Headmaster`s Newsletter - Royal St. George`s College

Headmaster’s
Newsletter
APRIL 2012
Volume 1, No. 2
HEADMASTER’S MESSAGE
IN THIS ISSUE
Learning Outside the
Classroom
I
write this on a flight home from
Vancouver Island, after spending four
days at the Strathcona Park Lodge.
The Grade 11 trip to B.C. has become
an RSGC tradition and an important
opportunity for next year’s graduating
class to envision how they will commit
themselves to their role as leaders in
their final year of high school. Most of
the boys are sleeping; it’s been a packed
itinerary of sea-kayaking, rock-climbing,
skiing and bike riding, all against a
backdrop of camaraderie, laughter, new
friendships and team building.
We have a wide variety of outdoor
education experiences at the College
beginning in Grade 3. Each subsequent
year, the boys go a little further away
than the year before and for a little longer. I’ve managed to at least drop in on
every one of the adventures the students
have had this year. In all grades, while
engaged in outdoor education, we were
off-grid, away from it all, free from
technology. It was fantastic!
The philosophy behind outdoor
education is grounded in the belief that
young men learn as much outside of the
classroom as they do within the walls of
the school. Their learning is kinesthetic,
experiential, interactive and cooperative.
While they certainly learn important
curricular outcomes, the most important
learning is about themselves.
On trip after trip this year, I watched
the boys try new things and push themselves outside of their comfort zone.
Close-quarter living, inclement weather,
physical challenges and time away from
Vietnamese
Builders2
12 boys spent March
Break in Vietnam travelling doing a Habitat
for Humanity build.
home can challenge the boys (and me!).
This might have been fertile ground
for complaints, crankiness, bickering
or worse. Instead, what I saw was the
Georgian code at its best. The esprit-ducoeur that is so central to the Georgian
experience was enhanced in difficult
situations. The guys encouraged each
other to tackle the challenge, they took
care of each other and made sure everyone was included. At campfire, they told
ghost stories, sang songs, talked about
movies, TV shows and video games, and
also about growing up, confused feelings
and girls. They acted like the Georgian
brothers they are.
The Grade 11 trip to B.C. is seen as
the culmination of the boys’ outdoor education experience at the College. At the
end of the week, as is the tradition, the
students gathered in a gratitude circle.
One by one, the boys shared something
about which they were grateful. Some
were thankful for the experience at camp
– the staff, the food. Some were grateful
for new friendships made. Some, like
me, were thankful for RSGC and the
important role the College plays in our
lives. What I heard most, though, was
something I think we, as parents, like to
assume they are thinking but don’t often
hear them say out loud, “I am grateful to
my parents for all they do.”
Indeed, some wonderful learning.
Making a Difference
in Ecuador
2
Building a school in
Ecuador. Now that’s
a good way to spend
the March Break...
My Kenya
Experience3
Grade 10 student
Adrian Mahjour shares
his incredible experience with Free the
Children in Kenya.
Georgians Give Back
Around the World 3
Service learning trips
have become an
essential part of the
RSGC calendar.
Construction Moves
on Full Steam
Ahead4
There is plenty of
action on campus as
far as construction is
concerned...
Campaign Update 4
The Capital Campaign
is progressing steadily.
Headmaster’s Newsletter
•
April 2012
•
Royal St. George’s College 1
SERVICE LEARNING
Making a Difference in
Ecuador
Vietnamese Builders
This March Break, 12 boys from Grades 10 to 12
had the privilege of spending two weeks in Vietnam. The first week was spent travelling throughout
the North, visiting places such as Hanoi, hiking
around Sapa and boating on Halong Bay. During
the second week, the boys were busy working on a
Habitat for Humanity project in Rach Gia.
“It was amazing because the families who are benefitting from Habitat for Humanity, build alongside
you,” said Ashleigh Gledhill, who, along with Julie
Girvan, accompanied the boys. “It’s a great way to
become culturally immersed with the community. It’s
hot, it’s hard work, you are exhausted by the end of
the day, but it’s worth it because it’s their home – it’s
a dream that’s coming true for them. We’re not just
building a house, we’re building a home.”
The group commuted with the locals via ferry to
get to the build site, starting work by 8:45am. A few
short breaks throughout the day – that often entailed
playing with the kids – were necessary thanks to the
40-degree heat. Lunches were served in the home of
locals’ and the boys were brave enough to try Vietnamese “delicacies” like rat and snake.
With full bellies, they worked until 4:00pm, renovating four existing houses made of dirt floors and
walls of palm leaves, and converting them into homes
with tiles, concrete and bricks.
“It’s an experience that stays with you forever,” said
Colin McIntyre, Grade 11. “Being able to help a community and learn how people in Vietnam live makes
you feel closer to different parts of the world.”
A group of Grade 7 and 8 boys, accompanied by Stefanie Turner and
Tom Wade-West, travelled to Ecuador
during the March Break as part of a
Free the Children initiative. The goal
of the service trip was to help build a
concrete outdoor staircase at a school.
This structure will allow teachers and
students to access the new classrooms,
particularly during the rainy season
when the pathway is often destroyed.
After three days of hauling rocks
and sand, manually mixing cement
and carrying buckets of concrete, the
boys completed over 20 stairs with
the help of the community. During
breaks from the manual labour, the
boys spent time interacting with the
kids and adults from the school. They
attempted to converse in Spanish,
kicked around a soccer ball and played
in the schoolyard.
In the evenings, the boys participated
in cultural and leadership activities aimed
to help them transfer their experience
to action upon their return to Toronto.
They have since started a social justice
club in the Junior School. The community in Chimbarozo Province embraced
RSGC and our boys are grateful to have
made such a meaningful connection with
children in another hemisphere!
So what was the best part of the trip
for the boys?
Sam Boughn, Grade 7: Arriving at the
comunity and meeting all the children.
They were very nice and made us feel
welcome. After we met them, it was
fun to work alongside people in the
community as we did with each other.
Evan Hogarth, Grade 8: Meeting the
kids in the communtiy for the first
time and seeing how excited they were
that we were there.
Jack Lewis, Grade 8: Playing with the
kids in the community. Their energy
and fascination with us was touching.
David Vassos, Grade 8: The final building day. Christien and Kian performed
a short speech and afterwards the rest
of us sang “Wavin’ Flag” for them.
Before we left, we played with the kids
for a final time and that was really fun.
Nicholas Webster, Grade 8: Seeing all of the kids so happy in such a
harsh situation. I also enjoyed being
so high up in the mountains.
Kian Majlessi, Grade 8: Shearing the
sheep because I got to learn about how
people worked.
Christien Kelly, Grade 8: Playing with
the children at the school because they
all had such amazing energy and were so
friendly to us and really brought us into
their community and made us feel part
of it.
RSGC Faculty: Moving Forward
A
s always, the staff at RSGC continuously strive to
improve themselves and what they can offer your
boys. This summer in Australia, Stefanie Turner and John
Lambersky will be presenting at the Annual Conference
of the International Boys’ Schools Coation (IBSC). Their
topic is the importance of dialogue and voice in the
education of young men. The session is intended to help
teachers explore the possibility of using dialogue and
debate in their classrooms to reach and inspire boys.
2 Headmaster’s Newsletter
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April 2012
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Royal St. George’s College
Alex Shum has been chosen to be part of an international research team examining creativity and collaboration in boys through digital technology. Through this
research, he hopes to identify the technologies that best
allow boys to tap into their “Creative Mind”.
Alex Shum and Michael Ruscitti will be presenting at Ontario Association of Math Educators in Kingston this spring.
At the annual Ontario math conference, the pair will present on how senior students present topics and construct
learning with the use of digital supports, specifically iPads.
SERVICE LEARNING
Georgians Give Back
Around the World
S
The boys joined Free the Children’s Kenya Director Robin
Wiszowaty (front left), Nelly Furtado (front middle) and FTC’s
co-founder Marc Kielburger (front right) on a life-changing trip
My Kenya Experience
By Adrian Mahjour, Grade 10
For as long as I can remember people have been telling me to
be grateful for what I have. I didn’t really understand what they
were talking about until I returned from Kenya. When we arrived
at the community we would be helping, we were just in time to
attend the opening ceremony for the new school funded by Nelly
Furtado. She was even there for the ceremony!
After that, we drove to the camp that would be our home for the
next nine days. In the morning, we learned some basic Swahili from
Sammy, our Maasai warrior guide. Then we started to build. Our task
was to dig the foundation for the Baraka Health Centre. By the end
of the week, we had dug the full outline of the foundation – about
the size of a classroom at RSGC and about two feet down – using
only pickaxes and shovels.
One important thing we did was the water walk. We had to
walk one km to the river, fill our cans with 50 pounds of water
and take them back. Jen, the mama we were helping, was 50 years
old and did this five times a day! It really made me think about
“This trip has truly made me
a different person.”
how lucky we are to have clean water on demand in Canada.
One night we sat down at a campfire with Sammy and he talked
about what it is to be a Maasai warrior. He told us that first, you
had to be circumcised between the ages of 15-20, then you must be
selected by the community elders. After that, you had to spend five
years training in the forest. It used to be that you had to kill a lion,
but now you must attend university and get a degree.
But one of the coolest things we did was weapon training with
Sammy. He taught us about local wildlife and then we each got to
throw a conga – a wooden club with a large ball of wood on the top.
This trip has truly made me a different person. One of the most
important things I will remember is that even though these people
live in poverty, they are happy because they have all they need: love;
health and family.
ince 2004, service
learning trips have
been an essential part of
the RSGC annual calendar. Each year, boys
from Grades 7 to 12 have
volunteered in countries
such as Belize, Bermuda,
Cambodia, China, Costa
Rica, Ecuador, India, Kenya, Vietnam and Zambia.
The students work
with partner organizations such as Habitat for
Humanity and Free the
Children to complete projects that will improve the
lives of local communities.
Whether it is building or
renovating homes, building schools or constructing an X-ray room at a
local clinic, the manual
labour our boys complete
makes a difference.
“The boys have an opportunity to give back, but
it is more about understanding the complexity of
how the history, politics and
circumstances of a country
can contribute to the cycle
of poverty,” said Emma
Totten, RSGC’s Community
Involvement Co-ordinator,
who organizes the service
learning trips. “The boys
work alongside the local
people to build something
together. This partnership
gives them the opportunity
to experience the culture
in a more meaningful way.
For many of the boys, these
experiences influence what
they do when they return
home and in some cases
may even impact their career path.”
For Julian Wookey,
Grade 11, these trips have
been a unique way to
Headmaster’s Newsletter
•
travel while giving back at
the same time.
“I thought this would
be a cool way to see new
countries, help people and
at the same time, see a side
of a country you don’t ever
get to see,” he said, after
trips to both Cambodia
and Kenya. “I’ve travelled a
lot and it’s usually just staying at a hotel, very independent from the locals.”
Upon returning from
these trips he feels that
his perspective has
changed.
“Giving back is a big part
of it but when you come
back, you realize how privileged you are,” said Julian.
“You definitely appreciate what you have more.
Maybe you’ll think about
how much water you use
– especially being in Africa
where they don’t have access to those resources.”
April 2012
•
Royal St. George’s College 3
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
A Capital Campaign
Update for Parents
Construction Moves on
Full Steam Ahead
If you stop by campus, you’ll see that things are
advancing at a rapid pace as far as renovations are
concerned. The big hole in See House is no longer
and the big pit in the ground behind See House
has been filled. There are as many hard hats bustling
about during recess as there are boys playing ball!
One of the most notable differences you’ll see as
soon as you pull up to the school is that the main
structure of See House is up. In the next few weeks,
some of the exterior framing will go up.
“The roof deck goes up the first week up of April
and once the framing goes around the perimeter,
you’ll start to get a sense of how big the place is going to be,” said Rudy Tomaini of Triaxis Construction who is leading the project. “Floors are being
poured the first two weeks of April and then the
balance of the parking structure should be poured
right after that. In three weeks, the top of the parking garage will be completed. Before the end of the
month, you’ll see bricks starting to go up on the
outside.”
But it’s when the top of the parking garage goes
up that activity will really ramp up.
“It’s going to be a zoo when that happens,” said
Tomaini. “Until we get that top on, I can’t really
push what I want to push. All of the fine tuning is
being done as we go along.”
You can expect the exterior masonry and landscaping to begin in May, with an expected completion time of 10 weeks, while the construction team
is working hard to get the elevator lift in the chapel
platform ready for Graduation Day.
4 Headmaster’s Newsletter
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April 2012
•
The Honouring Our
Past | Building Our
Future Campaign is
progressing steadily, with
almost $4 million raised
after an active solicitation
cycle of just six months.
Volunteer parent solicitors have been trained and
prepared to now undertake
the critical task of asking
peers for their support.
While the process takes
time – especially as volunteers juggle work, family
and volunteer commitments
– know that it is underway!
A rendering of the See House addition
The goal is to reach out to
the all of the members of our parent community to ask for their Campaign consideration and commitment before the
summer break.
In-The-Field Learning
As our volunteers access more of our parent community, we are learning
about your needs. As such, we plan to communicate with you via this monthly
Headmaster’s Newsletter, in addition to offering community-wide updates
through The Shield and the Annual Report. Further current information can be
accessed online via the Campaign section of RSGC’s website.
What You Can Expect
Our Campaign intent is, ideally, to inspire every parent household to play a
role in this Campaign. After all, as a small community, we need everyone’s help
to raise $10.5 million.
We ask each RSGC family to consider your son’s experience, in addition
to your circumstances, in order to make a pledge that reflects your interest in
RSGC and the role the College plays in your lives. Individual amounts are ultimately determined by donors, however volunteers will discuss options to help
you determine what will best suit you.
For most, a three-to-five year pledge can be helpful in making a meaningful
gift, while not placing an undue burden on one’s cash flow. Pledges can be paid
annually, semi-annually or monthly via cash, transfer of stocks or by designating
all or a portion of a workplace United Way commitment in support of RSGC.
Grateful thanks to all of our parents for their support, whether committed
or to be committed. It is wonderful to see our community banding together to
make the College ‘the best version of itself.’
Special Thanks…
Our fundraising is fuelled by a cadre of committed parent volunteers to
whom we are truly appreciative: Wanda Ho & Guy Burry ’77 – Campaign
Co-Chairs; Ruth Woods – Chair, Board of Governors; all members of the
Board of Governors; Campaign solicitors & volunteers: Alexandra Bennett
(gr. 3), Caroline Newall (gr. 4), David Steele & Grant McDaniel (gr. 5), Chantelle Courtney and Peter Furnish (gr. 6), Ravi Deshpande & Elizabeth Lawler
(gr. 7), Janet Mills and Manuela Marcheggiani (gr. 8), Cathy Bateman &
Doug Kirby (gr. 9), Kimberly Cudney, Doug Harrison & Mary Dawn Thomson
(gr. 10), Jim Harbell, Doug Plaxton & Gail Sinclair (gr. 11), Wanda Ho & David
Browne (gr. 12).
Royal St. George’s College