CLARKSON SECONDARY SCHOOL
NEWSLETTER - FEBRUARY 2018
Message from the Principal
Dear Clarkson Families
We are excited to share highlights of the 2017-2018 school year so far. There is a huge variety of learning opportunities that take place in and out of the classroom. Throughout this newsletter you will read about the many successes and experiences of our Chargers. I am so proud of our staff and students and the spirit of inclusivity that is at the heart of our school.
For a small school, there are an extraordinary amount of clubs, teams and activities to get involved in. The dedication, innovation and grit of our Charger in academic, athletics and extra-curriculars is impressive and inspiring.
We are looking forward to the second half of the school year and of course our annual Cancer Drive which will take place in April. Last year, our raised over $43,000.00- the highest total since the beginning of Cancer Drive in 1974.
Thank you to our staff and students for their hard work. Best wishes for a successful second semester.
Mrs. Zammit
Principal
Retirements
A special farewell to Mr. Ramsay and Ms. Luffman who retired on January 31, 2018 after 30 and 37 years of teaching respectively. Both Mr. Ramsey and Ms. Luffman have made many contributions to Clarkson Secondary School. Mr. Ramsey taught math and coached for many years; and continued to coach the Girls Flag Football Team until this year. Mr. Ramsay has been a valuable member of the math department and will be missed by his colleagues and students. Ms. Luffman has had many roles over her years, including teaching Family Studies and Special Education while at Clarkson. As the Department Head of Special Education and Guidance Ms. Luffman offered tremendous support to many students, staff and families over the years. She also was the lead teacher of our very successful Clarkson Café Breakfast program.
We would like to thank both Mr. Ramsay and Ms. Luffman for their care and dedication. We wish them both well in their retirement.
ENGLISH & ESL
Chargers in Charge Day: DIVERSITY IS POWER
Clarkson’s Climate Committee is a group consisting of staff, students, and various community members who are all passionate about celebrating and advocating for diversity, inclusivity, and equity within the school and community. This year’s overall theme for Climate is “Knowledge is Power” with the hope that we can all be more mindful with the more we know.
In first semester, the Climate Committee helped organize “CHARGERS IN CHARGE DAY”, the theme being “DIVERSITY IS POWER”, where staff and students ran various activities around the school. In the morning, we had motivational speaker, Anthony McLean (https://www.anthonymclean.org) come and speak to the school about what it means to deconstruct and abolish stereotypes and #breakthebox. During lunchtime, our “Living Library” gave opportunity for students to hear and watch inspirational personal stories unfold from their teachers and peers, while our “Diversity Tree” bloomed with positive messages and personal notes from staff and students about what diversity means to them. In the cafeteria, many extracurricular clubs and organizations came together in celebrating diversity with various foods and activities for the whole school to participate in, including yoga, colouring therapy sessions, therapy dogs, and henna designs. During third period, students and staff participated in a one-lesson activity and continued in the spirit of storytelling and celebrating diversity by sharing their own personal experiences and reflecting on a video presented by Amnesty International entitled, "Look Beyond Borders” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7XhrXUoD6U). It was an amazing day, indeed for everyone in the school. Upon leaving the building, Anthony McLean even said, “I never expected to leave with my heart so full”. Once again, Clarkson Chargers show that for a small school, we have so much heart.
The Climate Committee is looking forward to planning their next big school-wide event, which will be Mental Health Week in second semester in the Spring.
As an extension of the English curriculum, select senior English classes enjoyed a visit from Kim Wheatley earlier in semester 1. Ms Wheatley is an Ojibwe Anishinaabe Grandmother from Shawanaga First Nation Reserve and carries the spirit name Head or Leader of the Fireflower and is a part of the Turtle Clan. She has appeared on TV and in many news articles connected to her passion of Indigenous knowledge sharing. She is a passionate presenter who teaches awareness of the Indigenous perspective utilizing her gifts of song, storytelling and Traditional teachings.
Podcast Playlist: Journeys from Home
The English and ESL Department is overseeing Clarkson’s first ever podcast club and has now transferred into classroom activities. Mr. Vassiliou’s Grade 9 students have successfully used the equipment to meaningfully discuss novel reviews, and are excited to bring one scripted production to fruition in the second semester, tentatively titled “Girl to Girl”.
Ms. Fryer’s ESL classes have also been making meaningful use of the podcast technology in examining their past from present perspectives by recording their own personal narratives documenting their personal journeys.
Both classes are planning on eventually posting their episodes on the Podcast Club website: https://www.spreaker.com/user/clkvoices
Grade 12s are Taking Shakespeare’s Hamlet to the Next Level
Shakespeare should never be just simply read in the classroom – Ms. Gonzales-Fadel and Mr. Prosser’s Grade 12 University English classes have taken it to the next level. As their summative project for their study of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, students have not only studied and watched the play, but are now in the process of creating original Hamlet rewrites in mini-film production form.
Students have divided themselves in groups, selected scenes, and have chosen a contemporary context to present them with. Some groups have chosen popular culture contexts like The Office, The Godfather, and even Dr. Seuss to convey Hamlet’s angst and tragic story. This project has exposed students to various forms of storytelling through script writing and film editing; giving them the opportunity to hone their critical thinking skills when making connections to other contexts. Group films will be presented on Friday, January 12th in the theatre during their very own class film festival, where students can view and critique each other’s masterpieces.
Media Studies Make their Way to TIFF
Early December it was all about “LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!” for Ms. Gonzales-Fadel’s Media Studies class! As an introduction activity to the Film Unit, they took a field trip to the TIFF (Toronto Film Festival) Lightbox in Downtown Toronto. There, students took part in a “Film in a Day” workshop hosted by TIFF staff, where they were given the opportunity to go through the process of pitch presenting, script writing, role selection, sound modulation; and of course, acting and directing. By the end of the day, students produced their own short feature film, completely created, directed, filmed, and edited by them. Don’t be surprised if there are a few Oscar-worthy actors, directors, or scriptwriters in our midst.
Alternate Beginnings/Endings Come to Life on Film for Grade 11 International Students!
The International students taking Grade 11 English this semester worrked on an exciting task where they were expected to create an eight-panel storyboard that envisions a possible beginning scene, an alternate beginning/ending or a deleted scene based on the novel, Lord of the Flies. Students used their storyboards to act out each scene using the green screen technology and film editing software. Through this activity, students were able to use their newfound knowledge of camera angles, visual aids and media software to edit their clips to help bring their narratives into film. This creative assignment was a great success and gave students the opportunity to communicate their learning through this rich task.
For a sample, check out one group’s final cut of their scene: https://youtu.be/RU57lDzIx8s
MATH & COMPUTER SCIENCE
This semester our grade 10 and grade 11 computer science classes have created a variety of autonomous robots to compete in different events. One challenge had them creating Sumo robots that were designed to push the others out of the ring. Another was a forklift challenge to lift and stack blocks taller than the robot themselves. With autonomous cars around the corner, these students are in a great position to build and code the robots of the future. The following are a few examples of some of their creations:
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Technology
The new school year has brought upon many changes to Clarkson’s Technological Studies department. Miss Kraska has left for a placement at Louise Arbour SS, we wish her all the best. We welcomed the addition of Mr. Khosrowshahian to our technology and business programs.
Mr. Petsinis’ and Mr. Drake’s Transportation and Manufacturing classes visited Niagara College to see their new state of the art, multi-million dollar manufacturing and transportation facilities. Students were given the chance to explore the campus with a tour guide and were treated to a lunch as well. Their tour included visiting the facilities of many other disciplines related to technology and skilled trades. Niagara College also offers a $1000 scholarship to students who successfully complete the Specialist High Skills Major program at Clarkson SS.
The Grade 9’s have successfully launched their pop bottle rockets and are gaining valuable exposure to various technological concepts. The Grade 12 Specialist high skills Major students also enjoyed a recent visit to the Ontario Science Centre.
Science
Grade 11 Environmental Science and EcoSchools
Mr. Uttamsingh has taken the lead on teaching our new Grade 11 Environmental Science course, as well as our EcoSchools commitments for the year. Students have been rallied to support our recycling program, as well as conducted our initial energy consumption survey. The coming months will see student lead initiatives to improve our school’s energy consumption and waste diversion habits. Results to show how effective these campaigns are will be shared later on towards the end of Semester 2.
Adventures in Science
Ms. Haddad has gathered a group of Grade 11 and 12 science students to become this year’s group of Science teachers for our Grade 6 visitors in April. Working with medical students from the University of Toronto, members of the Mississauga Academy of Medicine will guide our students through leadership workshops to become stronger mentors, leaders, team workers, and communicators for the Grade 6 visit.
Engineering Idol
Mr. Chan has gathered a team of students to participate in this year’s Engineering Idol competition, hosted by the Professional Engineers of Ontario Etobicoke subchapter. This year’s challenge is on “Building a Sustainable Future for Canada”. Students will be doing preliminary planning, prototyping, and coming up with a business presentation in the coming weeks. This will all lead up to the competition on March 3rd at the University of Toronto, where the prototype gets presented and judged by an expert panel of specialists.
Peer Tutors
Thanks to Mr. Camarena for organizing the Math and Science Peer Tutoring for this year! Senior students gather on Tuesdays and Thursdays at lunch to provide tutoring in math and science for all students at our school.
LANGUAGES & LIBRARY
Languages Department
Bonne année à tous! Students studying French enjoyed a semester full of interesting experiences! All our Grade 9 students celebrated the francophone community and its history Franco-Ontarian Day September 25. Students had a lot of fun making, filling and eating waffles and watched the film Ratatouille.
French Immersion
The Grade 9 classes have been busy finishing their unit on tales, legends, and myths by writing a twisted or modified fairy tale based on one that they had read in class. This unit brings an end to a fun-filled semester that started with discovering and creating advertising for French-speaking countries and regions. A new contemporary novel was introduced at the Grade 9 level this year. La plus grosse poutine du monde, written by Andrée Poulin, a Franco-Ontarian author, is the story of a 14-year-old boy who decides to try to break the Guinness Record for the biggest poutine in order to help him forget about his absent mother. Students appeared to have enjoyed the novel and its themes which were both entertaining and discussion-provoking. Mmes Héneault and Twizere also enjoyed it and only regret not having a chance to try and break the record with their own classes!
At the Grade 10 level, students immersed themselves in the world of media and investigated current events, media influence, and bias/stereotyping in news reporting in francophone regions. They also studied various techniques applied in visual and audio advertising, and those used in interviews. Students were very creative in presenting their own news reports and producing print and audiovisual advertisements. The class seemed to appreciate the experience of reading Le Petit Nicolas in literature circles, viewing the series’ films, and had a lot of fun and laughs dramatizing one of Nicolas’ anecdotes. Students also reflected on their favourite childhood moments sharing their own anecdotes and describing past memories and photos of their families and classmates. The class learned about Paris often through songs and researched the sociocultural era when Le Fantôme de l’Opéra was written. While reading the classic novel, they discussed its themes and characters, created and presented monologues, and watched a film version as well. The musical will be appearing in Toronto in June, so it maybe an event to attend!
In October, Grade 10s studying Civics participated in an excursion to Queen’s Park in Toronto. Expanding their knowledge of citizenship, they sat in on a session of the Legislative Assembly, toured in French, and learned about the different responsibilities of our provincial government.
In the second half of the semester, the Grade 10s in their Careers class were busy planning for the world of work by learning about pathways and writing their curricula vitae. Moreover, they participated in an activity with the Grade 12 Business Leadership class to create an authentic interview experience. They prepared and practiced interview questions and responses before participating in mock interviews with senior students. We are happy to report most of them were the chosen candidates for the job!
Students studying History in Grade 10 learned about the various battles, historical figures, and political changes that shaped our Canadian nation today. They partook in a variety of interactive activities, such as a World War I weapons auction where they played the roles of various participating countries and negotiated to build and prepare their armies. They also engaged in a realistic stock market simulation, including the crash of 1929!
The Grade 11 class tried a few new things! Students participated in literature circles during our reading of Kiffe kiffe demain, a novel written by a young French author, Faiza Guene, when she was only 19. Students learned a lot of French slang and worked very well in their groups, leading their own discussions of the novel. We learned that students do not enjoy podcasts as much as Mme Twizere, but they were more energized when it came to researching and presenting different genres of music. We explored a variety of poems, songs, and films, and finished off the semester learning about writing screenplays. Students have just finished pitching their ideas for the next big dystopian movie in their final oral presentations.
The Grade 12 students learned about French literature and culture over the centuries. The class was introduced to a variety of French and French-Canadian writers including Guy de Maupassant, Marcel Dubé, and Albert Camus. They analyzed La Parure and its sociocultural era, viewed its short film adaptation, and had a lot of fun creating their own modern version. They read and dramatized Bilan, and presented their own epilogue to this play. While studying L’Étranger, they recreated the trial of the main character in this classic novel. Over the course of the semester, the students led class discussions on different controversial issues in today’s society.
Core French
Students in Grades 11 and 12 began preparing themselves for bilingual jobs. They wrote their curricula vitae and practiced for interviews in French. They also explored the various bilingual career possibilities open to them within and outside of Canada. Students were also introduced to a French literary classic when we read and analyzed the many themes in Le Petit Prince. Furthermore, they were able to showcase their creativity and global involvement as they presented engaging seminars on various social injustices.
The Grade 10 students planned a trip to a francophone country, including the research of the customs and traditions of their chosen country. The class was introduced to various French accents throughout the world, including the Québécois accent and commonly used slang. The students also learned about French Canadian history, with an emphasis on the famous hockey player Maurice Richard. They really enjoyed celebrating Franco-Ontarian Day when we made Belgian waffles together! The Grade 10s loved reading the funny childhood classic Le Petit Nicolas. Additionally, they presented a rant in order to demonstrate their ability to express their opinions and ideas.
GLOBAL STUDIES - SOCIAL SCIENCES, BUSINESS, CIVICS & CAREERS
GLOBAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT
This year the Global Studies Department has continued it work on exploiting Google Classroom as fully as possible to improve student learning and engagement and to increase parent involvement in student learning and class events. A number of successful Professional learning sessions have been held and in the coming year teachers will work with the school board resource teacher to continue develop their use and understanding of Google Education Suite.
Ms. Moretti has done a terrific job with the DECA Business club, especially since Ms. Raj departed Clarkson. Business students have done remarkably well in competition and much is hoped for in the future. DECA (Delivering Excellence, Celebrating Achievement) is a competition for emerging leaders and entrepreneurs and is designed to help students apply their learning through experiential learning. Through conferences and competitions, DECA instills professionalism and prepares youth to respond to authentic business cases and market demands. DECA’s competitive events are organized by clusters, which include various business areas such as Finance, Marketing, Hospitality and Tourism and Business and Administration. At Clarkson SS, we are pleased to host such a program in order to build and maintain interest in business courses, as well as help students become more business savvy.
Each year, students participate in the fall Regional Competition at a Peel Secondary School where they compete against all students in Peel. Those students who are successful get the opportunity to compete against students from all across Canada! This year, Clarkson S.S. had 24 students compete in the Regional competition, where 17 students qualified for the Provincial competition in February 2018. Those students had the opportunity to network with students from all across Canada during the two-night, three-day Provincial Competition in Toronto. This year, Clarkson S.S. had three students qualify for the International Competition (ICDC) in Atlanta, Georgia!
Each year the DECA program at Clarkson S.S. has grown and we are proud to offer such an authentic and rewarding experience for our students.
For more information visit: www.deca.ca
February is Black History - African Heritage month and we are particularly excited to host His Honour Judge Donald McLeod as one of our keynote speakers. We have a number of other speakers coming to the school to address students and address current issues as well as to inspire them and offer them some support in the knowledge that our students do not face their struggles alone.
This past November.....
"Mr. Costa and five students (Kendra Johnson, Fatima Sajid, Haseena Doost, Ceridwyn Guilbeault-Roballo, and Malachi Kerr) presented the 2017 Remembrance Day service over the P.A. system at Clarkson Secondary School. The service included, among other segments, a live trumpet performance of "The Last Post", a fully bilingual reading of "In Flanders Fields", acknowledgement of the contributions made by Indigenous soldiers, and a dedication to the struggles of returning veterans."
CREATIVE ARTS
VISUAL ARTS, DRAMA, MUSIC & FAMILY STUDIES
Drama
Drama students have been busy this semester developing their performance artistry! They have been honing their leadership potential, improving their communication skills, developing characters, creating scripts and of course, performing! Grade 9 students have been hard at work to create an original piece of theatre for their final performances, and students in the Grade 11 Presenting and Speaking course have been writing and presenting formal speeches. Congratulations to all CLK drama students for exploring your creativity and sharing your artistic talents with your classmates! Remember, to quote Henri Matisse, “Creativity takes courage”. Kudos to you all for accepting the challenge!
Visual Art
The art rooms are a splash of colour and are filled to the brim with wonderful works of art that are coming to a finish.
The excitement of learning and understanding watercolour is happening in grades 9, 10 and 11.
The yearbook class is closely watching their deadlines and they also created a fantastic cover, which will be unveiled upon delivery. The cover is a closely guarded secret!
Photography class has clicked away and each student has built up quite a beautiful repertoire of images as well as some creative narratives on Photoshop.
Grade 10 embarked on silkscreen printing with some exciting results, while the Grade 11s worked on self-portraits using fingerprints and ink!
Clarkson’s 2nd annual Arts Week ran from Nov. 20-24. Professional chef, Tonia Wilson, ran a spicy cooking demonstration on Tuesday, where students enjoyed making quesadillas and salads. Mr. Zimmer and Mrs. Zottola ran a watercolour workshop for nonvisual arts students to gain confidence in, for some, the new medium of watercolour and its techniques, on Wednesday. CLK students shared their talent at a lunch hour Coffee House, on Thursday, which saw all proceeds going to a local Foodbank. Finally, to finish off Arts Week with a blast – and one week later, students enjoyed a field trip to see an amazing production of Billy Elliot - The Musical, presented by Cawthra Park Secondary School, on Friday, Dec. 1st. What will next week hold for CLK? Stay tuned…
PHYSICAL EDUCATION & CO-OP EDUCATION
Health and Physical Education
Clarkson Chargers Swimmers are training hard for ROPSSAA. The ROPSSAA Swimming Championships are taking place on February 14, 2018 at the Etobicoke Olympium. Several of our swimmers are hoping to qualify for the OFSAA Championships being held in Windsor on February 27 and 28.
The ROPSSAA winter season is in full swing. Our senior girls’ volleyball team has been competing in ROPSSAA league play since early December. The senior girls’ currently have a 2-4 record in Tier 2 ROPSSAA league play. The girls have 2 league game remaining and are hoping to win both giving them a 4-4 record on the year. The girls also competed in a tournament at Jean Augustine in early December..
Our junior boys’ basketball team competed at a tournament at Lorne Park and hosted their own tournament in December. The boys competed hard at both tournaments and steadily improved and represent Clarkson well.
The Clarkson Boys hockey team had a 4-4 record in ROPSSAA league play, finishing in a tie for second place in the ROPSSAA Southwest division. Unfortunately the boys narrowly missed the play-offs, being a goal short in the tie breaking formula.
February is a busy month for ROPSSAA Championships. Clarkson students will be competing in Swimming, Nordic skiing and Table Tennis championships during February.
Spring is just around the corner and Clarkson will be participating in the following sports: senior boys’ cricket, badminton, boys’ baseball, girls’ slo-pitch, boys and girls’ soccer and track and field and ultimate Frisbee, and boys lacrosse.
The Clarkson Athletic Council is a group of students who organize and promote athletics at Clarkson Secondary School. This year they have been involved in running the weekly intramural program, organizing buyouts, and selling Clarkson sweats. Sweats sales will commence again in early February. Students can purchase hoodies and other clothing items. Listen to the announcements for more details. In Semester 2, the Athletic Council will be organizing the Athletic Banquet that will be held in June.
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM
Clarkson Welcomes the World
The International Program began the school year by welcoming approximately 30 new students from across the globe during World of Welcome Day (WOW) . Newcomer students were able to take tours of the school, walk through their timetable, and play cooperative games, which allowed them to get to know each other and their peer leaders/mentors. During Moon Festival, in early October, new students and their WOW leaders took a field trip to one of Canada’s favourite landmarks, Niagara Falls.
The orientation process continued with guest speakers from Mississauga Transit, Clarkson Library and Mississauga’s Parks and Recreation. In November, a Volunteer Hours Fair brought over 15 organizations to Clarkson’s cafeteria. Students connected with community representatives who offered them opportunities to gain their required 40 volunteer hours. In addition, monthly WOW Wednesdays have allowed students to celebrate Canadian holidays such as Thanksgiving, Halloween and Christmas.
The newly formed International Club brings together new and local Canadian students into one circle of friendship. Together they share their stories, hear different perspectives and have fun with activities such as Karaoke, a requested favourite. Within this club, 30 language partnerships have developed and many Clarkson students are taking the initial steps of learning new languages such as Japanese and Mandarin. This unique program is student driven with Clarkson students assuming leadership roles.
Post-secondary pathways were explored with a trip to the University of Toronto, Mississauga campus in November. A full day excursion allowed students to explore this beautiful campus within the Clarkson community. In addition U of T presented an IELTS seminar in Clarkson’s theatre, which helped students better prepare for the English proficiency tests required by most post-secondary schools.
Along with academics, it has been an exciting semester, as new students starting their journey in Canada, were introduced to the entire student body, with everyone growing, learning and sharing in the experience of life, as a Clarkson Charger.
University of Toronto Mississauga Campus Tour
Meeting new people at International Club
Getting help in the International Student's Room
TEAMS & CLUBS
LINK CREW
Link Crew is a high school transition program where senior students build relationships with and guide the incoming grade 9s and help them feel welcome and supported in school. Clarkson's Link Crew has had a busy start to this school year, opening up with energy and enthusiasm on Grade 9 Orientation Day, welcoming the grade 9s to Clarkson. Since then our Link Leaders have been working hard to help our grade 9s feel welcome and supported in our school. We hosted a breakfast in September, a movie day for them in November, and a Cookies & Cram exam prep session in January. Please be on the lookout for upcoming activities and the applications for Link Leaders for next school year!
WE Charity (Formerly Free the Children)
CLK’s WE charity is lead this year by our amazing grade 11’s: Monika Ninova, Hudson Boisvert, Katrina Shrum, Stephanie Mota and Sally Bellevue. These hard working members have been involved with WE since their junior year at Clarkson.
Students, staff and community members once again participated in our 5th annual food drive called “WE SCARE HUNGER”. We were able to donate about 400 lbs of non-perishable food items to the Mississauga Food Bank along with $100 cash for fresh food products. Muchas gracias to all those who supported our campaign.
WE has also hosted three different bakes sales (WE bake for Change) where students created and sold delicious treats in support of the 5 pillars: education, clean water and sanitation, health care, food security, and alternative income.
Please follow @clarksoncharger to keep updated about our groups activities. Our Chargers are no strangers to hard work and our students understand that “children helping children through education” no matter how small a contribution has a ripple effect of positive change.
PROJECT MILK BAG
This year’s group is led by our senior students: Tatjana Kovacic, Jakoba Schmitt, Hailey Pascutto, and Gillian Siemens.
Project Milk Bag has also recruited many new grade 9’s this year, with over ten new regular participants who meet during lunch every Wednesday. Muchas gracias to all students, parents, staff, and community members who faithfully send their clean bags to Señora Loutrianakis in room 204.
It takes about 300 bags to make one mat. These milk bags are cut in to strips of plastic that can be crocheted by community members in to sleeping mats for children in Haiti whose homes have mud floors. It's a school, community, and international project, and it's a great example of how each one's small contribution can make a big difference in our world!
PODCAST CLUB
Clarkson students involved with the school’s first ever podcast club have created several episodes for public listening. While three can be heard now, close to ten episodes are being edited for future uploads. The format of the show will cover personal narratives, interviews, pop culture, and social justice issues.
One production that is being scripted by grade nine students for the second semester is tentatively titled “Girl to Girl”. Additionally, the grade ten English Language Learners have recorded personal narratives documenting their journey to Clarkson. Episodes are tentatively being posted here:
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
February is Black History - African Heritage month and we are particularly excited to host His Honour Judge Donald McLeod as one of our keynote speakers. We have a number of other speakers coming to the school to address students and current issues, as well as to inspire them and offer them some support in the knowledge that our students do not face their struggles alone.
We have a small group of outstanding students working hard to create moments of celebration throughout the month as well. This will include music, a film festival, morning announcements, a creative writing workshop, a visit from spoken word poet Dwayne Morgan, and a visit from a local Caribbean food vendor. We hope that it will be an inspiring and educational month for all.
FOOTBALL NORTH AT CLARKSON
Clarkson Secondary School is the host site of a first of its kind elite football program called Football North. Since its inaugural year in 2016, more than 100 top high school football players from across and outside of Ontario have been selected by Football North to be a part of the program, with many of the students receiving university scholarships for football in Canada and the United States.
It has been an exciting second year for the Football North team. With one of the most demanding schedules in North America we finished 4-6 with a few close losses in which the game should have gone either way. Football North started the season 2-2 and then had to play a few teams in the top 100 in North America. The boys played hard and we are so proud of them. Football North finished with a two game winning streak culminated by beating Harding in a thrilling game. Overall this was a tremendous season with many highlights including six of our players receiving full D1 Scholarships and several others being offered scholarship to Canadian schools.
The team is now in the off season and these fine young men are working hard in the weight room and classroom- we STRESS the academic component to all of them as numerous NCAA and Canadian schools have and are coming to visit Clarkson weekly. Like our Football North and Clarkson staff, these schools stress the importance of academic focus.
As the head coach I am proud and grateful that Football North is part of Clarkson. The support from teachers, administrators, secretarial and custodial staff is more than we ever imagined!
Larry Jusdanis
Head Football Coach
Clarkson Football North
Footballnorth.ca
"WE ARE FOOTBALL NORTH"