A Small School Behind Glass Towers

The History of Heritage Language Programs at Orde Street PS Podcast

A Small School Behind Glass Towers is a documentary-style podcast exploring the history, impact, and legacy of Toronto’s Heritage Language and African Heritage Programs, as told through the lens of Orde Street Public School — a small, multicultural elementary school tucked behind downtown skyscrapers.

Hosted by Iva Delic, a former student of Orde and now a teacher and researcher, the podcast blends personal memory, community interviews, and historical analysis to ask powerful questions:

How did heritage and cultural programs shape students’ identities?
Why were these programs celebrated by some — and resisted by others?
What happens when public education makes space for every student’s full self?
And what do we risk when those programs are cut?

It’s Personal

Here’s me in grade 2 in 1997 at Orde.

Our classes were always a mix of children from Pakistan, China, Eastern Europe, Portugal, Vietnam, Ethiopia, and Canada. I was one of many immigrants who attended Orde St. Public School. During my time as a student there (between 1995 and 2001), I participated in Spanish class, Cantonese class, Mandarin choir, French, and the African Heritage Program, all before the age of twelve.

One of these programs, the African Heritage Program, was piloted and integrated by Veronica Sullivan first at Orde St. Public School. Her classes were warm, inviting filled with storytelling and excitement.

Episode 1

Orde Street Public School’s History

1914

Orde was built to accommodate the influx of immigrants following the impact of World War I, who sought economic opportunities and refuge from persecution and political instability.

1916

Orde’s Open Air School, to improve and prevent tuberculosis in children, was among the first of its kind in North America.

1921

Orde opened the first "sight-saving class" for visually-impaired students in Toronto.

1950 - 1960

Orde had always played an important role in the lives of newcomers to Canada like in this image where newcomers are learning English.

LOCATION

Orde Street Public School is nestled behind the huge glass hospital buildings on University Avenue. It’s hidden, and unless you know it’s there, you wouldn’t see it. However, the experience there is one of the reasons I wanted to pursue my Master's in Teaching. One of the most impactful programs that I was a part of at the school was the Heritage Language Program.

Heritage Language Program

Flyer from the Toronto Board of Education announcing the Heritage Languages Program and classes in Cantonese and Mandarin, 1977. (Source: TBE-Curriculum-Heritage Languages, vertical files, Toronto District School Board Archives.)

In this episode you’ll be hearing a bit about the history and about the experience of Hannah Wong, a former student at Orde.

Cover page of an undated brochure from the Toronto Board of Education advertising the Black Cultural Heritage Program. (Source: TBE-Curriculum-Heritage Languages, vertical files, Toronto District School Board Archives.)

Mi Ling Cheung teaches Kindergarten students at Orde Public School Chinese songs during a 30-minute class at the end of the normal school day. (Dick, Toronto Star, 1987)

Snippet from the Toronto Star (September 27, 2000)

Snippet from the Toronto Star (May 10, 1980) with a quote by Tony Succi, the TDSB’s heritage language Supervisor.

Episode 2

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Turning Red

If you have ever watched the film Turning Red (2022), you have seen my elementary school. In an interview with Toronto Life, director Domee Shi (a student at Orde St. PS in 1998, a few years ahead of me) mentions, “I was never the only Asian kid in my class, and I formed a tight circle of friends who were all immigrants like me (…) [t]hey came from Korea, India, Pakistan, Eastern Europe” (Landau, 2022).