Mission Assembly Showcases SAC’s Well-Rounded Vision

Our celebration of academic and school-mission-related success from the first term was held on Friday, Dec. 5.

Formerly called the Academic Assembly, the name has been changed to the Mission Assembly. “While this gathering celebrates your academic accomplishments, it’s also about recognizing and celebrating achievements that reflect our school’s mission: ‘the development of the complete man, the well-rounded citizen,’” said Trevor Biasi, Assistant Head of Upper School.

“At SAC, we encourage students to try new things: join an ACPlus activity, explore clubs and councils, and take on leadership roles in Middle and Upper Schools,” Trevor continued.”  It is part of what we do here, and it is one of the reasons that so many of you choose to attend SAC.”

In addition to honouring academic achievement, the assembly also celebrated five individuals or groups for accomplishments in other areas:

Environmentalism: The Green Guys, also known as the Environmental Council, presented the inaugural Champion Awards. The “trophies” were crafted from wood harvested from a tree on the Quad that needed to be cut down. The design was created by Meera Balendran, Maker Educator Specialist, who used her laser cutting skills.

Angus Murray, Outdoor Education Coordinator, has been leading tree-planting events across the campus, bringing our community together to plant over 1,250 trees. He helped restore habitats and create a living legacy of stewardship for our school. This year, the Lake Simcoe Regional Conservation Authority recognized Angus with a Healthy Community Award, celebrating leaders who inspire meaningful environmental action.

Charles Ji, a Grade 6 student, has a passion for STEM and environmental stewardship. This year, as part of the SolversMind Robotics team, he played a key role in creating the Spinning Geary, a clever, water-powered device designed to collect garbage from small rivers before it reaches Lake Simcoe. His hands-on problem-solving, creativity, and persistence helped turn a simple idea into a working prototype that impressed judges and environmental experts. He was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority. He brings the same energy to our Middle School Green Team, always thinking about how to make our community greener and inspiring others to do the same.

Film: Bruce Li, Grade 11, was honoured not only for his participation in the Communications Technology class and for being a leader in the stop-motion ACPlus option, but also for producing a short film for the SAC Shorts Short Film competition last spring. He submitted it to several short film festivals around Ontario, earning significant honours and awards. Click here to take a look at his award-winning short film.

Art: The artists whose work has been chosen for the cover of the program for An Andrean Christmas and for the Head of School’s holiday card were highlighted. Jack Qui’s oil painting graces the program for the annual concert taking place Dec. 12 at Roy Thomson Hall. The Grade 11 student captured the “old red car” theme in his festive artwork. The students in the class got some tips from guest artist, Bill Lunshof, a Newmarket visual artist. The Head of School’s holiday card featured the work of Grade 6 student, Olivier Horber. Olivier and the rest of his class worked on landscapes featuring winter trees.

Music: The Wind Ensemble took to the stage for an excellent performance of the Pirates of the Caribbean theme, representing the talents of our student musicians and the creative faculty who lead them.

Debate: Leo Guo, Grade 10, was recognized for coming in second in the senior category at the Fall Fulford Debate Tournament held at Branksome Hall. Although Leo is technically in the junior category, he stepped up and secured this accolade.