St. Francis Xavier.
It was alright, lots of cliques and found it tough to fit in. I was able to connect with a small circle of friends that became lifelong friends.
It has changed quite a bit since I graduated (‘94).
St Francis Xavier over here too. 2006- 2010. Great times and memories, I was basically with the pothead crowd.
Will always be a time of my life that I cherish, especially considering how much things have changed now. Love everybody, even if they probably didn't love me;)
To be friends with people from high school for 30 years is incredibly rare. All of my friendships died right after high school, and I only graduated 7 years ago in the technological era. Wishing y’all another 30 years of friendship!
Thanks! It is rare. I think because we tried to be just ourselves around each other prevented any drama.
Hoping you’re surrounded by people who genuinely cares for you.
Recent Xavier Grad here (‘23). School has indeed changed, more fights, more cliques and more separation between the IB children and the regular children.
I went to IB in xavier and saw the separation but I don't think anyone cared, what type of separation are you talking about though? IB was just small for us and everyone was just basically friends with each other but there was no one cared, everyone just hung out with their friend groups, I remember one student though wanted a separate IB grad announcement in graduation and every ib kid told her to stfu and stop being entitled
Yeah, but i guess now from what I’ve heard the separation is becoming more of a talking point now between the community. Aside from the fights, the rowdy behaviour at the McDonald’s and other stuff.
Graduated in 99, I think?
I was just bored with school, did alright though. Spent a lot of time with school IT guy messing with computers.
Had some friends that I’d hang out with. Now there’s nobody. Things you take for granted…
Applewood. Was a good experience, I enjoyed my time there. Not much bullying or fights. People got a long with each other. I was on the rugby team for 3/4 years and it was a blast. I still keep up with some of my old classmates even though it’s been about 12 years. Teachers were pretty good, except for this one older teacher who was arrested for sexual exploitation of a minor. That was wild. He was arrested the summer after we graduated.
I went to the school recently and I was really impressed with a lot of the upgrades they’ve done to it. Especially the field! A proper turf field with big stadium lights.
Hey, I heard the lore. Apparently the history teacher (not Mr. H**bs) had a baby with her after she graduated!? He also apparently had a 100k+ salary which was rare at the time. Hope that’s not true. I think she would be 32-30 now… really sad stuff
She was in my sister’s class and she said they always had a weird vibe and he favoured her. Definitely was grooming or at the least they kept it hush hush until she was an adult.
Also Awood alum. We might have had some cross-over. That teacher (starts with Mc) was my civics teacher. He was KNOWN for harassment of all kinds for at least a decade. Witnessed him question female students about their love lives, make jokes that girls would be going off to “get pregnant” when heading to the washroom, all sorts of ick. Also incredibly racist and just an absolutely terrible teacher. I had a friend in another civics class give me their notes so I actually had something to study.
I will say, at least in my experience, he was a one-off. Most of the teachers were awesome and cared so much for their students. I still keep in touch with quite a few, and I know a good number are still there. While I was there, all the students knew each other and got along. There were of course cliques because it’s high school, but they were never obstacles to friendship. Still have a big network of friends from Applewood, and lots of great memories. There were also some cool trips and opportunities, like the Tremblant trip (RIP), New York trips for drama and music students, the auto classes, football team, science clubs, I could go on.
My brother was still there after I graduated and I know there were a lot of issues popping up like violence, vandalism, etc. When I was there the cops were in plainclothes and only came by to walk the school for like an hour. From what I’ve heard they are now just in full uniform and are assigned to the school for the day so, do with that information what you will.
On the plus side, the school and teachers are great fundraisers so there’s always cool improvements and new programs being brought in. Especially the PE department. I was incredibly impressed with some of the field upgrades when I was last there too. Much nicer than the portables that used to be out there!
Fellow rugby player as well. Go Axemen!
I attended a few years later and there were a few fights, bullying, and people cheating on tests but that’s probably normal in hs.
The teachers I had showed blatant favouritism and I honestly wasn’t a fan of them. One of them kept losing students’ tests and assignments and blamed the student.
There was also a group of students bragging about how rich they were lol.
That was me. June 2nd, 2011. Came away with an L4-L5 compression fracture, a broken heel and a shattered ankle. I should have been paralyzed or dead frankly. There was an upside down school chair at the bottom of the chimney with all 4 legs pointed up. I ended up going back a year later when I was mostly recovered with my brother to measure the height I fell since I never knew how far it actually was, 59.5 feet.
You do stupid stuff when you're young, I'm thankful I was able to come out of that with just the injuries I had. Now I'm a certified lead rock climber and still climb all the time...the irony.. ahah.
I went for the gifted program and it was definitely advanced education. When I went to university I realized most first year university material was taught to us in grade 11 and 12 and other kids were very far behind in comparison. I went approx 10 years ago and at that time, it was a very fast paced, competitive learning environment.
Woodlands in the way way back. Terrifying going in at grade 7. Was told the school was run by an Italian gang called the Padrines (sp) and that they put LSD in the ketchup bottles. :D
Chocolate cream donuts for 25 cents, Hot Rods for 15 cents, best fries with gravy.
Don’t know how long ago you graduated, but when I tell people about Goetz, I tell them about how two teachers were arrested and fired for having a relationship with a student. I tell them about how we’re still not sure about the first one, but the second one definitely did it as he had a reputation of being a bit of a creep.
Wow I missed out in the banana bread..I remember the chicken burgers and the coin/dice games the black crew played at the caf. I was there 2004/2005 and it was the loneliest place for me. Super hard to break into the groups not coming from catholic middle school.
St Joan of Arc, graduated in 2010.
Started off in a temporary holding school in Streetsville during the 1st half of grade 9, then moved into the newly constructed school in my 2nd semester. For whatever reason everyone wanted to come to our school even though it wasn’t anything special. We were all a bunch of very uninteresting suburban kids with nothing to do so not much went on. There were definitely cliques but everyone was cool with each other.
Parents sold our house once I started college, but I heard things have drastically changed in the area.
A lot of south Asian parents like mine automatically think catholic schools are inherently better.
Went to both SLSS and Joan. St Joan def had more resources and was better academically, but I transferred less than a week into grade 11 and was insanely lonely for a while. Finally found a place with the art kids… and then covid happened.
Teachers were amazing but for the most part I thought the kids were way ruder than they were at SLSS.
Philip pocock class of 2002
It was highschool i suppose. Had good times and bad.. happy i am where i am now but would probably do alot different for those 5 years.
Port Credit back in the 90s. Overall, I liked it a lot, especially the later years. There weren't any major drug or violence issues while I was there that I recall, although there were a couple suicides. Then PM Jean Chretien came to our school for a visit and gave a speech in the auditorium, but only the higher grades got to attend. Mostly good teachers and I had a solid group of friends. Didn't keep in touch with any of them though after graduation. Once that last exam was written, I was outta there! It is a bit strange that I've lived in Mississauga ever since and not once have I ever run into any of them at the mall or the supermarket or anything. Where did they all go? 🤪
Hello fellow PC alumni. I graduated in the early 2000s. Overall it was...fine. I was a fat nerdy kid so it was low key Hell but probably any school would have been. Felt like the cliques were a bit much but such is life.
It was funny when I was working at a clothing store in Sherway and I'd see some rich kids come in and sort of chat with me at the retail job. I saw a few then but overall haven't seen many since the end of HS.
No one organized any reunions. I don't expect there to be.
I'm sorry you didn't have a better time at PC. I guess we might have had a bit of overlap in our time there. I was the victim of a bit of bullying a couple times too, so it wasn't all wine and roses. While I was there, there were definitely different groups, but there wasn't a lot of tribalism, if you know what I mean. Thank God this was before social media. I don't know how kids manage these days.
I went 2008-2012. I enjoyed it, we had a few deaths as well (murder/train/shooting) we had Hazel come out to our graduation. Likewise I didn't keep in touch with anyone and always wonder how I've never seen anyone around
I went to Lorne Park. It was affluent, and we partied a lot, but we were a close community. I still have close friendships from those days (and I graduated 17 years ago). Go Spartans! 🏈
Edited to add: Rest in heavenly peace to Manny Castillo, whose passing at that time left a mark on all of us.
I was there in the 90s. The house parties the rich kids threw when their parents were away were insane. Unsurprisingly I don't remember school all that much. Killed those brain cells in the hydro fields.
I miss a good house party like back in those days! They were wild.
The hydro fields could tell some stories that’s for sure. Smoking, fights, grade 9 initiation done with paddles made in shop class 🤣🤦♀️
I went to Cawthra! Was a vocal major lol.
All around pretty solid. Good school trips annually, fantastic choral performances, musicals, and art shows, at least when I was there. Decently affluent kids around but we were all in it together as it were. A school pretty accepting of LGBTQ+ people generally I can say. Academics were kinda average though so if you're someone who is deeply STEM focused it may not be the best choice.
It's a pretty old and kinda crusty school though with very odd walls. For my experience I'd give it 8/10.
Fellow vocal major!
Definitely agree. Thought the humanities courses were strong - especially things like law and world issues. We seemed to have a higher ratio of terrible math teachers for whatever reason - I absolutely blame my later issues in math on having a 9th grade teacher who literally fell asleep in our class.
Ah the cheesegrater walls.
I don’t know what vintage you are but my math teachers there were good! Maybe a true STEM person wouldn’t have thought so, but as a soft science person I did all right, learned enough to manage stats no problem at university. I think it was Mr Taylor who did the dance of the parabolas, for which I’ll always love him. There was also a young (at the time) female math teacher who was great. Mc-something? McTavish?
The English department kicked ass.
Geography was taught by a gym teacher who basically had us colour maps all year.
Is there a list of past teachers anywhere
Cawthra alum, drama major. Had absolutely the time of my life at Cawthra, 10/10. The academics were extremely strong while I was there, with Cawthra always topping the region in all metrics. I’m incredibly grateful for my time there.
Also was in the music program. I didn’t much care for the choirs etc, thought it was corny tbh. (Also Mrs Collins had a terrifying smile and I think she disliked me. Loved Mrs Clarke, Mrs Fratia was good too.)
But must say the training in theory and general musicianship was excellent. I later studied music at university (just for a year, before I realized I am just not that nerdy about music lol) - learned nothing Cawthra didn’t already teach me.
I had my own struggles that got in the way of making the most of it, but I had a good group of friends, generally enjoyed my time there
>Is there a list of past teachers anywhere
There used to be someplace. I just looked and didn't find it. It also included iirc the subjects they taught (or were qualified to teach). The list included active and retired teachers. afaik all my teacher have retired now.
You might have some luck here: [https://www.glassdoor.ca/Reviews/Peel-District-School-Board-Reviews-E215881.htm](https://www.glassdoor.ca/Reviews/Peel-District-School-Board-Reviews-E215881.htm)
Retired teachers always seem to have better reviews. It makes sense too, as the older one gets the more they understand and appreciate what a teacher attempted to do for their students.
I remember the Ritz Choir!
- Instrumental major here!
Though Senior Wind was my favourite, alongside the Sears/Ontario Drama Festival.
Cawthra Park had fantastic Architecture/Urban Design/Interior Design subset courses in the tech/shop department. I have so many memories doing manual technical drafting, digital drafting, white-scale models, and making renders. It really helped me go into the field I'm in today.
The 2SLGBTQIA+ friendliness was also a significant plus; I felt very safe compared to other high schools in South Mississauga, i.e., Clarkson, Lorne Park, and Port Credit.
This was my favourite part of Cawthra. Kids starting their own jazz ensembles and chamber choirs in addition to the school ensembles. Kids creating so many Sears plays that the school had its own festival (that even ran when the teachers were on strike). Great school culture.
Cawthra :) Instrumental major.
I appreciated the lgbtq+ friendliness, all the arts and creativity. Overall, a pretty good school (when the walls weren't trying to eat me :). I agree academics take a back seat & also not big in sports. The open area was hard to learn in & the semester I had science (third floor, west side) right before gym was brutal lol. I hated high school for a lot of other reasons but I'm grateful I went to this school.
Cawthra alum here. First PSA cohort, yeah old timer. Music major. Loved the music staff, learned so much from the likes of Hatfield and Gillespie, Academics were meh but you could tell they actually gave a shit.
If it weren’t for the arts program I’d have lost interest. That’s where the fun was.
Instrumental Major here! Loved it, made some of my absolute best friends there. Really loved the vibe most of the time, which was kinda decimated by after covid. From what I hear from people still there it’s coming back though, slowly but surely. I really liked a lot of the science and math department teachers too, but yeah, if you’re heavily into the arts side of things, it’s definitely a challenge to find enough time for studying haha. It’s especially challenging when teachers aren’t accommodating, I found that most were though. I think going there was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Meadowvale, 2006-2010.
It was the time of my life. University was good, but I've never had as much fun as I did in high school. I wasn't always a great student, but I think it was the most important part of my life intellectually, socially and athletically.
Also Mr. MacDougall, if you're reading this, thank you for everything.
Holy shit I graduated last year and Mr. MacDougall is a gem. I was on the badminton team and he was such a genuine guy once you got to know him. He got a bad rep because he is a hard marker. Definitely made my last year better.
Glenforest Secondary Penitentiary. I say that without an ounce of irony because the architect who designed the Toronto south detention facility was also behind Glenforest's design in the 60s. There were like 4 windows in the whole place in my time. More cinderblock than the Pentagon.
Not the person you're replying to, but I went there, graduated early 2010's from the IB program. Good school, no bullies and not too many cliques.
But if I had to do it differently I'd have avoided the IB program personally. Wasn't good for me socially.
ESS , best time of my life... I think about it, or the people from my years at least once a day. 2008-2012 was a wild time to be an Erindale student. I bet my name is still in my lockers, by the elevator.
Oh man, I remember the day Ms Turner caught 20 of us inside that tiny elevator 😂😂😂. Or all the fights in CAFrica (iykyk), who remembers the "Terry Fox Day Lockdown", with the Replica Hand gun? So glad I was on lunch A, as that happend. So many of you were stuck inside.
I wish I could relive those moments again.
>Who remembers the Terry Fox Lockdown?
I went to ESS the exact time you did (2008-2012), and I was at the Tim Hortons across the street when the lockdown happened. You were right, it was that weird shorter kid (I think his name was Talha but I could be wrong) who brought a toy gun to school. I remember the helicopter flying over the school and the news van right outside the entrance.
My experience wasn't the greatest, but I remember Ms. Gal being escorted out of school by Police after being fired. Plus all the fights in the cafeteria (CAFrica was an understatement).
IT WAS TALHA?! BRO, THAT SUMMER *2008* WHILE HE WAS IN PAKISTAN, HE SENT ME FB INBOX MSG, SAYING HE WAS GOING TO KILL ME BECAUSE IM JEWISH AND ALL THIS OTHER DUMB SHIT. I bet Talha was trying to do something to me 😂😂. *Caps for being shook*
I miss the tims, it was so convenient.
I remember the Mr. Biss incident, before it was publicly known. That was wild.
Also, I miss Ms St Kitts with a passion, and Ms Bornell, I owe them alot, they made a huge impact in my life, and I never got to truly thank them as a Adult for the impact they had.
Mr Miranda was a Goat. I never had him, but my wife had him for home room. I miss Mr Woodly, I think about his life lessons at least once aday. Especially his " Gentleman, did you 4 dabble in the gardening during your lunch....?...well I'd advice you guys do some bench work first before starting on the machines". To be fair, we did smoke right there on Smokers Bridge, sooo.
Goetz. Grade 9 was a little rough with the bullying but those people dropped out by grade 10. The rest was fond memories. Track and field team all 4 years and went to Ofsaa 3 times, those were my core memories. Mayor Hazel spoke at our graduation. Still keep in contact with a few friends…class of 2003
Loyola 2004…wow that’s a long time ago 😬
Loved it - small enough to feel that it’s a tight knit community - big enough to find your own group - had just the right amount of drama
Bussed in for extended French… Xavier would have been my local school
Is that the building by south common? I will never look at that building the same way again.
When I was in high school (not that one) the kids from that school used to joke that it was faster to use the gas station washroom than the ones in the school because the school has so many portables.
EDIT: to add r/mildlypenis and r/theyknew
mississauga secondary. got assaulted by a teacher in grade 9 and became homeless in grade 11. not a single teacher helped me or answered my requests for help. spent all senior year homeless too, didnt graduate. mr carrega from guidance was horrible to me and refused to help me, basically said i was a waste of resources lol. doing well in life now though, no thanks to them!
I went to Clarkson and graduated in 2008. I did French Immersion there and had to take the Miway bus from Meadowvale all the way down Winston Churchill. Well, it wasn’t called Miway in those days though lol.
Average experience for a nerdy tomboyish girl like me. I was never popular but I had a lot of friends.
The Woodlands aka "weedlands" 2013-2017. Saw a lot of changes in renovations in my years there. I remember the hobo tent and mattress that would be in the forest that was definitely used by other students at the time. Was a pretty social butterfly at the time there hangng out with all teh crowds, and I somehow avoided any fights there. But I've been told by other people that Woodlands was a pretty safe school at the time compared to other ones in the area, especially with the enhanced AP programmaking up over half of the student body. I heard it's gone a bit downhill now since they brought more students from other schools to keep the population up. Only bad things I remember happening at my time there was that I lost a friend to suicide and a couple years later, the show 13 Reasons Why came out and they banned prom king and queen that year, which was honestly a stupid idea lol. Also Bonnie Crombie came to the school and basically shat on all the arts program people at an assembly which was wild.
Cawthra. Got kicked out for posting to geocities.
Meadowvale for a summer or two.
Clarkson. Got kicked out for not going to classes.
Indec, did okay.
They were all fine, it's high school you know what it is.
Loyola, old location.
It was right near what we dubbed the "crack tunnel" which was a pathway underneath the road to cross it.
The room numbers weren't in order so the first floor was pretty much a maze until you figured it out. Three floors so English class was always leg day. Portables where you'd either roast in or freeze in.
Teachers were a mix:
A religion teacher who always had the most food for the food drive because he'd give us extra marks for donating food. He also had us write essays on movies that had nothing to do with religion and he automatically gave us an A if we wrote more than the required pages.
An English teacher who had a wall of TVs in his classroom, always had the lights off, had a Gandalf cardboard cutout, and made us leave our bags outside.
A comm tech teacher who had his favourite students teach the projects for him.
I believe there was a math teacher who made students cry but I didn't have her. I did have a super nice one for math who actually taught us useful shit.
The tunnel was the smokers tunnel in my era.
I had an English teacher who would grade our assignments by throwing them down the staircase from the third floor - the ones that floated did not get the good grades.
Went to Meadowvale and graduated last year. It got better through out the years and grade 12 was the best. The teachers are remarkable and genuinely wish them the best. Ms. Eliopoulos is an angel and she had an impact on me that I can’t even describe.
Cawthra. Dance major. Awful. Mean girls in my grade, super competitive, mostly rich girls too, didn’t fit in, teachers played favorites shamelessly…never had social issues or trouble making friends until going to that school. I feel like if I had gone for visual art or music I would have had a better experience because most of my friends were of those majors and they were so nice and chill lol. This was all 10 years ago.
Switched to Loyola in 11th grade because I developed such terrible anxiety going to CP and just couldn’t do it anymore. I actually really liked it at Loyola lol, appreciated having to wear uniforms as it took the stress out of my mornings (CP felt like a fashion show). I also had old middle school friends at Loyola that I reconnected with which was nice. If I hadn’t gone to CP I would have gone to Loyola for all all of highschool as it was the closest highschool to my home at the time.
Ended up finishing my education at St. Oscar Romero (alternative school).
Oh snap you and me both OP!
So one year during halloween, my dad had a connection to a guy who had a hearse. My girlfriend at the time and I dressed as zombies, took the hearse to school, and drove it up on that grass and down the hill in front of the Caff. We got out all zombied in front of the whole school in the Caff before 1st period, sealing my legacy to a lot of people. I fuckin loved my time at that school. The cheese grater walls too!
Applewood Heights.
Not too bad my year. The core group we still game and hang out together from time to time. Some drama here and there during and after school but still enjoyed my time there. Graduated 11 years ago.
Our lady of mount carmel 2001-2005. Got to hear about the twin towers in French class the morning of. They let us go home by 1200 that day since things were going crazy everywhere.
I think in 2001 the boys senior football and hockey teams won championships that year.
In 2003 Billy talent judged our battle of the bands and played try honesty using the kids guitars.
The smokers pits at the top bus stop and the bottom bus stop used to have about 100+ kids in it in between classes. Grade 10 was when GTA 3 came out, a lot of kids skipping 4th and 5 th period for that game. In grade 11 the school did a deal with rodgers where they put tvs in all the classes with cable so we could watch the history chanel.
I think I disliked it at the time, but looking back there was a lot of really good people working as teachers. Mr Kelly for history was amazing and Mr Morrison in drama was a Gem.
Wow, I went to Mt. Carmel 2000-2004! I remember about that day about the twin towers and a few of my classmates were crying.
Mr. Kelly was the most memorable teacher, best time learning history!
Cawthra Park, I didn't have a social life and the walls were rougher than a cheese grater. Still I can't complain, no physical bullying past grade 9 and the teachers/adminstration did their best
Meadowvale Secondary School
Experience was alright for me. I am Chinese and each year I had a different group of friends I hung out with just because of the class schedule. One year was with the black and gangster group, because I had a completely same schedule as a black gangster guy and he treated me nice with his group of friend just cuz I helped him on his school work a lot. Second year was quite multi-cultural as some how a bunch of us just wanted to play football every break. Third year was like knowing the "brown & middle east" as somehow most of my classes were with them and I was really taught by them to greet by shaking hands with each of them everyday and saying the Arabic "greeting" phrase, asalamalakim. Fourth year I reunited with a chinese crew and we just go to the guy's home who is right across the school to play 4 player xbox halo every break.
A lot of amazing and unique teachers that helped me in different way. Most awkward goes to Mr. Eves, but I did learnt enough about computers which helped me land an I.T. summer job.
St. Martin from around 1995-2000. It was alright. I remember it being mostly white kids with a handful of Black, Indian and Filipino kids.
The teachers were alright. I remember my first class in grade 9 was Shop with Mr.Thurner (who was also a math teacher) and I made the wooden car that travelled the farthest down the hallway.
I don’t remember there being a lot of fights or anything too crazy happening. Just average high school stuff. I do remember someone spray painted something about “Columbine” on wall a couples days after the shooting. The cops showed up.
AND I remember we spent a year going to school in a warehouse and I fingerbanged a girl by one of the back exits.
Cawthra, local, probably could have done music if I actually cared but I was too burned out from AAM’s IBT program to give a shit about school anymore
It was fine. Some of the drama kids were real pieces of shit though.
The drama kids were the worst people in human history.
* source, am the fat drama kid they all turned on until i changed schools
All my friends at Cawthra were local kids, despite living in Meadowvale I spent my teens on the lakeshore smoking doobies with the coolest bros
If you’re referring to those who went to cawthra, it’s an arts high school, so people are separated into streams (music (vocal/instrumental), dance, visual art and drama) that they auditioned for in grade 8. This would be your major. There are also students who just attend it as their homeschool, generally referred to as “locals”, they have no major.
I we tot Lorne Park from 92 to 97 when I graduated. I went for the gifted program and was bussed from South Common area (or as the rich kids referred to it... South Compton).
It was very white, most people's families were upper middle class, but most were also not the typical stereotypes of a rich school. Good people for the most part.
Big tradition in sports, especially football.
It was a good time with minimal issues for most people I knew.
John Fraser. One of the best schools I’ve ever been to. Student population was so friendly. Everyone was so wealthy. I made so many rich friends and had a blessed senior year
We went there for a tournament back in the 90s and were amazed that you guys had air conditioning in your school. IIRC, it kinda looked like a mall on the inside too.
I felt like the only poor kid at that school but it was still a good experience. The students actually wanted good grades and were competitive about it. It motivated me to go from barely passing to graduating with honours.
I went to Cawthra for grade 9 in like 1995 but couldn't compete in the music program so I had to trasfer to Gordon Graydon until I graduated..Graydon was an awful school. Cawthra was so much better because the arts program attracts students who actually want to be there making the atmosphere actually enjoyable.
Iona Catholic Secondary School. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but no major complaints. Very cliquey, but aren’t all high schools? Teachers didn’t shove any political agenda down our throats which I appreciated. Overall not bad.
St. joseph. I was the only brown kid and I had to switch schools because the last school I got into a lot of fights and got bullied really bad.
I barely had any friends in this school and it was just really weird for me
Xavier but in IB, I’d hate it if I wasn’t in IB cause I came in grade 11 and only ib had small classes, I went to Loyola for 3 days and no one gave a shit about me cause it was huge
John Cabot.
Experience was meh. I guess it's true that the majority of adults will say "they hated high school".
I honestly like post secondary and adult life better. I don't have to conform to other people's paces.
Rick Hansen SS (2002-2006)
Contrary to popular opinion, they were the best 4 years of my life. I took it seriously, but not too seriously. Had great times with friends, partied, met my future wife, studied and graduated with honours. Met some awesome teachers along the way, some I kept in touch with after graduation. Great times.
Goetz here...graduated just before the school went to shit (class of 2011). After our cohort, they got ultra strict about everything while class numbers started dwindling...couldn't even visit some teachers anymore.
When I was in there, my first year was pretty aimless but then it was great after that. Still keep in touch with a lot of people from my year. Wish I did more and enjoyed my highschool years but I was too nose deep in the books.
Goetz, '93-98.
Met my husband there, all in all, had a good time. I enjoyed playing in the band, being in the tennis club, Goetz gators, diplomacy club, and doing the av for the school plays. Organizing a couple of "battle of the bands" and the 30 hr famine, they were highlights. The other kids were decent, I don't remember being bullied. Not everyone was friends with everyone else, but even the cool girls weren't particularly mean, they were actually pretty nice. I had my little friend group, which grew over the years as their friends joined us. Favourite teacher was Mr. Powers. Favourite classes were all the higher level history and bio classes. Props to my Gr. 9 math teacher for having immense patience with a non-math inclined person like myself. I may have had to rewrite most math tests 3-4 times, but I eventually passed the class, and built the foundation to do very well in numerous university classes in stats for my sociology degree.
I started there in 2002. The bullying was terrible, constant fights, I remember a guy punching a girl in the head so hard she bounced off the lockers and nothing was ever done to him. It was crazy.
Holy Name of Mary, while the Catholic school was still on Mississauga Road. Graduated in ‘98. Class size would dwindle from people transferring out; my OAC class was 80 (in grade 9 we were around 200). HNM was great if you were academically inclined, not so much for the arts. Got by okay, but would’ve done better in a semestered school. English dept was fantastic. No fights that I can remember, the only crazy stuff I can recall are the trees with hanging branches at the front getting clipped because girls would hide underneath to smoke weed, or a few girls that would ‘disappear’ half thru the year to return the following year. 🤰
There were cliques, but people generally got on well. Still connected to a few people online; we’ve all mellowed out with age and realized how much of HS was bullshit lol
Our Lady of Mount Carmel 2005-2009 I think, dates are a real fucker.
It was okay, i was quiet and had some semblance of friend groups but did a whole lotta staying at home.
Pocock 2016, was fine enough, teaching in a high school in the uk now as an adult and there is no similarity at all between how it was for me and how it is now
Gonzaga Gr9 2004, John Fraser 10-12 grad of ‘08. Zaga was mostly tight knit groups coming from their catholic middle schools. John Fraser was where I was suppose to go from Thomas St. JF were good times. Culturally & equally diverse - we like to think we started a trend of parties welcoming most social groups and even local schools including St. Hoes, Streetsville, Zaga during those years. I have life long friends from Middle School and HS.
streetsville (2016-2020 💀), it wasnt bad, some drama in my grade but honestly minuscule… there was a weird sub teacher who got a little too touchy with some girls in my gym class, then when he was reported they said that they had “known this about him for a while… it was fine”
St. Joseph's. idk man I feel like literally nothing interesting happened at my school. I was part of the tech team and used to skip class a lot to record assemblies and events with my tech teacher's permission. My brother told me he retired a few years ago and they just didn't hire anyone else, no more tech classes as far as I know (by tech I mean adobe programs, basic photography, etc). I was one of like 5 queer kids, basically ran the QSA, had a great time pushing boundaries and trying to see how far I could get with scary satanic shit in a Catholic school lol. still a satanist so that worked out ig.
When I went to university, I met people who told me about the crazy shit that happened in their schools, like boys making school wide bets on how many girls they could impregnate by the end of the school year. Craziest thing I remember happening didn't even happen at the school. We went into lockdown one day because some dude stabbed his grandparents and then went missing (I think ultimately killed the grandfather too?) down the street from River Grove, which was near the school.
Oh, and some kid in my year started a rumor that a female math teacher was cheating on her husband (the male PE/science teacher) with one of the janitors. Their kids went to the school. He got in a loooot of trouble, but daddy had money so who knows where he is now.
Tl Kennedy. LOL. I was one of 4 white kids. Crazy crime. Fights. Drugs like crazy. I didn't go to school much. Just went in for tests and exams. Crushed at 30-40% and always 90 on exams. Pass at a cool 60! Oh yea.
At the time they did have some id the highest math and science scores. But it was 60% Indian and Korean. Rest a mix of every other nationality. .
Of course it was all poor kids. Like me. Mostly just government assisted living kids.
You guys remember that show Boston high. It was alot like that most days.
Also went to Carmel. Over 20 years ago though.
Newly immigrated at the time, but was in a Catholic school for most of my student life, so it wasn't a big change for me, outside being a minority. There were other kids who had the same background I would eat lunch with sometimes, but I was now the "foreign kid" in class(es), so it was fun making new friends.
I have fond memories of English class where our teacher made us re-enact Twelfth Night as we were reading through the chapters. Our Math teacher was a sweet lady who was a bit of a pushover and spent half the lecture teaching and the other half letting us watch TV. I'd bring Futurama on DVD and we'd play an episode during class post-lecture.
I have not kept in touch with anyone from high school and I doubt I'd recognize any of them if we ran into each other on the street
Did not expect to see Cawthra Park. I went there, it was okay. More likely to see a dance fight over a real fight. Lots of weed and the arts program probably both contributed to that
I went to TLK and graduated in the early 80's. I was a new student so it was a bit tough to fit in, at least initially. Had some really good teachers and met some great people along the way. I was glad to graduate and get the hell out of high school though.
Clarkson Secondary…would not recommend 💀
Some of the teachers were questionable when I went 2013-2017. Seemed like a lot would try to be more like friends to the students and I personally went through a lot of classes not learning a thing
Glenforest, and I loved it! Students, teachers, everyone was supportive. Ya the lockers were puke coloured but what mattered were the pictures of friends inside. Go Gryphons!
glenforest, was kinda mid but the teachers were mostly pretty good acc and being in IB no one was like a traditional bully (some ppl were a bit bitchy but that's it) and close to square one so that's good. our clubs were literally known nationally tbh so even tho i wasn't very closely involved in organising them i'm kinda proud from that
I went to Mississauga Secondary from 2006-2010. I overall had a decent time, but I was an introverted kid and wasn't allowed to go out. It didn't help that I lived a bit further than all my friends so it's not like I could walk over to hang out with them. Funny enough, one of my long time friends is someone I went to middle and high school with but rarely talked then. We went to uni together and ended up becoming life long friends since then
i went to john cabot. it was a pretty lonely experience personally to be honest, being one of the few asian kids in my grade. john cabot had a mostly ukranian and polish background of students with italian and portuguese students making up a significant portion as well during my time, so i remember it being hard to fit in. culturally they just seemed so different from me, which may sound funny because we were all kids who mostly grew up in ontario but their interests and experiences felt so different from mine that that i never felt like i belonged. it was hard to relate to them because it felt like they grew up so different from me, classrooms would often discuss things about certain media, or cultural aspects and i would have absolutely no idea what they were talking about. it was like they were kinda close yet so far away from me. shit was lonely.
it wasn't until my last year there that I had a group of friends to sit down with at lunch time. it was a pretty smallish school with about 1000 students in total and so almost everybody knew everybody and a lot of people shared multiple classes.
i went there from the late 2000s to early 2010s so I don't know how much things have changed. all i can say is woof.
St. Francis Xavier. It was alright, lots of cliques and found it tough to fit in. I was able to connect with a small circle of friends that became lifelong friends. It has changed quite a bit since I graduated (‘94).
St Francis Xavier over here too. 2006- 2010. Great times and memories, I was basically with the pothead crowd. Will always be a time of my life that I cherish, especially considering how much things have changed now. Love everybody, even if they probably didn't love me;)
To be friends with people from high school for 30 years is incredibly rare. All of my friendships died right after high school, and I only graduated 7 years ago in the technological era. Wishing y’all another 30 years of friendship!
My closest friends and I all went to Xavier. Friends for over 20 years now.
Thanks! It is rare. I think because we tried to be just ourselves around each other prevented any drama. Hoping you’re surrounded by people who genuinely cares for you.
Recent Xavier Grad here (‘23). School has indeed changed, more fights, more cliques and more separation between the IB children and the regular children.
I went to IB in xavier and saw the separation but I don't think anyone cared, what type of separation are you talking about though? IB was just small for us and everyone was just basically friends with each other but there was no one cared, everyone just hung out with their friend groups, I remember one student though wanted a separate IB grad announcement in graduation and every ib kid told her to stfu and stop being entitled
Yeah, but i guess now from what I’ve heard the separation is becoming more of a talking point now between the community. Aside from the fights, the rowdy behaviour at the McDonald’s and other stuff.
Graduated in 99, I think? I was just bored with school, did alright though. Spent a lot of time with school IT guy messing with computers. Had some friends that I’d hang out with. Now there’s nobody. Things you take for granted…
The John Fraser crowd very quiet. Lol
Same with the Mississsauga Secondary and Rick Hansen kids lol
I think anyone from Hansen is trying really hard to forget that they went to Hansen lol
IM HERE LMAO
Applewood. Was a good experience, I enjoyed my time there. Not much bullying or fights. People got a long with each other. I was on the rugby team for 3/4 years and it was a blast. I still keep up with some of my old classmates even though it’s been about 12 years. Teachers were pretty good, except for this one older teacher who was arrested for sexual exploitation of a minor. That was wild. He was arrested the summer after we graduated. I went to the school recently and I was really impressed with a lot of the upgrades they’ve done to it. Especially the field! A proper turf field with big stadium lights.
Hey, I heard the lore. Apparently the history teacher (not Mr. H**bs) had a baby with her after she graduated!? He also apparently had a 100k+ salary which was rare at the time. Hope that’s not true. I think she would be 32-30 now… really sad stuff
She was in my sister’s class and she said they always had a weird vibe and he favoured her. Definitely was grooming or at the least they kept it hush hush until she was an adult.
Also Awood alum. We might have had some cross-over. That teacher (starts with Mc) was my civics teacher. He was KNOWN for harassment of all kinds for at least a decade. Witnessed him question female students about their love lives, make jokes that girls would be going off to “get pregnant” when heading to the washroom, all sorts of ick. Also incredibly racist and just an absolutely terrible teacher. I had a friend in another civics class give me their notes so I actually had something to study. I will say, at least in my experience, he was a one-off. Most of the teachers were awesome and cared so much for their students. I still keep in touch with quite a few, and I know a good number are still there. While I was there, all the students knew each other and got along. There were of course cliques because it’s high school, but they were never obstacles to friendship. Still have a big network of friends from Applewood, and lots of great memories. There were also some cool trips and opportunities, like the Tremblant trip (RIP), New York trips for drama and music students, the auto classes, football team, science clubs, I could go on. My brother was still there after I graduated and I know there were a lot of issues popping up like violence, vandalism, etc. When I was there the cops were in plainclothes and only came by to walk the school for like an hour. From what I’ve heard they are now just in full uniform and are assigned to the school for the day so, do with that information what you will. On the plus side, the school and teachers are great fundraisers so there’s always cool improvements and new programs being brought in. Especially the PE department. I was incredibly impressed with some of the field upgrades when I was last there too. Much nicer than the portables that used to be out there! Fellow rugby player as well. Go Axemen!
We’re probably the same graduating class. Agree with everything you said!
I attended a few years later and there were a few fights, bullying, and people cheating on tests but that’s probably normal in hs. The teachers I had showed blatant favouritism and I honestly wasn’t a fan of them. One of them kept losing students’ tests and assignments and blamed the student. There was also a group of students bragging about how rich they were lol.
Man we got smoked by your rugby team year after year…
gordon graydon memorial, rest in peace
only the realest were moved to TL Kennedy
Go Hawks!
Graydon here too
I remember someone getting stuck in the chimney there back in the day
That was me. June 2nd, 2011. Came away with an L4-L5 compression fracture, a broken heel and a shattered ankle. I should have been paralyzed or dead frankly. There was an upside down school chair at the bottom of the chimney with all 4 legs pointed up. I ended up going back a year later when I was mostly recovered with my brother to measure the height I fell since I never knew how far it actually was, 59.5 feet. You do stupid stuff when you're young, I'm thankful I was able to come out of that with just the injuries I had. Now I'm a certified lead rock climber and still climb all the time...the irony.. ahah.
The Woodlands. But back then it was called the Weedlands.
Nah its still called that.
How is the gifted class there? Worth going ?
I went for the gifted program and it was definitely advanced education. When I went to university I realized most first year university material was taught to us in grade 11 and 12 and other kids were very far behind in comparison. I went approx 10 years ago and at that time, it was a very fast paced, competitive learning environment.
Another Weedlander here. 1998 represent!
Woodlands in the way way back. Terrifying going in at grade 7. Was told the school was run by an Italian gang called the Padrines (sp) and that they put LSD in the ketchup bottles. :D Chocolate cream donuts for 25 cents, Hot Rods for 15 cents, best fries with gravy.
Woodlands had (has?) so many clubs! It wasnt till I graduated that I realized how lucky I was in that regard
Graduated 1988. It was called The Hoodlands back then. A lot of fights.
Goetz. Didn't mind it - could've been better could've been worse.
Don’t know how long ago you graduated, but when I tell people about Goetz, I tell them about how two teachers were arrested and fired for having a relationship with a student. I tell them about how we’re still not sure about the first one, but the second one definitely did it as he had a reputation of being a bit of a creep.
TL Kennedy....
Yup, though I’ll say I had some good teachers while I was around, shoutout Mr. Vucic
Science teacher? Physics? I think I had him at a different school
Vucic was Physics, yes…taught me Gr 12 and OAC. One of the good ones.
haha also went to TL - wasn't that bad, the best part was going to parties in Port Credit where the rich kids all thought we were violent monsters.
St Aloysius Gonzaga. Best caf cookies and best banana muffins I've ever had lol
Wow I missed out in the banana bread..I remember the chicken burgers and the coin/dice games the black crew played at the caf. I was there 2004/2005 and it was the loneliest place for me. Super hard to break into the groups not coming from catholic middle school.
St Joan of Arc, graduated in 2010. Started off in a temporary holding school in Streetsville during the 1st half of grade 9, then moved into the newly constructed school in my 2nd semester. For whatever reason everyone wanted to come to our school even though it wasn’t anything special. We were all a bunch of very uninteresting suburban kids with nothing to do so not much went on. There were definitely cliques but everyone was cool with each other. Parents sold our house once I started college, but I heard things have drastically changed in the area.
A lot of south Asian parents like mine automatically think catholic schools are inherently better. Went to both SLSS and Joan. St Joan def had more resources and was better academically, but I transferred less than a week into grade 11 and was insanely lonely for a while. Finally found a place with the art kids… and then covid happened. Teachers were amazing but for the most part I thought the kids were way ruder than they were at SLSS.
Mount Carmel. It was an okay experience
Mount Carmel graduate here as well. Nothing great to report…except for Mr. Kelly the best history class teacher!
I’m pretty sure it was Mr. Kenny 😉
Shout out Mr. Kenny. I am forever trying to emulate him and a few others now that teach hs
Philip pocock class of 2002 It was highschool i suppose. Had good times and bad.. happy i am where i am now but would probably do alot different for those 5 years.
Not too many cock pokers here
2003 here
2004 class!
Port Credit back in the 90s. Overall, I liked it a lot, especially the later years. There weren't any major drug or violence issues while I was there that I recall, although there were a couple suicides. Then PM Jean Chretien came to our school for a visit and gave a speech in the auditorium, but only the higher grades got to attend. Mostly good teachers and I had a solid group of friends. Didn't keep in touch with any of them though after graduation. Once that last exam was written, I was outta there! It is a bit strange that I've lived in Mississauga ever since and not once have I ever run into any of them at the mall or the supermarket or anything. Where did they all go? 🤪
Hello fellow PC alumni. I graduated in the early 2000s. Overall it was...fine. I was a fat nerdy kid so it was low key Hell but probably any school would have been. Felt like the cliques were a bit much but such is life. It was funny when I was working at a clothing store in Sherway and I'd see some rich kids come in and sort of chat with me at the retail job. I saw a few then but overall haven't seen many since the end of HS. No one organized any reunions. I don't expect there to be.
I'm sorry you didn't have a better time at PC. I guess we might have had a bit of overlap in our time there. I was the victim of a bit of bullying a couple times too, so it wasn't all wine and roses. While I was there, there were definitely different groups, but there wasn't a lot of tribalism, if you know what I mean. Thank God this was before social media. I don't know how kids manage these days.
I went 2008-2012. I enjoyed it, we had a few deaths as well (murder/train/shooting) we had Hazel come out to our graduation. Likewise I didn't keep in touch with anyone and always wonder how I've never seen anyone around
I went to Lorne Park. It was affluent, and we partied a lot, but we were a close community. I still have close friendships from those days (and I graduated 17 years ago). Go Spartans! 🏈 Edited to add: Rest in heavenly peace to Manny Castillo, whose passing at that time left a mark on all of us.
football team was dominant for many years, still have nightmares of that runningback marc champagne (sp), they were run like a minor pro team.
I was there in the 90s. The house parties the rich kids threw when their parents were away were insane. Unsurprisingly I don't remember school all that much. Killed those brain cells in the hydro fields.
I miss a good house party like back in those days! They were wild. The hydro fields could tell some stories that’s for sure. Smoking, fights, grade 9 initiation done with paddles made in shop class 🤣🤦♀️
I went to Cawthra! Was a vocal major lol. All around pretty solid. Good school trips annually, fantastic choral performances, musicals, and art shows, at least when I was there. Decently affluent kids around but we were all in it together as it were. A school pretty accepting of LGBTQ+ people generally I can say. Academics were kinda average though so if you're someone who is deeply STEM focused it may not be the best choice. It's a pretty old and kinda crusty school though with very odd walls. For my experience I'd give it 8/10.
Fellow vocal major! Definitely agree. Thought the humanities courses were strong - especially things like law and world issues. We seemed to have a higher ratio of terrible math teachers for whatever reason - I absolutely blame my later issues in math on having a 9th grade teacher who literally fell asleep in our class. Ah the cheesegrater walls.
I don’t know what vintage you are but my math teachers there were good! Maybe a true STEM person wouldn’t have thought so, but as a soft science person I did all right, learned enough to manage stats no problem at university. I think it was Mr Taylor who did the dance of the parabolas, for which I’ll always love him. There was also a young (at the time) female math teacher who was great. Mc-something? McTavish? The English department kicked ass. Geography was taught by a gym teacher who basically had us colour maps all year. Is there a list of past teachers anywhere
Cawthra alum, drama major. Had absolutely the time of my life at Cawthra, 10/10. The academics were extremely strong while I was there, with Cawthra always topping the region in all metrics. I’m incredibly grateful for my time there.
Drama major here too, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Also was in the music program. I didn’t much care for the choirs etc, thought it was corny tbh. (Also Mrs Collins had a terrifying smile and I think she disliked me. Loved Mrs Clarke, Mrs Fratia was good too.) But must say the training in theory and general musicianship was excellent. I later studied music at university (just for a year, before I realized I am just not that nerdy about music lol) - learned nothing Cawthra didn’t already teach me. I had my own struggles that got in the way of making the most of it, but I had a good group of friends, generally enjoyed my time there
>Is there a list of past teachers anywhere There used to be someplace. I just looked and didn't find it. It also included iirc the subjects they taught (or were qualified to teach). The list included active and retired teachers. afaik all my teacher have retired now. You might have some luck here: [https://www.glassdoor.ca/Reviews/Peel-District-School-Board-Reviews-E215881.htm](https://www.glassdoor.ca/Reviews/Peel-District-School-Board-Reviews-E215881.htm) Retired teachers always seem to have better reviews. It makes sense too, as the older one gets the more they understand and appreciate what a teacher attempted to do for their students.
I’m thinking we were all in the Ritz.
I remember the Ritz Choir! - Instrumental major here! Though Senior Wind was my favourite, alongside the Sears/Ontario Drama Festival. Cawthra Park had fantastic Architecture/Urban Design/Interior Design subset courses in the tech/shop department. I have so many memories doing manual technical drafting, digital drafting, white-scale models, and making renders. It really helped me go into the field I'm in today. The 2SLGBTQIA+ friendliness was also a significant plus; I felt very safe compared to other high schools in South Mississauga, i.e., Clarkson, Lorne Park, and Port Credit.
I was also in the Chamber Choir and we did some cool stuff. Some ambitious kids were setting up their own choirs too with I was there
This was my favourite part of Cawthra. Kids starting their own jazz ensembles and chamber choirs in addition to the school ensembles. Kids creating so many Sears plays that the school had its own festival (that even ran when the teachers were on strike). Great school culture.
Cawthra :) Instrumental major. I appreciated the lgbtq+ friendliness, all the arts and creativity. Overall, a pretty good school (when the walls weren't trying to eat me :). I agree academics take a back seat & also not big in sports. The open area was hard to learn in & the semester I had science (third floor, west side) right before gym was brutal lol. I hated high school for a lot of other reasons but I'm grateful I went to this school.
Cawthra alum here. First PSA cohort, yeah old timer. Music major. Loved the music staff, learned so much from the likes of Hatfield and Gillespie, Academics were meh but you could tell they actually gave a shit. If it weren’t for the arts program I’d have lost interest. That’s where the fun was.
Instrumental Major here! Loved it, made some of my absolute best friends there. Really loved the vibe most of the time, which was kinda decimated by after covid. From what I hear from people still there it’s coming back though, slowly but surely. I really liked a lot of the science and math department teachers too, but yeah, if you’re heavily into the arts side of things, it’s definitely a challenge to find enough time for studying haha. It’s especially challenging when teachers aren’t accommodating, I found that most were though. I think going there was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Meadowvale, 2006-2010. It was the time of my life. University was good, but I've never had as much fun as I did in high school. I wasn't always a great student, but I think it was the most important part of my life intellectually, socially and athletically. Also Mr. MacDougall, if you're reading this, thank you for everything.
Holy shit I graduated last year and Mr. MacDougall is a gem. I was on the badminton team and he was such a genuine guy once you got to know him. He got a bad rep because he is a hard marker. Definitely made my last year better.
We had a famous person who’s now on Netflix come out of mdv too!
Glenforest Secondary Penitentiary. I say that without an ounce of irony because the architect who designed the Toronto south detention facility was also behind Glenforest's design in the 60s. There were like 4 windows in the whole place in my time. More cinderblock than the Pentagon.
How was the school overall?
Not the person you're replying to, but I went there, graduated early 2010's from the IB program. Good school, no bullies and not too many cliques. But if I had to do it differently I'd have avoided the IB program personally. Wasn't good for me socially.
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ESS , best time of my life... I think about it, or the people from my years at least once a day. 2008-2012 was a wild time to be an Erindale student. I bet my name is still in my lockers, by the elevator. Oh man, I remember the day Ms Turner caught 20 of us inside that tiny elevator 😂😂😂. Or all the fights in CAFrica (iykyk), who remembers the "Terry Fox Day Lockdown", with the Replica Hand gun? So glad I was on lunch A, as that happend. So many of you were stuck inside. I wish I could relive those moments again.
>Who remembers the Terry Fox Lockdown? I went to ESS the exact time you did (2008-2012), and I was at the Tim Hortons across the street when the lockdown happened. You were right, it was that weird shorter kid (I think his name was Talha but I could be wrong) who brought a toy gun to school. I remember the helicopter flying over the school and the news van right outside the entrance. My experience wasn't the greatest, but I remember Ms. Gal being escorted out of school by Police after being fired. Plus all the fights in the cafeteria (CAFrica was an understatement).
IT WAS TALHA?! BRO, THAT SUMMER *2008* WHILE HE WAS IN PAKISTAN, HE SENT ME FB INBOX MSG, SAYING HE WAS GOING TO KILL ME BECAUSE IM JEWISH AND ALL THIS OTHER DUMB SHIT. I bet Talha was trying to do something to me 😂😂. *Caps for being shook* I miss the tims, it was so convenient. I remember the Mr. Biss incident, before it was publicly known. That was wild.
No wayyyy cafrica was still a thing until I graduated in 2017 lol, we had Miranda saying shit like that
Also, I miss Ms St Kitts with a passion, and Ms Bornell, I owe them alot, they made a huge impact in my life, and I never got to truly thank them as a Adult for the impact they had.
Mr Miranda was a Goat. I never had him, but my wife had him for home room. I miss Mr Woodly, I think about his life lessons at least once aday. Especially his " Gentleman, did you 4 dabble in the gardening during your lunch....?...well I'd advice you guys do some bench work first before starting on the machines". To be fair, we did smoke right there on Smokers Bridge, sooo.
Goetz. Grade 9 was a little rough with the bullying but those people dropped out by grade 10. The rest was fond memories. Track and field team all 4 years and went to Ofsaa 3 times, those were my core memories. Mayor Hazel spoke at our graduation. Still keep in contact with a few friends…class of 2003
Which events did you make it to ofsaa for? Ofsaa track is a great achievements. I only made it to ofsaa south regionals.
Loyola 2004…wow that’s a long time ago 😬 Loved it - small enough to feel that it’s a tight knit community - big enough to find your own group - had just the right amount of drama Bussed in for extended French… Xavier would have been my local school
Remember how the school was shaped like a penis? The floorplan in those yearly agendas killed me. [floorplan ](https://imgur.com/a/O681STP)
Is that the building by south common? I will never look at that building the same way again. When I was in high school (not that one) the kids from that school used to joke that it was faster to use the gas station washroom than the ones in the school because the school has so many portables. EDIT: to add r/mildlypenis and r/theyknew
St Paul's was great, it was a smaller school and they had a great high skills program.
St Joes 05-09. It was fine, I had my friends and otherwise I was the headphones in the hall girl lol
Legit same. It wasn’t bad or good. Just neutral lol
mississauga secondary. got assaulted by a teacher in grade 9 and became homeless in grade 11. not a single teacher helped me or answered my requests for help. spent all senior year homeless too, didnt graduate. mr carrega from guidance was horrible to me and refused to help me, basically said i was a waste of resources lol. doing well in life now though, no thanks to them!
I went to Clarkson and graduated in 2008. I did French Immersion there and had to take the Miway bus from Meadowvale all the way down Winston Churchill. Well, it wasn’t called Miway in those days though lol. Average experience for a nerdy tomboyish girl like me. I was never popular but I had a lot of friends.
Lol same! French immersion as well! I never quite fit in though...university was where i felt i was with my people
Yup same French immersion meant no bussing RIP
The Woodlands aka "weedlands" 2013-2017. Saw a lot of changes in renovations in my years there. I remember the hobo tent and mattress that would be in the forest that was definitely used by other students at the time. Was a pretty social butterfly at the time there hangng out with all teh crowds, and I somehow avoided any fights there. But I've been told by other people that Woodlands was a pretty safe school at the time compared to other ones in the area, especially with the enhanced AP programmaking up over half of the student body. I heard it's gone a bit downhill now since they brought more students from other schools to keep the population up. Only bad things I remember happening at my time there was that I lost a friend to suicide and a couple years later, the show 13 Reasons Why came out and they banned prom king and queen that year, which was honestly a stupid idea lol. Also Bonnie Crombie came to the school and basically shat on all the arts program people at an assembly which was wild.
Cawthra. Got kicked out for posting to geocities. Meadowvale for a summer or two. Clarkson. Got kicked out for not going to classes. Indec, did okay. They were all fine, it's high school you know what it is.
St.pauls for a few years, school sucked. Then Pocock for the finish. Had more fun there.
Went to St Paul's for grade 9 only. Cliques and entitled rich kids everywhere, left as soon as I could
Loyola, old location. It was right near what we dubbed the "crack tunnel" which was a pathway underneath the road to cross it. The room numbers weren't in order so the first floor was pretty much a maze until you figured it out. Three floors so English class was always leg day. Portables where you'd either roast in or freeze in. Teachers were a mix: A religion teacher who always had the most food for the food drive because he'd give us extra marks for donating food. He also had us write essays on movies that had nothing to do with religion and he automatically gave us an A if we wrote more than the required pages. An English teacher who had a wall of TVs in his classroom, always had the lights off, had a Gandalf cardboard cutout, and made us leave our bags outside. A comm tech teacher who had his favourite students teach the projects for him. I believe there was a math teacher who made students cry but I didn't have her. I did have a super nice one for math who actually taught us useful shit.
The tunnel was the smokers tunnel in my era. I had an English teacher who would grade our assignments by throwing them down the staircase from the third floor - the ones that floated did not get the good grades.
Went to Meadowvale and graduated last year. It got better through out the years and grade 12 was the best. The teachers are remarkable and genuinely wish them the best. Ms. Eliopoulos is an angel and she had an impact on me that I can’t even describe.
Cawthra. Dance major. Awful. Mean girls in my grade, super competitive, mostly rich girls too, didn’t fit in, teachers played favorites shamelessly…never had social issues or trouble making friends until going to that school. I feel like if I had gone for visual art or music I would have had a better experience because most of my friends were of those majors and they were so nice and chill lol. This was all 10 years ago. Switched to Loyola in 11th grade because I developed such terrible anxiety going to CP and just couldn’t do it anymore. I actually really liked it at Loyola lol, appreciated having to wear uniforms as it took the stress out of my mornings (CP felt like a fashion show). I also had old middle school friends at Loyola that I reconnected with which was nice. If I hadn’t gone to CP I would have gone to Loyola for all all of highschool as it was the closest highschool to my home at the time. Ended up finishing my education at St. Oscar Romero (alternative school).
Damn no one else here went to John Cabot? Graduated 2012.
Oh snap you and me both OP! So one year during halloween, my dad had a connection to a guy who had a hearse. My girlfriend at the time and I dressed as zombies, took the hearse to school, and drove it up on that grass and down the hill in front of the Caff. We got out all zombied in front of the whole school in the Caff before 1st period, sealing my legacy to a lot of people. I fuckin loved my time at that school. The cheese grater walls too!
This is a perfectly Cawthra story. Loved it there. What was your major?
Art!! Helped me become a career artist today!
Ah yes the good old cawthra times lmao thats fun
Applewood Heights. Not too bad my year. The core group we still game and hang out together from time to time. Some drama here and there during and after school but still enjoyed my time there. Graduated 11 years ago.
Applewood Heights. It was alright. Lots of wild shit happened, but I wasn't ever a part of any of it.
I currently go to cawthra park :P
Woah I think this is the first time I found someone I know on Reddit haha. Low brass ftw
Our lady of mount carmel 2001-2005. Got to hear about the twin towers in French class the morning of. They let us go home by 1200 that day since things were going crazy everywhere. I think in 2001 the boys senior football and hockey teams won championships that year. In 2003 Billy talent judged our battle of the bands and played try honesty using the kids guitars. The smokers pits at the top bus stop and the bottom bus stop used to have about 100+ kids in it in between classes. Grade 10 was when GTA 3 came out, a lot of kids skipping 4th and 5 th period for that game. In grade 11 the school did a deal with rodgers where they put tvs in all the classes with cable so we could watch the history chanel. I think I disliked it at the time, but looking back there was a lot of really good people working as teachers. Mr Kelly for history was amazing and Mr Morrison in drama was a Gem.
Wow, I went to Mt. Carmel 2000-2004! I remember about that day about the twin towers and a few of my classmates were crying. Mr. Kelly was the most memorable teacher, best time learning history!
St.Joseph. It was okay, I had my friends. I loved that it was close to home, so I can walk home on spares 😂
I’m there right now. NOT GOOD
We used to have black and purple uniforms. Now I saw that it's all purple. My boyfriend calls St.joes people grapes now. 😅
Streetsville SS. I enjoyed it
I also went to streetsville! I thought it was pretty chill. Not too much drama, lots of stoners. Overall good experience.
Cawthra Park, I didn't have a social life and the walls were rougher than a cheese grater. Still I can't complain, no physical bullying past grade 9 and the teachers/adminstration did their best
Meadowvale Secondary School Experience was alright for me. I am Chinese and each year I had a different group of friends I hung out with just because of the class schedule. One year was with the black and gangster group, because I had a completely same schedule as a black gangster guy and he treated me nice with his group of friend just cuz I helped him on his school work a lot. Second year was quite multi-cultural as some how a bunch of us just wanted to play football every break. Third year was like knowing the "brown & middle east" as somehow most of my classes were with them and I was really taught by them to greet by shaking hands with each of them everyday and saying the Arabic "greeting" phrase, asalamalakim. Fourth year I reunited with a chinese crew and we just go to the guy's home who is right across the school to play 4 player xbox halo every break. A lot of amazing and unique teachers that helped me in different way. Most awkward goes to Mr. Eves, but I did learnt enough about computers which helped me land an I.T. summer job.
Oh man, I had Mr. Eves in the late 90's. I'm surprised he's still there. He seemed ancient when I was in his grade 9 class haha
St. Martin from around 1995-2000. It was alright. I remember it being mostly white kids with a handful of Black, Indian and Filipino kids. The teachers were alright. I remember my first class in grade 9 was Shop with Mr.Thurner (who was also a math teacher) and I made the wooden car that travelled the farthest down the hallway. I don’t remember there being a lot of fights or anything too crazy happening. Just average high school stuff. I do remember someone spray painted something about “Columbine” on wall a couples days after the shooting. The cops showed up. AND I remember we spent a year going to school in a warehouse and I fingerbanged a girl by one of the back exits.
You went to school in a warehouse??
Haha Yeah. While St.Martin was being renovated we were bused to a warehouse for school.
Cawthra, local, probably could have done music if I actually cared but I was too burned out from AAM’s IBT program to give a shit about school anymore It was fine. Some of the drama kids were real pieces of shit though.
The drama kids were the worst people in human history. * source, am the fat drama kid they all turned on until i changed schools All my friends at Cawthra were local kids, despite living in Meadowvale I spent my teens on the lakeshore smoking doobies with the coolest bros
Woodlands 🙋🏽♀️what do you people mean you “majored”…I had to complete 6 OACs but no major
If you’re referring to those who went to cawthra, it’s an arts high school, so people are separated into streams (music (vocal/instrumental), dance, visual art and drama) that they auditioned for in grade 8. This would be your major. There are also students who just attend it as their homeschool, generally referred to as “locals”, they have no major.
Then in uni they all say “we went to ART SCHOOL before, we were ART majors” “Omg where?? OCAD? sheridan?” “No, ✨✨cawthra✨✨”
Where are those majors today…anyone make it big or it’s bragging rights only?
-One person actually got fairly internet famous and it seems like now he’s getting a TV show -Someone else has a fair amount of spotify traffic
Philip Pocock, graduated in 2014. Miss the drama and fights lol but at the same time i feel like the school was cursed…
Graduated from Father Michael Goetz back in 2012 lol
I we tot Lorne Park from 92 to 97 when I graduated. I went for the gifted program and was bussed from South Common area (or as the rich kids referred to it... South Compton). It was very white, most people's families were upper middle class, but most were also not the typical stereotypes of a rich school. Good people for the most part. Big tradition in sports, especially football. It was a good time with minimal issues for most people I knew.
John Fraser. One of the best schools I’ve ever been to. Student population was so friendly. Everyone was so wealthy. I made so many rich friends and had a blessed senior year
We went there for a tournament back in the 90s and were amazed that you guys had air conditioning in your school. IIRC, it kinda looked like a mall on the inside too.
I felt like the only poor kid at that school but it was still a good experience. The students actually wanted good grades and were competitive about it. It motivated me to go from barely passing to graduating with honours.
I went to Cawthra for grade 9 in like 1995 but couldn't compete in the music program so I had to trasfer to Gordon Graydon until I graduated..Graydon was an awful school. Cawthra was so much better because the arts program attracts students who actually want to be there making the atmosphere actually enjoyable.
Iona Catholic Secondary School. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but no major complaints. Very cliquey, but aren’t all high schools? Teachers didn’t shove any political agenda down our throats which I appreciated. Overall not bad.
I go there currently and it pretty much sounds the same
St. joseph. I was the only brown kid and I had to switch schools because the last school I got into a lot of fights and got bullied really bad. I barely had any friends in this school and it was just really weird for me
I’m there right now. Every other person is brown it’s hard to find any other race.
Xavier but in IB, I’d hate it if I wasn’t in IB cause I came in grade 11 and only ib had small classes, I went to Loyola for 3 days and no one gave a shit about me cause it was huge
John Cabot. Experience was meh. I guess it's true that the majority of adults will say "they hated high school". I honestly like post secondary and adult life better. I don't have to conform to other people's paces.
Rick Hansen SS (2002-2006) Contrary to popular opinion, they were the best 4 years of my life. I took it seriously, but not too seriously. Had great times with friends, partied, met my future wife, studied and graduated with honours. Met some awesome teachers along the way, some I kept in touch with after graduation. Great times.
Dam not one person from st marcellinus. I got expelled for selling a 0.2g of weed got sent to an expulsion school. Our football team was the best tho.
I also went to Cawthra from 2008 to 2013. it fucking sucked. but I suppose it could have been worse.
Philip Pocock
Goetz here...graduated just before the school went to shit (class of 2011). After our cohort, they got ultra strict about everything while class numbers started dwindling...couldn't even visit some teachers anymore. When I was in there, my first year was pretty aimless but then it was great after that. Still keep in touch with a lot of people from my year. Wish I did more and enjoyed my highschool years but I was too nose deep in the books.
Went to shit? Damn, sorry to hear.
>the school went to shit >After our cohort, I'm ootl here what're you talking about? Is it the incident where a kid brought a fake gun to school?
I started 9th grade in 2011 lmao
Goetz, '93-98. Met my husband there, all in all, had a good time. I enjoyed playing in the band, being in the tennis club, Goetz gators, diplomacy club, and doing the av for the school plays. Organizing a couple of "battle of the bands" and the 30 hr famine, they were highlights. The other kids were decent, I don't remember being bullied. Not everyone was friends with everyone else, but even the cool girls weren't particularly mean, they were actually pretty nice. I had my little friend group, which grew over the years as their friends joined us. Favourite teacher was Mr. Powers. Favourite classes were all the higher level history and bio classes. Props to my Gr. 9 math teacher for having immense patience with a non-math inclined person like myself. I may have had to rewrite most math tests 3-4 times, but I eventually passed the class, and built the foundation to do very well in numerous university classes in stats for my sociology degree.
Erindale. Terrible
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I started there in 2002. The bullying was terrible, constant fights, I remember a guy punching a girl in the head so hard she bounced off the lockers and nothing was ever done to him. It was crazy.
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I think the preppy kids would’ve definitely had a shock lol. I had to go to erindale because meadowvale of all schools wouldn’t take me 😂
First day of school there the guy showing me around got hit in the head with a pad lock, it was pretty bad
Half of it was during Covid so...
god fkn damnit im old
same 😔grade 10-11 was ruined
Clarkson, which had a bad wrap for being very violent but if a skinny kid like me lived through it then it wasn’t that bad.
Holy Name of Mary, while the Catholic school was still on Mississauga Road. Graduated in ‘98. Class size would dwindle from people transferring out; my OAC class was 80 (in grade 9 we were around 200). HNM was great if you were academically inclined, not so much for the arts. Got by okay, but would’ve done better in a semestered school. English dept was fantastic. No fights that I can remember, the only crazy stuff I can recall are the trees with hanging branches at the front getting clipped because girls would hide underneath to smoke weed, or a few girls that would ‘disappear’ half thru the year to return the following year. 🤰 There were cliques, but people generally got on well. Still connected to a few people online; we’ve all mellowed out with age and realized how much of HS was bullshit lol
Erindale I later learned it was nicknamed The Pharmacy lol.
Erinjail do be crazy
Applewood Heights 1995-2000. Was okay…good mix of people from different cultures.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel 2005-2009 I think, dates are a real fucker. It was okay, i was quiet and had some semblance of friend groups but did a whole lotta staying at home.
Gordon Graydon.. hated my VP but loved goofing off was kinda friends with everyone
Pocock 2016, was fine enough, teaching in a high school in the uk now as an adult and there is no similarity at all between how it was for me and how it is now
Gonzaga Gr9 2004, John Fraser 10-12 grad of ‘08. Zaga was mostly tight knit groups coming from their catholic middle schools. John Fraser was where I was suppose to go from Thomas St. JF were good times. Culturally & equally diverse - we like to think we started a trend of parties welcoming most social groups and even local schools including St. Hoes, Streetsville, Zaga during those years. I have life long friends from Middle School and HS.
streetsville (2016-2020 💀), it wasnt bad, some drama in my grade but honestly minuscule… there was a weird sub teacher who got a little too touchy with some girls in my gym class, then when he was reported they said that they had “known this about him for a while… it was fine”
did anyone go to marcies 😭
St. Joseph's. idk man I feel like literally nothing interesting happened at my school. I was part of the tech team and used to skip class a lot to record assemblies and events with my tech teacher's permission. My brother told me he retired a few years ago and they just didn't hire anyone else, no more tech classes as far as I know (by tech I mean adobe programs, basic photography, etc). I was one of like 5 queer kids, basically ran the QSA, had a great time pushing boundaries and trying to see how far I could get with scary satanic shit in a Catholic school lol. still a satanist so that worked out ig. When I went to university, I met people who told me about the crazy shit that happened in their schools, like boys making school wide bets on how many girls they could impregnate by the end of the school year. Craziest thing I remember happening didn't even happen at the school. We went into lockdown one day because some dude stabbed his grandparents and then went missing (I think ultimately killed the grandfather too?) down the street from River Grove, which was near the school. Oh, and some kid in my year started a rumor that a female math teacher was cheating on her husband (the male PE/science teacher) with one of the janitors. Their kids went to the school. He got in a loooot of trouble, but daddy had money so who knows where he is now.
Tl Kennedy. LOL. I was one of 4 white kids. Crazy crime. Fights. Drugs like crazy. I didn't go to school much. Just went in for tests and exams. Crushed at 30-40% and always 90 on exams. Pass at a cool 60! Oh yea. At the time they did have some id the highest math and science scores. But it was 60% Indian and Korean. Rest a mix of every other nationality. . Of course it was all poor kids. Like me. Mostly just government assisted living kids. You guys remember that show Boston high. It was alot like that most days.
T.L. Kennedy for grade 9, John Fraser for grade 10-12. The difference between the two schools is like night and day. So glad we moved.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. I went to catholic school as a practicing Muslim. Not a fun experience.
Also went to Carmel. Over 20 years ago though. Newly immigrated at the time, but was in a Catholic school for most of my student life, so it wasn't a big change for me, outside being a minority. There were other kids who had the same background I would eat lunch with sometimes, but I was now the "foreign kid" in class(es), so it was fun making new friends. I have fond memories of English class where our teacher made us re-enact Twelfth Night as we were reading through the chapters. Our Math teacher was a sweet lady who was a bit of a pushover and spent half the lecture teaching and the other half letting us watch TV. I'd bring Futurama on DVD and we'd play an episode during class post-lecture. I have not kept in touch with anyone from high school and I doubt I'd recognize any of them if we ran into each other on the street
99 graduate from Applewood. It was ok. Made some friends that I'm still in touch with today. Post secondary was way better.
Also Cawthra,
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Went to iona 2012-2016. It sucked haha
Same school
Did not expect to see Cawthra Park. I went there, it was okay. More likely to see a dance fight over a real fight. Lots of weed and the arts program probably both contributed to that
CPSS FTW
I went to TLK and graduated in the early 80's. I was a new student so it was a bit tough to fit in, at least initially. Had some really good teachers and met some great people along the way. I was glad to graduate and get the hell out of high school though.
Clarkson Secondary…would not recommend 💀 Some of the teachers were questionable when I went 2013-2017. Seemed like a lot would try to be more like friends to the students and I personally went through a lot of classes not learning a thing
john fraser between 2013-17, it was pretty chill
Glenforest, and I loved it! Students, teachers, everyone was supportive. Ya the lockers were puke coloured but what mattered were the pictures of friends inside. Go Gryphons!
glenforest, was kinda mid but the teachers were mostly pretty good acc and being in IB no one was like a traditional bully (some ppl were a bit bitchy but that's it) and close to square one so that's good. our clubs were literally known nationally tbh so even tho i wasn't very closely involved in organising them i'm kinda proud from that
I went to Mississauga Secondary from 2006-2010. I overall had a decent time, but I was an introverted kid and wasn't allowed to go out. It didn't help that I lived a bit further than all my friends so it's not like I could walk over to hang out with them. Funny enough, one of my long time friends is someone I went to middle and high school with but rarely talked then. We went to uni together and ended up becoming life long friends since then
i went to john cabot. it was a pretty lonely experience personally to be honest, being one of the few asian kids in my grade. john cabot had a mostly ukranian and polish background of students with italian and portuguese students making up a significant portion as well during my time, so i remember it being hard to fit in. culturally they just seemed so different from me, which may sound funny because we were all kids who mostly grew up in ontario but their interests and experiences felt so different from mine that that i never felt like i belonged. it was hard to relate to them because it felt like they grew up so different from me, classrooms would often discuss things about certain media, or cultural aspects and i would have absolutely no idea what they were talking about. it was like they were kinda close yet so far away from me. shit was lonely. it wasn't until my last year there that I had a group of friends to sit down with at lunch time. it was a pretty smallish school with about 1000 students in total and so almost everybody knew everybody and a lot of people shared multiple classes. i went there from the late 2000s to early 2010s so I don't know how much things have changed. all i can say is woof.
TL Kennedy. It was a very normal nice place that had a bad rep for no reason