This year’s recipients of the Anne Hope Award are Subway Academy I and R.H. King Academy! Congratulations to both schools for their outstanding work.
Each year, the TDSB’s Anne Hope Award honours exemplary student leadership and initiatives in promoting equity and human rights education.
This award commemorates and honour the memory of the late Anne Hope, who dedicated much of her time, energy, and life to furthering the causes of human rights and social justice.
Read more about their dedication to equitable and inclusive education below:
Subway Academy I
Subway Academy I has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to transformational education for human rights and social justice. The staff and students have engaged and created innovative curriculum, activism, and partnerships with the community to deconstruct discrimination based on various social identities. This awareness has led to a variety of student-led projects within the school and community.
The students have taken on several initiatives to demonstrate their concern, including:
- The Subway Academy I Lambda Club brought forth critical issues of gender and sexuality to engage and inform their diverse student body.
- Students from a grade eleven philosophy class wrote letters to local Members of Parliament to protest the passing of Bill C-10, while others learned about issues of economic injustice.
Beyond an understanding of the value and importance of equity, students at Subway Academy I recognize the possibilities for social change.
Subway Academy I demonstrates deep equity work in the programs offered at the school. Through invigorating courses like Gender Studies and Genocide Studies, students examine their own biases through courageous dialogue. Students have also connected to local social and emotional wellness programs in ways that have provided mutual benefit to both students and organizations. The value of being part of a larger community is voiced strongly by the actions of staff and students at Subway Academy I.
R.H. King Academy
The outstanding staff and students at R.H. King Academy have embedded a strong culture of equity and social justice into their curriculum, classrooms, and community. With a focus on their motto “We Care, We Strive, We Serve”, the school has demonstrated their passion and dedication to the TDSB’s equity commitments, fostering an inclusive environment for students, staff and community.
The King Equity Council (KEQC) has had tremendous growth and success in addressing issues pertaining to sexism, homophobia, racism, ableism and gender inequity. The Council has been truly transformational both in their school, and with the community through their various actions. The KEQC, as well as the King Environmental Council, International Council, Community Involvement Council, Library Council, Me to We Club, Gay-Straight Alliance, Free Thinkers Club, Mentor Program, and the Model UN Club has contributed to the school’s culture of equity through their many social justice initiatives and reflect a multi-layered, sustained, and whole school approach to work toward equity and human rights.
Along with various initiatives to raise awareness and funds for various community and global issues, students at R.H. King have found ways to use the knowledge and skills they possess to support each other. A key example is the Mentor Program, which serves as a medium for discussing issues around bullying, sexism, racisms, homophobia, disabilities, mental health, and poverty. This program has become a hub through which many of R.H. King’s councils deliver their initiatives.
