As we celebrate our 25th Anniversary, many of us are looking back at our origins while planning intently for the coming years. Over the years at Urban Academy, the school’s original values have remained firmly in place, even as our program has been enhanced exponentially year after year.
These past years have brought incredible additions: significant investments in our facilities and staff, expanded academic rigour, and a huge growth in co-curricular opportunities. We’ve poured resources into athletics, fine arts, sciences, technology, outdoor ed, robotics, and travel. New Senior School programs like MUN, Advanced Placement (AP), and the Duke of Edinburgh Award have further diversified our offerings.
As you have likely experienced, with all these exciting additions, the messages coming out of Urban Academy may have felt a little cluttered. We felt it too! Therefore, over the last few months, we undertook a rigorous exercise, asking ourselves: “We do a lot of great things, but at our essence, what is Urban Academy?” This is tricky work for a JK to Grade 12 school, ensuring that our distilled message resonates equally with our four-year-olds as it does our seventeen-year-olds.
After much deliberation, we have landed on a core promise. This promise reflects what happens daily at UA, while simultaneously encouraging us to constantly improve. It is our guiding light for decisions, investments, and professional development.
Our promise to you, our families, and above all to our students is this:
Urban Academy is a place where every student is KNOWN, every student is STRETCHED, and every student is FUTURE-READY.
- To be KNOWN is vital. In today’s world of increasing anonymity, connection and belonging are anchors for a child’s understanding of who they are.
- To be STRETCHED—whether academically, by trying new extracurricular opportunities, and by stepping out of their comfort zones—builds the resilience, self-confidence, and ability to take risks that are important life lessons for us all.
- To be FUTURE-READY means being prepared not only for post-secondary education but for the constantly changing world beyond, equipped with the agility to lead.
In the coming months, you will see this promise integrated everywhere. Our choices, our conversations, and our investments will be based on this core framework. After all, it is our commitment that your children are truly known, courageously stretched, and confidently future-ready.
Kind Regards,
UA Senior Leadership Team