“The international media have come and gone. The satellite is gone. The journalists are gone. The headlines have changed. But the situation hasn’t. Please don’t forget about Dadaab. Don’t forget about the thousands of children dying each day. Continue to tell the stories of the people you met here in Kenya. Continue to let people
Jack Paley was born December 2, 1921 in a Yorkshire village. His father was a veteran of the Great War, one who had seen action at the Somme and who had been a POW of the Germans. Jack attended school until he was 14; he went to work at that time as a keymaker, and
Bob Miller was born December 7, 1923 in New York state. He grew up in Bellmore, Long Island, not too far from Jones Beach, an area that Bob remembers fondly. The Great Depression impacted Bob and his three older sisters, but the family managed to get by, with everybody pitching in. The family moved a
William (Bill) Hoy was born in Welland, Ontario on January 30, 1924. His family had emigrated to Canada from Britain and settled in the Ottawa area, but by the time of Bill’s birth they had settled in Welland, where Bill’s father did his Great War service, guarding the Welland Canal. Bill grew up against the
Edward (Ted) Parker was born March 30, 1925 in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He grew up in Massachusetts and Florida, as the family moved back and forth during those years. He grew up against the backdrop of the Depression and the early years of the war, by which time he was attending the Governors’ Academy in Massachusetts.
Sandra Ortega was born March 29, 1937 in Baltimore, Maryland. She grew up against the backdrop of 1950s America, when the Jim Crow Laws governed life all across the south, a truth that was in evidence in her own city of Baltimore, where segregation ran deep. From an early age Sandra learned the virtue of
Delane Boakye graduated from Crestwood Preparatory College in 2010. She went on to pursue her B.A in International Development and Political Science at McGill University, graduating in 2015. She was elected the President of the Black Student’s Network at McGill in 2013. During her tenure, Delane focused on making the University campus a safe and
Earl Watson was born April 15, 1930 in Brantford, Ontario. The family relocated to Owen Sound during the Depression, as Earl’s father found work as a welder. Earl’s childhood was typical; he went to school and more importantly enjoyed his time with friends, playing baseball and whatever else. Earl was too young for the Second
Dear Parents, We are thrilled to report the students came back from the long weekend feeling refreshed and ready to learn! Despite the lost hour of sleep on Sunday, we had a great week of growing and learning. We had our 1st ever St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Wednesday! It was a blast seeing
Hello Crestwood Families! For the month of February, the junior music classes have been celebrating Black History Month and its rich musical background. The students in grade 5 and 6 ended the month by making some wonderful artist posters featuring African American artists who have created change in the musical world and used their
Wally Adam was born in Winnipeg during the Second World War, where his father was serving in the Army Pay Corps. He grew up there, and decided to join the RCAF Reserves in his own right when he was in high school. After university, Wally enlisted in the RCAF, serving during the Cold War years.
Stanley Grizzle was born in Toronto in 1918, to Jamaican parents who immigrated to Canada in 1911. He grew up in downtown Toronto, where he attended Prince Edward School and later Harbord Collegiate. He became a railway porter at the age of 22 to help support his family. In 1938 he became involved in the
Hugh Brodie was born October 13, 1926 in Montreal, Quebec. He grew up in the city against the backdrop of the Great Depression, attending school and playing football and hockey. Hugh’s father was a doctor who passed away young, so Hugh was raised by his mother. When the time came to choose his next step
Guy Prestia was born April 26, 1922 in Pennsylvania. The son of an Italian immigrant and a Pennsylvanian, he grew up alongside his siblings against the backdrop of the Great Depression. Guy recalls that his father worked hard, supporting the family during the economic downturn and then doing war work once the United States entered
Ron Goldstein was born August 16, 1923 , in London, England. His parents, looking to escape the anti-Semitism and lack of opportunity, had immigrated to England from Poland in the years before the Great War. They went on to raise a large family, and Ron was the 10th in a family of 11. Ron left
Tyler Smith was born in Calgary, Alberta, a city that had a very deep tradition for the navy, in spite of its inland location. One of the first steps he took in order to achieve his goal of joining the military was to join the sea cadets, a program that the navy sets up in
From February 6-9, 2020, 19 intrepid CPC students braved the cold wind of a Toronto winter and put their diplomatic skills to the test as they took part in the University of Toronto Model United Nations. Crestwood Preparatory College students took on the role of delegates representing an array of nations, from Bangladesh to Thailand,
Barbara McLoughlin was born July 1, 1920, in Devon, England, and she grew up in and around Teignmouth. Her father immigrated to England from Italy at the turn of the century; he grew up to be a loyal Englishman, serving in the Great War. He married an Englishwoman from Devon – Barbara’s mother – and
Rod White was born in Trenton, Ontario in 1925. Rod’s father died when he was only four, and some of his early memories are of his mother struggling to raise her seven children in difficult economic times. Rod was a sickly child, suffering from bouts of tuberculosis and jaundice; combined with wearing glasses from an
Walter Swirski was born in Poland on May 7, 1922. His family lived in a small village, where they were prosperous farmers; Walter’s father owned a share in a flour mill, and had been an officer in the Soviet-Polish war. Walter had one brother and was going to school when the Second World War broke
Harry Gower was born in Toronto in 1922. He grew up in the city’s west end, where he attended Western Tech. With the death of his father and the coming of the Great Depression, Harry had to leave high school after one year, and he took a job at Eaton’s, where he operated the elevator
Robert “Bud” Jones was born in the St-Henri District of Montreal, and educated in the school districts of St. Henri, Montreal and Verdun , Quebec. Bud Jones is a decorated career soldier of 30 yrs, and a veteran of WWII who also served in Korea. He grew up in Depression-era Montreal, where Bud remembers his
Founder of Neema International, Canada and Crestwood School graduate, Ali Hanson, stopped by this morning to share a presentation with our student body about her work in Tanzania. She described in detail the daily routines of the two schools she runs (plans for a third) and how our contributions through our Crestwood Cares community service
On Tuesday, Crestwood was treated to a return performance by the Kenyan Boys Choir. The choir, made up of young men from high schools and universities across Kenya, provided an opportunity for members to develop their vocal skills as well as share their culture around the world. We heard African-American spirituals, contemporary popular music, and
On Tuesday, October 3rd, Crestwood will be hosting a return performance by the Kenyan Boys Choir. The Choir, which also came to Crestwood in 2015, consists of an all-star group of singers gathered from high schools and universities across Kenya. Their repertoire consists of traditional African music, African-American spirituals, Western classicism and contemporary music. The
Anne-Marie Woods, aka Amani, is a Toronto performer who visited Crestwood for a Black History Month presentation in February 2017. She entertained and educated students with her show Journey Into Me, a series of songs, raps and spoken word mixed in with her unique storytelling style. Journey Into Me is the story of how Black History
On Thursday, March 2, Crestwood students were privileged to meet MP Yasmin Ratansi, who represents the riding of Don Valley East. Ms. Ratansi spoke with Crestwood students who will be visiting Tanzania over the March Break, where they will take part in a Me to We construction project. Ms. Ratansi is a native of Tanzania,
The Grade 6 students are in the process of completing interviews with family members who were immigrants to Canada. The students were lucky enough to hear Mrs. Badler share a monologue about her immigrant story and her arrival to Canada from South Africa in 1996. She explained the challenges she experienced living under the apartheid
George Elliott Clarke is a Canadian poet and playwright who is currently serving as the Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate. His work largely explores the experience and history of the Black Canadian communities of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, creating a cultural geography that Clarke refers to as “Africadia”. Of Afro-Metis origin, George is also researching that side
This week students in Grades 4A & 4B used a Think-Pair-Share Strategy in order to decide upon a few interview questions to ask both Ms. Hektor and Ms. Badler. Think-Pair-Share is a collaborative learning strategy in which students first work independently, then share their ideas with a buddy, and finally with the group in order
