Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School

Preface

Courses

When choosing your courses, make sure you have all the required compulsory courses as early as possible. (aim to complete them before grade 11!! It’s going to make your life a lot easier) Apart from compulsory courses, it doesn’t really matter what courses you take or what marks you get for Grade 9 and 10 as electives, as marks don’t count for university, and they are rarely needed as prerequisites for other grade 11 courses that aren’t covered by your compulsory ones. The most important thing is that you actually understand the math and maybe science concepts, as they build up over the four years.

Courses marked (C) are compulsory, (E) are electives.

Grade 9

Lunch period: P3

Your compulsory classes include English, Math, Science, Geography, PE, and French. You’ll have 2 electives for you to choose.

Highly recommend you to prioritize fulfilling the requirements here, specifically in your first year you’d want to complete your 1 arts course requirement because it would be significantly harder for you to pick up a skill as the courses become a lot more difficult in the upcoming years.

ENL1W1 English (C)

First English course of high school (unless you’re in ESL)

Teachers:

Ms Barbu: classic passive aggressive English teacher. Final marks range varies a lot, really depending on whether she likes you. No phones, no airpods.
- Marks: 69
Mrs Taylor: gives out free food. also passive aggressive, more so aggressive , pressures students a lot.
- Marks: 79

MTH1W1 Math (C)

First Math course of high school, you should be okay if you had a solid foundation in elementary

Teachers:

Mr Kutloglu: very nice and chill teacher, good at explaining math, probably the best one in our school, checks in on each person so don’t mind asking him questions, work is light.
- Marks: 93
Mr Yang: chill teacher, but bad at explaining. Hard tests with no multiple choice, marked same or next day, very easy exam.
- Marks: 89

SNC1W1 Science (C)

Easy Science course, a lot of projects and some self learning. The course is split into Chemistry, Physics (Electricity), Biology and Earth & Space.

Teachers:

Ms Tang: nice teacher, speaks Canto and Mando, one of if not the best Gr9 Science teachers. She’s strict, has high standards that might stress you out at times because it seems like she’s mad when you do something wrong, but trust me, you ARE at the wrong. Reflect on your mistakes and fix them. She's not a harsh marker, she just wants you to grow up.
- Marks: 90, 93

FSF1O1 Open French (C)

If you’re new to Canada, this will be your only option for a French credit. If you did not take all 5 years of French (Grade 4-8), you can choose between Open French and Core French. Unless you actually enjoy learning French, then pick Open French. You learn ABCs, greetings, numbers, colours and all that easy stuff. You can always take French in the future as one of your electives if you find yourself enjoying Francais.

Teachers:

Ms Campanotti: very energetic and lenient marker, exam takes 10-20 mins to finish and you can leave early. Yes phones and yes Airpods.
- Marks: 93, 100, 85

FSF1D1 Core French (C)

Way more difficult compared to Open French. If you struggle with listening, choose Open. Topics include describing looks, ordering in a restaurant and Francophone stuff.

Teachers:

Madame Carlow: good teacher
- Marks: 75, 93

CGC1D1 Geography (C)

It’s boring but you have to take it, as long as you pass you’re good.

Teachers:

Ms Butler: kind of strict, you do get a lesson or two walking around the neighborhood for some assignment.
- Marks: 83
Ms Keystone:
- Marks: 82
Mr. Kraemer : Super chill, has a rather easy curriculum compared to other teachers, do your worksheets and watch some documentaries, the tests are straight forward.
- Marks: 94

PPL1O Gym (C)

You spend two weeks playing one sport, and one day each week using the weight room. Depends on the teacher for how much fitness testing you get throughout the course.

Teachers:

Mr Weber: normal PE teacher, nothing special
- Marks: 81
Ms Shin: Super super nice teacher, sweetest teacher in school. Gym classes are always really fun (even for me who genuinely HATES exercises). Remember to wear your gym clothes, and try your best (=/ be good at a sport) and you’ll get a decent mark! There were 2 projects (1 for sexed, 1 for finals).
- Mark: 96

AMI1O1 Instrumental Band (E)

Recommended to take with AMR1O1, which is Repertoire Band, running one day before school for around 45 minutes and one day after school for 2 hours. It’s not a typical course but you’ll have fun playing music. Retests are allowed, and highly encouraged for playing tests.

Teachers:

Mr Hindel: Cracks a lot of jokes in class, really really fun.
- Marks: 94

HIF1O1 Family Studies (E)

You learn about the structures of different families and you get to cook. Boring and project-based except for the cooking part.

Recommended Summer School: CHV2O1 Civic and GLC2O1 Careers

Grade 10

Lunch: P4
Most people say this is your best year in high school, having a set group of friends and a year away from stress that is early application marks and uni apps. Make the best out of your grade 10 year and lock in for grade 11. Join clubs and explore your interests this year so you know what you might want to take / pursue in the future. It will be harder to pivot once your courses are picked out and you need to fulfill other requirements to pursue other programs.

ENG2D1 English (C)

Focused on mythology and 12 Angry Men , but some teachers somehow do not follow the curriculum.
Teachers:

Ms Gibb: less passive aggressive than most English teachers
- Marks: 84
Ms Strauss: very high pitched voice but very nice, not a hard marker, one of the best english teachers you can get.
- Marks: 93, 89

MPM2D1 Math (C)

A slight increase in difficulty compared to Grade 9, make sure to complete homework, and that you understand factoring and the trigonometry concepts.
Teachers:

Ms Bhagani: picky marker because “would you rather lose marks in Grade 10 or Grade 12”, will not look over your culminating before submitting
- Marks: 88
Ms Wong: really good teacher, gives hints during a test. She will specifically star a hard question and rephrase it in tests. She proactively asks how you’re doing. Easy tests but hard exams.
- Marks: 7x
Mr Yeung: Bad at trigonometry. Doesn’t really know what he’s doing sometimes, tests are not too hard, but you might need a tutor or else you’d be clueless.
- Marks: 90

SNC2D1 Science (C)

Similar Science course as Grade 9, just simple overview to prepare you for specific Science courses in Grade 11.

Teachers:

Mr Rajah: Super chill and fun teacher. His tests are straightforward, not difficult.
- Marks: 95
Ms Leung: She now works in the Student Success room, so you know she’s a supportive teacher. She teaches well, and talks a lot about her and her kids. The biology section is split into body systems and taught by student groups.
- Marks: 97

CHC2D1 History (C)

A really fun and interesting course about WW1 and WW2.

Teachers:

Mr Davidson: a really passionate teacher and enthusiastic speaker. Tests are reused so if you know someone in a previous period, make sure to ask them for details.
- Marks: 96, 90
Ms Miyauchi: One of the sweetest teachers at school. Super duper nice, teaches well. History itself is boring for many, but the tests are not difficult. Just pay attention during classes before the test as she will go through what was covered and what you need to and not need to study (helps a lot).
- Marks: 98

CHV2O1 Civics (C)

Taken together with GLC2O1 Careers. You might take Civics the first half of the semester, then Careers in the second, or vice versa.

Mr. Taylor: He talks a lot. Pretty chill. Civics is boring but perhaps not anymore since there are so many controversial political topics worth discussing in class. Talk to him!! Complete your work, just pass and you’re good. (1 test, 1 culminating project, a few marked assignments)
- Mark: 93

GLC2O1 Careers (C)

Super chill course, there are some tasks you have to complete, but generally this is more of a “Get to know yourself better” course learning about finding a suitable career that matches with your personality (you do MBTI test), strengths, values and interests. Also prepares you for interviews and writing resumes & cover letters.

Ms. Gibb: teaches most Careers classes, really nice teacher
- Mark: 96

BEP2O1 Launching & Leading a Business (E)

If you’re planning to take one and only one business course, this is it. You get to sell food to your friends, skip class and block hallways.

Teachers:

Mr. Gandhi: There are a few tests but it isn’t too hard, just memorize some definitions (helps if you connect it with a real world example when studying).
- Marks: 93

HFN2O1 Food and Nutrition (E)

Fun course with a bit of memorizing, you get to cook and bake

Teachers:

Ms Finlay: Nice teacher who plays clips of TVs and movies that tie into lessons. You can bring notes into the exam, so it’s light. Make sure you follow every step of a cooking lab and clean up thoroughly so that you don’t lose marks.
- Marks: 85

ICD2O1 Digital Tech (E)

You learn Javascript, which is useful for building websites.

Teachers:

Mr Chan: for the whole semester, you’ll be working by yourself on your laptop with a website called CodeHS except for 1 group project and 1 presentation. He explains the concepts a bit at the start of every lesson and leaves you alone. If you know what you’re doing and finish the code early on, you basically can do whatever. Tests are on Google Form, exams are on pen and paper.
- Marks: 96
Mr Cohen:

TGJ2O1 Comms Tech (E)

You learn video editing, Photoshop and stuff like that.

AMI2O1 Music (E)

It feels no different from Grade 9 Music. Like Grade 9, taking AMR2O1 Repertoire is recommended. Playing tests are redoable.
Teachers:

Ms Fabbro: really nice teacher, stricter on ISPs than other teachers, guaranteed 90+ though
- Marks: 95

TDJ2O1 Tech Design (E)

An extremely hands on course, requiring you to write neatly and be creative. You learn how to build apartment models, and also 3D modeling. Great course if you want something crafty in between harder courses.

Recommended Summer School: Co-Op or NBE3U1 English

Grade 11

Right now, you should be standing at about 16 credits or more. Starting this year, you can have 1 spare other than your lunch, sometimes more if you have exceptions but you generally need 7 courses for a full time table in Gr11. You will most likely not have lunch with your friends since you might have any period out of the 5 as your lunch. If you have been slacking off the first two years, it’s time to lock in and get a feel for what studying is like. Grade 11 is hard, but grade 12 is harder. Your performance this year determines your uni early applications success, but other than that, this is really your FINAL year for slacking off.

NBE3U1 English (C)

Heavily Indigenous focused. Not the most interesting English course but you watch a lot of TV shows and movies.

Teachers:

Ms Barbu: Read ENL1W1 )
- Marks: 75, 61, 89
Ms. Keystone: Picky teacher, but not unreasonable. Have high standards, a hard marker. Classes are usually rather chill (except you stress over writing a thesis). She doesn’t stick to the regular department assessments and exams. Her multiple choices can be pretty confusing. Generally an easy marker on tests, but hard markers on essays.
- Marks: 86, 97, 79, 77
Ms Lim: Easy marker and often have chill lessons, although it can be boring at times but you will mostly be happy with your mark. Especially with essays where she is easy with the markings.
- Marks: 90

MCR3U1 Functions (C)

Harder than Grade 10 Math, but nothing compared to Grade 12 Advanced Functions. Not hard but not easy, do your homework.

Teachers:

Ms Mak: picky marker, really nice though, always ask if you don’t understand
- Marks: 94
Ms. Afshari:

SCH3U1 Chemistry (E)

Starting this year, you will need a lab notebook to complete your labs, which I would say is one of the most annoying things ever because you copy a few pages for every lab. Other than that, all the chem teachers teach pretty well and it’s not a hard course! Notes

Teachers:

Ms Twiddy: less yappy compared to Mr Annett, but still a really fun and good teacher. She often splits one lesson into a few, so that you can better understand the concept before moving on. On most days, half the class is a work period.
- Marks:
Mr. Annett: Learned A LOT, super fun teacher. Teaches you a lot of studying skills as well beyond just chemistry. Tests & Exams are pretty long, don’t try to cram everything the night before (DID NOT WORK AT ALL). Practice solving problems, and be familiar with definitions.
- Marks: 89, 91, 93

SPH3U1 Physics (E)

Unless you need this course for university, do not take this for fun. It is a different beast from the physics unit in Gr10 Science. Notes

Teachers:

Mr McCumber: lessons are short and straight to the point, most periods are short lessons (usually 15-25 minutes) then working on homework. He’ll always give 2-3 test review periods before the actual test for you to study. Quizzes count for midterm marks but not final mark.
- Marks:
Mr Yang: heavy Hong Kong accent
- Marks: 71

SBI3U1 Biology (E)

Ms Choi
Ms Constas
Ms DeFreitas

AMI3M1 Instrumental Music - Band (E)

You will begin playing pieces that are meant for universities, which is insane compared to before. However, Trudeau Music is not regarded as one of the best music high schools in Ontario without a reason, so you will do good as long as you also take AMR3M1 Repertoire. Playing tests are redoable.

Teachers:

Mr Colley: the head of the department. Be polite and smile when you see him. Gives extremely harsh and direct comments, but it is constructive and useful. The course average is like 98, but people who are more talented can get 100.
- Marks: 98

ICS3U1 Computer Science (E)

You learn Java with CodeHS in this course. Based on that, you create games with Greenfoot, a really ancient Java game engine. Answers for CodeHS Unit 1-4.13 are here , do not just copy and paste as teachers can see it.

Teachers:

Mr Chan: Read ICD2O1 )
- Marks: 96, 87

Recommended Summer School: Co-Op or English

Grade 12

This is the most important year of your life. Whatever grade you got in Grade 11 does not matter. From now on, your Grade 12 marks are the only thing you should care about.

This section is severely lacking, so please shoot us a DM if you have any information at all!

SES4U1 Earth & Space Science (E)

Teachers:

Mr. McCumber: Super chill. There are 4 units (2 space, 2 geology). For each unit, there are only a few teacher-led lessons (sometimes none). Most of the lessons will be presented by students (you pick a topic and teach the class for 25-35 minutes, and can work with partners if you don’t want to teach on your own for the full 30 minutes). You don’t have to go extremely in depth for the topics, general information with enough details work. He requires you to have at least 1 interactive activity to help students understand (if you do a kahoot, you get 6-7 out of 10 for the first time and lower as time goes, be creative!!) Testable questions are created by students after their presentation, you will have a long list of testable questions, memorize and understand all the concepts there, write word for word on the test and you can get 90% of the marks.
- Marks: 91

ICS4U1 Computer Science (E)

The hardest CompSci course of them all. You actually get into more complex topics, such as object-oriented programming and algorithms. You will redo CodeHS Unit 4 till 4.13 again, which you can find the answers to here .

Teachers:

Mr. Cohen: See ICD2O1 ). He starts the course with a week or two of review, which should recall your Grade 11 Java knowledge. You will have 2 group projects, and some individual projects. Make sure your code and files meet his guidelines, as he uses AI to grade your work, but he claims “the final mark is given by him”. Emphasis on creative freedom for projects.
- Marks:

Course name ()

Course overview

Teachers:

- Marks:

FAQ

Guidance appointments are hard to book at times like course selection and the start of a semester. To save you some time, here are some of the common questions:

Q: Can I take a Grade 10 course in Grade 9? etc.

A: Yes, this is called fast tracking, but you are not guaranteed a spot. You can go in and beg them to switch into one after the semester starts, but be prepared to go in EVERY SINGLE DAY starting the week before the semester. If you’re lucky and someone drops / there’s a spot, you can get into a higher grade course. Otherwise, you’re put on a waitlist.

Q: Can I drop a Grade 10 course if I take it in Grade 9? etc.

A: No, unless you drop it before the course starts, or guidance takes pity on you.

Q: What’s academic, locally developed, applied, or destreamed??

A: Just pick academic / destreamed. Academic is called destreamed for some Grade 9 courses.

Q: Do I have a chance in getting my alternatives?

A: They generally don’t care about your alternatives (most elective courses won’t be full if you picked it in your official course selections). Some courses are harder to switch into if you did not put it in your initial course selection (i.e. music) 90% of the time, you end up with a random course. If you put a course that is not from your grade (e.g. you’re grade 11, picking a gr12 course as an alternative) you will basically NEVER get that so don’t waste it and put something realistic.

“Because we assume you don't actually want it that much” - Some guidance counsellor.

Q: Should I pick a College course if I want to go into university?

A: Universities only look at U (University) or M (Mixed, University / College) level courses. Any other C (College) or O (Open) courses will not count towards your top 6 mark for university admission. You can still apply to colleges with university level courses.

Q: How do I switch courses?

A: Beg guidance, fight for an appointment slot (check teach assist frequently to get leftover spots someone has cancelled). Book ahead of time before the time table releases in August, if you know you will need to switch. Book MULTIPLE slots since you will likely have to go back and check for new availability often. However, before semester one, there is a high chance that they will CANCEL ALL BOOKINGS last minute and lock themselves in guidance, since “bookings are not supposed to be open at this time”.

Fill in the course switch Google Form, but still try your best to make your way into guidance and at least talk to the front desk dude. (if you have compulsory courses needed, or an ESL course that they missed, make sure someone in there hears you, be like a karen!!!) Check frequently, if anything, ask your parents to email them, it speeds up your process.

There will be times where they say you will need to take a compulsory course in the next school year (it’s absolutely stupid) DO NOT LET THAT HAPPEN!!! Try your best to beg for a course somehow, you may have to give up some electives, but you NEVER want to take your compulsories late. When nothing comes of it, have your parents email / show up to guidance and explain how this will immensely impact your future education and career, they will be more likely to give it to you. Good luck.

Q: Can I get spares in Grade 9 & 10?

A: No. If you get any more than one empty period per semester, ask guidance for a course.

Q: Can I get spares in Grade 11 or 12 ?

A: Yes. Still submit a full 8 courses selection, dropping is easier than getting a course.

Q: Can I switch lunch periods?

A: Yes, if you give them a valid reason and you’re lucky that there is course availability.

Q: When is the latest that I can drop a course? (Not fast tracking)

A: Two months into the semester, there is a day called Full Disclosure, which is the last day you can drop a course without it being on your record.

Q: Should I take a random course or just have a spare?

A: This is really personal preference. Would you rather spend an hour and fifteen minutes doing stuff you’re not interested in for a credit, or spend the time studying, walking around school, eating your lunch?

Q: How does summer school work?

A: For day school, course selection happens in February for next year. For summer school, this happens in March/April. If you plan on taking a certain course in summer, do not put it in your day school schedule. When the summer selection opens, you can choose it, and most likely you will pick either Bur Oak or PET, which should be different every year. The selection page can be found under Continuing Education on myBlueprint. If you do take it, keep in mind that information will not be sent until a day or two before it starts, so don’t panic. It runs throughout the whole of July, and the schedule is around 8:30 AM to 3:33 PM (yes it’s 3:33), with four “periods”, two recesses and one lunch.

Q: What about night school?

A: It’s also under Continuing Education. Check for availability there or here . If something is not available in day school, they would most likely tell you to take night school. It runs from 6:30 to 9:45 PM every Tuesday and Thursday. For the exam, it happens one week before day school’s exam week, and you most likely have to drive to Newmarket for that.

Q: What is SHSM?

A: Specialist High School Major. Our school offers arts and culture , business , health and wellness and information and communications technology streams.

Q: What is Online Learning Opt Out?

Q:

A:

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Resources

University Apps Sheet : it contains thousands of submitted responses for people’s uni offers, their marks and more

The Organic Chemistry Tutor : everyone knows this, it’s a good recap for specific lessons in chemistry, math and physics!

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Miscellaneous

Map of school (and keys):
Soap in male washrooms are rare, room 175 has a sink with soap
P1: 8:10 AM - 9:30 AM
P2: 9:35 AM - 10:50 AM
P3: 10:55 AM - 12:10 PM
P4: 12:15 PM - 1:30 PM
P5: 1:35 PM - 2:50 PM
Social media is blocked on school wifi, so get a VPN or use data. People use X-VPN .
You get certificates for getting 50, 100 and 200 hours of volunteer work.

Courses missing

Obviously, I couldn’t have taken every course the school has to offer, so these are some courses that we have no information on!

Right now, we only focus on non-French-immersion academic, open, uni and some college courses. There might be a need to expand it more in the future.

Grade 9

ADA1O1 Drama
ATC1O1 Dance
AVI1O1 Art
BEM1O1 Business
TAS1O1 Tech
TEJ1O1 Comp Tech
TXJ1O1 Hairstyling

Grade 10

ADA2O1 Drama
ATC2O1 Dance
ASM2O1 Media Arts
AVI2O1 Visual Arts
FSF2D1 French
PPL2O Gym
TEJ2O1 Comp Tech
TXJ2O1 Hairstyling
TCJ2O1 Construction

Grade 11

ATC3M1 Dance
ADA3M1 Drama Performance
ADA3O1 Drama Design and Production
ADB3M1 Drama Musical Theatre
ASM3M1 Media Arts
AVI3M1 Visual Arts
AWN3M1 Painting
BAF3M1 Accounting
BMI3C1 Marketing
CGG3O1 Travel and Tourism
CHW3M1 History
CLU3M1 Law
ICS3C1 Computer Programming
FSF3U1 French
PPL3O Gym
SVN3M1 Environmental Science
HFC3M1 Food and Culture
HNC3C1 Fashion
HSP3C1 APS
HZB3M1 Philosophy
TDJ3M1 Tech Design
TEJ3M1 Comp Eng
TGJ3M1 Comms Tech
TXJ3E1 Hairstyling
TCJ3C1 Construction Tech

Grade 12

ADA4M1 Drama Performance
ADB4M1 Drama Theatre
ADD4M1 Drama Design and Production
ATC4M1 Dance
ASM4M1 Media Arts
AVI4M1 Visual Arts
AWD4M1 Visual Design
AWN4M1 Painting
BAT4M1 Accounting
BBB4M1 International Business
BOH4M1 Business Leadership
CIA4U1 Economics
CHY4U1 History
CLN4U1 Law
CPW4U1 Politics
ENG4U1 English
EWC4U1 Writer’s Craft
PAF4O Fitness
PLF4M Recreation
PPL3O Gym
PSK4U1 Kinesiology
IDC4U1 Capital Markets
MCV4U1 Calculus and Vectors
MDM4U1 Data Management
MHF4U1 Advanced Functions
SBI4U1 Biology
SCH4C1 Chemistry
SNC4M1 Science
SPH4U1 Physics
HFA4U1 Nutrition and Health
HHS4U1 Families
HNB4M1 Fashion
HSB4U1 Challenge and Change in Society
HZT4U1 Philosophy
TDJ4M1 Tech Design
TEJ4M1 Comp Eng
TGJ4M1 Comms Tech
TXJ4E1 Hairstyling
TCJ4C1 Construction Tech

Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School

Preface

Table of Contents

Clubs

Food

Courses

FAQ

Resources

Miscellaneous

Courses

Grade 9

ENL1W1 English (C)

MTH1W1 Math (C)

SNC1W1 Science (C)

FSF1O1 Open French (C)

FSF1D1 Core French (C)

CGC1D1 Geography (C)

PPL1O Gym (C)

AMI1O1 Instrumental Band (E)

HIF1O1 Family Studies (E)

Recommended Summer School: CHV2O1 Civic and GLC2O1 Careers

Grade 10

ENG2D1 English (C)

MPM2D1 Math (C)

SNC2D1 Science (C)

CHC2D1 History (C)

CHV2O1 Civics (C)

GLC2O1 Careers (C)

BEP2O1 Launching & Leading a Business (E)

HFN2O1 Food and Nutrition (E)

ICD2O1 Digital Tech (E)

TGJ2O1 Comms Tech (E)

AMI2O1 Music (E)

TDJ2O1 Tech Design (E)

Recommended Summer School: Co-Op or NBE3U1 English

Grade 11

NBE3U1 English (C)

MCR3U1 Functions (C)

Ms. Afshari:

SCH3U1 Chemistry (E)

SPH3U1 Physics (E)

SBI3U1 Biology (E)

AMI3M1 Instrumental Music - Band (E)

ICS3U1 Computer Science (E)

Recommended Summer School: Co-Op or English

Grade 12

SES4U1 Earth & Space Science (E)

ICS4U1 Computer Science (E)

Course name ()

FAQ

Q: Can I take a Grade 10 course in Grade 9? etc.

Q: What’s academic, locally developed, applied, or destreamed??

A: Just pick academic / destreamed. Academic is called destreamed for some Grade 9 courses.

Q: Do I have a chance in getting my alternatives?

“Because we assume you don't actually want it that much” - Some guidance counsellor.

Q: Should I pick a College course if I want to go into university?

Q: How do I switch courses?

Q: Can I get spares in Grade 9 & 10?

Q: Can I get spares in Grade 11 or 12 ?

Q: Can I switch lunch periods?

Q: When is the latest that I can drop a course? (Not fast tracking)

Q: Should I take a random course or just have a spare?

Q: How does summer school work?

Q: What about night school?

Q: What is SHSM?

Q: What is Online Learning Opt Out?

Q:

A:

Resources

University Apps Sheet : it contains thousands of submitted responses for people’s uni offers, their marks and more

The Organic Chemistry Tutor : everyone knows this, it’s a good recap for specific lessons in chemistry, math and physics!

Miscellaneous

Courses missing

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12