Spark Day: Students Explore Careers and Community Learning
York House School's annual Spark Day returned on February 3, bringing Grade 8-12 students together for a full day of career exploration and community learning. The Senior Campus welcomed over 40 speakers including alums, parents, and friends of YHS, who shared their educational and professional journeys through keynote presentations, workshops, and speed networking. Students also ventured off-campus to nine different organizations to learn about local community causes and volunteering opportunities.
YHS alum Anna Baird '03, Chief Customer Officer for Google Cloud's Generative AI Go-To-Market, opened the day with a keynote for Grade 10 - 12 students. Anna organized her personal and professional growth into four categories: builders, learners, failures, and luck. Her message: all of life's experiences shape who we become.
Anna also joined a panel with YHS parent Jaime Stein, Director of Western Canada at Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies and Maddie Secco, former Canadian National Field Hockey Team Captain. Together this panel shared an uplifting message for Grade 8 - 9 students: start small and take meaningful steps toward what matters to you.
Grade 10 and 11 students explored diverse career pathways through four sessions featuring speakers from diverse industries including non-profit management, law, medicine, entrepreneurship, retail innovation, entertainment, clinical counselling, allied health, journalism, public service, and safety.
“Through Spark Day, I had the opportunity to witness the students’ genuine passion for medicine, which also reminded me of my own younger self," Dr. Bella Bai, a medical doctor, reflected on her involvement.
"As a woman in medicine, I deeply understand that the journey into this field is rarely linear, but shaped through exploration, reflection, and growth…seeing their curiosity and eagerness to learn was deeply encouraging.” - Dr. Bella Bai
York House students complemented their learning with hands-on skill development. Grade 10s built their Career Toolkit with YHS alum Jamie Almeda '10, Regional Manager, Talent Acquisition at Cactus Club. Grade 11s practiced speed networking, honing their ability to ask focused questions and build meaningful connections.
Saniya Jamal, YHS alum and Vice President of Operations for Skoah, reflected on her experience:
“Spark Day reminded me how powerful it is to see possibility before you can see the path. Sharing my journey with YHS students felt like coming full circle, and their curiosity and confidence left me inspired about the leaders they will become.”
For Grade 8 and 9 students, Spark Day focused on connecting with the local community. They ventured off-campus to learn about causes such as food security, environment, sustainability, women’s wellbeing, and health care. Students applied their learning by volunteering with Point Grey Hospital, The Writers' Exchange, Fabcycle, Plenty of Plates, Food Stash, Binners Project, Stanley Park, YWCA Crabtree Corner, and Ronald McDonald House.
Grade 12s took their learning further by facilitating workshops for younger students or attending an information session and campus tour at UBC, where they networked with YHS alums.
Spark Day brought the world into the classroom through subject matter experts and connected the classroom to the world. Students listened and conversed with professionals across diverse industries and engaged directly with meaningful community causes. Their end-of-day reflection assignments reveal that students departed with fresh perspectives and new insights into their future paths.
We extend our deepest appreciation to all the parents, alums, and friends of York House School who volunteered their time and expertise, and to Ms. Tulloch, Ms. Carragher, Ms. Campagnolo, Ms. Kane-Wilson, Ms. Matter, Ms. Mackenzie, and our faculty and staff for coordinating this transformative day.
Related Article: Spark Day 2025 Bridges Classrooms and Community
