Torch - Fall 2015

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| FALL 2015 • TORCH 11
We build excursions that offer our students opportunities to work
within a group, to articulate a position in the face of conflicting
values, to influence others toward a solution and to show strength
and insight by following through on a commitment. In essence, our
excursions allow each girl to explore questions about her own power
and authority in a world where change is the only constant.
We want our girls to ask themselves questions such as “What does
my voice sound like when I lead? What kind of leader am I? What
is leadership to me? What does leading by example or by direction
look like when I do it?” To achieve this goal, we create off-campus
opportunities for our students to lead—times when the right thing
to do or the best direction to take is less certain than it may be in
the classroom, which is a place fixed in space and time. Excursions
offer so many less defined moments: moments that are unscripted
and open-ended, or moments when a student can influence the way
that the activity unfolds, either in a high-profile role or by quietly
ensuring that the group remains focused on its goals.
Excursions provide the right age-appropriate opportunities for
each girl to find her way when she’s a little off balance, unsure or
surprised by her environment. Some of the greatest learning and
leading moments are characterized by surprise and uncertainty,
when it’s hard to predict what’s coming next or know what direction
to take. Even disagreement in the face of options allows our students
to debate and debrief the merits of each choice.
Havergal’s classrooms are places of inquiry, exploration and
curiosity, but, as in any school, the day is highly structured and there
is a degree of predictability in how the days unfold. The dynamics of
a group change off-campus when girls are exposed to many different
and new situations. The opportunity to experience a more fluid and
open-ended environment is invaluable in cultivating real-life skills
beyond the classroom.
There are a wide range of excursions available at Havergal, including
one-day field trips, partnership experiences such as ArtHeart and
Best Buddies, grade-wide outings like the Grade 5 trip to Algonquin
Provincial Park and the Grade 8 trip to Saint-Donat and the
numerous trips on offer through the Institute at Havergal’s
Global Experience Program in the Middle and Senior Schools.
Left: Middle School Costa Rica excursion; Top Right: Middle School CAIS Leadership Retreat; Bottom Right: Senior School Nicaragua excursion