1. Shed light on the resources available within the school such as Peer Counsellors, School Psychologist and Guidance counsellors

cooking

arts

games

• community only instagram?

• weekend movie nights

• Academic board

  • Kind of a "come to my room if you need help in x subject"

  • Maybe: set a little chunk of time during study (last 20-30 mins?) for people to ask for help if they need (so everyone still gets time to focus and work and won't be disturbed throughout study)

  • Alternative: just keep the board up for people to use as a resource outside of the designated study time (7-9)pm

  • service hours---perhaps a connection to the peer tutoring club if it's a frequent occurrence?

• study buddy program

  • send out a form/sign up sheet/whiteboard?

  • people can write down their tasks/assignments

  • pair up two people in house who want someone to keep them accountable (they don't have to study in the same space necessarily) and for them to just help keep each other in check regarding goals and productivity!

RP2/Mid-year:

• course selection workshop/advice night!

  • mostly seniors/juniors? maybe a few sophomores for advice for grade 9s!

  • probably January/February-ish (course selection period)

  • have food so people feel inclined to come

  • make sure timing isn't super awkward with the midterm season

  • brutally honest advice and a chance to share experiences in courses

    • perhaps also specific people answering questions about standardized testing (AP, SAT/ACT, etc).

RP3/end of year:

• exam advice board/workshop

  • have everyone leave study tips on the whiteboards on their doors (I think I saw those whiteboards in Walker this year)

  • check-in with new boarders/new students to make sure they feel prepared for their first Appleby exam! (Whether or not it's their first actual exam)

• a letter to a bear

  • write a short letter/note of encouraging words for a younger student

  • could also be from a current boarder to a new boarder

    • eg. S2s leaving a note for S1s who are moving in for their senior year, or someone going into Upper Two leaving a note for a new Upper One boarder :)

other:

• probably also an RP1 thing but creating course packets/advice sheets from people who already took the course -- whether this is sharing notes/resources students know of from previous years or super useful study tips (ex: I think S1s and S2s would especially appreciate this)

  • moderate and check over content to ensure academic integrity

  • similar to the AP exam packets that are sent out every May

• university visits! weekend visits to universities that our bears may be interested in!

  • UofT is close and offers large group tours

  • McMaster, Queens (kind of far), etc.

  • could take a survey of Canadian schools in the GTA that S2s in Walker (or any house) may be interested in visiting

  • (thank you Naomi for the idea -- it genuinely sounds super helpful!)

more ideas incoming (probably)

Kate Wang '25

• Finding more service opportunities on campus - I will ask teachers and departments about possible service opportunities. (A lot of bears are international so it's better if they have the chance of gaining hours on campus.)

• Service opportunities for the senior twos - with more hours needed, make the seniors more engaged in service opportunities at the start of the year so they won't rush to find hours before graduation.

• Service buddies - the new bears can be assigned with either a house council member or a bear that has experience doing service activities. They can sign up for their first on-campus or service off-campus trip with their buddy to understand the process. After, their buddy is going to guide them on how to log their hours on x2vol.

- Jolin

• Include sustainability/nature-focused films or documentaries during movie nights

• Weekly morning/evening walks + nature journaling

  • Can go on walks in the chip trail or by the lake for nature journaling

  • To relax, live in the moment, and cultivate a deeper connection with and appreciation for nature

  • Can sketch/draw the surroundings, reflect on oneself or their relationship with nature, take photographs, or write about one's observations

  • To increase motivation --> there would be a points system where if one goes all 4 times during one month, they receive a little reward

• Upcycling activity

  • Turning old t-shirts/pants into tote bags (or into anything else!)

  • Repurposes clothes people no longer wear

  • These bags can not only be worn for aesthetic purposes but also to carry things that one may buy, for example, from grocery stores to help reduce the use of plastic bags

  • Can be both an in-house activity or a fundraiser (sell at school, then donate) for a local organization focusing on sustainability

• A sus corner with organized bins where people can leave any clothes or items that they no longer wish to wear or use but that is not broken or unusable

  • These bins can be regularly donated

  • Other students can also take any items they want to use and contribute something of their own in return

  • Or they could also be the basis of other crafts activities for repurposing? (like the one above)

General:

• Collaborative painting/poem

  • Painting:

    • There will be a theme or focus question

    • Each person gets a small card to paint about what that topic means to them

    • Assembled together into a large collage painting

  • Poem:

    • There will be a predetermined theme and overall structure based on said theme (which will consist of the first half of the sentence in each line and will act as a cue)

    • Each bear will receive a card with one of these cues --> then they will complete the line

    • All cards will be arranged in order at the end to form a poem

  • Each piece represents Walker bears' diverse perspectives and experiences as well as can be hung up somewhere in the House

• Signature Blue Drink

  • Healthy, mixed fruits drink (e.g. blueberries, etc)

  • The drink can be blue for Walker

  • Can be provided during House dinners, study/free time after study, or any Walker event

• Diy walker shirts for spirit day

• End of year memories video/board

  • Everyone can send in memorable photos from the year or written messages they want to say to the passing school year

  • Compiled into a video or picture board that each student can download and save 

Emily Zhang