group is by growing with them. Therefore, the issues get more complex." In the series finale of Degrassi Junior High, the titular school is destroyed in a fire. To keep the entire cast together, a creative decision was made to move the younger students displaced by the fire to the new school to join those that had already graduated. Conversely, the grade 7 students introduced in the third season of Degrassi Junior High were accelerated to grade 9 for an unspecified reason. To give the series a "harder-edged feel", several older characters were introduced. Reflecting the growing independence of the aging characters, Degrassi High began to give more focus to the characters' lives outside of school, with scenes taking place at nighttime, on the street, or at the characters' jobs. In contrast to Degrassi Junior High, in which the extras were still made known to the viewers, the newer series would include a team of "extra extras", who would simply appear for no other purpose than to fill the background. Filming The series was filmed at the Centennial College campus on Carlaw Avenue in Toronto. The building, which was formerly a teacher's college, was previously used to hold auditions for Ida Makes a Movie, the first installment of the Degrassi franchise, in 1979. The building was chosen as despite being part of a college, it more closely resembled a high school. Other filming locations included the Rose Donut Shop on Carlaw Avenue, where character Michelle Accette briefly works after moving away from her conservative father. Filming ended on the series in October 1990. Opening sequence The Degrassi High theme song is a reworking of that of Degrassi Junior High. Like the previous series, the theme was composed by Lewis Manne and Wendy Watson, and sung by Watson. The theme is transposed to A# major and follows the same structure and lyrical content as its predecessor, with optimistic lyrics such as "Everybody can succeed/In yourself you must believe/You better try at Degrassi High!". The opening sequence starts with a stop-motion sequence of an alarm clock sitting next to a group of textbooks, as a person gets up from the bed, takes the textbooks, and leaves. It follows the same format as its predecessor, with various scenes of characters in and around the school, omitting individual cast credits. The opening sequence ends with a zooming shot of a girl's backside as the