Farewell to our 2021 Graduates
This final year for our forty 2021 graduates has been a challenging one to say the least, but they accomplished the goal and will soon be moving on to the next step in their education journey. Maple Leaf students graduate with an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) which requires students to complete 40 hours of community service in addition to their academics. We are proud to say that each of our graduates managed to complete their hours achieving a total of 2320 hours between them, with 700 of those hours being completed during the pandemic while observing all safety protocols. Five admirable students went above and beyond the required amount and managed to clock totals of 102, 104, 150, 152 and 154 hours!
The students volunteered within the school community by peer tutoring, supervising online extracurricular activities, promoting school events and assisting with Elementary class activities such as read alouds for the younger students. Their external community service included: volunteering at the El Socorro Centre For Wildlife Conservation and Horses Helping Humans, preparing sandwiches and baked items to donate to ‘Love All Serve All – Joy of Giving’ and ‘Living Waters’, making Christmas cookie boxes for refugees through St. Finbar’s Migrant Ministry, working alongside the ‘United to Help’ team sorting clothing donations, assisting the Rebecca Ann Foundation collection of items for the victims of the St. Vincent volcano eruption, preparing hampers and making over eight hundred dog treats to donate to the TTSPCA and Animal Rescue Association of Trinidad & Tobago.
On July 11, 2021, Maple Leaf International School will bid farewell to the Class of 2021 at a virtual graduation ceremony. It is unfortunate that this will be yet another virtual event however that does not prevent us from hosting an impressive celebratory event. Besides the awarding of diplomas and recognition of special achievements, the event will include pre-recorded student videos, prize giveaways, and a live DJ to cap off the evening. The intention is to include as much fanfare as the physical event. Our graduates can look forward to a memorable evening together with their family members to celebrate their accomplishments and wish them well on their next step.
From our class of forty graduates, three have opted to take a gap year and thirty-seven are off to continue their tertiary education. The Medical University of Gdańsk and Collegium Da Vinci in Poland will be welcoming two of our graduates and another is off to the University of Groningen, Netherlands. We have graduates who are UK bound having gained admission to Imperial College of London, University of Southampton and the University of West London. Our US bound graduates are heading to University of Miami, University of South Florida, Lynn University, Florida Atlantic University and McFatter Technical College. The remainder of our university/college bound graduates will be heading to Canada where they will be attending McMaster University, Queen’s University, University of Toronto, York University, Brock University, Concordia University, Western University, University of Guelph, Brescia University College, OCAD University, Ontario Tech University, Fanshawe College, Humber College, George Brown College and Sheridan College.
We are proud of our graduates who have attained scholarships based on their performance to date and as final grades are posted they are likely to be awarded even more. The scholarships awarded include a Presidential Scholarship of US$90,000, a Merit Scholarship for US$18,000, an Academic Scholarship of US$16,000, a Scholars Gold Award for US$12,000, a Director’s Award for US$2,000 and a number of Entrance Scholarships ranging from CAD $1,000 to $8,500.
Congratulations to our two valedictorians Cameron Burgess and Ellie-Anna Sorzano as well as to our salutatorian Luke Jaggernauth. These students were chosen by their teachers and peers to address the graduating class and we look forward to their parting words.
Maple Leaf International School would like to take this opportunity to recognise the efforts of our teachers and students throughout this pandemic. Collectively you have shown flexibility, resilience, fortitude, determination and true grit to get through what was a year and more of online school. We missed seeing each other and especially missed being able to say a proper farewell to our graduates. So, to our Class of 2021, congratulations, you did it! We are extremely proud of your accomplishments and wish you continued success!
Congratulations to the Maple Leaf International School Class of 2021!
