Thornlea Secondary School

Around 1980, this model gave way to a more traditional academic environment.

• Name — Thornlea Secondary School • Address — 8075 Bayview Avenue • City — Markham, Ontario • Postal Code — L3T 4N4 • Schooltype — Public school • Motto — Think and be thought of • Religious Affiliation — Secular • Founded — 1968 • School Board — York Region District School Board • Superintendent — Donna Donalds • Trustee — Jenny Chen • School Number — 947814 • Principal — Patrick Belmonte • Grades Label — Grades • Grades — 9–12 • Enrolment — 1241 • Enrolment As Of — October 2025 • Language — English, French • Area — Thornhill, Markham, Ontario • Colours — purplewhiteblack Purple, White, and Black • Mascot — Pharley J Cumquat • Newspaper — Thornlea Deadline • Website — http: thornlea.ss.yrdsb.ca/ • Free Label1 — Community • Free Text1 — CEC West • Free Label2 — Bell times • Free Text2 — 8:45 AM – 3:05 PM • Free Label3 — Telephone • Free Text3 — 905-889-9696 647-795-7692 • Lastupdate — May 2026

Alongside traditional disciplinary staples such as English, mathematics, science (chemistry, physics, and biology), physical education, and social science (divided evenly between history and geography), Thornlea also offers courses in the fine arts, music (vocal, choral, orchestral, wind ensemble, and jazz), drama, introduction to business studies (general, marketing, and accounting), and design and technology (automotive maintenance, communications, media and film studies, woodworking, engineering, and cosmetology). A survey course in philosophy, generally popular among Thornlea seniors, has also been offered inconsistently over the years depending on the availability of a qualified instructor. A variety of creative writing courses have also been offered over the years, the existence of which has typically depended on instructor interest and availability. The school offers special education courses and classes — some integrated, some self-contained — including programs for students with autism, those in alternative education, and those with acquired brain injury.

Thornlea Secondary School hosts four main specialized programs: ACAM, AP, French Immersion, and SHSM.

The ACAM program (Academy of Creativity and Multimedia) provides students wishing to pursue a career in the arts with a specialized curriculum. The program teaches a wide range of art skills and technologies, including Photoshop, Flash, Adobe Illustrator, Google SketchUp, Google Terrain, Blender, Dreamweaver, Reaper, and visual arts.

The AP (Advanced Placement) program aims to enrich the classroom environment and challenge students to use higher-order thinking skills. Courses available under the AP program include Art, Advanced Functions, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English, and French.

The French Immersion program at Thornlea allows students to develop their French language skills across a variety of courses. Students are required to take grade 9 geography, grade 9 physical education, grade 10 history, and grade 10 civics and careers in French. They are also required to take one French course each year, and must choose two additional courses in French from art, business, SAP (Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology), or Co-Op.

The SHSM (Specialist High Skills Majors) program enables students to develop relevant skills for various industries. Students are given 7–9 courses, including a co-op credit, within their chosen sector. The three sectors available are Arts and Culture, Business, and Health and Wellness.

Thornlea Secondary School hosts a total of 57 clubs (not including sports teams). Thornlea students often assist in the social activist life of Thornhill, and have in the past helped organize the Terry Fox Run and the Walk Against Male Violence.

Thornlea's Amnesty Club has engaged with a number of social justice issues, including Women's Rights in Iran, Black Lives Matter, and Indigenous Rights.

The Thornlea Wellness Initiative Council (TWIC) is a club whose goal is to promote student wellbeing and mental health through events and wellness activities. Events hosted by TWIC include an annual wellness fair, a therapy dog event, a soccer tournament, and a chess tournament.

Thornlea Secondary School hosts a student newspaper that reports on events in and around the school. The first Thornlea newspaper, known as The Underground, was created in the 1980s as an unofficial, secretive publication that acted as a hub for student journalism. It was eventually discovered by school administration and shut down. A decade later, in the late 1990s, an official newspaper titled Deadline was established, running for several editions before folding after its editor-in-chief graduated. A separate publication, Thornlea RAW, also released several editions in the mid-1990s. In the 2001–2002 school year, the Thornlea Music Council launched a newspaper titled Volume, which also ceased publication after a year when its entire editorial team graduated. In 2005, another newspaper titled Ka-Boom! was started, but it too was eventually discontinued. In 2021, two students created a new publication called Thunder News, which served as a newsletter for Thornlea students. After its editor-in-chief graduated, it was handed to two new executives who rebranded it as TN Mag (Thornlea Magazine), which ran during the 2022–2023 school year but released only one edition. In the 2023–2024 school year, TN Magazine was passed to a new editor-in-chief who, alongside two executives, rebranded it back to Deadline.

Thornlea Tech (formerly known as Thornlea Lights, Set and Sound) is a club responsible for the technical production of various assemblies and events throughout the year, including drama productions and the TWIC Wellness Fair. The team operates soundboards, lightboards, cameras, speakers, wiring, and various other equipment to ensure events run smoothly. Thornlea Tech also hosts an annual haunted house, constructing a maze that students attempt to navigate. In the 2023–2024 school year, Thornlea Tech collaborated with the Thornlea Multimedia Club for the event.

The Thornlea Multimedia Club (MMC) is a student club focused on creating films and movies. The club comprises several departments: production, acting, editing, art, writing, and audio. Notable films include Who's Our Culprit, Bad Faith, and Skadoosh. In 2022, the club won the Vaughan Film Festival EIPMA Student Film Award.

Thornlea Secondary School hosts a robotics team known as Thunder Robotics (Team 8764), sponsored by the York Region District School Board, Thornlea Secondary School, the Argosy Foundation, Sylvan Learning, and EMX. The team began their rookie year in 2022, competing as part of the FIRST Robotics Competition. Thunder Robotics has participated in the District of Waterloo Event, District McMaster University Event, and the FIRST Ontario Provincial Championship (Science Division). The team is currently ranked 53rd out of 198 teams in Ontario, with a total score of 97 points across 41 matches, winning 16 and losing 20.

Thornlea Secondary School hosts a wide variety of athletic teams, including soccer, tennis, rugby, basketball, cross country, volleyball, golf, swimming, rock climbing, curling, skiing, snowboarding, badminton, track and field, ultimate frisbee, flag football, and baseball.

• Dylan Sinclair – musician • Gavin Brown – record producer • Hayden – singer-songwriter • Jason Levine – The Philosopher Kings, Prozzak • Mike Ford – Moxy Früvous, The Cocksure Lads • Murray Foster – Moxy Früvous, Great Big Sea, The Cocksure Lads • Noah Mintz – hHead, Noah's Arkweld, producer and engineer

• Rob Rusnov – Canadian archer who competed in the Pan American Games • Leonard Miller – Canadian basketball player • Kassius Robertson – basketball player

• Jim Watson (Canadian politician) – mayor of Ottawa (2010 to 2022)

• Parham Aarabi – professor (University of Toronto), entrepreneur • Gordon Korman – youth novel writer • Alicia Ross – victim of Daniel Sylvester • Mark Scheinberg – co-founder and former CEO of PokerStars

• Alek Minassian – mass murderer (2018 Toronto van attack) • Daniel Sylvester – murderer