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It could be that one of your strongest memories of
the ‘Five Senses’
per se
is based on the occasion of a
past English class in which you were asked to write a
descriptive essay and were told that the best way to
create a vivid experience for your readers is to focus
on the five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch and
taste. In the profiles in this edition of the
Chronicle
,
you will find vivid storytelling
par excellence
by Old
Girls whose lives have been exemplars of the use and
exploration of our senses.
The students at Havergal today are just as
interested as you were in thinking about what the
senses bring to us and how we should value, use and
share them. In Junior School Prayers one morning
in April, I was speaking to the girls about how the
senses are both literally and metaphorically essential
for the development of empathy as individuals and as
a community. They help us to approach life in a multi-
faceted way so that we are enriched and thus enrich
others, sharing gifts in different ways.
Among others, I was aided that morning by two
students from Grade 5 who spoke about their
experiences. Hilary Cameron 2024 spoke about taste
through her love of cooking in the cookery club. She
ably demonstrated how cooking is both an art and
a science before going on to describe exuberantly
how cooking, especially the end product, engages
all of our senses. The highlights of this presentation
were the messages that, “All we need are taste buds
that are ready for a workout,” and “Cookery club is
certainly the place where we get to make our cake
and taste it too!”
Emma Heydary 2024 talked about the sense
of touch by describing her family farm and the
experience of touching and stroking the animals
there. These include chickens, ducks, geese, cows
and calves, lambs, barn cats, alpacas and peacocks.
“Touching and feeling animals is a pleasant feeling
and brings me close to nature,” she said.
The same day, I was treated to an exceptional
show of talent and creative interpretation in the
Senior School at the production of
Girls
by our dance
troupe. This was true creativity on the stage, making
the audience think about messages powerful and
present through stimulation of our senses.
Indeed, reflection about what the senses mean
to us runs through many programs at Havergal. The
Grade 4s recently considered the question, “How are
light and sound used to benefit people?,” while Grade
8s have been studying the impact of sound without
sight in their drama lessons, giving me a presentation
of their ideas in their
Soundscape
performances.
Using the senses is something whichwe appreciate
and value at Havergal – through the sharing of meals
with each other, our music, words and love. The
passing of the Torch symbolizes this appreciation
perfectly in the Candlelight Ceremony each year.
I hope that, in your mind’s eye, you are now seeing
the ways in which Havergal lifted your senses in the
past and that I have succeeded in giving you a taste of
Havergal present. As you read on through this edition
of the
Chronicle
, I am sure that you will smell and feel
again those moments of magic and hear the school
song once more….
Havergal engages
ALL OF THE SENSES
HELEN-KAY DAVY
Principal, Havergal College
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE