Welcome to ATS

You may be surprised by what you find. First, you may be greeted by a 6th grader asking what your favourite dinosaur is, followed by a line-up of Grade 7 girls calling their parents about practice. If it is lunchtime, Grads will be rushing out to sit in their cars (a treasured freedom on a closed campus). Finally, you will be surrounded by our welcoming committee, 6 to 20 of our chattiest, friendliest and tallest students wanting to know about you and get a fist bump.   

This year at ATS, we have rallied behind the theme “This Is Our House." As one school and one staff, we are building on the idea that we all belong here and have a part to play in making our community a place where everyone thrives. 

ATS staff were asked to think of characteristics that embodied who we want to be.  The characteristics were written on stickies and placed around the room, sorted into themes and the four most reoccurring characteristics made into statements of commitment. We have determined that we are a staff that is caring and kind, collaborative, consistent, and supportive. Each classroom now has a poster sharing these traits with our students and reminding staff who we choose to be as "This is Our House."  

We repeated the activity in an assembly for Grades 6-8 students. In many previous assemblies, they have heard us say that, "This Is Our House". After students placed their stickies around the gym, they walked around and saw their chosen characteristics. As a student body, they determined that we are a school that is kind, responsible, respectful and helpful. Later, in a follow-up activity, students gave examples of what these traits and what "This Is Our House" means to them, including picking up garbage and asking students who are by themselves to join in games.

Recently, our chatty, friendly, and tall welcoming committee showed us what embodying the "This is Our House" spirit on the basketball court means. Two of our teams recently participated in the Provincial Championships. Both teams and their ATS alumni coaches fought hard and displayed tremendous heart. The Junior Boys placed 17th. The Grade 9 boys made it all the way to the final game, besting higher-seeded teams along the way. In addition to these impressive finishes, both teams were awarded the Most Sportsmanlike Team of the Tournament. As he awarded the Grade 9 boys the trophy, the tournament director commented on the impressive conduct of our players, the coaches, and the fans in the stands. While we are proud of the placement of the teams, we are prouder still of the character they displayed. Throughout the tournaments, the crowd was electric as we came together with parents, friends, staff, and the community to cheer the ATS Titans. Welcome to our house!