As the world mourns the death of Nelson Mandela, Toronto residents are remembering the special connection between the former South African president and their city.
The flags have been lowered to half-mast at Nelson Mandela Park Public School, which was renamed in his honour in 2001.
Students and staff attended a special ceremony honouring the leader Friday morning. During the ceremony, principal Jason Kanderkery said it was important that the school continue to build on Mandela's "legacy of hope and purpose."
Mandela and his wife, Graca Machel, attended the school's re-naming ceremony in 2001. He was also granted honorary Canadian citizenship during that same visit to Canada.
During the ceremony Friday, the same drummers who performed for Mandela in 2001, were back to play again.
Meanwhile a makeshift memorial, which appeared on the school's steps Thursday night, continued to grow as Torontonians left candles, flowers and photos to mark Mandela's death.
Inside the school there are many tributes to Mandela, with students' murals of the leader hanging in the halls alongside mementos from his time in power, including an original ballot from Mandela's 1994 election win.
The building is a source of pride for many of the students and staff.
Student Kishka Nur told CTV Toronto that every morning the announcements begin with a student saying "Good morning Nelson Mandela Park Public School."
"That gives me the time to think about him," Nur said.
Coincidentally on Thursday night, the school happened to be screening the new film about Mandela's life, "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom."
Attendees said it was a special way for young children to learn about the man and his incredible legacy.
"He represented so much in terms of freedom and in terms of justice… I think it's a big loss for the human planet that we lost him today. But I also think it's an opportunity for us to remember the great things that he's done," Ian Keteku said.
Toronto resident and a long-time friend of Mandela, Ebrahim Moolla told CTV's Canada AM that news of Mandela's death deeply saddened him.
"I didn't sleep at all last night," he said Friday. "It was a terrible thing for me to have heard, because he was such a great human being… a friend, mentor, leader … a person who (helped) lead South Africa to Freedom."
Moolla marched with Mandela in 1952, along with about 50 others, into the South African township of Boksburg. All the protesters were arrested, and Moolla, who was just 21-years-old at the time, was imprisoned for four months.
Moolla said when he first met Mandela, the young member of the African National Congress didn't support non-blacks and communists joining the fight against apartheid.
"He was a young hot head at this time," Moolla said, with a laugh. "But subsequently, he got around and decided that South Africa needs to be free, and it can only be free with the cooperation of all the people of South Africa. That's how I got to know him."
Moolla, who was a member of the South African Indian Congress at the time, used to courier messages from the SAIC to Mandela, taking "devious" routes to avoid being caught by the police, he said.
Since moving to Toronto, Moolla had the chance to meet with Mandela a number of times, the last being approximately five years ago at a reunion in South Africa for those who had been tried in the "Treason Trial" of 1956.
Mandela was among the 156 people who were arrested and accused of treason in 1956. Moolla's younger brother had also been arrested, and Moolla himself was considered a co-conspirator.
At the reunion, Moolla recalls being able to speak with Mandela intimately, without the interference of Mandela's security personnel. "I spoke to him for a while," he said. "It was very, very touching."
For complete coverage of Mandela’s life, legacy and death click: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/nelson-mandela
