Torch - Fall/Winter 2018-19

ratitude is one of those concepts that keeps going by association: once you think about one thing, it makes you think of another related thing until your mind is brimming. As Havergal’s Chaplain, the Rev. Stephanie Douglas, puts it, gratitude is “a good habit of the heart,” a gift that gives back. “As we practise gratitude, we find ourselves blessed in turn,” she says. Even as you ask members of the Havergal community why they are grateful for a particular aspect of Havergal, it’s often the case that answers will spill over into other areas. Community. History. Traditions. Campus. For the school itself, which is on the brink of celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2019, there are so many things to be thankful for. Here are the top 10 things Havergal College is proud of after more than a century of preparing young women to make a difference.

A Strong Community Feeling

A Sense of History that Grows

Strank, who likes attending her gym and language classes, practising gymnastics and playing piano, is a House leader this year. She likes the opportunity to learn about other people and help the younger kids. “Being a House leader brings the whole community together. We do a bunch of fun things like House breakfast and cheers,” she says, adding that she’s looked up to House leaders herself for a long time. “I remember when I was in Grade 1, I would always look up to the Grade 6s; now that I am a Grade 6, I really want to be a good role model,” she says. Gupta, who’s enthusiastic about math, writing and social studies, says she really likes being in Marian Wood House, especially since it’s the same one that her older sisters Nisha (in Grade 6) and Maya (in Grade 8) belong to. “Everyone from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 at Havergal is in a House. In the Junior School, the Grade 6 students teach us the cheers and we get to make friends from different grades,” she says.

Even though Ayla Strank is in Grade 6 and Sara Gupta is in Grade 3, they still have something in common: last year they were paired together as Haverpals. If they see each other in the hallway, they’re likely to give each other a smile or a wave. Both are grateful about the program that pairs older and younger students each year and are eager to do more with this year’s Haverpals program. Already, Strank knows that her younger Haverpal partner for this school year, Jillian, shares her love of the colours blue and pink, pizza, swimming and writing. Gupta knows that her new Haverpal partner, Rachel, shares her love of dogs, movies and pasta. Rachel is new to Havergal this year, which means that even though Gupta is the younger of the pairing, she’s the authority. “I told her about a lot of things and she said that she’s happy to have a Haverpal because she finds it nice to meet new people,” says Gupta.

You only need to gaze at the timeless stone buildings, resilient ivy and well-kept wood finishings to be reminded that history is integral to Havergal’s identity. But it’s also a living element, present in the similarities in stories told by Old Girls who may have attended Havergal in completely different eras: a common love for a House, a memory of a special Prayers. From Havergal’s official history headquarters, Archivist Debra Latcham reports that she regularly hears expressions of gratitude from alumnae pleasantly surprised at just how much information she can supply about a mother or grandmother or Old Girl. Latcham says she, in turn, is grateful for the alumnae who have funded its growth and donated so much material that the archive has tripled in size since its opening in 2006. Latcham is also grateful for the dedication of her three volunteers. As an example of

TABLE OF CONTENTS | FALL/WINTER 2018–19 • TORCH 15