Torch - Spring 2016

HAVERGAL COLLEGE

onsider these scenes: a referee misses a call in the last minute

of a championship game and the opposition scores the winning

goal; a group of students disagrees about how to proceed with an

upcoming presentation; a student speaks at Prayers and “comes out”

in front of her peers in the Upper School; a girl shares a secret with a

friend who then tells another girl.

Every day, Havergal students make decisions about how they

will, or will not, act in relation to the events that inform their day.

Those decisions are a product of their values—the moral compass

students use to find their way when faced with upset, confusion or

uncertainty. And while instilling values in young people is primarily

the work of parents, developing our girls’ capacity to make good

decisions is also a core responsibility of Havergal. No one can

provide a foolproof formula for making the right choice every time,

but we can offer each girl a foundation on which she can build her

personal value system in moments of ambiguity that present for

every student at every grade.

With our new strategic plan,

Havergal 2020: Our Vision is Limitless

the core values that have driven the school for more than 120 years

found their clearest expression to date: integrity, inquiry, compassion

and courage. Developed through extensive consultation, these four

qualities provide our community with a constant frame of reference.

Attend any public event or meeting and you will hear us refer to these

values because Havergal is committed to making them front and

centre.

But how exactly do we ensure that these four points of the compass

actually direct the daily life of the school and are not just listed in the

strategic plan or in an issue of the

Torch

We practise them by living them. At Havergal, actions speak louder

than words.

Gone are the days when school leaders dictate values from

podiums and leave students to sort out the details. This is the era

of engagement, and our role in the lives of children is complex,

nuanced and ongoing. More than ever, adults are actively involved

and reach out across the great technological divide that makes the

education of today’s generation so different from our own.

Start from Here:

Navigating the World with Havergal Values

Leslie Anne Dexter and Michael Simmonds

Heads’ Message