9th ANNUAL WALK OF EXCELLENCE GRADE 12 CELEBRATION

Taking their hopes and dreams on down that long York University road

By Stephen Weir

This past Wednesday, 500 graduate students with parents, teachers and principals cheering them on celebrated their last day in Grade 12 by walking up to gates of York University and marching right in. The students came from four high schools in the Jane Finch corridor district – C.W. Jeffreys, Westview, Emery and Downsview High.

The point of the annual parade is to mark the graduation of the students and to encourage them not to end their studies after Grade 12. 

Many of the students had probably never toured York – until Wednesday, and the university laid out the red carpet and red lion to ferociously make it a fun, memorable visit.

I made that walk too for the Caribbean Camera. Olympus camera in had I marched with Itah Sadu, the MC and Ringmaster of this scholarly parade from C.W Jeffreys to York University. Here are four pictures from that Walk with Excellence.

Pix 1. It All Started Here – The Parade begins on the lawn of the C.W Jeffreys high school. First off the mark were the students of Westview Centennial SS

Pix 2 Student Crossing. Watch Out For The Cars - When there are 500 grads on the road guess who has the right of way?

Pix 3 A Learned Moment - As the parade arrives on university grounds, two York professors showed up to flash greeting signs.

Pix 4 – Not lying - The grads Made new friends fast on the York camps. Students hang out with the York mascot on the school commons.