My Ice journey

ICE or Integrated Canadian Experience, is a unique course dedicated to studying the Canadian Identity. This course specially developed by The York School focuses on Canadian History, geography, Language, and civics as well as exploring the various parts of what it means to be a Canadian Citizen. This year-long course incorporates trips across Toronto, Ontario, and even Canada that help students better understand the country we live in. My experience in the ICE program has been full of new friendships, knowledge, and of course a better understanding of Canada!

To start, I feel the ICE program has helped me grow stronger as a person. The main reason I feel this way is from our winter camping journey. Each ICE trip and experience is different, but I feel winter camping was one of the highlights of them all, and most challenging. For one whole week, our grade nine class got the opportunity to experience Ontario winter camping, where we spent our days outside experiencing nature. We participated in a two night, three days snowshoe trek. The main aspect of our winter camping journey was building and sleeping out in a quinzee. To most people including myself, I would never even dream of winter camping, let alone sleeping outside in a snow structure, during the middle of a Canadian winter. But we were encouraged to step outside our comfort zone and push our boundaries. I learned on this trip that sometimes you are nervous to experience new things, but ultimately it is what makes you a stronger person and able to preserve through tough (or seemingly tough) experiences. Though I was hesitant to go winter camping, in the end, it was an awesome experience that made me a stronger and more adventurous person, by being able to adapt to difficult situations. It was also something that brought me a lot closer to my peers, I guess you could say it was an all-around ICE-breaker.

Throughout my journey in the ICE program, I feel I have developed as a learner, and become a more dedicated student. Before the ICE program, I never felt passionate about history, geography, or even English. I never felt motivated so, as a result, I was not putting my best effort forth into my learning. Throughout the ICE program, I have gained a deeper enjoyment and passion for learning. One of the main reasons I feel this way I because of the different approaches to learning. During the ICE program, I had the privilege to take part in many felid trips, from the Toronto Islands to Ottawa. These trips were engaging, enjoyable, and overall contributed to our learning. I found they related to our lessons and helped us gain a better understanding of the unit, that we would not otherwise gain in a classroom alone. These trips made me appreciate how lucky I am to be able to be in the ICE program. At my old school, learning was very structured, lessons, textbook work, tests, (and very minimal trips). When I started in the ICE program I was introduced to a new way of learning, with more room to be creative and expressive. As a result, I find myself dedicated and driven to always do my best in (all) my work and always remember how amazing this program really is.

Lastly, I feel the ICE program has helped me become a proud and educated Candian Citizen. Prior to the ICE program, I knew little about Canada's physical Geography and history, but while in the ice program I began to investigate the deeper connection between our country and citizen. One of the ways I have become a Canadian citizen would be during our North Unit. In this unit, we explored the relationship between Canada's Northern Territory and southern territory. Prior to being in ICE, I knew basically nothing about the North, but I quickly learned and discovered how vast and interesting it is. Not only geographically but historically and even socially. We studied the relationships between the Inuit and their ways of life. One of the most interesting ideas about that unit would be all the different projects we created each focusing on history geography and English. The ICE program is truly unique in the sense that you don't just learn about these topics you investigate and analyze how these major historical or geographical events play a role in shaping our Candian country. During my time in the ICE program, I feel I have finally become a properly educated citizen.

I would like to give a huge thank you to my fantastic ICE teacher, Ms. Gardner. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. I truly learned so much in your classes and feel I have greatly developed and grown, not only as a student but as a person and a Canadian Citizen. I will never forget the memories, friendship, or knowledge that ICE has brought me. Thank you!