.com/en/artists/bernice-lum.

Alumni News

Internship Request

Recently, the Foundation was contacted by a 2018 NT grad seeking a summer internship opportunity (May to August). She is currently completing her first year at the University of Western Ontario in engineering and is specializing in mechatronics, which is a combination of software, mechanical and electrical engineering. She stated that she would be content to be involved with something directly related to her field of study or in any professional workforce that would help her gain experience and diversify her skills. If you are able to provide such an opportunity or know of someone who could, please contact Foundation chair Ron Wakelin (rwakelin@utschools.ca); he will put you in contact with this very promising grad.

Editor’s Note: At the Foundation’s last meeting, the receipt of the above request sparked a discussion of how the Foundation might be a platform for connecting established alumni with current students/recent grads. If you are interested in providing mentorship, internship or other career enhancing opportunities to other alumni, please contact Ron Wakelin at the above address.