Upper School Titan Life

When students enter the Upper School (Grade 7 to 12), they are truly immersed in Titan Life. Each student is inducted into one of four Houses (Atlas, Helios, Pheobe, or Tethys) where they build a close community and participate in a range of activities through the year with members of their house, culminating in one house being awarded the ‘House Cup’.

As in the Lower School, Upper School Titan Life activities are developed around the four TMS Pillars: Academics, Arts, Athletics and Citizenship, as well as provide opportunities to continue to build leadership skills in our students.  

The Upper School provides students with abundant opportunities to start something new, join something fun or change something for the better. From service initiatives to sports teams, music, choir, drama and clubs of many types, students learn how to extend their reach and go beyond their limits.

Below are just some of the ways Upper School students get involved in Titan Life.

Co-curricular Activities
Co-curricular activities enhance the richness of the learning environment, allowing students to develop further in certain areas of interest and skills. The co-curricular program is comprised of clubs, intramurals, music and athletic teams which are held before school, at lunch and after school. Clubs are often initiated by students and led by a teacher while teams are school organized and run at no cost. Over the course of the school year, all Upper School students are encouraged to participate in activities across each of the four Pillars. This encourages some risk taking and the element of trying something new, out of a student’s comfort zone.

Certain Co-curricular activities run every year while others change from year-to-year as students are encouraged to create clubs in passion areas of interest. The list below contains annually occurring activities as well as examples of clubs that have been held in the past.

  • Leadership
    • Student Council
    • House Council
    • Athletic Council
    • Ambassador Program
    • Club leadership by senior students
       
  • Citizenship
    • Conservation Club
    • Justice League
    • Amnesty International
    • Red Cross Club
    • Wellness Club
       
  • Athletics
    • Intramurals
    • Fitness Fridays
    • Competition Teams (through The Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association – CISAA) in: Volleyball, Basketball, Cross Country, Badminton, Curling, Track and Field, Ultimate Frisbee, Field Hockey, Golf
       
  •  Arts
    • Art Club
    • Marketeers
    • K-Pop Club
    • Strummers (Guitar)
    • Concert Band
    • A cappella Group
    • Upper School Play
    • Duct Tape Brigade
    • Writer’s Corner
    • Annual Student Photography Exhibition
    • Knitting club
       
  • Academics
    • Reach for the Top
    • Debate Club
    • Chess Club
    • Coding Club
    • Japanese Club
    • Lit Club
    • HOSA (Health Occupations Students Association)
    • Peer Tutors
    • Model UN
    • Robotics Club
    • Francomité (French Club)
    • DECA

The Duke of Edinburgh Award Program
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is internationally recognized and provides hands-on opportunities for students aged 14 and up to become involved with community service projects, help develop personal skills, embrace physical recreation, and take part in adventurous journeys.

The Award is a non-competitive program in which participants set and achieve personal goals for community service, skills, fitness, and adventure. It is a great way for students to explore new interests, take on new challenges they might not have done otherwise, and even stretch their 'comfort zone'. The Award is open to all young Canadians age 14 years to 24 years old. There are three levels to the Award:

  • Bronze (age 14 years and up)
  • Silver (age 15 years and up)
  • Gold (age 16 years and up)

Students must participate in activities in:

  • Service
  • Skills
  • Physical Recreation
  • Adventurous Journey
  • Residential Project (*for Gold award ONLY **Must be 16 years of age to complete)

The program aligns well with the International Baccalaureate Programme and TMS' goal of building well-rounded students with experience in many facets of life. The Duke of Edinburgh program is an international well-respected program that helps students build their portfolios while developing essential skills to be successful in life beyond TMS.

Students wishing to work towards the different levels of the award at TMS will be assigned an advisor, and that advisor will guide them through the program for the duration of their time at TMS, and into University.   You can read about the Duke of Edinburgh Award Program at TMS HERE 

For more information on the program, please visit https://www.dukeofed.org/

Competitions
Additionally, Upper School students may also participate in competitions/showcases with other Independent Schools including:

  • CISMF (CIS Music Festival)
  • DECA Business Competition
  • Model UN
  • Reach for the Top
  • Debate Competition
  • Waterloo Math Contest
     

Special Programs
Opportunities often become available to Upper School students to participate in special programs affiliated with other organizations in partnership with the School.  These programs run at an additional cost and vary in timeframe and length.  Currently, special programming offerings at the Upper School include:

  • The TMS Schulich Entrepreneurial and Innovation Experience
    This one-of-a-kind program (run in partnership with the Schulich Executive Education Centre (SEEC) at York University, and Innovation York) runs during the summer for Grade 9-10 students and aims to develop an entrepreneurial mindset in participants.  More information can be found HERE