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HAVERGAL COLLEGE
In the Junior School, leadership begins with
building a sense of responsibility among
the Junior and Senior Kindergarteners by
putting their own belongings into their
backpacks. “The reason why we do that
and why it’s so important is simply because
we want the children to know that they’re
capable of doing things and to have a
much greater sense of confidence within
themselves. When children are confident
within themselves and see themselves as
problem solvers, they’re much more able to
take on a more formalized leadership role
later on,” explains White.
Higher up the Junior School ladder, the
Grade 6 students are in charge of the 10
Houses at the Junior School, developing
relationships to increase intermingling
between the grades. “It really strengthens the
fabric of our school,” says White.
Another source of inspiration for students is
the approximately 120 teachers at Havergal.
Leadership opportunities abound there, too.
Seonaid Davis is Director of Curriculum
and Faculty Development and Head of
Technological Education, responsible for
academic programming at the school,
including teaching and learning strategies,
implementation and learning support,
as well as professional development for
teachers. She says leadership opportunities
for our Senior and Middle School teachers
include roles as Department Heads. In the
Junior School, faculty can take on the role of
curricular co-ordinators to support specific
programs, including literacy, science and
kindergarten. Other roles include House
advisors, Form teachers and roles assisting
the heads of student clubs.
Davis says teachers also lead professional
learning communities to explore various
teaching practices or ideas such as teaching
through dialogue, creating cultures of
thinking, looking at assessment practices
or working on effective communication.
Teachers may also lead working groups
to look at issues such as timetables or
leadership development.“All of our
professional learning communities are led by
teacher leaders who basically said ‘I’d really
love to start a group to investigate this aspect
Parent Leadership
Leadership opportunities abound for
Havergal community members. The
Havergal College Parent Association
(HCPA) includes parents who
volunteer in roles such as committee
chairs, Grade Reps and special
events, to name only a few.
Laurie Hay, Chair of the HCPA
2015–16, explains why parents
enjoy taking on volunteer roles
within the school: “Our members
are ambassadors of the school.
They enjoy being involved, making
a difference and seeing the impact
their roles have on the girls and the
other parents.”
One of the goals of the HCPA is to
help encourage an engaged, committed
community. “It is important for our
girls to see their parents involved in the
school,” says Hay. “When they see us
taking on leadership roles and acting
as ambassadors, our kids lose the
perception of the school as a separate
entity from their home lives. It helps
them connect with the school on a
different level.”
In addition to assisting with school
events and leading committees,
members of the HCPA embody the
school’s values of integrity, inquiry,
compassion and courage. They are
excellent ambassadors and are key to
community building.