Torch - Fall/Winter 2018-19

Traditions Big and Small

While occasions like Prayers and Celebration Saturday come to everyone’s mind when they hear the word “tradition” at Havergal, smaller moments can also resonate. For former Head of English Linda Goldspink (who retired in 2012), hot chocolate with her students at Christmas was a personal tradition that she cherished. Ordering hot chocolate and cookies, Goldspink would book the Ellen Knox Library or the Temerty Commons, or, if they were reserved, she would draw a fireplace on the board in her classroom. Then she gathered all her students for a reading of ’Twas The Night Before Christmas . “And they would know some of the lines, so they would join in,” says Goldspink, adding that when it came to say “Merry Christmas” she would go around the room and have the students chime in with the wishes from their traditions, from Hanukkah to Kwanza. “That was a neat way to start the season.” Asked to name her favourite formal tradition at Havergal, Goldspink is torn to choose just one. Celebration Saturday, Carol Service (the school’s Christmas service), Founders’ Day and Graduation are all among her favourites. “I think the power of it is that it provides security and comfort because you know what to do, who you are and where you are in the context of the tradition,” she says. She also recalls fondly the tradition of House cheers. “We go out on the hillside to the beautiful green field. Each House gets up and does its routine. It’s a great time and we all have fun,” she says. A favourite weekly traditions is Prayers. “It’s sort of the quieter moments in an extremely busy place. You can actually focus and be quiet yourself and engage in the singing, which I loved.” Since retirement, she enjoys attending reunions for former staff, which is a special Prayers every fall. “It’s a good time to reconnect with former colleagues,” she says. She adds that four years of retirement have allowed for reflection on the Havergal experience. “The traditions of the school, layered in with my love of and appreciation for education and my very strong support of empowering young women,” she says when asked about what makes her grateful about her tenure. “Havergal is very good at bringing everybody into a sense of community.”

Carol Service is a long-standing tradition at Havergal.

Students Who Are Welcoming

very welcoming. I felt like everyone really made an effort to help me feel comfortable,” she says. Today, India is in Grade 11 and loving her classes; she is focusing on maths and sciences. She plays golf competitively and is on the Soccer and Ultimate Frisbee teams. She also does robotics, is Head of the Mandarin Club and is a member of student council. She says her gratitude for Havergal’s spirit has only grown. “There’s a big sense of school spirit, which is something that I find interesting because I’ve never been to a school like that before.” Now that she’s been here a year, she feels a sense of pride herself. “We were at Hockey Day and I was struck by the strength of our school spirit! Havergal girls want to win, not only for themselves, but also for the school. It’s impossible not to get into school spirit when everyone is cheering.”

Havergal may be a friendly place, but when you’re new, any environment can be intimidating. After living abroad in Hong Kong for six years, India Tory wasn’t sure what to expect when she arrived at Havergal last year. But then something happened on her third day to make her realize things would be all right. “I had nowhere to sit at lunch and I didn’t know what to do. I walked into the cafeteria and a girl whom I had just met said, ‘India, come sit with me and my friends.’ I really think that summarizes how nice all the girls were to me when I was a new student,” she recalls. Further reassurance came from her peers in House. “They were super excited to meet me, interested to learn about me and were

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