Torch - Fall/Winter 2018-19

On Day 9, Senior School students participate in a Robotics workshop and Kindergarten students learn how to code.

A Relationship with Donors

Growth Opportunities

Learning, says taking up opportunities as Harkness did is something that he sees at Havergal all the time. Some of his favourite places to witness opportunity in action are during Day 9, in which students and faculty set aside four days a year for specially designed learning (this year’s activities include learning classical Chinese dance, coding, exploring flight simulators and visiting a hydroponic farm, among others) and the new student leadership program, which recognizes the five domains of leadership. And then there’s the Forum for Change. “We are grateful for the Forum for Change because it’s a forum in the true sense. We have a phrase that we use, ‘This is a place to follow your heartbreak,’” he says, explaining that this is the place for students to explore challenges through inquiry. If they experience challenges or want to take action at a local and global level, the Forum for Change is the place to begin this journey. “It’s not about finding solutions, it’s about sitting with questions with discomfort. It’s about exploring your feelings,” says Nichols. Often students are directed toward the Students Act Now program, which takes a responsible approach to social action. Community Partnerships also help students broaden their perspective and learn more about their role in their community. For instance, thanks to a partnership with Grenoble Public School, Havergal was

Executive Director of Advancement and Community Relations Tony diCosmo has a thoughtful way of expressing the reciprocal nature of the donor relationship Havergal has with its community. “The gratitude we feel toward donors is mutual; we are thankful for their gifts and there’s also a sense of gratitude on their side in doing something that’s meaningful,” says diCosmo. “It’s actually a real privilege to be able to talk to people with shared values, in this case a strong belief that young women deserve the very best education with all the opportunities they can have, so they can go out and make a difference in the world,” he says. diCosmo feels that donors have really helped to make Havergal special. “The school is what it is today because of visionary people throughout its history who have invested in it. Havergal has been able to achieve the level of excellence that people expect and that attracts new families to the community and brings back legacy families over and over,” he says. Donor support is essential to sustaining the school’s vitality. “What our donors enable us to do is to sustain our mission and our values. Because they connect with them, they believe in them and they help us to carry the torch for them into the future.”

Jasmine Harkness says that the opportunity for leadership growth was one of the first differences she noticed about Havergal when she arrived in Grade 7. Havergal currently focuses on five domains of leadership: Community Leader, Intellectual Leader, Formal Leader, Informal Leader and Self Leader. “At the school I was at before, we focused on academics and sports, but there was nothing about being a student leader. Here at Havergal, I think it’s great that we offer those experiences because it helps you learn more about yourself,” says Harkness, who was on the Middle School Council in Grades 7 and 8 and is now on the Arts Council. Now in Grade 10, Harkness’s favourite classes include math and art and she participates in soccer and rowing. Asked about what she’s learned about herself as a student leader, Harkness speaks with confidence. “It taught me that I’m a pretty good communicator. Also, that I really like helping other people and I’m creative, so I like bringing new ideas to the table to help make better activities.” She says she learned a lot about communication and compromises through being on the councils.

Garth Nichols, Havergal’s Vice Principal of Student Engagement and Experiential

20  HAVERGAL COLLEGE