Annual Report 2016-17
Message from the Head of School To the Ashbury Community, Our 125th year has captured much of the spirit of our history and promise for the future: challenging academics, vibrant arts and culture, healthy athletic competition, service to others, and an international outlook. Student-centered initiatives, engaging teachers and speakers, experiential trips near and far have further enriched the school year. The conclusion of this milestone year allows us to take stock and consider what lies ahead. This year we completed a school optimization study, which sees us firmly rooted on our Rockcliffe campus, yet engaging more fully within the National Capital Region. We developed new course offerings including plusieurs “options bilingues”, renewed our Ashbury Diploma requirements that take students beyond provincial expectations, and offered a range of international and local service and leadership experiences for students. Graduates returned to campus on multiple occasions, as we reached out to alumni groups, new and old, around the world. We were also busy planning for a new Centre for Science & Innovation in response to both program and facility needs. This includes two phases: a renewal to existing Junior School science spaces, followed by the development of all Senior science and innovation spaces on three levels, replacing the current science wing during the 2018–19 school year. The new centre
Governor General of Canada, David Johnston, congratulated Ashbury College on the occasion of its 125th anniversary.
will consolidate all Senior science in one location, with an innovation lab bridging over to our Creative Learning Centre. The project continues our focus on increasing access to an Ashbury education through scholarships and bursaries. So much of Ashbury’s development has been made possible by the passion and support of parents and alumni, and we are excited that this new project will continue a legacy of Ashburians in science and innovation well into the future. There are so many who have contributed to the success of the last year. First, our teachers and staff who, through their expertise and ability to connect and inspire in their own unique ways, largely define the school experience. We are also fortunate to benefit from committed volunteers within the Ashbury community, including our board, foundation, guild, alumni and parent committees. I extend my sincere thanks to you all as our impressive 125th student cohort takes flight to new destinations. Probitas, Virtus, Comitas. Norman Southward Head of School – Directeur
Message from the Board Chair On behalf of all of my colleagues on the board, we want to express our heartfelt thanks to our students, parents, teachers, and our leadership team for helping us continue to grow as we move into our 126th year. Our board, leadership team, and our teachers are focused on staying current, by always looking for continuous improvement in the classroom, in volunteerism—in everything. Our school is an international school with over 55 countries represented. Our students enjoy, from a first-hand perspective, the importance of understanding the various diverse culture of our world. This is an early life experience that will help them be more tolerant and understanding for the rest of their lives. If you add IB and other academic and experiential programs, we aim to impact the character of these young people so they can make a difference in whatever field they decide to follow. Our school continues to have strong enrollment, high retention and a very strong boarding program. Our students leave Ashbury College with strong academic, creative and interpersonal skills that will serve them well in their next educational adventure. From a governance perspective, we will begin the fourth year of our strategic plan, and are already starting to develop our next five-year plan. The school’s financial status is strong, and our focus on improving financial assistance is steadfast. We are
also focused on improving our science and innovation programs, and facilities, to make sure we are state of the art. We want to thank again our Head, school leadership team, teachers, administrative and building staff, board members, parents, alumni and volunteers who all working together, make Ashbury the stellar school it continues to be. Richard J. Dixon Chair, Ashbury Board of Governors
Message from the Foundation Chair Ashbury’s 125th year was another successful one, both for the school, and the Ashbury College Foundation. Generous donors and strong fiscal stewardship have combined to push the school’s endowment to $12.1 million and goodwill has never been higher. Our community is dedicated to supporting our students—both now and in the future—and we all benefit from that generosity. As a foundation, our priority remains raising funds for the College for the purposes of expanding access to students of merit and potential through robust financial assistance. Last year, we offered more than half-a-million dollars to prospective and current students, which is a good amount, but not enough. We must continue to strive to ensure more than 10 per cent of students have access to meaningful financial assistance. None of this success would have been possible without the hard work of many volunteers and staff— and most importantly, your support of the school. Thank you, James Baxter ’83, Chair Ashbury College Foundation
$801,651 in annual gifts recieved
$12.1
million endowment fund
Strategic Plan Implementation – Year 3 Develop our culture of excellence and innovation in teaching and learning • Ashbury diploma renewed for 2017–18 balancing enrichment and flexibility • New course offerings in IB English, Earth and Space Science, Mandarin and increased bilingual options across subjects
2017 Graduates’ Programs of Study
36% Arts
33% Science
22% Business
5% Fine Art
Top University Choices, Class of 2017 University of Toronto University of Ottawa
24
McGill University Queen’s University
15
United States
14
2017 IB RESULTS: Average Diploma Points: Mean Subject Grade: Diploma Pass Rate:
Student Demographics 53% male/47% female 52 countries represented (34 boarding)
17 14
Ashbury 33.00 5.24 99%
Enrich each student’s unique personal growth and character development within our coeducational environment. • Round Square opportunities expanded school wide, with planning underway for hosting Round Square International Conference in 2018 • Wide range of international trips offered (Peru, NYC, Washington, India, China, Europe, Argentina, South Africa, Mexico, Costa Rica)
World 29.92 4.67 78%
Expand access to an Ashbury education for students with merit and potential through a meaningful financial assistance program. • Increased presence of financial assistance in admissions and marketing strategies with positive admissions results • Continued increased financial assistance awarded through multiple sources: endowment, flowthroughs, operations and registration fee
Percent of Students on Financial Assistance 10 8 6 4 2 0
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
Goal
*$500,000 in financial assistance offered to students.
Leverage our stakeholder and community connections to enrich the student experience. • 125th events and outreach with community and alumni • Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (RSI) realized • Showcase events at Ashbury, including CAIS Heads and Chairs Conference, CAIS National Rugby Tournament, alumni art show, TEDx and speaker series
Strategic Plan Implementation – Year 3 Manage our resources for long-term sustainability. • School Optimization Study completed with LRP Committee with a focus on optimal learning environment • Elaboration of conceptual design and advancement planning for Centre for Science & Innovation • Focus issues around Tuition, Enterprise Risk Oversight, Capital projects central to support for board committee work • Facilities renewals to Memorial Wing, Annex, Napier Wing, in addition to various summer works initiatives • Maple Residence opened
Summer School Growth
*students enrolled
1000 800 600 400 200 0
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
Ashbury is more than a school The real value of financial assistance Being awarded with the Duncan Maclaren Memorial Scholarship has provided me with the gift of an Ashbury education. As I complete my education and begin my career, I now am now only starting to appreciate the true value of this experience. The true value of an Ashbury education cannot simply be measured by the incredible value provided in the classroom. The strength of the Ashbury community is what has left the greatest impact on my life from my nine years at the school. When faced with significant adversity, the Ashbury community offered constant support, and allowed me to rise above the challenges in my life. The Ashbury community continues to leave an impact on me to this day. Upon learning about my career aspirations, staff are quick to offer connections who would benefit me. Members of the Ashbury community are constantly quick to help in any way they can. Career connections and assistance are both things that I would have not been able to experience without the financial aid that I received. To me, Ashbury became more than school. The relationships I have developed with faculty, coaches, and my donor is something I am so grateful for and will continuously cherish.
I have also been fortunate to build a relationship with my donor, Charlie Maclaren, as a result of receiving financial assistance. Ever since I was a student, Charlie has made a genuine effort to get to know me and realize first-hand the value of my time at Ashbury on my life. Having the opportunity to get to know my donor has been an incredible experience for me and inspires me to strive to give back to others. As a result, I hope to one day be able to provide an Ashbury education for a future student. Vaughan Rawes ’13
Donor Stories
Alumni Donor Profile: James Kenny ’02 When James Kenny ’02, Manager, Business Development and Marketing at Hill+Knowlton Strategies summarizes why Ashbury remains among his top philanthropic priorities, he does so quite simply: “I really enjoyed my time at Ashbury, so I want to help the college provide those experiences to other stu-
dents.” Following his high school graduation 15 years ago, James went onto Bishop’s University (Bachelor of Arts, Political Science), Université de Strasbourg (Marc Bloch), and Algonquin College (Public Relations), although his connection to, and feelings for, Ashbury remain strong. James notes incredible friendships from his own class of 2002, as well as other classes, and influential faculty and coaches like Dwayne Smith, Ms. Kennedy, Mr. Varley, Ms. Jowett, and Bob Gray, among them. At an early age, James was encouraged by his father to give back, noting the size of gift was less important than providing consistent support. James has been a loyal alumni supporter of Ashbury for almost two decades, choosing to give on a recurring monthly basis. When asked about the designation of his giving, James references the Bob Gray Memorial Fund: “I choose to direct my giving to the Bob Gray Memorial Fund because he played an impactful role while I was at the school, and I benefitted from my years playing football at the school.” James’ volunteer role on the Alumni Executive keeps him connected to the school and current students, allowing him to see first-hand how philanthropy benefits current students across academics, athletics, arts, experiential learning opportunities and student financial assistance. James encourages other alumni to join him with a gift of any size, designated in a way that is meaningful to them. For more information, contact Stephanie Young, Director of Development, at stephanie.young@ashbury.ca.
Donor Stories
Donor Profile: Nguyen-Leha Family Mrs. Anh-Tuyet Nguyen and her husband, Dr. Minh Leha, have been part of the Ashbury community since 2013. Their daughter, Emily, is in Grade 8 and their son, Andrew, is in Grade 10, and both of their children started in the Junior School. Anh and Minh chose Ashbury for many reasons, including strong academics, small class sizes, a wide variety of co-curricular options, and experiential learning opportunities. Anh and Minh have been very pleased with the school’s programs, but the relationships developed at Ashbury, both with faculty and with friends and other parents, have been particularly meaningful to the family. “We hope that the strong friendships built at Ashbury will last them a lifetime. The teachers and staff are approachable; our children have developed better communication skills while building confidence when speaking to adults. We admire that faculty members are very dedicated and passionate at Ashbury.” Not long after Emily and Andrew started at Ashbury, Anh and Minh saw their children happy and thriving. They also understood the direct link between philan-
thropy and how it has benefitted their kids’ Ashbury experience, citing the Creative Learning Centre as a notable example. Ashbury quickly found its place among the family’s philanthropic priorities, prompting them to donate annually to support the school’s greatest needs. “Giving to Ashbury makes us feel like we support and belong to a close-knit community where our entire family is a part of,” they say. “Realizing how happy the school made our children feel, we wanted to thank Ashbury by giving back, the way others did before us.”
Donor Stories
BOARD OF GOVERNORS 2016–17 Mr. Richard Dixon Chair of the Board
Ms. Lori O’Neill Vice Chair of the Board
Mrs. Meena Roberts Past Chair of the Board
TERM GOVERNORS Mrs. Karen Eva Abrahamsen Mr. Ion Aimers Mr. Terry Blake Dr. Benjamin Chow Mr. Thomas Favret
Dr. Melissa Forgie Mrs. Zahra Jadavji Mr. Paul Lepsoe Mr. John Lindgren Ms. Janice McDonald Mrs. Cathy McLean
Dr. Nicholas Ng-A-Fook Mr. Andrew Nichols Mr. Kevin Pidgeon Mrs. Menisha Sharma Ms. Victoria Shore
SERVING LIFE GOVERNORS Mr. Martin Parizeau Mr. Chris Teron ’76
Mrs. Jean Teron
Mr. Stephen Woollcombe ’57 Mrs. Debbie Weinstein
LIFE GOVERNORS Mrs. Cynthia Baxter Mr. Claude Bennett Dr. Christopher Carruthers Mr. John Kelly
Mr. Frederic Martin Mr. Timothy Murray Mr. Robert Paterson Mr. David Pigott ’79 Mr. Gordon Pimm
Mr. E. Ned Rhodes, Jr. ’55 Mr. James Smellie Mr. Anthony Tattersfield Dr. David Zussman
EX-OFFICIO (VOTING) OFFICERS Mr. Dan Craigen, Chair, Parents’ Committee Mrs. Crickett Lindgren, President, Ashbury Guild Mr. Rob Hall ’83, President, Alumni Executive Mr. James Baxter ’82, Chairman, Ashbury Foundation Mr. Norman Southward (non-voting), Head of School
HONORARY GOVERNOR (NON-VOTING) The Rt. Rev. John Chapman Anglican Bishop of Ottawa
FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBERS 2016–17 James B. Baxter ’82 (Chair) Aik Aliferis ’79 Kevin Bon ’92 Julie Fine ’90
Dennis Laurin Charles H. Maclaren ’71 James MacMillan ’03 Sean Murray Jeremy Ouseley ’09
Tim Orr Hugh Scott ’88 Jean Teron Philip von Finckenstein ’89
Refugee Sponsorship Initiative Ashbury is fortunate to have sponsored a wonderful family from Syria, the Al Kaouds, who celebrated their one-year anniversary of arriving in Canada in July 2017. Despite their harrowing escape from Aleppo, and subsequent stay in Beirut, the Al Kaouds have found peace in Ottawa. Hanan (mother) is attending English lessons and has progressed from Level 1-Level 2 ESL. She is also learning to drive. Ahmed (father) is working at Ashbury College on the maintenance team, and has earned a reputation for being strong and eager to work. Ahmed’s verbal English is progressing well, as he must converse in the language every day on the job. Ahmed’s family is still in Raqqa and he continues to worry about family members struggling in the ongoing siege of the city. Son Ali is 11, and he loves soccer. He is a good math student and dreams of becoming an engineer or pro soccer player. Hala 10 is very bright, and has progressed from English only, to an early French Immersion classroom. She reads well and aspires to be a doctor or scientist. She is the family translator. Rahaf, 5, is athletic, wiry and energetic. Her verbal English is already perfect and her French is progressing well. She is riding a two-wheel bike and ready for the
next challenge. The children have flourished at school and in a home donated by past parent Victor Saikeley and his family. The Al Kaouds recently moved to a new home close to Ashbury, and we are grateful to past parent, Mr. Aggarwal for making these arrangements. We are also grateful for a van provided by the Dilawri family. This safe and reliable vehicle provides autonomy for the family, and Ahmed, a driver by trade, is extremely proud to have a vehicle. Ashbury’s volunteer Refugee Sponsorship Initiative committee is devoted, and they have dedicated large amounts of time to working closely with the Al Kaoud family to help with budgeting, tutoring, form-filling and socializing. This close-knit group are available at short notice, and no job is too big or too small. Thank you to all our donors and volunteers for your commitment to the Al Kaoud family.
Donor Stories
A Year of Celebrations
We thank our donors and partners for their ongoing support of our programs over the past year. Founders Circle $10,000+ Anonymous Ashbury College Guild Brown’s Fine Food Services Inc. Doherty & Associates Co. Ltd. Philip and Beata Garel-Jones GuoWei Liang and JianHong Wu Sean Murray ’82 and Jamilah Taib-Murray Anthony and Rosemary Nichols Scott ’88 and Tracy Parkes Michael Potter John, Jennifer, Nikola ’09 and Sonya ’11 Ruddy Mike ’90 and Angela Taggart Bill and Jean Teron Michael and Jacqui Wilson
Governors Circle $5,000+ Drs. James Carere and Nathalie Teboul Dr. John and Gloria Connelly Drs. Michael and Karen Fung Kee Fung Pascale Parisien and Olivier Benloulou Dr. Maneesh and Menisha Sharma Elizabeth Vered
Heads of School Circle $1,000+ Anonymous
Dogan and Elizabeth Akman Hyesook An and Young An Choi Louise, John ’75, Daniel ’78 and David ’85 Arnold Cynthia Baxter James ’83 and Sarah Baxter C. Winston Bennett ’99 Stephen Bleeker and Janice McDonald Kevin Bon ’92 Dr. Benjamin and Nancy Chow Stephen and Kerry deBlois Richard and Michelle Dixon Michael ’09, Laura ’14 and Melissa ’14 Dodge John ’82 and Martha Drake Alan Gill ’62 David Graham and E. Ann Moran Ken and Jacqueline Guarisco Lisa Hunt Rick and Catherine Hunter Bing Jiang and Youfang Qiu R.T. Kenny ’48 Wesly Kowalski and Richard Turpin David Laquerre and Rosanna Carrozzi Dr. Minh Leha and Anh Tuyet Nguyen Albert and Kirsten Lightstone Family John and Crickett Lindgren Charlie Maclaren ’71 Tam and Jan Matthews Karen McAndrew Grant McDonald and Carol Devenny Tara and John McGowan Benjamin Merkley ’95 and Véronique French Merkley Timothy Orr and Lori O’Neill Stephen Perry and Rhoda Barr David ’79 and Janet Pigott Francis Pomerleau and Sophie Dagenais Ned ’55 and Liz Rhodes Marcel Ruzicka and Leanne Bowden Drs. David Schramm and Anne Lui Scotiabank Norman Southward and Anna Rumin Ahmed and Mashooda Syed Rob Tamblyn ’82 Chris ’76 and Dr. Louisa Teron Top Marks
Kathryn Tremblay Mike Weider and Kate Mccartney Stephen Woollcombe ’57 Yuehong Wu and Jianqiang Gao Yi Hao Yang and Fang Fang Chen Li Zhang and Yaoming Chao
Housemasters Circle $500+ Peter and Kym Ashton William ’57 and Joan Birbeck Terrence Blake Neil Charbonneau ’94 Dr. Omer and Fedwa Choudhri Graeme Clark ’78 Andrew Cohen and Mary Gooderham David and Jill Dickinson Brandon Durant David Fair ’48 Julie Fine ’90 John H. Gill ’52 Dr. Concepción Gómez Esteban and Miguel Feito Hernández Alex Graham ’82 Mark and Marci Groper Ulrich Haastert ’96 Jeffrey and Karen Haebe Amir Tinouch Haghighat Talab and Evelien Kruizinga Adrian Harewood ’89 Bruce Hillary ’57 Dr. Jeffrey Hovey and Dr. Joanne Meng Dennis Johns and Demetra Vassiliou Paul Kadziora ’80 Douglas Kennedy and Lynn Beckett Ryan Keon and Cindy Tomlinson Keon Greg Kozlowski and Leslie Miles Dennis and Andrea Laurin Paul Lepsoe and Dr. Jane Prud’homme Dr. Yu Li and Dongyan Zhao Bing Luo and Yalong Gao Carolyn Mackenzie and David Baird Bryan and Cathy McLean Robert and Jody Mews Alex Milroy Brian Morrison ’82 Bruce and Kelly Mutch
Roy, Dorothy, Jillian ’90 and Julie ’92 Napier Duong Nguyen and Sarah Connelly ’95 Esperance Niyonkuru and Viren Doshi Anthony Paish ’50 Brian J. Scott ’67 Goldy and Sonia Singh Jim Smellie ’67 and Cathy Fulton Arthur and Adrienne Smith-Windsor Drs. Derek So and Judy Shiau Antal Szullo Dr. Tracey Thompson and Michael Aaron Crystal Ross and Mary Ann Varley Drs. Mark Walker and Jane Lougheed Debin Wang and Lingling Chen Kendal Young
Donors Anonymous Daniel and Birgitta Alfredsson Dr. Yaa and Nana Amankwah Julie Amos and Jamie Lockington Karmen Arril Jannine and Alan Atkinson Juhong Bai and Kai Zhang Michael Barnes ’73 Aaron Barth ’00 William Baskerville ’35 John ’63 and Aline Bethune Kathy Boate ’99 Ole Book ’54 Charles and Katherine Brandeis Dr. Tim and Kelly Brandys Willie Bush ’08 Donald Cook ’88 Kent Cook ’61 John Craig ’92 Jacques Daigle and Iris Xu Robert Defries ’63 Brian and Catherine Dickson Robert Dickson ’62 Dr. Kourosh Etemadi-Zanganeh and Dr. Mandana Nikoui The Federal Liberal Agency of Canada Shelley Gomme Scott Graham ’17 Geoffrey Gray ’65
Cathy, Joshua ’99 and Stuart ’03 Gray Amy and James Greig Colin Griffiths Richard Grogan ’56 John Henderson ’65 Ross and Michelle Holman H. Maxwell Hughson ’41 Tara Jackson Altaf and Zahra Jadavji Erin Johnson Craig Kamcke ’55 Cheryl Kardish-Levitan James A. Kenny ’02 Bob Kenny ’72 Byron Khatchadourian ’23 Charles Khazzam and Marie Carmen Berlie Drs. John Kokkinakis and Montserrat Bouvier Jon and Monica Landon Alana Lobb Jacquie Lovatt Stern ’05 Minghe Lyu and Shujuan Zhang George MacLaren ’57 Nigel Macleod ’73 Robert and Micheline McElligott Beverley McMillan and James Watt Shauna Monaghan Sean and Tracy Murphy Nicholas Ng-A-Fook Jeremy Ouseley ’09 Martin Parizeau and Sheryl Green-Parizeau Saree Parry ’88 I. E. Greville Price Padme Raina Nobina and Keith Robinson Stephen Rogers and Alison Laidlaw Matthew Roy and Dr. Caroline Brisson ’92 Drs. Robert Rulko and Frederique Tesson Dave and Barbara Saville David Schramm ’17 David W. Scott ’54 Hugh ’88 and Sally Scott Jason and Jenny Shinder Emily Shore ’03 Jacques and Donna Shore Victoria Shore ’07
Michael Spratt ’92 Jacqui Squires Brian and Patricia Storosko Stephen Suh ’79 Maja Sverdrup and Rolf Holmboe Ian Tattersfield ’06 Matthew Tattersfield ’96 Tony and Sharleen Tattersfield Ross Tavel ’93 Greg Taylor ’96 Peter Thierfeldt ’86 J. Herman Van Roijen ’82 Donna and Obbe Vermeij William Weeks ’51 Bruce Weiner ’71 Gerry Wharton ’52 Vicky Wilgress and Tyler Wilgress ’03 Todd Williamson ’82 Jennifer Woollcombe Oxenham Ray Ye and Judy Yi Stephanie and Andy Young * Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this list. We apologize for any errors or omissions. Please notify the Advancement Office of any changes.
Thank you to our Partners
OTTAWA LUXURY PROPERTIES
Congratulations to our 125th Graduating Class
Ashbury College Class of 2017
... and to the global universities that welcomed them this fall. Carleton Brown Western Queen’s Northeastern Oxford U of T Cornell Ottawa NYU Dalhousie McGill Bocconi University Concordia York OCADU Surrey Laval Harvard Carlos III University of Madrid Guelph Frankfurt School of Finance and Management Ryerson European Business School Mount Allison Northwestern UBC Augustana University University of the Arts London StFX Emily Carr Brandon Amherst College Brock Saint Mary’s Laurier Czech Technical University Manchester Belmont Tecnologico de Monterrey Trent University of Miami Southern Methodist Waterloo University College London
Centre for Science & Innovation Coming 2019 ashbury.ca/innovation