Integrated Canadian Experience (ICE)

What does it mean to be Canadian? Every Grade 9 student at York explores this question from a variety of perspectives during the Integrated Canadian Experience (ICE), a unique academic program developed by York School faculty. ICE is a year-long, interdisciplinary course that integrates Civics, History, Geography and Literature. It empowers students to use their curiosity, creativity and critical thinking skills to expand their knowledge and develop their own opinions.

The ICE curriculum gives students a deep dive into a variety of themes and topics, including:
  • Indigenous peoples and Truth and Reconciliation
  • Identity, citizenship, and heritage
  • Immigration, newcomers’ lives and multiculturalism
  • Interactions between the natural environment and human activities
  • Sustainability and economic development
  • Communities, conflict and cooperation
  • Canada’s North
  • Canada’s role in the world
Students learn about Canada and its inhabitants by going on field trips, welcoming guest speakers, reading novels and conducting interviews and research. They apply their knowledge to assignments such as creating videoblogs, art projects and short documentaries. One of the highlights of the program is a winter camping trip that fosters community among students and faculty, and helps learners build confidence by embracing new challenges.
After learning about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action, this ICE student created a piece of art to spark discussions about the importance of featuring Indigenous musicians on CBC/Radio-Canada.

During The York School’s Challenge Week each May, ICE students conduct field work for their culminating project while participating in one of five regional trips. In 2024, the experiences included:
  • learning about ancestral lands, history and culture from a Traditional Knowledge Keeper, Elders and residential school Survivors in Kelowna and Kamloops, British Columbia;
  • studying and comparing the histories, geographies and literature of Drumheller and Banff, Alberta;
  • engaging with Québecois culture by exploring the region along the North Shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec and speaking French with local people;
  • investigating marine life (including seals, salmon, starfish and sturgeon) and coastline terrain at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre on the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick;
  • learning about the unique geology, history, ecology and cultural traditions of Newfoundland and Labrador by interviewing musicians, historians, geologists and storytellers; and
  • exploring the natural landscapes in Killarney Provincial Park (west of Sudbury, Ontario) that inspired the Group of Seven, and sketching and painting outdoors in the same way these famous artists did.
ICE gives Grade 9s unique, challenging and meaningful opportunities to learn about Canada and themselves. Students tell us it’s an unforgettable learning experience.