Michael Alvarez-Toye:
CLASS OF 1976
Niagara District High SchoolClass of 1976
Niagara-on-the-lake, ON
Denis Morris High SchoolClass of 1976
St. catharines, ON
Michael's Story
Life
My Spouse
At the Anchorage-I had gone there with my mates, and she with her friend, who I knew... We were introduced as I spent the evening with them, having abandoned my friends. The 3 of us left....San and I became friends, and eventually through time, distance and destiny we were married. For those who haven't figured out who San is(given the name change et al...), she is none other than Sandra Toye!
My Pets
We have 3 cats at the moment, as well as 2 others that are strays we look after in our backroom-complete with heating pads for each... All of them are unique in personalities, as one would expect...
Very soulful individuals.
My Kids
Our son is brilliant, and very astute; he is an individual who's already established himself as a person who cares about social issues, attending conferences in Ottawa, Montreal, Kempville, etc-dealing with youth issues. He helped set up a website called Justice4youth.com and was awarded a computer for his efforts. He is strongly anti-racist, very well-read and political...these are just a few aspects about him.....into music(plays guitar) etc....
School
Since school was arbitrary one needed to make the best of it. This was accomplished through friendships, alliances made, having gifted and committed teachers, among other factors. The English department seemed to have a great number of excellent teachers, those who encouraged me with my talents. As well, I thrived in Art thanks to the atmosphere, the teachers...
NDSS was not typical of other schools, in that it was NOT a mi...Expand for more
crocosm of society at large, but rather it tended to reflect the insular attitudes of the town it was situated in, for better and for worse. While there were the usual cliques as found elsewhere, there was also more, where the biases against the "outsiders" seemed that much larger. I remember how a few people, upon returning from their travels across Canada, visiting the school, would come up to me as though they were old pals, telling me about how they met so many cool people, guys with long hair, etc...their eyes opened to the realities of the real world after having previously lived a shuttered and close-minded life. They were the fortunate ones; others who refused to, or were unable to see the world, often were kept trapped by their bigotries.
It was a good school, however, and I was fortunate to be who I was/am, and still be able to develop strong relationships with people from all walks of life. The era from where I came from, was one that was breaking away from the social customs of the times; social activism was at the forefront, even in Niagara. Some of the teachers were enlightened enough to embrace and encourage such attitudes, knowing that taking responsibility for one's life, and for that which surrounds you, can only further one's influence over the fate of the very world we share. Some teachers recognised that schooling shouldn't interfere too much with one's education(to paraphrase Mark Twain); education and learning is a lifelong activity, whereas school is broken down into "term sentences".
More to follow...
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