Students

There are countless ways for UTS students to discover their passions, develop their skills, and take on leadership roles.

Citizenship

An important component of the UTS mission is a commitment to educating our students to become socially responsible global citizens. There are many co-curricular endeavours that support this aspect of our mission and that build on the school’s strong tradition of debate and public speaking, and awareness of global issues and public affairs.

Notable among these is the Southern Ontario Model United Nations Association (SOMA). This conference, which was founded in 1972, sees hundreds of students from local public and independent schools in the GTA gathering to go head to head with some of the thorniest international relations issues facing the world today. The conference is run and staffed entirely by UTS students and is held on the University of Toronto St. George campus.

UTS students excel at the local, provincial and national level at the business competition DECA. This is particularly impressive given that there are no formal business courses in the UTS curriculum and all preparation is done in a co-curricular forum. In addition, students can hone their public speaking skills through mock trials, speech and debate clubs and competitions. Our students regularly meet with great success at events and competitions, and also go on to represent the school and Canada internationally.

Student Government

UTS students are co-creators of their school experience through the UTS Student Constitution, which is created, developed and reviewed by student leaders. Student government plays an important role in the relationship between the student body and the teachers and staff of the school, and students elect their own class representatives in each of grades F2 (grade 8) to S6 (grade 12).

Houses

The UTS house system is the lifeblood of the school. Since its inception in 1957, it has bolstered a sense of community by connecting students across grades. Members elect senior students to house leadership roles and, throughout the year, houses engage in good-humoured competition for house points through literary and athletic events, as well as food drives, spelling bees, and lip-sync contests.

Soon after entering UTS, new students are assigned to one of our four houses for the duration of their time at the school and – given the vibrancy of house spirit – sometimes well after, too!