Typically, the Grade 9 TOPS students go on a 4-day trip to YMCA Pinecrest in the Muskoka region of Ontario for a week filled with fun and bonding. By participating in various activities such as kayaking, archery and much more, the students build a sense of family that is carried through the rest of their years in the TOPS program. With several senior students and teachers leading the activities, the Grade 9 TOPS class begins to build their everlasting memories together.
As a cohort, the students face many challenges that encourage them to bond with each other. From helping each other on the high rope courses, and jumping in the lake at 7 in the morning, to working together to beat the senior students in canoe manhunt, the Grade 9 students enter Pinecrest as a group of strangers, but leave as a tightly-knit family that will support each other through and beyond their high school careers.
