Gordon Graydon Memorial Secondary School
Encyclopedia
Gordon Graydon Memorial Secondary School, "Gordon Graydon", "GGMSS", or simply "Graydon" for short, is a Canadian high school serving Grades 9 to 12, located at 1490 Ogden Avenue in Mississauga, Ontario
, Canada
. The school opened in 1957, and celebrated its 50th anniversary on May 26, 2007. It was named after Gordon Graydon
, a Canadian politician
who died in 1953. The school's slogan is "Palma Per Ardua": Success through Hard Work.
Gordon Graydon is home to the International Business and Technology Program
(IBT
), where students join an enriched program that places an emphasis on business
and technology
skills to supplement their academic studies. The school also has a tradition
of hosting the Peel High School Chess Tournament (since 2005), is also home to the only Flexography Program (Flexography
) in the region, and places an emphasis on education
, athletics
, and the art
s.
The majority of the students are IBT students; the remainder consist of mainstream (local) and vocation students. In the first two years of high school, IBTs and mainstreams have separate classes.
The IBT Program has one only school in the South Peel Region of Mississauga, and therefore most students cannot walk to and from school. The majority of the IBT Program students use the GGAM IBT Bussing for transport to and from school.
, students are responsible for design
ing, marketing
, and advertising
a new product to the school as a course requirement. Each class is typically divided into two businesses, each of which sells their own product
during the school's lunch periods and during open house
s. They usually sell for a period of two months during which they are required to keep a log and track of their finances.
Students earn one regular point for each ten hours of involvement with a particular team or club.
, tennis
, archery
, badminton
, swimming
, field hockey
, volleyball
, soccer, rugby union
, baseball
, softball
, and many more. An athletic banquet is held each year to celebrate accomplishments in athletics. Many students look forward to this event.
The Physical Education department's slogan:
Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The school opened in 1957, and celebrated its 50th anniversary on May 26, 2007. It was named after Gordon Graydon
Gordon Graydon
Gordon Graydon, BA , QC , LL.D was a Canadian politician.Graydon received his early education at Woodlands Secondary School in County Peel, Ontario. He attended Brampton Centennial High School, and was a student at University of Toronto in Political Science. He graduated from Osgoode Hall law...
, a Canadian politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who died in 1953. The school's slogan is "Palma Per Ardua": Success through Hard Work.
Gordon Graydon is home to the International Business and Technology Program
International Business and Technology Program
The International Business and Technology program is a business and technology program available in Mississauga and Brampton, Ontario, Canada, and is available to all students in these cities...
(IBT
International Business and Technology Program
The International Business and Technology program is a business and technology program available in Mississauga and Brampton, Ontario, Canada, and is available to all students in these cities...
), where students join an enriched program that places an emphasis on business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
skills to supplement their academic studies. The school also has a tradition
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
of hosting the Peel High School Chess Tournament (since 2005), is also home to the only Flexography Program (Flexography
Flexography
Flexography is a form of printing process which utilizes a flexible relief plate. It is basically an updated version of letterpress that can be used for printing on almost any type of substrate including plastic, metallic films, cellophane, and paper...
) in the region, and places an emphasis on education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, athletics
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
, and the art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
s.
The majority of the students are IBT students; the remainder consist of mainstream (local) and vocation students. In the first two years of high school, IBTs and mainstreams have separate classes.
The IBT Program has one only school in the South Peel Region of Mississauga, and therefore most students cannot walk to and from school. The majority of the IBT Program students use the GGAM IBT Bussing for transport to and from school.
International Business & Technology Program (IBTP)
The International, Business and Technology (IBT) program is an innovative program that enriches and extends the traditional secondary school curriculum in order to prepare students for the challenges of an increasingly complex world. It continues the program offered by middle school, Allan A. Martin.Grade 8 Graydon Outlook (GO) Conference
The Graydon Outlook Conference is an overnight conference designed to welcome new and upcoming grade 8 students into the IBT Program. The conference is set up much like a leadership conference where the students are split up into groups with Leadership Developers guiding them through sessions. The sessions are created to foster leadership skills and allow the students to make friends and become comfortable with each other, so they will have an easy transition into high school.Grade 9 Laptop Program
The Gordon Graydon Memorial Secondary School's laptop program is only available for IBT students. The program allows students to use their laptop in their Geography, English, Science, and Business classes. The subject material and courses themselves are no different but the students will learn additional information using a computer than normal IBT students. The laptop program is mostly beneficial to the IBT business course, as for the majority of the class, business related computer programs are used.Grade 10 Laptop Program
The Grade 10 Laptop Program was added in the 2009/2010 year. It is similar to the Grade 9 Laptop Program. The Laptop Program is available in the Business, History, English, and Science courses.Grade 10 Business Venture
In their Grade 10 business classes, IBTInternational Business and Technology Program
The International Business and Technology program is a business and technology program available in Mississauga and Brampton, Ontario, Canada, and is available to all students in these cities...
, students are responsible for design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
ing, marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
, and advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
a new product to the school as a course requirement. Each class is typically divided into two businesses, each of which sells their own product
Product (business)
In general, the product is defined as a "thing produced by labor or effort" or the "result of an act or a process", and stems from the verb produce, from the Latin prōdūce ' lead or bring forth'. Since 1575, the word "product" has referred to anything produced...
during the school's lunch periods and during open house
Open House
Open House may refer to:*Open house , a common school event held in the United States and Canada*Open House , a 1960 album by jazz organist Jimmy Smith*Open House , a 2004 independent film...
s. They usually sell for a period of two months during which they are required to keep a log and track of their finances.
School Traditions
There are many traditions at Gordon Graydon, including:- Grade Nine Olympics: A day of fun and games to welcome the new Grade Nine students . The event occurs at the end of September and is run by senior students in the Student Athletic Assosciation (SAA).
- Talent Show: Students of Gordon Graydon organize, plan, and perform in a talent showTalent showA talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
. This occurs during the second semester of the year. - Culture Shock Events: The Chinese Student Association, Christian Club, Muslim Students Association, and Sikh Student Association combine to run movie nights, cultural danceDanceDance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
s or cultural costumeCostumeThe term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period. Costume may also refer to the artistic arrangement of accessories in a picture, statue, poem, or play, appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances...
days, in order to raise awareness of the diverse number of cultures at Graydon. - GO Conference: The Graydon Outlook or "GO" Conference occurs near the end of second semester for IBT students entering the school in the following year, and is run by older students in the IBT Leadership Council.
- Peel High School Chess Tournament: The president of the Graydon Chess Club organizes an interscholastic chessChessChess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
tournament between all schools in the Regional Municipality of Peel. Graydon has finished in first place ever since the tournament was founded in 2005. - Thinkbiz : A business competition, organized annually by GGMSS under the Globalinx club, in which all Peel high school teams are invited to participate and compete.
- SAC Elections: The whole school gathers in the gym to elect the following year's student government after watching candidates' speeches. Classes return to their homeroom where they cast ballots.
School Clubs
Gordon Graydon is host to many different clubs and teams. Students receive one "activity point" for 10 hours of extracurricular participation, and the school gives awards to those who reach a certain number of points.Activity Point Awards
- 25 points: Junior Activity Award
- 40 points: Senior Activity Award
- 70 points: The Principal's Letter
- 90 points: Athletic Award
- 90 points: Club Activity Award
Students earn one regular point for each ten hours of involvement with a particular team or club.
Clubs at Graydon
- Ambassadors: GGMSS representatives in several school events, help out with Grade 9 orientation, organizes parents on IBT Information night, serves as communication between the Graydon student body and parents / visitors.
- Audio-Visual Team: Works to provide technology help for presentations and shows. In charge of managing all technical equipment (sound and lights) during school events such as Talent Show, grade assemblies, Theatre Graydon, etc.
- Association of AYD (Aspiring Young Doctors): A club dedicated to students interested in pursuing a career in medicine. AYD raises awareness about current health issues, discusses new medical findings and participates and organizes several school wide fund-raisers and events. AYD has also worked with several hospitals and raised funds for the cancer division in the Credit Valley Hospital.
- Graydon Chess Club: One of then newest clubs in the school (founded in 2005), the Graydon Chess Club became the school's largest club at over 100 members in 2006. The club, its founder, and its members have been recognized for proficient organization and for consistently dominating the Peel High School Chess Tournament, which is also hosted by the club. The club also held a large party in 2006 for retired chess Grandmaster Garry KasparovGarry KasparovGarry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
's 43rd birthday. - Dance Club: A club that teaches students different styles dancing. This includes but is not limited to breakdancing, krumping, popping, and choreography. Five members of the breakdancers are expected to compete at Bots (Battle of the Schools), an interscholastic breakdancing tournament held in Mississauga.
- Debate Club: Debate club participates in several formal debates on the regional, provincial and national level. The debate club is also known for participating in international debates at University of Harvard.
- Duke of EdinburghDuke of EdinburghThe Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
: A club that allows the students to set personal goals and strive to achieve them. Service, expedition and exploration, skills, and physical fitness are the four categories in which they excel. If the students succeed in any of the four categories they are awarded a broach by a member of the Royal Family. - Graydon DECADECA (organization)DECA, also known as Collegiate DECA on the college level) is an international association of students and teachers of marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, finance, hospitality, and marketing sales and service . DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing,...
Chapter: Graydon's chapter of the internationally recognized marketing and business competition club. Frequently competes at the provincial competition in Toronto, Ontario. Many students from Gordon Graydon place well in the provincial competition and further advance to the international event. Graydon DECA Chapter had the largest chapter in Ontario in 2010/2011 term, with over 120 members. - Gay Straight Alliance (GSA): A social and supportive group for gay, lesbian, and bisexual students, and their allies. Responsible for the annual event the Coffee Haus and Day of Silence.
- Free the ChildrenFree The ChildrenFree The Children is an international charity and youth movement founded in 1995 by children's rights advocate Craig Kielburger. The organization is largely youth-funded, based on the concept of "children helping children." It specializes in sustainable development in countries of Kenya, Ecuador,...
: Fights for more rights and better living conditions for children in poorer regions on the world, particularly in Third WorldThird WorldThe term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
nations such as in ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
& IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world... - Globalinx: Organizes and runs a regional, one-day business competition known as Thinkbiz
- Graydon Reaching Out (GRO): Provides volunteer opportunities for students, and organizes charitable events in the community for all Graydon students
- Green Team: Previously known as the Environmental Club, the club takes charge of planting around school, raising awareness for global environmentNatural environmentThe natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
al issues and encourages people to follow the "3R Rule" (reduce, reuse & recycle). The club successfully purchased and initiated the use of large blue bins in the cafeteria in 2006. - Hawk Talk: Responsible for creating the school's newspaperNewspaperA newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
- Humanity Graydon: Works with several NGOs to organize events and raise donations for community or global causes, such as taking part in the 30 hour famine, letter writing campaigns, and inviting guest speakers.
- IBT Leadership Council: Initiated in 2006, it organizes roadshows, Grade conferencess, GO conference, Grade 9 information sessions, keeping IBTs updated about portfolio checks, and taking care of many aspects of the IBT program.
- Improv Club: Members practice improv acting.
- Investors of Tomorrow: Members participate on an online stock marketStock marketA stock market or equity market is a public entity for the trading of company stock and derivatives at an agreed price; these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately.The size of the world stock market was estimated at about $36.6 trillion...
competition. It was the first club under the Investors of Tomorrow branch formulated in 2002 by four Graydon students, now the largest student run organization in Canada with branches in QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, and Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. - Junior Band: Grade nine students who meet and practice weekly to improve their skills. They also participate in the annual Christmas concert as well as Canada's Wonderland music festival.
- Jazz Band: Participates at the ChristmasChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
concert and the festival at Canada's Wonderland with JazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, LatinLatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, or RockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. - Math Club/Math Help: Provides math help and student tutoring during lunch or after school to study for upcoming tests and quizzes. They also organize the math conferences, guest speakers, and celebrate Pi DayPi DayPi Day is a holiday commemorating the mathematical constant π . Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 , since 3, 1 and 4 are the three most significant digits of π in the decimal form...
. - Model United NationsModel United NationsModel United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
: Model UN club has weekly discussions and debates about international affairs, current economic issues. They also compete in various Model UN Conferences. - MOSAIC: A club that brings together the execs of various cultural and religious clubs in school (SSA, HSA, MSA, EACC) as a forum for discussion and planning large scale events at school, such as Cultural Week.
- Photography Club: Members discover photography techniques, as well as learn how to utilize Adobe PhotoshopAdobe PhotoshopAdobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems Incorporated.Adobe's 2003 "Creative Suite" rebranding led to Adobe Photoshop 8's renaming to Adobe Photoshop CS. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the 12th major release of Adobe Photoshop...
to enhance their photos. Best photographs are displayed at the Sky Light restaurant at school. - Prom Committee: Organizes the Grade 12 PromPromIn the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...
by booking halls, selecting the theme, decorations, and menu. Club members selected through application procedure. - Speakers Club of Interviews and Presentations: An association where students learn skills that can be applied during interviews, presentations and while speaking in public.
- Radio Graydon: Conducts the morning announcement and creates the broadcast presentations on the televisions around the school
- Reach for the Top: Members practice and test each other on general knowledge questions from a wide range of topic to compete at the annual Reach for the Top competition between high schools.
- Robotics: This is officially a club, though considered more of a team. Responsible for building a robotRobotA robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
that competes in the FIRST Robotics CompetitionFIRST Robotics CompetitionThe FIRST Robotics Competition is an international high school robotics competition organized by FIRST. Each year, teams of high school students compete to build robots weighing up to , not including battery and bumpers, that can complete a task, which changes every year...
. It is divided amongst different teams: Mechanical, Programming/Electrical (previously separate teams) and several others. - Security Team: An ever-growing and expanding team in Graydon, the securitySecuritySecurity is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
team monitors large events and ensures their smooth operation as well as the safety of the students of Gordon Graydon. - Semi-Formal Committee: Organizes the annual semi-formalSemi-formalIn Western clothing semi-formal is a grouping of dress codes, indicating the sort of clothes worn to events with a level of protocol between informal and formal...
open to all grades. - Science Club: While performing cool experiments, they also provide students help with chemistry, biology, and physics while preparing for science competitions.
- Student Athletic Association (SAA): A student run association in charge of planning several athletic events such as extra curricular activities, Grade 9 Olympics and the athletic banquet at the end of the year.
- Student Activity Council (SAC): A student council dedicated to planning student activities. SAC is also in charge of funding all school clubs and teams. SAC also organizes school dances, spirit days, and the semi-formal.
- Table Tennis Club: A club for passionate table tennis players. Players meet afterschool and participate in practice sessions and school wide tournaments.
- Talent Show Committee: Organizes the annual school Talent Show.
- Theatre Graydon / Drama Club: Puts on many shows for the student body and the neighbouring communityCommunityThe term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
. The cast and crew work tirelessly, putting many late nights in to their club. As a result, Theatre Graydon's members frequently receive more activity points than members of any other club
Athletics at Graydon
Gordon Graydon has many athletic teams, including the following sports: basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, soccer, rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, and many more. An athletic banquet is held each year to celebrate accomplishments in athletics. Many students look forward to this event.
The Physical Education department's slogan:
Proud of the Past,
Celebrating the Present,
Building for the Future!
Teams
- Alpine Skiing
- Archery
- Badminton
- Ball Hockey
- Baseball
- Basketball (Bantam Boys/Junior Boys/Senior Boys/Varsity Girls)
- Cross Country
- Cricket (Varsity)
- Hockey (Ice hockey (Boys), Field (Girls))
- Golf Team
- Soccer (Varsity Girls/Junior Boys/Senior Boys)
- Swimming
- Tennis (Junior/Senior)
- Table Tennis Team
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Volleyball (Junior Boys/Girls, Senior Boys/Girls)
Notable alumni
- Andrew Tai - Owner of Investors of Tomorrow
- Lomus 'Lomaticc' Babber - Singer/Songwriter
- Tyse Saffuri - Singer/Songwriter