Things are literally hopping at Philopateer Christian College as the private school is offering free Virtual Visits with the Easter Bunny. From Wednesday March 27th to Saturday March 30th, the Easter Bunny will be making scheduled five-minute Zoom calls to children, which can include a personal chat and storytelling. Limited time slots are available for the one-on-one Zoom calls, so parents are encouraged to go online and book their time slot.
“As a school, we firmly believe in community involvement and bringing the Easter Bunny during this time of celebration is our way of giving back,” says Phoebe Wasfy, Principal of Philopateer Christian College (PCC). “Giving back is engrained in our philosophy and this initiative brings joy and hope to people and helps families celebrate Easter in a unique way. We have been involved with the virtual Easter Bunny visits since the COVID pandemic to bring some hope to people and it became part of our tradition.”
The Easter Bunny will also be paying a personal visit to the students at PCC. “The students will be getting a special treat from the Easter Bunny and there’s an opportunity to take photos.”
The free Virtual Visits with the Easter Bunny are also part of the PCC’s 25th Silver Jubilee Anniversary celebrations.
Twenty-five years ago, in September of 1999, PCC first opened their doors to 40 students, offering classes from JK to Grade 8 in the basement of the Canadian Coptic Centre. Just 10 years later a new building was bought on Mississauga Road (their current location) as enrollment had climbed to 250 students. Wasfy adds, “Some of the students who were enrolled initially are now parents whose children attend our school. Some of those original students are now teachers in the school.”
The early years were challenging as the school needed to become known in the Mississauga community.
“One of the biggest challenges in the early days was building the reputation of the new private school and the fear of the unknown,” recalls Wasfy. “This was at a time when private schools were still a phenomenon and people wondered why they should pay for their child to attend private school when they could go to funded public schools. But our school story kept growing and growing. Our far-fetched dream of opening a private school has evolved into PCC being one of the most sought-after private schools in Canada.”
Today PCC has over 400 students from pre-JK to Grade 12 in addition to over 30 international students attending the online campus, hailing from countries like Poland, Egypt, Dubai, China and the Middle East.
One of the biggest advancements in education has been adopting technology into day-to-day learning. “The use of technology and has always been part of education but it wasn’t until COVID happened that we realized the importance of technology,” explains Wasfy. “Our high school students take their exams on online servers getting ready for university, and now we have our own online global campus.”
Asked about highlights of a quarter century, Wasfy answers: “The day we moved from the basement into the new school was one of the highlights of my career. The students were running up and down the hallways saying, ‘this is a REAL school!’ They were so excited. We are also proud to have been named the Best Private School in Mississauga five years in a row and still going. As principal and speaking on behalf of the staff, winning once is great, winning twice is awesome, but winning five times means we have a huge responsibility to keep going and staying on top. We have a big responsibility to the community of Mississauga which voted us number one.”
Wasfy has been on staff at PCC for 19 years, first as a teacher before becoming the principal in 2014. Asked what the biggest reward has been over the years, she quickly answers, “Seeing the success of our students. Our graduates are our ambassadors and our leaders of tomorrow. One of our teachers walked into a pharmacy and was served by the pharmacist who was one of her former students. We take immense pride in the success of our students.”
The school motto is “Excellence Since Day One” backed by the three pillars of Education, Spirituality and Discipline.
“The PCC vision is to prepare well-rounded leaders for tomorrow,” explains the principal. “One of our students could very well be the Prime Minister of Canada someday. As a school we believe in educating the whole child. We are not just about textbook education; we raise a whole person. We have all kinds of activities in our community that we are a part of from food drives to the Easter Bunny Virtual Visits to participating in the Mississauga Santa Claus Parade. We are out there all the time in Mississauga. We are very much a global minded school and our students have raised funds and have done humanitarian work overseas during Christmas and March Break.”
On May 23rd as part of the 25th Anniversary celebration, PCC will present The Legacy of a Champion at the Mississauga Living Arts Centre. “This is the story of a hero, and I can’t tell you who that hero is, but it is based on a real person who is special to our school,” states Wasfy. “The playwright is Christopher Lane from the Toronto International Film School, while the music is composed by Mike Trebilcock with songs and lyrics by Obediya W. Jones-Darrell. There will be lots of surprises that evening with the introduction of guest stars as part of the production.”
The Silver Jubilee festivities continue May 24th when the school will hold their official gala dinner. “Leaders in our community and dignitaries from Canada as well as from Egypt will be on hand for the celebration, along with alumni and staff,” states Wasfy. “Our student councils are burying a time capsule which will be opened five years from now on our 30th anniversary.”
For more information on PCC visit pccnet.ca. To book your free virtual zoom call with the Easter Bunny visit https://easterbunnyvisitsmississauga.com/