Zion Heights Junior High School (now middle school) was an

intermediate school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

for students in Grade 7 to Grade 9 (now Grade 6 to Grade 8 since 2016) in the north-eastern end (Bayview Woods-Steeles area of Willowdale) of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It was opened in 1969 by the

North York Board of Education The North York Board of Education (NYBE, commonly known as School District 13), officially the Board of Education for the City of North York is the former public school board for the former city of North York in Ontario, Canada. In 1998, the pro ...

, and is currently owned and operated by its successor, the

Toronto District School Board The Toronto District School Board (TDSB), formerly known as English-language Public District School Board No. 12 prior to 1999, is the English-language public-secular school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The minority public-secular franco ...

Student body

As of January 2013, Zion Heights had a student population of 461, with 74% of Zion students speaking a primary language other than English. Many of the students are recent immigrants, resulting in an extensive ESL program. Predominant non-English language groups include

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Academics

Zion Heights is home to many specialized programs. One of them is a gifted program for specially identified students. Another special academic feature is the "Spirit of Mathematics" program, a unique approach to math that has enabled the school to be a winner of many distinguished math awards(both nationally and internationally). Other programs include Basketball Beginnings, Harmony Movement, Kids Now Program, and Junior Achievement. In 2002, Zion placed second in the Exploravision competition, with their theoretical innovation on the prosthetic arm. Between 2010 – 2012, 95% of the students enrolled in Grade 9 Academic Mathematics at Zion scored at or above the provincial standard (Level 3) in

EQAO The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario in Canada. It was legislated into creation in 1996 in response to recommendations made by the Royal Commission on Learning in February 1995. EQ ...

. Three grade nine students obtained perfect scores on the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality ...

's 2008 Pascal Contest, contributing to a perfect team score. In 2008, 4 students achieved a perfect score on the Grade 7 Gauss Contest and 5 students achieved a perfect score on the Grade 8 Gauss Contest.University of Waterloo. (2008). ''2008 Results Gauss Contest''. https://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/contests/past_contests/2008/2008GaussResults.pdf. In 2014 ten students achieved a perfect score on the Grade 7 Gauss contest. In 2012, the strings program won gold at a national contest.

Arts

Zion has maintained an extensive and recognized arts program. Students involved in the string orchestras, concert bands, jazz bands, and choir at Zion participate in many musical events and competitions around the city. The orchestra has participated and won first place in the

Kiwanis Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. Since 1987, the organizatio ...

music festival several times in the past few years. In 2009, Zion's senior stage band won gold at MusicFest Canada and was invited to play in the national competition in May. In 2012, Zion's Junior stage band won gold at Musicfest Canada in the national competition. In 2013, Zion's Senior stage band will win another gold at the upcoming Musicfest Canada. On April 11, 2014, the Senior Orchestra received gold at the Ontario Strings Association competition. Annual school events to celebrate and demonstrate Zion's arts program include concerts, art shows, and dramatic productions.

Athletics

Zion Heights has several athletic teams, such as basketball, soccer, cross-country, volleyball and badminton teams for both girls and boys. The teams are split by gender and grade, junior (Grade 7 and 8) and senior (Grade 9). Zion also has many indoor house leagues, including volleyball, soccer, ping pong, and floor hockey.

Related schools

Students from Cresthaven, Seneca Hill, Pineway, Hillmount, and Steelesview public schools may attend Zion Heights. It is a feeder school for A. Y. Jackson Secondary School. Gifted students could choose to attend

Don Mills Collegiate Institute Don Mills Collegiate Institute (DMCI) is a high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located in the Don Mills neighbourhood, it serves an ethnically diverse student population of approximately 1000. As of 2017, 67% of students speak a first languag ...

. However, the relocation initiative of the TDSB has allowed gifted students to attend A. Y. Jackson Secondary School for the gifted special education program. The school shows their students' abilities through multiple school-wide competitions and contests, both provincial, and throughout Canada.

Notable alumni

Corey Haim Corey Ian Haim (December 23, 1971 – March 10, 2010) was a Canadian actor. He starred in a number of 1980s films, such as '' Lucas'', ''Silver Bullet'', ''Murphy's Romance'', ''License to Drive'' and '' Dream a Little Dream''. His role alongsi ...

- Movie actor, for Gr. 8, Graduated 1986 *

Henry Lau Henry Lau (; ko, 헨리; born October 11, 1989), often mononymously referred to as Henry, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor based in South Korea and China. He debuted in 2008 as a member of Super Junior-M ...

- Singer, musician, actor, and ex-member of

Super Junior-M Super Junior-M (stylized as SJ-M), an initialism for Super Junior-Mandarin, is a Chinese sub-unit of the South Korean boy band Super Junior. The sub-unit is the first international music group in the Chinese music industry to have members of both ...

* Andreas Vaikla - Footballer for

IFK Mariehamn IFK Mariehamn is an Ålandic football club based in Mariehamn, the capital of the Åland Islands. It plays in the Finnish Premier Division (''Veikkausliiga''). The club is managed by Daniel Norrmén, and it plays its home matches at Wiklö ...

Peaches (musician) Merrill Nisker (born 11 November 1966), better known by her stage name Peaches, is a Canadian electroclash musician and producer. Born in Ontario, Peaches began her musical career in the 1990s as part of a folk trio, Mermaid Cafe. In 1995, sh ...

- Musician *

Gerald Eaton Gerald Eaton (born November 22, 1971) is a Canadian R&B singer-songwriter and music producer, also known by his stage name Jarvis Church. Career Eaton is the lead singer for the R&B-pop group The Philosopher Kings, which reached its peak popula ...

- Musician,

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References

{{clear Middle schools in Toronto Schools in the TDSB Educational institutions established in 1967 1967 establishments in Ontario