A. Y. Jackson Secondary School (Toronto)

History

A.Y. Jackson was opened in 1970 under the North York Board of Education, as a grades 10 to 13 school. The school was designed by architecture firm Allward & Gouinlock Architects under Raymond Moriyama for the North York Board of Education. However, as part of the 1998 amalgamation of North York into the City of Toronto, the Toronto District School Board now operates A.Y. Jackson.

The school was originally proposed to be named Eastview Secondary School, however, it was changed to be named as A.Y. Jackson Secondary School, after the former painter and member of the Group of Seven. Following a lengthy construction period and a hefty price tag of $3,700,000, the schools official grand opening was held on the night of Thursday November 26th, 1970. The school was designed to be open concept, like many other schools within this time frame. The school was designed with a blend of Mid-century modern and Brutalist architecture of the exterior, reminiscent of the Ontario Science Centre. The school featured an eye-catching reception hall that was designed to look like a hotel lobby. Rather than using traditional hardwood flooring, the school was built with carpeted floors across many of its hallways and classrooms. It also featured a lounge area at the top of the spiral staircase (which has now been replaced as SHSM office space). The school was also dubbed as "Metro's most modern secondary school" at the time of its opening. Since then, the open concept classrooms have been enclosed off due to issues with the concept.

In 2016, as part of a TDSB board decision, the school underwent more changes, with the school now supporting grade nine students and the Gifted program.

Student life

Academics

The school offers three Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM) in the fields of Biotechnology, Business, and Information Communications Technology. It also offers three dual credit courses in Forensic Science, Introduction to Marketing, and Composition & Creativity, and Aeronautics in collaboration with Seneca Polytechnic. The school also serves as the giftedness program secondary school for much of east North York, as well as parts of Scarborough. In the 2018–2019 school year, 90% of grade 9 students achieved the provincial standard in academic math and 50% achieved the provincial standard in applied math. In addition, in the 2018–2019 school year, 87% of grade 10 students achieved the provincial standard for Literacy on their first attempt. More recently, in the 2021-2022 school year, A Y Jackson ranked 1st among all TDSB schools on the EQAO math assessment with 93.2% of students achieving the provincial standard.

Sports

Currently, A.Y. Jackson has the following sports teams:

• Aquatics
• Badminton
• Basketball
• Cross country
• Curling
• Flag football
• Table tennis
• Soccer
• Ultimate frisbee
• Track and Field
• Volleyball
• Ice hockey
• Slo-Pitch
• Skiing & Snowboarding

Clubs

In the 2021–2022 school year, A.Y. Jackson has 52 different clubs, councils and ensembles, including 5 related to the arts, and 13 related to the STEM fields.

Student demographics

The student population of A.Y Jackson is diverse, with a large component of students living in Canada for five years or less (about 14%), and around 92% of the population speaking a primary language other than English. As of 2020, 14% of the students are enrolled in the gifted program and 25% of students live in lower-income households. There were 263 females and 290 males in the school in 2020, making A.Y. Jackson's total student body 653 as of June 30, 2021.

Notable alumni

• Henry Lau, singer, musician, actor, and ex-member of Super Junior-M
• Alex Lifeson, guitarist for the rock group Rush
• Sorel Mizzi, professional poker player
• Daniel Negreanu, professional poker player
• Merrill Nisker (better known as Peaches), electronica musician
• Monita Rajpal, CNN International news anchor
• Joshua Liendo, Swimmer known for winning 2nd place in the 100m butterfly in the 2024 Paris Olympics
• Gerald Eaton, producer, lead singer of The Philosopher Kings
• Mariam Peters, victim of a fatal attack in St. Patrick station

References

References

1. "2007 Euclid Contest Results".
2. Curtis, Linda. (December 4, 2015). "AY Cluster JHS Board Decision Parent Letter". [[Toronto District School Board]].
3. "A Y Jackson Secondary School > Special Programs".
4. "Giftedness Secondary School Finder".
5. "A Y Jackson Secondary School Profile".
6. "A Y Jackson Secondary School Profile".
7. "AY Jackson Secondary School".
8. "A Y Jackson Secondary School Information".
9. "A.Y. Jackson Clubs and Councils 2020-2021". Toronto DSB.
10. "A Y Jackson Secondary School Profile".
11. "A Y Jackson Secondary School Profil".
12. Board, Toronto District School. "Toronto District School Board > Find your... > Schools > Facts and Figures".
13. "Henry Lau goes from Willowdale to K-Pop superstar {{!}} Toronto Star".
14. "Living in the limelight".
15. (2017-01-09). "Canadian Sorel Mizzi: Living proof that Instinctual Poker Works".
16. (2009-12-01). "Back in the Day".
17. "Peaches {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia".
18. TRNTO, Matthew Coutts for. (2010-10-28). "MONITA RAJPAL".
19. "Jarvis Church: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 985".
20. "Why part of TTC’s St. Patrick station is still sealed off after 1975 murder".