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News Page Option 5
York School News
Alumni Spotlight: Michael ‘21 and Helen ‘23 Sava
"I always felt like I fit in and that I had a place. Everyone was helpful; I could always go talk to the teachers about anything." - Helen Sava '23
The Sava siblings, Michael ‘21 and Helen ‘23, share much more than DNA. They’re both competitive swimmers with a passion for science who have their sights set on careers in medicine. The university students – Michael is at the University of Toronto and Helen is at Louisiana State University – are grateful for the opportunities they had at The York School.
Michael and Helen were York students for a total of 26 years; Michael joined the school in Grade One and Helen in JK. They say the school’s co-ed learning, IB program, faculty, service initiatives and welcoming community were factors that made the school the right fit for them.
“It was an environment where everyone had their own goals and passions and ideas, and felt supported to pursue them. All the teachers were great. They really cared and wanted us to grow, develop, think for ourselves and succeed,” says Michael.
Helen has fond memories of the feeling of belonging she had at York. “I always felt like I fit in and that I had a place. Everyone was helpful; I could always go talk to the teachers about anything,” she says.
Michael started swimming competitively with the RAMAC Aquatic Club when he was eight years old and Helen followed in his footsteps a few years later at the age of six. As members of the same community swimming club, they enjoyed training and travelling together, and competing in the same swim meets. They joined York’s swim team in high school. Because the school doesn’t have a pool, they continued to train with the coaches at their club and did strength training at York with then-swim team captain David Paris, the Director of Athletics Rick Demarinis and their teammates.
Helen and Michael’s talents were assets to York’s swim team. Michael won the 2019 Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) gold medal – the first OFSAA gold medal in York’s history – and the 2020 silver medal in the 100 meter butterfly. Helen was only able to compete for one year before the COVID-19 pandemic paused high school athletic events, but during that time she won three Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario Athletic Association (CISAA) championships and became the first female York student to win two gold medals at OFSAA.
When the brother and sister were in the pool competing for York, the community was back at the school cheering them on. “The OFSAA event was live-streamed and my Integrated Canadian Experience (ICE) teacher Mr. Aitkenhead put it on during class so my entire class got to watch me race and win medals,” says Helen.
In the classroom, Michael and Helen appreciated the academic freedom they had to use math and science knowledge to explore concepts related to swimming. In chemistry, Helen investigated the amount of chlorine in pool water to understand why her skin was always red and her eyebrows were disappearing. Michael created a series of calculus optimizations to determine the velocity he needed to achieve the fastest time in a 50 meter butterfly race.
“It was an environment where everyone had their own goals and passions and ideas, and felt supported to pursue them. All the teachers were great. They really cared and wanted us to grow, develop, think for ourselves and succeed,” says Michael.
Helen has fond memories of the feeling of belonging she had at York. “I always felt like I fit in and that I had a place. Everyone was helpful; I could always go talk to the teachers about anything,” she says.
Michael started swimming competitively with the RAMAC Aquatic Club when he was eight years old and Helen followed in his footsteps a few years later at the age of six. As members of the same community swimming club, they enjoyed training and travelling together, and competing in the same swim meets. They joined York’s swim team in high school. Because the school doesn’t have a pool, they continued to train with the coaches at their club and did strength training at York with then-swim team captain David Paris, the Director of Athletics Rick Demarinis and their teammates.
Helen and Michael’s talents were assets to York’s swim team. Michael won the 2019 Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) gold medal – the first OFSAA gold medal in York’s history – and the 2020 silver medal in the 100 meter butterfly. Helen was only able to compete for one year before the COVID-19 pandemic paused high school athletic events, but during that time she won three Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario Athletic Association (CISAA) championships and became the first female York student to win two gold medals at OFSAA.
When the brother and sister were in the pool competing for York, the community was back at the school cheering them on. “The OFSAA event was live-streamed and my Integrated Canadian Experience (ICE) teacher Mr. Aitkenhead put it on during class so my entire class got to watch me race and win medals,” says Helen.
In the classroom, Michael and Helen appreciated the academic freedom they had to use math and science knowledge to explore concepts related to swimming. In chemistry, Helen investigated the amount of chlorine in pool water to understand why her skin was always red and her eyebrows were disappearing. Michael created a series of calculus optimizations to determine the velocity he needed to achieve the fastest time in a 50 meter butterfly race.
Swimming was one of the many co-curriculars that Michael and Helen participated in. They were both community service directors and say it was fun and rewarding to plan activities that got their classmates involved in food and clothing drives, and a fundraising campaign for a camp (now known as Campfire Circle) that supports kids and families affected by childhood cancer or serious illness.
As university students, the siblings continue to prioritize studying and swimming. Michael is doing a double major in human biology and physiology at U of T, and has applied to medical school. Helen is studying animal science at Louisiana State University with the goal of becoming a veterinarian. Michael swims butterfly on the U of T swim team and Helen competes in the individual medley (an event where she uses the butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle) for Louisiana State. They both spend about 20 hours a week training in the pool and additional time in the weight room working on strength training. Helen’s team, which includes five Olympians, has mandatory daily practices.We can’t wait to see what’s next for Michael and Helen! No matter where their passions, talents and hard work take them, York’s values of curiosity, challenge and community will serve them well.
