Category Archives: Alumni News

Stories about NT graduates.

Remembrance Day Assembly At North Toronto

Remembrance Day 2: Lt. Col. Michael Clarry (’81/’82) with NT students.

On November 10, North Toronto held a very meaningful and moving Remembrance Day service. The assembly began with a video featuring Terry Kelly’s “A Pittance of Time,” a song  that revolves around the two minutes of silence we hold for war veterans on November 11. This was followed by an entry parade of NTCI veterans and the NT Cadet Flag Party.

Principal William Mack opened the assembly with some brief remarks, and from that point on the NT students took charge. Four students told stories of former NT war veterans who had served. This helped to personalize mere names on a list. This was followed by student-made legacy slide show that once again told stories and humanized the lives of former NT students who fought for our country.

Remembrance Day 1: Lt. Col. Michael Clarry (’81/’82) addressing the assembly.

Lt. Col. Michael Clarry (NT ’81/’82) addressed the student body with a motivational talk, basing part of it on  John McCrae’s lines “To you, from failing hands we throw / The torch: be yours to hold it high. The assembly continued with the presentation of a video outlining Canadian involvement in peacekeeping.

The final part of the morning involved some memorable artistic performances by NT students: the poem “Dulce et Decorum Est,” the song “Mother’s Pride,” and a beautiful choral rendition of “Un Canadien Errant.” After the “Last Post” was played, followed by a minute of silence and “Reveille,” the students all joined together to sing our national anthem with fervour.

The NTCI Foundation is honoured to fund this event every year and was gratified to receive warm thanks for this from John Taylor, staff advisor. The assembly was truly a special day in the life of our student body and highlighted the respect and high regard our students still have for those who went before them.

 

Alumni Are Always Welcome

At the end of the 2016–2017 school year, two alumnae from the class of ’63, Virginia Gibb and Marilyn Kidd, came back to visit their alma mater. They were pleased to see that their names were still displayed as Ontario Scholars in the hallway. In a letter of thanks, Marilyn remarked, “It was wonderful to see all the changes in the school as well as all the souvenirs of the past. It’s great that the school keeps its treasures and passes on a sense of history of the place for future generations. NT inspires a lot of loyalty in its students past and present. ‘True, ever faithful,’ as the song goes.

Homecoming Concert – First in Every Way!

HOMECOMING CONCERT – FIRST IN EVERY WAY!

For those of you who were able to attend the inaugural Homecoming Concert on October 14th, you know just how lucky you were to be there. Alumni and guests were treated to an intimate concert with Jim Cuddy (’74) and The Skydiggers, including Andy Maize (’78) and Josh Finlayson (’82), along with special guests Devin Cuddy (’05) and Charlotte Cornfield (’06).

The evening started with music by Charlotte Cornfield, who mused that in Grade 10 she had been asked “not to return” to the NT Orchestra, after she’d missed a Kiwanis Festival event for a recording gig instead. Devin Cuddy, son of Jim Cuddy, and talented artist in his own right, played some soulful songs on the piano, and thanked a teacher at NT for encouraging him to follow his passion and pursue a degree in music.

After a long intermission, where NT alum gathered in the atrium to reminisce and catch up with old friends, alumni were treated to a lively concert by The Skydiggers that included some top-notch dancing in the aisles, and wonderful tales by lead singer Andy Maize. Maize recalled a bus ride to the Santa Claus Parade with the Marching Band, where music teacher Mr. Krueger had repeatedly reminded the musicians not to take their cases off the bus, as there would be nowhere to put them once the parade started. In typical Grade 9 fashion, Maize had ignored the repeated requests and ended up with his trumpet case on Bloor Street. While he couldn’t remember exactly what he had done with the case, he did remember Mr. Krueger’s choice words in response to his stupidity.

For the final act, Jim Cuddy took the stage with The Skydiggers to perform his own music, as well as some of his popular Blue Rodeo tunes. Cuddy, probably one of NT’s most famous alumni, confessed that he wasn’t really open about his musical talent in high school. In fact, Grade 11, when a friend he ran into in the “alley” on his way to audition for Maytime Melodies challenged him (“You?!”), he chickened out. Luckily, he eventually mustered up the courage to share his talent with the rest of us. In the final number, surrounded by The Skydiggers, Cuddy laughed that he never would have hung out with these “minor-niners” in high school, but that time had allowed them to finally come together.

No doubt, it will be the great music that most of us remember about the evening. But beyond that, it was the stories – the shared stories – that meant something to all of us. Because even if we didn’t all turn out to be rock stars, we all remember what it was like to be a minor-niner, afraid to walk up the alley, and in trouble with Mr. Krueger, or someone else, because we did something just a little stupid.

Special thanks to all of the artists, as well as Tammie Presnal Jennings (’82) and Lisa Pen (’82) for designing the logo for our swag, Phil Presnal (’85) for being our amazing sound technician, Peter Bombaci (’85) for being the awesome MC, and Principal William Mack for allowing it all to happen!

Red & Grey Day / Homecoming 2017

October 12 and 13 were certainly busy days for North Toronto and its alumni. These two days, which preceded the very successful Homecoming Concert on the 14th, were set up to attract former students to reconnect with each other and visit or revisit their alma mater.

Mary Kay (Hartman) Winter (’61), Nancy Caldicott (’61) and Stephen Hartman (’57) took in a tour of the school
Mary Kay (Hartman) Winter (’61), Nancy Caldicott (’61) and Stephen Hartman (’57) took in a tour of the school

Red and Grey Day on the 12th featured a number of sporting events and a reception in the staff room for alumni. Various memorabilia from different years were on display for everyone to look over, eliciting recollections of past events and classmates. Afterwards there was a get-together at the nearby Granite Brewery, run by NT’s own Sam Keefe (’06).

The Class of ’57 gathered at the Rose and Crown.
The Class of ’57 gathered at the Rose and Crown.

The next day, the alumni were treated to a Show and Share event where people identified former classmates from old photos or brought their own memorabilia. A wide range of classes were represented, and people came from as far away as British Columbia and even New Zealand. An added feature to the day was a number of tours of the school led by current students in the PAL program. For many of those present it was their first view of the new school, and they were impressed with the facilities and also grateful that the design still included features of the former building. In the evening, a number of classes got together at various venues across town.

Class of ’87 gathered at the Monarch Tavern
The Class of ’87 gathered at the Monarch Tavern (owned by NT alumnus Evan Georgiades,  ’87).

All in all, it was a wonderful opportunity for NT grads to relive the spirit of NTCI!

Celebrating Excellence: Keeping the Spirit Alive

It has been an exciting fall for the NTCI Foundation. Our first major Homecoming event culminated in the concert Saturday night, starring Jim Cuddy and The Skydiggers. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces and to watch multiple generations of NT musicians perform some of their best-loved music to the many generations in the audience. Let’s keep the spirit alive by making a lasting contribution to our scholarship fund.

The Celebrating Excellence campaign concludes at year end. As a result of contributions to date, we have been able to set up the new trophy case, restore some of the most iconic trophies and contribute over $3,500 to the scholarship fund at Commencement in October. We have decided to increase that amount by 10 percent next year. This will bring NTCI awards recognizing academics, athletics, arts and leadership more in line with current costs. We hope you will consider making a donation; one hundred percent will go directly to the scholarship fund.  

Generous donors will be acknowledged on a plaque on the trophy case itself. All contributors will receive tax receipts (over $25).

Pentagon Patron: $1,000 and above

NT Norseman: $500 to $999

Spirit Sponsor: $250 to $499

Naming rights for the trophy case: $8,000. This is available to an individual, family, team or a graduation class.

Please mail your gift to: The NTCI Foundation at 17 Broadway Ave, Toronto, ON, M4P 1T7. Specify the Celebrating Excellence campaign. If you have questions, email Nancy McFadden at nancyanddoug.mcfadden@gmail.com or 647-351-2850.

Thank you so much. We cannot support this legacy of excellence without you.

Year-End Bonus:

Gifts of $100 or more qualify for a free concert T-shirt (specify size); an NT pop socket or our NTCI centennial history book. If you donate $250 or more, you may select two. These NT heirlooms can be picked up in Room 412 at lunch and after school from Mark Kinoshita. Please contact Mark at mark.kinoshita@tdsb.on.ca to arrange a time and then check in at the office before going up. 

NTCI Homecoming Concert: Behind the Scenes

NTCI Homecoming Concert: Behind the Scenes                                       

IT HAPPENED! It actually happened! After months and months of planning, emailing, phoning, texting, arranging and discussing – NTCI’s first inaugural Homecoming Concert took place in the school auditorium!

It took an incredible team of people to create this event:  we worked with agents, lighting and sound technicians, our NT principal, swag people, design people, and many, many more, all of whom made this journey exciting at each stage. Along the way we met up with other NT alumni – Devin Cuddy’s agent, Bryan Boake (’05); the Skydiggers’ sound technician, the wonderful Phil Presnal (’85); and overall amazing, incredible swag designers Tammie Presnal Jennings (’82) and Lisa Pen (’82). (We love the cool little “Norseman dude”!) These are just some of the alumni who helped make this event a true success.

And then, after months of preparation – contracts, riders, rentals, logistics of every imaginable stripe – we moved into the school and it hit home that this night was going to be amazing! Throughout the day, the artists came for their respective sound checks, and Lisa, Jamie, Mark and Kirsten had the privilege of sitting in the auditorium and just listening, in awe of the talent onstage, not to mention the quality of the sound, thanks to the acoustics of the auditorium and Phil’s enhancements. Surreal!

Working backstage with all the artists and our amazing MC, Peter Bombaci (’85), was a real treat. Everyone was laid back yet so professional. They all were excited to look around the music rooms and  try to find their photo up on the walls. Some remembered their time at Maytime Melodies, others their time on the field, while others just remembered how they felt overall during their five-year stay at NT. All of them remembered Mr. Russell, a teacher all of them had had, and when he asked if he could come backstage, everyone welcomed him with open arms. They talked about winning and losing City Championships, that one play that ended the game – and the games that are still a “thorn” in Mr. Russell’s side. The stories and the laughter backstage were wonderful!

When the night was upon us and everyone was piling into the school, it was exciting to see old friends and the smiles on faces of everyone who had come to reunite with their school. And that was really the goal of Homecoming Weekend: bringing everyone together to see one another, get connected or reconnect – and enjoy some alumni music along the way!

To all who worked onstage, backstage and behind the scenes: You all kept “alive the spirit of N.T.C.I.”  “Our North Toronto led the way” that night, and and we can’t thank you enough!

by Kirsten Sixt

NTCI Homecoming 2017

Click here for the latest updates

Come one, come all to NT’s inaugural Homecoming Weekend: October 12–14.
If you missed the 100th, this is the perfect opportunity to come out to see the school and reminisce with old friends. And even if you did make it to the 100th, it’s already been five years, so it’s really time to check in again. Here is how the weekend is starting to shape up:
Thursday, October 12 – Red and Grey Day

Featuring most of the fall athletic teams (football, girls’ basketball, boys’ soccer, field hockey, boys’ volleyball) in action in the gym and on the field, with games starting as early as 9:00 a.m. and continuing until late afternoon. Full details will be released in late September once the games have been scheduled.

R&G Day 2015
And here’s what’s on tap for the day:
  • Self-guided tours of the “new” (2010) school
  • Meet current athletes and coaches
  • NT Foundation will host refreshments for alumni in the 2nd- floor staff room from 1–4 p.m. Meet fellow grads! All grads are strongly encouraged to come back, especially those with significant anniversary years: 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002 and 2007
  • Sale of vintage uniforms
  • A reception will be held at 5:00 p.m. at the Granite Brewery on Mt. Pleasant at Eglinton. Cash bar, light snack provided.

Friday, October 13 – Mix and Mingle

  • Student-led tours of the school starting at 1:00 p.m. (sign-up required)
  • Bring your treasured memorabilia for a show and share from 1–3 p.m. in the staff room on the 2nd floor. (There is an elevator if stairs are hard for you.)
  • Come out to a meet-up with fellow alumni for the evening at a local establishment (details TBD; please watch for email updates).

Saturday, October 14 – NT Homecoming 2017 Concert

  • NT’s auditorium will be THE place to be on Saturday, October 14. A really exciting concert is in the works, and you won’t want to miss it. Mark the date on your calendar and watch your inbox and social media for details and advance notice of ticket sales. This will be an alumni/staff-plus-one event, with ONLY 560 tickets, which are sure to go quickly. Purchasers’ alumni/staff status will be monitored, and tickets will not be sent until we verify that status. If you don’t receive Foundation emails, check here for updates.
NTCI Foundation presents the NT Homecoming 2017 concert
  • featuring
    • Jim Cuddy (’74)
    • The Skydiggers ( Andy Maize (’78) & Josh Finlayson (’82))
    • with special guests Devin Cuddy (’05) & Charlotte Cornfield (’06)
  • Saturday, October 14th
  • 7:00 pm
  • NTCI Auditorium
  • Tickets: $80
  • Limit 2 tickets per NT alumni or NT staff (a 19+ event)
  • Tickets go on sale August 28th on eventbrite:  nthomecoming2017.eventbrite.ca

Our 2017 Student Reps

Being student representatives on the North Toronto Foundation has been not only a privilege but a delight. In the beginning, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into and were frankly a little intimidated. As both the youngest and the newest, we knew absolutely nothing about how anything worked within the community that the Foundation had built over the years. Nevertheless, we were not surprised to be greeted with open
arms and warm smiles at our first meeting – NT’s welcoming tradition in action. Everyone introduced themselves with their name and grad year and, of course, some background information on themselves.

The Foundation usually holds about five or six two-hour meetings throughout the school year. On some topics, such as financials and newsletter discussions, we don’t have much to contribute. However, when it comes to what’s currently going on inside the walls of NT, we can definitely contribute student knowledge, such as thoughts on club activities and upcoming school-run events, and updates on everything from recent athletic achievements to events such as Midnight Madness or Mental Health Awareness Week.
A more specifically defined job of ours is to work alongside another Foundation member to organize the Dragons’ Dens. We help with the promotional and organizational aspects of the event, serve as MCs during the presentations and contribute background information on the clubs when the time comes to vote.

Being on this committee has taught us many skills that we will be able to use in the future. While both of us have been involved with councils at North Toronto and have run many events, the difference between a school-run committee and the alumni council is huge. We’ve gotten a feel for what real responsibility is, and an understanding of how to handle big projects that involve hundreds of people. In addition, it has been incredible to hear the beginnings of real-world initiatives, such as the acquisition of a trophy case or the creation of the Foundation News. Overall, serving on the  Foundation has been an amazing experience!

Eleni Anastasiadis and Jake Ballantyne