William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute

William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute (W.L. Mackenzie C.I.; locally known as Mackenzie) is a semestered high school located in Toronto, Canada.[1] The school was opened in 1960 by the North York Board of Education. It is located near Sheppard Avenue West and Allen Road, close to Sheppard West subway station.

William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute
Address
20 Tillplain Road

Toronto
,
Ontario
,
M3H 5R2

Canada
Coordinates43.753581°N 79.461649°W / 43.753581; -79.461649
Information
Other namesMac, MAC, Mackenzie
Former nameSouthview Heights Secondary School
School typeHigh school
MottoLatin: Sua praemia laudi
(Merit has its own reward)
Founded1960
School boardToronto District School Board
(North York Board of Education)
SuperintendentLouie Papathanasakis
LN12
Area trusteeAlexandra Lulka
Ward 5
School number3444 / 950130
PrincipalKeith Johnson
Grades9–12
Enrolment1385 (2019-2020)
LanguageEnglish
Schedule typeSemestered
Colour(s)Blue, gold, and white    
MascotLyon
Team nameWLMC Lyons
Websitewww.wlmac.ca

History

The school, originally called Southview Heights Secondary School, was built in 1959. The purpose of the school was twofold: to accommodate the skyrocketing number of new students in the area, and to ease overcrowding at Northview Heights Secondary School. The school opened in September 1960.[2] It was originally slated to be a junior high school.[3]

A contest for the school's name was held and William Lyon Mackenzie, the first mayor of Toronto and leader of the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837, was selected.[4]

The school, in its inception, had 90% of the Jewish student population that lived in the Bathurst Manor neighborhood.[3]

Students

The school is known for the high academic standards of its students. The Fraser Institute ranks it as the best TDSB secondary school.[5] Over 95% of its graduating students are accepted into a post-secondary institution.[1] Additionally, 50% of graduating students earn an 80% average in all of their subjects (down from 66% in 2006, when the average was based on the top three subjects), qualifying them to become Ontario Scholars.[1] In 2013, the students with the highest averages in the entire TDSB were Mackenzie students Geoffrey Yu and Ryan Gotesman, with averages of 99.7%.[6]

The school is also known for its student-run organization, SWITCH (Solar and Wind Initiatives Towards CHange). Founded in 2006, SWITCH's goal is to make Canada more environmentally friendly through various environmental initiatives — the most prominent of which is the installation of solar panels and wind turbines on school grounds. Through this organization, Mackenzie has gained national media attention due to events featuring David Suzuki, Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies, MuchMusic and members of Sum 41.[7]

Specialty programs

MaCS Program

The MaCS Program began in 1985; it offers enriched English, Mathematics, Science and Technology courses for advanced students.[8] Students applying for the MaCS Program must undertake an entrance exam and complete a comprehensive application package. The MaCS Program begins at grade nine and runs until grade twelve. Students may apply in grade 8 for a spot in the grade 9 class. Students may also apply in grade 9 for a spot in the grade 10 class, although for a reduced number of spots. A significant number of the school's students are part of the MaCS Program - there are 90 positions for students joining the MaCS program in grade nine. The acceptance rate for the MaCS program was 12.8% for the 2018–2019 school year. Students in the MaCS program can take Advanced Placement exams and start computer science courses in grade nine, which is a field that is normally not available until grade ten. The MaCS program was one of the first enriched math, science and technology programs created for secondary school students. Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute's TOPS program is similar. Bloor Collegiate Institute has also developed a similar TOPS program in recent years.

Gifted Program

The Gifted Program is an enriched program available to gifted students. The program begins at Grade Nine and runs until Grade Twelve. Five to ten percent of William Lyon Mackenzie's student population is part of the Gifted Program.

Advanced Placement (AP) Program

The Advanced Placement Program has been active at the school since 2002 with the AP Computer Science course (ICS 4U0).[9] AP Calculus and Chemistry has also been added to the school's Advanced Placement Program. The AP Biology and AP French will be implemented for students who wish to pursue enriched learning in 2011.[10] As of 2018 the only available AP classes were Calculus, Economics, and Computer Science[11]

FIT Program

The school offers a national certification program known as the FIT Program that will enable students to earn industry standard certifications in programming and engineering, and in Media & Communications Arts. The program is made possible through the Information and Communications Technology Council of Canada as part of the Education/Sector Council Partnership Project. Usually, it is the students in the MaCS program that attain the FIT certification.[12] Students who completed all the required courses are eligible for the FIT Plus Certificate if they do a Cooperative component or summer internship in a field related to Engineering, Programming or Media Communication & Arts.[12]

The following courses must be completed to receive the FIT Certificate: Computer Science (ICS 3U + ICS 4U), Cisco IT Essentials (TEJ 3M + TEJ 4M), Media Arts (TGJ 3M + TGJ 4M), and (for the FIT Plus certificate only) a co-operative education component.[12]

Sports

The school's sports teams include: badminton, wrestling, rugby, boys' and girls' field hockey, boys' and girls' volleyball, boys' and girls' soccer, and boys' varsity baseball.

Clubs and Councils
  • Animanga Club
  • Athletic Council
  • Baycrest-Mackenzie Partnership
  • Biology Club
  • Black Student Alliance Council
  • Book Club
  • Business Council (FBLA and Target Alpha)
  • Central Arts Council
  • Chemistry Club
  • Choir
  • Debate Club
  • DECA
  • DND Club
  • Gardening Club
  • History Club
  • HOSA
  • Jewish Culture Club
  • Linguistics Club
  • Mackenzie Chess Club
  • Mackenzie Computer Programming Team[13]
  • Mackenzie Creative Writing Club
  • Mackenzie Engineering Club
  • Mackenzie Science Club
  • Mac Radio Announcers
  • Math Club
  • MEDLIFE
  • Model United Nations
  • Physics Club
  • Project Metropolis (school website)
  • Rainbow Club
  • Smash Club
  • Student Council
  • TED Club
  • The Flounder (school satirical newspaper)
  • The Lyon (school newspaper)
  • Tree Huggers (ecology and Eco-activism)
  • Yearbook Team
  • Wellness @ MAC[14]
  • Women in Stem

Notable alumni

See also

References
  1. Mackenzie TDSB School Profile 2008, Toronto District School Board . Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  2. The North York Enterprise, June 22, 1960.
  3. "Four-day reunion planned for Mackenzie's 50th". 22 April 2010.
  4. The North York Enterprise, September 23, 1960.
  5. "Compare academic rankings and ratings of Ontario schools". ontario.compareschoolrankings.org.
  6. "TDSB: Toronto public board's top students tie with 99.7 % average - The Star". 18 July 2013.
  7. "Much.com - Watch Shows Online".
  8. "MaCS Program - THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE MaCS PROGRAM AT WILLIAM LYON MACKENZIE C.I." wlmac.ca.
  9. http://www.wlmac.ca/wp/?page_id=23. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  10. www.wlmac.ca/wp/?page_id=23. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  11. wlmac.ca/ap/. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  12. www.wlmac.ca/wp/?page_id=164. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  13. "About MCPT". MCPT: Mackenzie Competitive Programming Team. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  14. "Clubs | Metropolis". maclyonsden.com. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
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