Emery Collegiate Institute

Emery Collegiate Institute
Address
3395 Weston Road Toronto , Ontario , M9M 2V9 Canada
Coordinates	43.7485°N 79.5386°W / 43.7485; -79.5386
Information
Former name	Emery Senior High School Emery Junior High School
Type	Public high school
Motto	Latin: Enisus Caelum Inveniat (One who strives may reach the sky!)
Established	1961 (1961)
School board	Toronto District School Board (North York Board of Education)
Principal	Maria Palermo
Grades	9–12
Schedule type	Semestered
Colour(s)	Red, White, Black
Mascot	Eagle
Team name	Emery Eagles
Website	schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/emeryci

Emery Collegiate Institute is a public semestered and adult high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, part of the Toronto District School Board.^[1] Prior to 1998, it was part of the North York Board of Education

History

The school is named for the nearby neighbourhood of Emery. It was built in 1960 and opened in September 1961, to serve a then-new suburban housing development.^[2] In the main hallway, the school has a visible display of its original bell from when it was first built. Charlie Brown served as the first principal in the school, alongside Allen S. Merritt, who served as the first Vice-Principal. The building was designed by architects James Murray & Henry Fliess.^[3]

Emery Junior High School operated in this building until 1985 when the school merged with G. B. Warren Junior High School (formerly Humbermede Junior High School) to form Humber Summit Middle School. The Collegiate has solely since operated grades 9-12 only with an adult program attached.

In 2000, Toronto Police arrested 4 people in relation to a shooting that happened in the school parking-lot, which injured 3. One of the 4 arrested was charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, attempted murder, and discharging a firearm.^[4] In 2007, the school was investigated by the Toronto District School Board for possible gang-related activity.^[5]

In 2009, students from the school came third among 875 others, in a NASA-organized science competition.^[6] In 2014, students representing the school came in first place at the Art of Physics Competition organized by the Canadian Association of Physicists.^[7]

In 2015, the school was included in a list of schools that may possibly get shut-down (due to various reasons, such as underpopulation, age, et cetera) by the government.^[8]

In 2017, the school was listed among the bottom 20 (worst-rated) schools in Ontario, by the Fraser Institute. Receiving an FI Rating of 1.5/10, the school ranked 730th out of 747 schools.^[9]

In 2013, the school was shut down temporarily due to flooding in the hallways.^[10][11]

Clubs

There are many student-organized clubs within the school, including, but not limited to the Business Club, Student Council, Athletic Council, Art Club, Environmental Club, Chess Club, Board-games Club, H.E.R.O. (Helping to Educate Regarding Orientation), and Africana.

Competitive teams

Emery Collegiate Institute has competitive teams for Basketball, Soccer, Wrestling, Water Polo, Running, and Robotics.^[12]

Population

As of December 31, 2017, there are 259 girls and 358 boys in the school,^[13] and 50% or more of the school population speaks a primary language other than English.^[13] 29.4% of the student body is defined as ESL under provincial regulations.^[9] 30.6% of the student population is also defined as Special Needs.^[9] 66.4% of student test scores are below the provincial education standard.^[9]

Notable alumni

• Jerry Tonello, Canadian wheelchair basketball coach ^{[14] [15]}
• Lou Pomanti, musician^[16]
• Alfie Zappacosta, instrumentalist, Juno Award winner^[17][18]
• Claudio Vena, composer, instrumentalist^[17]
• Jason Allison, professional hockey player, former team captain of Boston Bruins^[19][20]
• Laurence Hutchman, writer, poet, Doctor of Philosophy, and professor^{[21][22][23][24][25]}
• Carol McCartney, musician, former Miss Toronto^[26]
• Harry Pfluegl, professional hockey player^[20]
• Paul Higgins, professional hockey player^[20][27]
• Donovan "Razor" Ruddock, former professional heavyweight boxer^[27]

See also

• Education in Ontario
• List of secondary schools in Ontario

References

1. "Emery Collegiate Institute". www.tdsb.on.ca. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
2. "Our Our History and Philosophy".
3. http://www.eraarch.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/NYMA_2010_Colour.pdf^{[permanent dead link‍] [bare URL PDF]}
4. "Fourth arrest in Emery Collegiate shooting | CBC News". CBC. February 26, 2000. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
5. "Gang wars feared at Jane-Finch school | The Star". thestar.com. 31 August 2007. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
6. "Toronto student's space colony design wins NASA contest". CBC. May 8, 2009. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
7. "Emery CI Students Impress at Art of Physics competition". Toronto District School Board. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
8. "Name(s) of School Considered for Closure" (.pdf). Toronto. 2015.
9. "Emery Collegiate Institute Toronto Ontario Academic school ranking". ontario.compareschoolrankings.org. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
10. "Emery C.I. closed due to flooding: TDSB". toronto.citynews.ca. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
11. "r/toronto - So, my school (Emery Collegiate Institute, 3395 Weston Road) has been overdue for a renovation for the longest time. They had us wait outside in a false fire alarm in the -22°C weather, for around 20 minutes. Why cancel school buses due to extreme cold, but not cancel school due to safety hazards?". reddit. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
12. "Sports Schedules, Scores & Standings". www.tdsb.on.ca. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
13. "Toronto District School Board > Find your... > Schools > Facts and Figures". www.tdsb.on.ca. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
14. Nelson, Norm. "OBITUARY: Longtime Canadian wheelchair basketball coach Jerry Tonello remembered". Toronto.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
15. "Remembering Jerry Tonello". Emery Village Voice. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
16. "Yesterday and Today: Emery Collegiate". Emery Village Voice. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
17. "Two New Streets Open at Finch and Weston Road". Emery Village Voice. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
18. "Alfie Zappacosta to appear at Hugh's Room". Emery Village Voice. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
19. "An Emery street for a great NHLer". Emery Village Voice. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
20. "Emery Village as Leaders in Athletic Growth". Emery Village Voice. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
21. "Insightful impressions from Emery's new Poet Laureate". Emery Village Voice. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
22. "Emery's Poet Laureate". Emery Village Voice. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
23. "Selected work By Laurence Hutchman". Emery Village Voice. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
24. "The Farmhouse". Emery Village Voice. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
25. "Yesterday & Today: Laurence Hutchman". Emery Village Voice. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
26. "McCartney an Emery grown success". Emery Village Voice. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
27. "The Warriors of Emery Village". Emery Village Voice. Retrieved 2019-03-19.