Torch - Fall/Winter 2018-19

A Campus with Room to Grow

Faculty and Staff Who Nurture

future Learning Commons, a large student gathering place. “These new additions are going to be gorgeous,” says Massie. “It’s a three-storey atrium and it will have a BioWall [made of plants].” As with other major construction projects at Havergal, Massie says that this one arose from thoughtful consideration about the school’s needs. “We realized that we had average art facilities in the Upper School. We were doing great art programming, but in sort of very typical classrooms,” says Massie. “We decided to build some custom-made classrooms for this wonderful programming!” Yet another goal is to improve sustainability: green roof spaces, solar panels, stormwater management and LED lighting are all in the works. Havergal is targeting LEED® Gold, a top environmental standard for buildings. Not bad for a campus that’s been around for almost a century. “When you look at it, it’s sort of almost every 20 years when you come along and do something big,” says Massie. “The campus has grown from those early days in 1926.”

Although most faculty and students express their gratitude for the 200,000 square feet of magnificent buildings on the 22 acres that Havergal calls home, Director of Facilities Lisa Massie is the expert on where the campus is going. Hired in 2012 to take responsibility for the school’s buildings, grounds and security, Massie is at the helm of the campus build project. Now underway, the campus build project will add more than 48,000 square feet to the Junior and Upper Schools. At the Junior School, the project will create a new art studio, music classrooms and a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math-focused) classroom, plus a full dining room and kitchen facility. The renovation will also free up space for a full-sized gymnasium again. At the Upper School, the plan is for a three-storey addition focusing on art, design and technology. Five art studios, several technology classrooms and additional classrooms are in the works, along with the

Regardless of the school you attend, everyone remembers the kindnesses and inspiration of a favourite teacher. At Havergal, where the community is much more closely knit, students are quick to express gratitude for the impact of a kind mentor. Lulu DeLuca, a Grade 8 student whose favourite subject is social science and who likes to play soccer and badminton, remembers the kindness of Ms. Garland, who worked in the front office at the Junior School and would chat with her when DeLuca’s mom dropped her off early before school. “Ms. Garland noticed that I was coming to school early every day, so she chatted with me and gave me little jobs to do and we became really good friends,” says DeLuca. Soon they discovered their shared Polish heritage. When DeLuca said she’d dug up some of her mom’s old Polish folk dancing costumes, Garland agreed that she would also wear hers for Halloween!

Faculty and staff with students at Celebration Saturday 2018.

TABLE OF CONTENTS | FALL/WINTER 2018–19 • TORCH 17