Wednesday, March 3, 2010 – Blyth in the Community
Blyth Academy would like to congratulate its students for their ongoing involvement with community service projects. Here are just a few of the exciting projects that students have taken part in over the winter months:

Project Haiti - In January, following the Haiti’s earthquake, Blyth students were quick to respond to the tragedy by splitting into groups to carry out a number of fundraisers, raising over $500 in just one day.

Ice Fest - On February 20th and 21st, Blyth Students volunteered their time to help coordinate Ice Fest, an annual “made-in-Canada” ice carving completion that takes place in the Village of Yorkville Park. Over the course of the weekend students helped more than 15,000 visitors enjoy the uniquely Canadian ice sculptures including carvings of a polar bear, a mouse, geese in flight, beavers and even an Inukshuk.

Habitat for Humanity - After several weeks of fundraising, 23 students spent Friday, February 19 constructing homes for Habitat for Humanity.

January 5, 2010 – Toronto – Blyth Academy is pleased to announce Chen Sun, of A.B. Lucas S.S. in London, Ontario, as the national winner of this year’s Blyth Cambridge Scholarship. The scholarship, which comes with admission to Pembroke College, Cambridge University, will provide Mr. Sun with full funding for the duration of his degree, covering tuition, books, housing, living, and travel expenses. For more information on the scholarship please visit http://blythscholars.com.

Click here to view the complete story from the London Free Press

Toronto – December 22, 2009 – Blyth Academy is pleased to introduce The Duke of Edinburgh’s Leadership Award to all of its International Summer Programs and at both of its full-time Academies. Whether students are already involved in, or are new to this award program, Blyth will help them obtain hours towards their bronze, silver, or gold medal. A broad range of activities will be coordinated on each Blyth program to ensure students can fulfill award requirements in all four areas: community service, personal skills development, physical recreation, and adventurous journey. The addition of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award reflects Blyth Academy’s goal of producing successful, well-rounded individuals.

About the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award was founded in 1956 by His Royal Highness, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh K.G. K.T. The Award came to Canada in 1963 and currently runs in 126 countries around the world. To date almost 6 million young people have challenged themselves by participating in The Award.

The Award is a programme that encourages youth to be active, to participate in new activities and pursue current interests in four different areas. It offers you the opportunity to set goals and achieve results in fun and challenging ways. To learn more about the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award click here.

BLYTH ACADEMY IS FIRST IN THE WORLD TO ANNOUNCE THE SUPPLY OF SONY READERS IN PLACE OF PRINTED TEXTBOOKS

TORONTO – November 17, 2009 – Embracing the benefits of electronic reading, students at Blyth Academy are today beginning the transition from using traditional printed textbooks to digital textbooks read on the Sony® Reader Digital Book. Blyth Academy is the first high school in the world to announce that each student will be supplied with an e-Reader in place of printed textbooks.

From history class to political science, each student will have access to all of his or her course content using leading edge digital technology from Sony and publishers like Pearson Canada. The students will use Sony Readers that are pre-loaded with course textbooks, outlines, assignments, reference materials, background reading and personal timetables.

“My Sony Reader helps me get organized,” said Michael Tyrrell, student at Blyth Academy. “I have all my textbooks and class material on it - it’s really cool. I feel like somebody just personalised school to fit me.”

Blyth Academy selected the Sony Reader Touch™ Edition because it’s easy to use with intuitive touch screen navigation, and its open format provides students with access to content from numerous sources.

“We’re excited about how the Sony Reader can enhance a student’s learning experience,” says Tim Algate, Reader Product Manager with Sony Canada. “We’ll be listening to these students, using their feedback to evolve our Reader offering for education.”

The school has compiled a library of digital content from textbook publishers like Pearson and other class material and literature in digital format. Blyth will give students access to digital assets for university admission, offering everything they need to chose and apply to any university.

“The digital content we’ve acquired, coupled with the students’ Sony Readers, will dramatically improve student access to textbooks, collateral material, literature and reading in general,” said Sam Blyth, Chair, Blyth Academy. “Our student survey shows that they are twice as likely to read a book available in an e-book format as in hard copy form.”

Helping lead the way in delivering digital content for education are publishers like Pearson Canada.
“Pearson Canada is taking students beyond the four corners of the printed textbook,” said Anne-Marie Scullion, Vice President of Marketing Field Services, Pearson Canada. “Our focus is on developing flexible and adaptive content to engage students in a 21st century learning environment.”

Students will also have access to more than half a million free e-books from Google through the Sony eBook store at www.ebookstore.sony.com, as well as the e-books offered by the Toronto Public Library.

About Blyth Academy
Blyth Academy is one of Canada’s largest providers of private education. It owns and operates three high school campuses in the Toronto region and operates international accredited programs in 28 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.blytheducation.com.

About the Sony Reader
The Sony Touch Edition™ Reader is a portable electronic reading device that can store up to 350 eBooks, and allows access to multiple file formats. Its award-winning industrial design features an E Ink® Vizplex™ electronic paper display that mimics the look of ink on paper. The Reader features a six-inch touch screen panel that enables page turning, highlighting and note taking with the swipe of a finger or by using the included stylus pen. Readers can take handwritten notes with the stylus pen or type with the virtual keyboard. It includes an integrated English Dictionary that allows you to look up a word by simply tapping on it. It also offers five adjustable font sizes, as well as media expansion slots, making your portable library virtually limitless. Visit www.sonystyle.ca/reader for more information.

About Pearson Canada School Division
Every day Pearson resources touch the lives of teachers and students in Canadian classrooms. Our research-based print and digital programs, assessment tools, and educational services are designed to help teachers make a lasting impact on learning for every student. Pearson is Canada's leading educational publisher, developing resources for all core curriculum subjects K-12: Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and French as a Second Language. We see the diversity of Canada’s students as a strength and are committed to developing a full array of core curriculum, supplementary, assessment, professional, and early learning resources to help students of all ages learn at learn at their own pace, and in their own ways. Visit www.pearsoncanada.ca/school for more information.

For information, and to schedule an interview, please contact:

Click here to watch the Blyth Academy news clip from CTV National News

Blyth Academy and Pembroke College would like to congratulate the following applicants who have received National Interviews for a Blyth Cambridge Scholarship:

• Victoria Breda, Holy Cross Catholic Academy, Woodbridge, ON
• Mary Louise Chabot, Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific, Victoria, BC
• Brandon Ewonus, St. Michaels University School, Victoria, BC
• Sarah Lane, Villanova College, Richmond Hill, ON
• Kelly Ann O’Connor, Elmwood School, Ottawa, ON
• Ryan Peng, Centennial Collegiate, Saskatoon, SK
• Patrick Quinton-Brown, Sinclair Secondary School, Whitby, ON
• Chen Sun, A.B. Lucas Secondary School, London, ON

October 13, 2009

Our new 2010 brochure is now available. As well, all the 2010 program information is accessible on our website.

It is the most diverse and expansive set of programs in the 33 years we have been offering these programs. Blyth offers 27 programs to 28 countries on 6 continents with over 200 individual courses. In October and November we will be holding information presentations near you. Please see http://www.blytheducation.com/infosession.htm for details.

Blyth Academy
This summer Blyth Academy incorporated Blyth International Summer Awards into each of our programs. We congratulate the following students on their outstanding achievements this summer:

The Chairman’s Award for Academic Excellence: Awarded to the top academic student on the program.

Ari Zagdanski - International Business
Yuna Yoon - Spain
Robert Trench - Film Studies
Zach Barnes- Culinary Arts
Victoria Breda- Egypt
Hillary Abramsky - Amazon
Caleigh Gruner - Costa Rica
Olivia Petersons - Costa Rica
Madison Abernethy - Costa Rica
Iain Reid Costa - Rica
Mike Holmes – Italy and Greece
Michael Harvey- Playas Del Coco
Andrei Dan – Hawaii

The Principal’s Award for Citizenship: Awarded to the top citizen of the program who shows enthusiasm, compassion for others and a role model for other students.

Alexander Bleeker - International Business
Brandon Clarke - Australia
Suzanne Tillman - Spain
Laura Katz - Culinary Arts
Joanne Roitman - Film Studies
Gareth Mandin - Egypt
Emma Dawkins - Costa Rica
Martin Hough and Elena Koskinas – Playas Del Coco
Patrick Boelsterli - Amazon
Maddy Dawson - Italy and Greece
Torrey Sirdevan- Hawaii
Reilly Kostic- France
Rebecca Lee - France

The Director’s Award for Community Service: Awarded to the individual viewed to have been the top contributor to the program through leadership and high endeavor.

Christopher Conery- International Business
Amanda Nimmo - Spain
Sami Cooney - Film Studies
Cara Davis - Culinary Arts
Sarah Krapez - Egypt
Michelle Millar - Italy and Greece
Matthew Powell - Amazon
Reegan Connor - Cost Rica
Max Bertram and Jasmine Thagard – Playas Del Coco
Sean West – Hawaii
Lydia Lim- France

Blyth Academy would like to congratulate all our graduates on their outstanding academic achievement and 2009 University acceptances. We know with confidence that you will bring the knowledge and Blyth experiences you have earned with you, into your futures. In addition, 50% of all our graduating students received university entrance scholarship offers that where equal to or greater than their total Blyth tuition commitments.

Please click here for a Complete List

As seen at MACLEANS.CA, June 16, 2009

Sam Blyth, director of the co-ed Blyth Academy in Thornhill, Ont., shudders at the thought of a stand-alone class for poise and presence: “There are all kinds of things,outdoor things, kids that age could be doing in the summer. Let them participate, don’t just modulate their behaviour.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THIS ARTICLE

Blyth Italy/Greece group to have an audience with His Holiness, Pope Benedict XV1.

On July 8th  150 students and staff on our Greece/Italy program will have the honour of an audience with His Holiness Pope Benedict XV1 at the Vatican.

News on our Cozumel International Summer Program

April 27, 2009

Dear Parents and Students,

I am writing to let you know that we have decided to relocate our July and August Cozumel and the Yucatan program to Playas del Coco, Costa Rica.

The safety of our students and staff is paramount to us and we are uncomfortable with the current situation in Mexico. While Cozumel is geographically distant from the epicenter of the swine flu outbreak, it is clear that the outbreak is widespread and there is a strong possibility that the virus will spread. Furthermore, many of the sites and attractions that enrich our program may still be off limits by summertime, negatively affecting everyone’s overall experience.

We have a wonderful program site in Costa Rica where we can do many of the things that we planned in Cozumel and more. All of our teachers and staff will make the transfer, we will offer all of the same courses and the dates will remain the same.

This program will be based in the beautiful fishing village of Playas del Coco, Guancaste, on the Pacific North west. The village has beautiful beaches, access to excellent scuba diving, snorkeling and surfing, as well as a natural, unspoiled environment. We have been running educational programs in the area for over 30 years and we have great local resources and community service projects that will deeply enrich the students’ experience.

We are still completing some of the details around the itinerary, flights and excursions. These will be available to you by the end of the week. We will attempt to arrive at a tuition fee that is as close as possible to the Cozumel pricing.

Initially, you have three choices:

• Transfer to the Playa del Coco, Costa Rica program. We believe that most of the students currently registered will do this.
• Transfer to any other program that we offer aside from France which is currently waitlisted.
• Receive a full refund.
  

We would be grateful if you could email us as soon as possible indicating your initial preference. This will help us in our planning. We will then come back to you with exact details on the new program in Playa del Coco and at that point you will have the opportunity to make a final decision.

If you have any questions on this please feel free to call me or my staff at 416 960-3552 or email us at info@blytheducation.com

Yours sincerely,

Sam Blyth

Chair,

Blyth Academy.

Special Announcements

Blyth Academy @ the Royal Ontario Museum

 We are delighted to announce that we have recently reached an agreement with the Royal Ontario Museum which for the first time will allow students to take high school credit courses at the ROM.

The courses, which will be accredited by Blyth Academy, will be taught by our faculty together with both educational and curatorial staff at the museum. Uniquely this program will allow student to access to both the public galleries and vaults and the ability to handle artifacts as they work with ROM staff.

 Blyth Academy full time students will be able to take up to 2 credits a term at the ROM. During the summer and evening s and Saturdays in the fall the program will be open to students from other schools.Course are accredited at grades 9-12 and will include the following amongst others: 

Earth and Space Sciences

Classical Civilization (including the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls)

Visual Arts and Environmental  Design

Native Studies

Anthropology

Modern Western Civilization

Biology 

For more information please contact our office at 416 960-3552 or email info@blytheducation.com

April 3,2009

   Blyth Academy to sponsor the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum.  Sam Blyth, Chair, Blyth Academy is delighted to announce that it will sponsor the forthcoming exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Royal Ontario Museum. 

   In 2008 Blyth sponsored the Darwin exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum. The sponsorship of the Dead Sea Scrolls signals Blyth’s continued support of the ROM together with its belief in the power of exploration and discovery in the field of education.

The following article appeared in the Globe and Mail on March 24, 2009:

Blyth Summer Academy in Ottawa:

Blyth Academy is happy to announce that it will be offering accredited courses at its new Ottawa summer school in July and August, 2009.

Blyth’s new summer school - using the facilities of both Ashbury College and Elmwood School - will be opened to both girls and boys, in the heart of Rockcliffe Park. The program also offers a limited amount of residential accommodation.

Blyth brings to Ottawa the high quality education, specialized faculty and the ideal, small class learning environment that have ensured our graduates’ continued post-secondary university success. A wide range of courses grades 9-12 will be available.

Bringing Blyth’s affordable private education to Ottawa, course fees are only $895, (plus a $95 one time registration fee.) Students enrolled in multiple courses, or participating in our international summer education programs, are eligible for discounts.

An additional benefit is the opportunity for students to take part in Blyth’s industry leading accredited community service program.  Students participate in unique and beneficial community support projects that can be used to fulfill graduation requirements.

Please visit our website again for additional information and further updates about Blyth Academy in Ottawa.

New Academy Staff!

We are delighted to welcome John MacPhail to our staff. John will teach History for us this summer in France and is the second member of our staff to receive the Governor General’s Awards for Excellence in the Teaching of History. An in depth bio will be available shortly.

Changes in our Guidance Department at Yorkville and Thornhill:

Ms. Nili Isaacs B.A., B.Ed (McGill) M.Ed. (University of Toronto) We are pleased to announce that Ms. Nili Isaacs will be joining Blyth Academy – Yorkville as Head of Guidance and Administration. Ms. Isaacs, a dynamic young educator, received her undergraduate education at McGill University and received her Master’ Degree from the University of Toronto specializing in Guidance and Counseling Psychology. She has been a teacher and guidance counselor for over seven years. She has international experience being a member of the staff at an inner city school for 4 years in London, England as a teacher and guidance counselor. She has experience in counseling at both the private and public school systems and for the past year was an integral member of the Guidance department of Jarvis CI. Her expertise and energy will serve our student body well. She will be taking over the duties of Gwim Philipp and can be contacted at:  nisaacs@blytheducation.com    Her phone number will be 416-960-3552 ext 18.

Ms. Sarah K. Davis B.A., M.A. (University of Iowa, USA). We are pleased to announce that Ms. Davis will be joining Blyth Academy – Thornhill as Head of Guidance and Administration. Ms. Davis received her high school education in Canada before pursuing her undergraduate education in the United States earning a B.A. in English. She continued her schooling at the University of Iowa obtaining a Master’s Degree in Counseling, Rehabilitation and Student Development. Following this, Ms. Davis put her formal education to good use as a teacher and guidance counselor at the high school level in the USA and in England for six years. She has also worked in the field of Gifted Education. Ms. Davis has now relocated to Canada where she has worked as a youth counselor. She is well traveled and is fluent in English, Spanish and French. As an energetic educator, we know our student body will be well served by her expertise and broad range of experience. She will be taking over from Ms. Alexandra Patino on March 23, 2009 at Thornhill.

We are delighted to announce the following appointments to our full and part time Academy. They will take up their various roles with us in April or during the summer and fall.

Dr. David Moody Ph. D. (Cambridge) a young dynamic instructor and award winning teacher. Dr. Moody will be joining our Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics department.

Dr. Cynthia Morin Ph. D. (McMaster University) a native of Quebec, educated in Ontario, Dr. Morin brings to Blyth Academy an impressive resume of teaching both high school and University and research here and abroad (University of Utrecht). Dr. Morin will be in joining our Biology and Mathematics departments.

 Dr. John Vervaeke Ph. D. (University of Toronto) Nominated for the Prime Minister’s Best Teacher award (2006) and Best Lecturer in Ontario, TVOntario Big Ideas (2006), Dr. Vervaeke is a published author in Philosophy and Psychology. His real passion is working with young people and he has taught high school for several years. Dr. Vervaeke will be joining our Philosophy and Social Science department.

 Michael Helfield M.A.(Queen’s) earned his undergraduate degree at McGill University. An award winning Classics scholar, Mr Helfield will bring a youthful energy to Blyth Academy. He will be joining our Classics and History department. 

Mr. Robin Benmergui M.A. (University of Toronto) has had an illustrious career in public education, both in teaching as a Head of English, and as an admired administrator. His years of experience will be an asset to our student body. Mr. Benmergui will be joining our English department.

Blyth Academy Thornhill and Yorkville:

Still unsure what to do for March Break? Why not come to Egypt or Costa Rica with Blyth Academy.  Book soon as the deadline is approaching!

Students at our Yorkville campus are in the process of arranging a fashion show in conjunction with a number of Yorkville and Hazelton lanes Boutiques.  We will be posting the date shortly.

Students at Thornhill campus will be heading of to the Royal Alexandra Theatre this month to see Medea, a story of obsession and revenge from the play by Euripides.

Enrollment continues to increase as parents and students assess the quality and value proposition offered at our schools. Increasing numbers of grade 11 and 12 students are opting to do their final year in two or three terms in order to create a mini gap year. Families with children in private schools save about $15,000. in tuition fees while keeping their students in a private school setting with excellent teaching. We still have a few spaces available for the February term at Yorkville and Thornhill. Please call us as soon as possible if you are interested. We will be opening another school in Burlington/Oakville in the summer of 2009. More information will be available shortly. Our next part time session begins in February as well. Please call us if you need help.

International Summers:

We are excited to announce that Blyth International Summers has hit a record high in student enrollment.  Some programs are nearly sold out, so act fast to get the program of your choice.

The administrative staff for our Summer Programs are hard at work coming up with new and exciting optional excursions for this summer.  Feel like hiking or horseback riding in the Pyrenees?  What about swimming with Sting Rays or Dolphins?  Or maybe a night in a Castle is more your thing.  Stay tuned to your program page in the New Year for all of these exciting opportunities and more! 

We have 22 programs available for this summer and happily enrollment is very strong. We estimate more than 1000 students will take part. New programs in the Culinary Arts in Italy, Film Studies in LA, the Performing Arts, Egypt and International Business (NYC, Dubai, and Shanghai) have all been very well received. Our programs in Italy, Greece and France are getting very full-if you are looking at these programs in 2009 please let us know as soon as possible.

March Break:

Still unsure what to do for March Break this year? Why not come to Egypt with Blyth Academy. 

We still have space on our programs to Egypt and Costa Rica. These are fun, safe and excellent alternatives to the ‘grad trip’ phenomena and also offer the opportunity to do community service for credit.

Blyth Community Service

Community Service Internships in Bhutan

Blyth has been actively involved in Bhutan since 1988 when Sam Blyth led an expedition to the country that included the former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau.

As well as our programs to Cuba, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Egypt and Tanzania we are happy to announce a new opportunity for both high school and university students to do volunteer teaching in Bhutan in the spring and summer of 2009. This is a unique opportunity which will see our students working in teams teaching young Bhutanese and leading activities.

Bhutan is a small Buddhist country in the Eastern Himalayas with a population of under 700,000. It is one of the most traditional, peaceful and beautiful places on earth and I will be leading a trip there in May 2009. It will be my fifth visit to Bhutan and will coincide with the opening of the Bhutan Canada Foundation which will be supported by Blyth. The trip will provide a unique opportunity to meet some of the top people in the country as well as provide unique access to sites around the country. If you are interested in accompanying me please drop me a line at the address below.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year,

Sam Blyth                                       

Managing Director, Blyth Academy.                        

samblyth@blytheducation.com