In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic began, and life changed overnight.

Schools closed indefinitely, and online classes and virtual assignments became the new normal. Students were lonely due to quarantine and isolation. They missed seeing their friends and teachers. The pandemic forced schools to delay or cancel milestone events like prom and graduation.

Desperate for connection, young people flocked to digital platforms. The modern quarantine survival kit included online gaming, social media, video calls and streaming services.

After two long years of uncertainty and change, schools reopened for in-person learning in 2022. That year, Osgoode Township High School (OTHS) students designed a virtual reality launch sequence, in partnership with IBM Space, SpaceX and two American schools. In 2023, OTHS students launched their video game, called “Lil Johnny Goes Home.”

This decade is still young. We hope today’s teens will continue to dream big and forge their own paths in the world!

In the 2010s, teens spent about an hour a day on homework during the school year. That’s about double what teens reported in the 1990s!

Young people enjoyed playing sports, listening to music, going shopping and reading. But they spent most of their leisure time on screens. Netflix launched in Canada in 2010, enabling teens to stream TV and movies from any device. Gaming continued to be popular, with games like Minecraft and Call of Duty.

The digital landscape continued to evolve throughout the decade. New social platforms entered the chat, including Discord, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest and Instagram. By 2016, most homes and public buildings were equipped with the fibre optic technology that enables Wi-Fi, giving people instant wireless connectivity!

The Canadian music scene continued to make waves, with Avril Lavigne, Deadmau5 and Justin Bieber emerging as international stars.

In 2018, the Toronto Raptors won the National Basketball League (NBA) championship. This was a huge win because the Raptors were the only Canadian team in the NBA.

Teens became active in social and political issues fueled by movements like Truth and Reconciliation, Black Lives Matter, #MeToo and LGBTQ+ rights. Many got involved in environmental activism to help protect the planet for future generations.

As the new millennium approached, people worried computers would crash and the world would grind to a halt. The media called the threat “Y2K”, but when the calendar flipped to 2000, the Y2K catastrophe didn’t come to pass.

Just over a year later, the September 11, 2001 attacks shocked the world. Canadian teens felt shock, fear and sadness in response to the attacks.

Technology continued to evolve throughout the decade. New devices like the Blackberry and iPhone let teens make calls and text friends from almost anywhere. At home, many teens shared a desktop computer and internet with their family. New social media platforms—like Myspace, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit and Twitter—popped up every year.

Video games became more immersive, and teens played games like The Sims and Grand Theft Auto. They listened to music on iPods and tuned into “Degrassi: The Next Generation.” The reboot of the popular Canadian show featured Aubrey Graham, who later catapulted to fame as best-selling rapper, Drake. Other popular Canadian TV shows were “Corner Gas”, “Trailer Park Boys”, “Kenny vs. Spenny”, “Dragons’ Den” and “Heartland”.

The 1990s marked the dawn of the digital age, which transformed entertainment and communication for Canadian teens. In 1990, about 15% of households in North America owned a computer. A decade later, over half of all households had computers, with about 42% having internet access.

With better sound quality and durability, CDs overtook cassettes in the 90s. Music fans bought best-selling Big Shiny Tunes albums, which featured popular alt-rock and Canadian content. Maestro Fresh Wes made history as the first Canadian rapper to have a Billboard Top 40 hit with “Let Your Backbone Slide”. Alanis Morrisette released “Jagged Little Pill” and became one of the decade’s best-selling artists.

In 1994, YTV aired the first completely computer-animated half-hour TV series. The Canadian-made show, “Reboot” was an action-adventure series that takes place within an inner computer world called Mainframe.

In January 1998, a major ice storm left millions of Canadians from Eastern Ontario to Nova Scotia without power for 5 to 16 days. Schools, colleges and universities closed, and many rural residents were unable to get to work. Despite the chaos, communities came together to support one another, sharing generators and hot food with their neighbours.

In 1980, Terry Fox began his iconic run across Canada to raise funds for cancer research. Also in 1980, St. Mark High School first opened its doors in Manotick. The school published its first yearbook two years later in 1982.

Cassettes continued to be the go-to method of listening to music. Teens made mix tapes for their friends and crushes, and listened to their favourite tunes on portable tape players, like the Sony Walkman.

In 1986, Nintendo introduced the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in Canada, sparking the video game craze.

Teens flocked to malls, where they could browse the latest fashions, flirt at the arcade and snack at the food court.

Canadian pop culture flourished in the 80s. In 1984, CHUM launched MuchMusic, a TV channel devoted to music videos and hosted by popular video jockeys (VJs). Bryan Adams and Corey Hart dominated the airwaves, and Michael J. Fox made it big in the Back to the Future movie franchise and “Family Ties.” In 1988, the groundbreaking “Degrassi Junior High” was the highest rated TV drama in Canada, with over 1 million viewers tuning in every week.

Many Canadian teens found themselves with more freedom in the 1970s because both parents often worked outside the home. Teens had to fend for themselves after school, with many spending up to 23 hours a week watching TV.

But TV wasn’t the only source of entertainment. From rock to disco to punk, there was a genre of music for everybody. The Juno Awards were launched in 1970 to promote and celebrate Canadian music. Meanwhile, the rise of portable music cassette players—like the Sony Walkman—meant that teens could listen to music anywhere and any time!

Like music, fashion in the 70s covered a wide range of styles. Teens wore groovy bell-bottom jeans and tie-dyed shirts, as well as flashy disco wear and platform shoes.

The moon landing continued to influence pop culture, with a wave of science fiction books and movies. Star Wars landed in movie theatres in 1977, and the epic space opera wowed Canadians of all ages.

In a significant political shift, teens gained the right to vote in 1970, when Canada’s parliament lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

Finally—and this is super close to our hearts—the Osgoode Township Museum first opened its doors in 1973!

In the 1960s, teens made up more than half of Canada’s entire population. There were lots of jobs, and teens—especially young men—left school as early as 16 to work, though the proportion of teens completing high school was higher than ever before. More young women wanted careers than in decades past. Our local yearbooks saw many girls sharing their dreams of pursuing non-traditional careers.

Thirteen new universities opened across Canada. This created a platform for the campus protests of the rising New Left movement, with young hippies rejecting what they considered to be the dominant bourgeois social conventions. Hippies wore new “unisex” fashions like long hair, jeans and beads.

Canadian musicians like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and The Band emerged as hippie icons. Every week, teens flocked to record stores for the CHUM Chart, a list produced by the Toronto radio station that named the top 30 singles in Canada.

Canada threw a Centennial birthday party in 1967 with an extravagant world’s fair called Expo 67, held in Montreal. Over 183 days, more than 50 million people—more than double Canada’s population of 20 million—attended the world’s fair, which celebrated the heritage and culture of more than 60 nations.

In 1969, the moon landing captured the world’s imagination. Canadian technology supplied the eight telescopic legs for the Apollo lunar lander.

The 1950s saw a revival of school spirit and yearbook culture after the Depression and two World Wars. Teens spent more time at school than ever before. High schools offered more extracurricular activities, including sports teams and bands.

The Osgoode Township High School first opened its doors on September 7, 1954, and was the only school that had refrigeration-cooled drinking water in all of Eastern Ontario!

In 1952, television began broadcasting in Canada. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) had two stations in Toronto and Montreal, and 146,000 Canadians owned TV sets. By 1957, there were 44 TV stations and almost 3 million TV sets across Canada!

On Saturday night, sports fans could watch Hockey Night in Canada, which first aired on TV in 1952. The first game was a French broadcast of the showdown between Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings. The first English language game aired a month later, with the Toronto Maple Leaves taking on the Boston Bruins.

Outside of school, young people had more freedom than in decades past. Fifties teens completely redefined dating. They started going steady, and going on blind dates and double dates. Popular activities included going to drive-ins, roller skating, bowling and dances.

In the 1940s, “teenagers” were recognized as a demographic group with their own styles, customs and music.

Teens growing up in the 1940s were deeply affected by World War ll. About 700,000 Canadians under the age of 21—mostly male—served in the war, though most did not see combat.

At school, students learned useful skills, like first aid, home nursing, air raid precautions., and war emergency and defense training.

Between 1941 and 1952, about 20,000 girls between the ages of 16 and 18 joined the Ontario Farm Service Force. Known as “farmerettes”, these teens worked long hours on farms to ensure a steady food supply at home and to send to troops overseas.

The war also influenced teens’ social lives. As in World War l, teenagers had more responsibilities at home—and less free time—because of the war. Despite the challenges of wartime life, resilient teens found ways to have fun. They attended dances, listened to music on the radio and went to the movies. Women’s organizations set up local canteens to boost the morale of enlisted men. Teens often helped prepare food, beverages and entertainment for these events.

In the fall of 1929, the New York Stock Exchange crashed. The boom years of the 1920s gave way to the Great Depression, a worldwide economic downturn that lasted 10 years. Some people lost everything—their jobs, their homes, their savings.

Families worked hard to make ends meet. Some took in boarders to help pay the mortgage. They kept kitchen gardens, mended clothes and stretched their food budgets to last as long as possible. Children helped out by collecting junk to sell and doing odd jobs.

In rural communities like Osgoode, many boys had to help out on their family farms, which cut short their education. Teens who left school at 16 or 17 faced bleak job prospects. Some young men took their chances “riding the rods”—crossing Canada by train in search of work.

There wasn’t much money for entertainment, and few teens could afford a trip to the movie theatre. Instead, they played cards and board games like Monopoly, and listened to the radio—including Hockey Night in Canada, which first aired on the radio in 1931!

After the devastation of the Great War, the Roaring 20s ushered in the modern age. Prohibition banned the sale of beer, wine and hard liquor in Ontario until 1927.

School spirit flourished, with yearbooks brimming with photos of clubs and sports teams. Outside of school, teens loved listening to jazz and watching movies.

Modern technology transformed life for teens across North America. The radio brought news, pop culture and entertainment right into the living room. And most households had telephones, which were often connected by a party line. That meant many households shared a telephone number, and neighbours could listen in to your conversation! The Metcalfe Rural Telephone Company was founded in 1909, connecting households and providing jobs for local residents.

By the end of the decade, half of Canadian homes had automobiles, making it easier than ever to travel. As dating replaced traditional courtship rituals, cars became a crucial part of teens’ social lives. Osgoode teens would drive to Winchester for movies and local dances at the Old Town Hall.

The Great War broke out in August 1914, and overshadowed much of the decade. In the first months, when it looked like the Allied Forces would enjoy a quick victory, young men rushed to enlist. Many rural teen boys saw it as a rare chance to escape the farm and see the world.

At least 20,000 underage soldiers enlisted and served in World War l, including Private Elmo Sully, a high school student from Metcalfe, Ontario.

Three weeks after enlisting as a gunner, Sully was discharged because he was too young to serve. When Sully turned 18 in 1915, he and two friends traveled to the Albert Street Barracks in Ottawa to enlist. The reality of war soon weighed heavy. In 1916, he wrote poignantly to his friend Fannie: “Take my advice though and have as good a time as you possibly can; school-days seem very short and sweet after they are over.”

Sully was wounded in November 1916, and transferred to England to recover. He returned to the trenches in France in September 1917. Armistice was declared on November 11, 1918, and Sully returned to Canada in April 1919.

As the war waged on and casualty lists grew, men lost their enthusiasm for volunteering. In 1917, a divided government enforced conscription. All male citizens between the ages of 20 and 45 had to report for military service if called.

The turn of the 20th century marked a time of optimism for the country. Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier even predicted it would be “Canada’s Century”.

New education laws meant that young people attended school until they were 16 years old. After the senior matriculation exams that allowed them high school diplomas, they were expected to work full-time on the family farm or in the growing industrial and commercial sectors in nearby towns and cities.

Teens enjoyed sports, outdoor pastimes and fairs, and technology introduced new forms of entertainment. Emile Berliner revolutionized the music scene in 1900, when he issued the first Canadian-made records. Records and phonographs soon replaced the piano as musical entertainment in the home.

If you had to get somewhere in the 1900s, you had to walk, ride your bike, or catch a ride on a horse and buggy. But Henry Ford would soon change that with his invention of the automobile. Ford founded his company in 1903, but cars were pretty expensive until the 1920s.

This time period marks the high point of the Victorian era. Autograph books were a popular pastime among girls and young women.

If you were a teen in this time period, the law required you to attend school at least four months of the year. But, in rural areas, work and family responsibilities often meant students were absent from school.

In Osgoode Township, students attended one of 27 one-room schoolhouses, in which all ages were taught by one teacher—often a young woman who was barely older than they were!

And yes, teens really did brave rain, snow and hail on their long walk to school every day! (We can’t confirm they walked uphill both ways, though!)

Young people enjoyed spending time outdoors. In the winter, teens skated, played hockey and curled on frozen ponds. In the summer, they played lacrosse, and went hunting and fishing. Basketball came on the scene in 1891, invented by James Naismith of Almonte, Ontario.

Agricultural fairs provided an exciting break from the routine of work and school. The Metcalfe Fair first opened in 1856, and has taken place every year since. The Central Canada Exhibition opened in 1888, with circus acts, rides, games, food and drink.