10th Annual Walk with Excellence celebrates high school graduates in Jane and Finch neighbourhoods

BY PAUL JUNOR

It was a great turnout! Over 500 high school graduates came out for the 10^th Annual Walk with Excellence (WWE). For students who are entering post-secondary destinations, this signature event has become a rite of passage. The walk invited York University Faculty, Staff and Administration to welcome the incoming students. The Walk with Excellence celebrated the achievements of these 500+ high school graduates and culminated with a parade onto York University, symbolizing a community supporting the transition to post-secondary education, and the nurturing of a future of life-long learning, and the excellence, enthusiasm and potential of students from the community.

There were several groups and organizations that were a part of the planning for this year’s WWE. They include: Itah Sadu (co-owner of Blackhurst Cultural Centre formerly A Different Booklist Cultural Centre), Westview Centennial Secondary School, Emery Collegiate Institute, C.W. Jefferys, Downsview Secondary School, York-TD Community Engagement Centre (CEC) and the Toronto District School Board.

The walk commenced at CW Jefferys with a kick-off student dance presentation and special recognition given to Itah Sadu for being the driving force and visionary catalyst for her commitment, passion and dedication for the past ten years. The parade included Colleen Russell-Rawlins, Director of the TDSB and many community elders, community individuals, teachers and well-known supporters. The parade of over 600 students was led by community police and a marching band along Sentinel Road to a gathering point at the front of Vari Hall.

Students who participated in the walk wore T-shirts that were emblazoned with words from a poem titled, “Resilience in the face of Adversity.” The words of the poem are:

A graduation like no other,

A year we won’t forget,

A pandemic brought us closer together,

In ways we won’t regret.

We faced uncertainty and fear,

But held on to our dreams,

We found strength in each other,

And a silver lining it seems.

For the future is a canvas,

A masterpiece is a canvas.

A masterpiece yet to be,

And with each stroke we make,

We’ll shape our destiny.

The Walk with Excellence featured four Black female principals from the four participating schools. The event included dances from participating schools and speeches from alumni students.

Newly elected Toronto Mayor Oliva Chow joined the walk with the Grade 12 graduating students. She described the atmosphere of the event. “It is important to have hope. It is important that when we face difficulties, or barriers, that not only are we resilient, but we also say we can conquer if we stand together. This walk is about standing together. It is about celebrating excellence. It is about coming together and saying we have ten years of history to do this, and we belong here at York University. The energy is incredible. Lots of confidence. Lots of celebratory moods. It is joyous and fun and an affirmation of what you can achieve if you put your mind to it. You can feel it.” 

Bursaries of $2 000 were awarded to several deserving students. Itah Sadu explained the history of the event to a local reporter regarding the stigmatization of the Jane-Finch community. She posed the question “What can we do to change this narrative? Greatness comes from all spaces and places.” She thought of an event that would celebrate the positives of all graduating students that would bring all the community together and focus on images that foster excellence.