At Mill Valley Junior School, “small but mighty” is a slogan they like to use to describe themselves. Mill Valley is a small but tight community found just south of Centennial Park on the western edge of Etobicoke. The school has a population of about 170 students in Kindergarten to Grade 5. Like all Toronto District School Board schools, their students come from a diverse range of backgrounds and ethnicities from all around the world.
“Our school prides itself on making everyone feel welcome,” said Tristan Thackray, Mill Valley Junior School. “We are one of the smallest schools in the Toronto District School Board, but we show up to compete (and have fun!) at any event or competition we attend. Our school is gifted with an exceptional volleyball coach in Mr. Erich Shih, who has taken our volleyball program to the next level. We have a thriving extra-curricular program with activities like Cross Country Club, Track and Field, Lego Club, Gymnastics Club, Basketball Club, Chess Club, Volleyball, Talent Show, Calm Colouring Club and more!”
Because they are a small school it means that they are limited in how much fundraising they can do. They have only a very small athletics budget, and try to maximize what they’ve got. There is only a slender amount of funds available to satisfy the many needs of their students. As part of our ongoing donation program to primary schools, Sportspay Foundation was happy to boost their athletics department by supplying some sports equipment to Mill Valley. Mill Valley received a Volley Sport Combo kit including badminton rackets, birdies, a Soft-Touch Volleyball, a net for Badminton or Volleyball, as well as a basketball and soccer ball.
The sports culture is thriving at Mill Valley. For many years, soccer was the big sport at their school. With the recent World Series run by the Toronto Blue Jays, they have seen many more baseball gloves being brought to school and games being played in the park after school. Their volleyball program is also highly successful. But because they are such a small school, they often have half of the Grade 5 team filled with Grade 4 students. That has not stopped them though from being competitive in Tier 2 tournaments though!
Because of their tight athletics budget, the school simply has not been able to make large purchases. The badminton nets Sportspay Foundation donated are the first nets of their kind at the school, and will hopefully lead to students having the opportunity to play intramurals badminton tournaments in the future. For now, the new equipment is getting the kids out there, playing and rallying during recess times!
