Harbord Collegiate Institute - Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism

Harbord has been a diverse multicultural school for many years. From the 1920s to the 1950s, about 90% of the student body was Jewish and many prominent Jewish Canadians attended Harbord. Today, the student body largely consists of, but is not limited to, students of Chinese and Portuguese descent, which is representative of the surrounding neighbourhoods. Many of the clubs at Harbord are reflective of the ethnic groups present. Harbord is well known for its language program, offering courses in Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Latin, French, Portuguese and German. Such courses allow students to learn basic language structure and conversation skills in their chosen languages.

Harbord has three French programs to choose from: Immersion, Extended and Core French. These classes offer students an opportunity to become bilingual in Canada's official languages. There is also a French Club within Harbord.

Harbord has a full ESL (English as a Second Language) program which helps all students new to Canada to learn English. Harbord also has an International Club to help the students become accustomed to Toronto and the new environment. The club hosts many activities throughout the year to help new students become involved in the school and give them the chance to socialise with other students in the school.