Danforth Students Place Second In The WEGo Design Competition

Two Danforth students Turna Mallik and Caitlyn Gellatly participated in the WEGo Design Competition at the University of Waterloo. They had an exciting time competing against 50 other teams in a series of design challenges using programmable electronics. They did a fantastic job and came second - winning an iPad each.

WE Go.DEsign, presented by the Goethe-Institute, is a two day Engineering Design and Research Competition for women in grade 10 and 11 who have an interest in engineering, technology, and innovation.

More details can be found at https://uwaterloo.ca/engineering/wegodesign 

Mega Game Day @ DanforthCTI

On Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015 during lunch in the math hall, the grade 12 Data Management students hosted MEGA GAME DAY!  The grade 12 students dedicated many hours to design and construct games of chance to collect data and determine experimental and theoretical probability.  
Some of the games staff and students were invited to play include the Monty Hall game, Holiday Roulette, Beak of Fortune, the SpongeBob game, and Naughty or Nice to name a few.  The math hall was filled with the sounds of dice rolling, spinners spinning, and cards shuffling.  

The grade 12s were also very helpful and diligent with promoting, setting up, decorating, and cleaning up the event displays.  Attendance at the event was estimated at 150.  

Thank you to all the staff and students that came out to support the grade 12 students for a great event.  The combined efforts, enthusiasm, and commitment by the grade 12s always makes MEGA GAME DAY a MEGA success.

MaST Students Create Gumball Machines

As part of the grade 9 construction technology course, excited MaST students have been creating working 'gumball machines' from rough hewn eastern white pine.

Students work collaboratively in groups the during problem solving and design stage, once complete students work individually on the fabrication, assembly and finishing of the project. Parts are machined by the students to specification using accurate measuring techniques, knowledge of and safe use of the heavy machinery and hand tools.

During this project students further improved their relationship with accuracy and tolerance in measuring and layout. They problem solved through the design obstacles and demonstrated proficiency using woodworking power tool and hand tools.

Inspirational Drama Workshops: Mask, Mime, Music and Movement

“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he shall tell you the truth” Oscar Wilde

Students in drama classes participated in an interactive workshop: Mask, Mime, Music and Movement. Thanks to Ms. Mildebrath (drama teacher) and Teodoro Dragonieri* (an award winning guest artist) who led the engaging workshops that focused on character development through the use of masks. 

Actions in drama create character. We can state that plot is character in action. Mask work and physical theatre exert important influences on characterization. Through the use of Commedia dell’Arte, Character and Grotesque masks, students explored physicality, gesture, mannerisms, speech and the power of silence and stillness.

*Teodoro Dragonieri is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator who has initiated, developed and coordinated many acclaimed and award winning arts programs for all levels of education, galleries, arts organizations, intellectually challenged individuals, Aboriginal communities and at-risk youth. He has presented lectures, workshops and exhibited extensively. His art, research and work reflect his interest in the role of creativity and the function of the artist in society, “Carnival” and street theatre as a common thread in numerous cultures and the role of mask in theatre. He is co-founder and artistic director of Zanni Arte, a company dedicated to developing multi-disciplinary arts initiatives and the use of masks in theatre and education.                                  

Students Impersonate World Leaders

Students in Ms. Angeli's grade 11 English classes brought to life past and present world leaders. For this assignment students had to choose a political leader (could be controversial) that caused massive movements in human population and led to new ways in which civilizations were shaped. Students created and delivered a political speech following guidelines given in class. Through this assignment students learned about the impact that certain leaders had on society in different eras and developed skills on constructing and delivering a political speech using various persuasive techniques. 

Turna M. as Indira Gandhi  
(from left) Tenzin C. as Dalai Lama 14th, Louis M. as G Bush, Noah G. as A.Hitler, Emily C. as W. Churchill, Ahad K.  as Ali Khan, Shafayath H. as Malcolm X, and Masnoor R. as John a. Macdonald

Owen S. as F. D. Roosevelt

 Rifa T. as Mother Teresa

Matthew P. as Malcolm X

 Tajrian T. as Malala

Students Celebrate Term 1 Success!

Today at DanforthCTI, staff and students acknowledged the success of our grade nine students taking Learning Strategies (GLE) who are passing all of their subjects in term 1.  Thirty-two students were invited.  They received lunch and  cake prepared by our hospitality department and loot bags.  Ms. J Cotton, Curriculum Leader (CL) of Special Education (Sp.ed) and Ms. Rasha Michael (Assistant Curriculum Leader (ACL) of Sp.ed  congratulated the students telling them we were very proud of their hard work and their ability to overcome challenges.  Kudos to the students and a special thanks to the teachers and staff who helped organize the event.

Nairne O. (above) and Esteban F. (below) are two of the many students who enjoyed the lunchtime celebration!

Danforth Grads Hard At Work

On Wednesday night, Mr. Speed had the pleasure of attending an open house at Excellence Auto Collision. Excellence has four Danforth grads currently working there: Tony Teng, Catherine Mathewson (2014), Peter Gauthier (2002) and Tracy Williams (2001). All four are also past TDSB Skills Competition gold medal winners. Three of the four won Gold for Ontario and two won medals at the Canadian Skills Competition. 

Their successes have landed them jobs at one of the most progressive shops in Canada. The shop is a certified repair facility for BMW, Audi, VW and one of only 40 shops in North America certified to repair Tesla cars. They have an opportunity to be on the cutting edge of repair technology on some of the most expensive cars on the market. They have all worked very hard to be so very successful. Mr. Speed feels very fortunate to have had the opportunity to guide them on their journey to success. 

Students Design Science Labs@DanforthCTI

Grade 12 students @Danforth CTI  are designing their own labs and it is a different ball game than following a set of instructions and carrying out a lab. Grade 12 Chemistry students at Danforth are enthusiastically investigating their own designed lab to study important concepts relating to chemical kinetics.