CDS Annual GY Trips Are Memorable Right of Passage for Grade 12s
Question: What do you get when you combine over 80 CDS students, 6 chaperones, 9 universities, 4 hotels, and 2 buses heading in opposite directions?
Answer: The GY University Trip (East and West Editions 2024)
The GY Trip is a valued CDS tradition and right of passage for Grade 12 students and is now in its second decade. This year the buses rolled out on Wednesday, September 25th and were greeted by open roads and three days of great weather.
The GY Trip is a valued CDS tradition and right of passage for Grade 12 students and is now in its second decade. This year the buses rolled out on Wednesday, September 25th and were greeted by open roads and three days of great weather.
The East trip made stops at Queen’s, McGill, Ottawa U, and Carleton with overnight stays in Kingston and Ottawa. The West trip visited the campuses of Western (plus Huron), Wilfrid Laurier, Waterloo, Guelph, and McMaster while bunking down in Waterloo and London.
In addition to the structured tours and information sessions, there was plenty of free time on campus and in the towns and cities that will become second homes for our soon to be graduates. A key feature of this event is that the visits take place during the week on bustling campuses where they can witness academia in action.
An additional secret ingredient is the informal participation of CDS alumni who come out to meet and connect with their former teachers and schoolmates offering firsthand and invaluable insight to the experience. This year, more than 50 Alumni made time to greet us between both trips. The grads most excited to reconnect are typically from the Class of 2024 now in their third week as university students. The result is a memorable excursion that helps our GYs develop a shared vocabulary and campus experience for the university application process.
An additional secret ingredient is the informal participation of CDS alumni who come out to meet and connect with their former teachers and schoolmates offering firsthand and invaluable insight to the experience. This year, more than 50 Alumni made time to greet us between both trips. The grads most excited to reconnect are typically from the Class of 2024 now in their third week as university students. The result is a memorable excursion that helps our GYs develop a shared vocabulary and campus experience for the university application process.
These trips are also wonderful bonding experiences for our Grade 12 students as they embark on their final year at CDS. Many include it as one of their fondest memories when Grad comments are read during the graduation ceremony in June.
As one student anonymously wrote on the post-trip survey: “Loved it all - I think it was a very good balance of university tours and other activities. The highlight was probably the freedom to explore university life and almost feel like I was already enrolled in uni!”
Land Acknowledgment
The Country Day School wishes to recognize and acknowledge the land on which the school operates. Our nearest Indigenous Nations are now the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Chippewas of Georgina Island. The Dish with One Spoon Wampum covenant is often cited as an example of the shared responsibility for caring for these lands among the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples who would call these their traditional territories. CDS respects the relationship with these lands and recognizes that our connection to this land can be strengthened by our continued relationship with all First Nations, by acknowledging our shared responsibility to respect and care for the land and waters for future generations.
School Information
Junior, Middle and Senior Schools
13415 Dufferin Street, King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
13415 Dufferin Street, King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
