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,
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
Lions and Tigers and Maasai Warriors, oh my! Crestwood is excited to once again be partnering with the We organization (formally Me to We) to journey to Tanzania and bring an incredible travel, educational and service opportunity to our students. Following the success of our previous trips to Ecuador and Nicaragua, Crestwood is expanding our
Albert Mahon was born into a large family in south London, England in 1923. He grew up in a working class neighbourhood, where school was not a top priority. Instead Albert went to work, and much of his childhood and early years were spent working a variety of jobs, as well as helping with his
Ray Cameron is a veteran of the Merchant Navy. When the war came he was living in Lindsay, Ontario, where he had been on the farm and had worked on the Great Lakes as a seaman. When Norway was pulled into the war, the Norwegian merchant marine made the decision to recruit in Canada, and
Lawrence Fish was born in Crowle, England in 1923. He was the eldest of four siblings. In school he went to seventh grade and then started to work in farming and driving trucks. Most of his childhood was spent working as well as helping with his siblings. In 1941, once he was old enough to enlist,
Crestwood’s YARRD/Me to We and Female Mentor Group clubs are very proud to have hosted Jean Augustine this past Thursday. Ms. Augustine was the first African Canadian woman to be elected to the Canadian Parliament (1993) and the first to serve in the federal Cabinet. She was Minister of State for multiculturalism (and the status of women)
Did you know that Crestwood has an extended family? CPC has been fostering children through the Foster Parents Plan for twelve years. CPC is pleased to introduce three of the children who have benefited from the Foster Parents Plan. Gertrude Banda (pictured) is ten years old and lives in Zambia Africa, Jandry Tumbaco (pictured) is
Jim Shontaler was born in the Canadian west, growing up in the difficult days of the Great Depression. As there were some family problems, Jim spent many of his early years in an orphanage. With the war underway and with no firm direction before him, he joined up as soon as he was able, heading
Edward “Ted” Hoare grew up against the backdrop of mid 1930s London. Ted received a scholarship to attend a uniform school, but he wasn’t able to attend due to a lack of financial resources. He eventually got a job and registered for the military at the age of fourteen, and he subsequently joined the Home
Walter Bell is the father of Mrs. Sue Brownlee, a Crestwood Staff member. As a member of Britain’s Royal Artillery in World War Two, Mr. Bell began training in England, before heading to Freetown, Sierra Leone to train African troops. He eventually took his trained troops and headed to Burma, where he fought for Britain
The big day is fast approaching. The Crestwood Junior Choir is working hard preparing for their upcoming performances at the Ontario Vocal Festival at Mayfield High School in Caledon and the Kiwanis Music Festival at Crescent School on Wednesday, February 25th, 2015. We are performing an array of songs for these events which include the hit
The big day is fast approaching. The Crestwood Junior Choir is working hard preparing for their upcoming performances at the Ontario Vocal Festival at Mayfield High School in Caledon and the Kiwanis Music Festival at Crescent School on Wednesday, February 25th, 2015. We are performing an array of songs for these events which include the
Every year during the first week of February, Grade 8 and 9 Geography students research a country from all different parts of the world. The students learn about how this country and their people have helped to impact our Canadian society and how to make some of that country’s most delicious foods. This year on
On October 2nd, Ms. Williams and Mr. Masters took members of the YARRD/Me to We club to We Day, at the Air Canada Centre. The students had the chance to see musical acts such as Hedley and Kardinal Offishall, and they had their social consciences tweaked by the Kielburger brothers, Chris Hatfield, Queen Noor, and
Shaun Boothe is a fixture in the Toronto hip hop community, one we have been proud to host a number of times at Crestwood. He first visited The CHC classes in 2011, where he showed Mr. Masters’ and Mr. Hawkins’ classes an alternative approach to modern history, using hip hop as a means to teach
John T. Davis is a legend on the Toronto music scene, where he is known professionally as a high energy jazz/blues/gospel organ player. The Hammond B3 Organ is his instrument of choice, but he also plays the piano and synthesizer, and sings. John also arranges music, playing originals and standards of many diverse styles, both
Shelley Hamilton is a singer/entertainer based in Toronto, and one we have gotten to know very well over the years at Crestwood. Shelley is a woman of many talents, whose diverse portfolio can be seen at her website at http://www.shelleyhamilton.ca/. She has done supply teaching here and has been involved in many Black History Month
Mr. Masters and Mr. Hawkins are happy to announce the winners of this year’s Black History Month competition. We had many impressive submissions this year, covering topics as varied as Rosa Parks and Kardinal Offishal. Students showed the amazing contributions to North American culture and history by African-Americans and African-Canadians. Selecting a winner and a
On February 7th, Crestwood will celebrate it’s 13th annual Multicultural Day Symposium. It is a day when the Grade 8 and Grade 9 geography students showcase a researched country and display their findings and also includes some fantatsic food for the entire school during period 4 and period 5. Students will be dressed in their
Stanley Grizzle has led an illustrious life, and Crestwood students were fortunate to meet him in the spring of 2013 – on several occasions – and we are indebted to Kathy Grant and the Legacy Voices Project for setting up that introduction. Stanley Grizzle was born in Toronto in 1918, to Jamaican parents who immigrated
Charles Mann is a Canadian veteran of World War Two who served with the Black Devils. Originally from Port Hope, Charles and his family were affected by the Great Depression, like so many other Canadian families. Charles left school for work, but with the coming of the war, he enlisted in the army, and when
A South African Jew, Mr. Leonard Rubinstein volunteered to fight with the British 8th Army the “Desert Rats” in WW2. After seeing action in Bardia, he was captured and spent the remainder of the war in Axis POW camps, where he was fortunate to keep his religious identity secret from the Gestapo. Mr. Rubinstein came
Zatoon Vania grew up in South Africa, where she experienced the full weight of the Apartheid regime. She and her husband fought that system and became members of the African National Congress, where they worked with Nelson Mandela. Zatoon came to Canada in the mid-1960s, where she raised a family and pursued a career. We
Rabia Sallie is the sister of Zatoon Vania, who also appears on this page. Rabia too is fom South Africa, where she grew up under the shadow of Apartheid. Like here sister Zatoon, Rabia also braved the consequences and challenged the intolerance of that system. We met her at the Noor Cultural Centre in Toronto,
Kassim Ebrahim grew up during the Apartheid era in South Africa. Later a teacher in Rhodesia and Zambia, he eloquently provided Crestwood students with a glimpse into the history of Apartheid, as well as telling them his own stories and sharing his memories. We met him through the Noor Cultural Center in Toronto, where he
Sergio Ciano was a young boy when World War Two began. He lived in Somalia, an Italian colony in Northern Africa. His father was an officer in the Italian Military Police. Sergio was interviewed for this project by Lowell Williams in early 2009.
