Ashbury News Fall 2015
Students at the
Forefront Nos Êlèves au-devant
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Homecoming
2015
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Alumni
Profiles
Table of Contents
Ashbury News Fall 2015 Ashbury News is published twice a year and sent to over 3800 alumni, parents and friends. Ashbury News is printed on 35% recycled paper. Online magazine updates are available at ashbury.ca
News & Notes 2 From the Head of School
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Please submit news, story ideas and any address changes to:
School News
12 Teachers You May Know
Ashbury College Communications Office 362 Mariposa Avenue Ottawa, ON K1M 0T3 communications@ashbury.ca Phone: 613.749.5954
14 Student Voice
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On front cover: School captains Jasmine Mussani and Anthony Cui. On inside front cover: Students at the start line of the fall House Run in support of the United Way.
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Springfest 16
17 Golf Tournament
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On the back cover: Listening to the Head’s address at opening day, 2015.
Volunteer Recognition
19 A New Face for Fundraising
Design and layout by AN Design Communications Printed in Canada by Trico Group
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Feature Article 20 Science by the Sea
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Ashbury Alumni 28
MOVING? Update your address. alumni@ashbury.ca
Ashbury Travels
30 Alumni Profiles 29
32 Ashbury Chatter
38 In Memoriam
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NEWS & NOTES
Head of School
From the
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f you think back to your own days as students, at Ashbury, or elsewhere, you likely remember observing the life of the school, your teachers and peers, and the many personalities that shaped your school experience. When defining schools we often emphasize the importance of “people, place and purpose”, three components that define a school community. By now, many will know that I often refer to our touchstones—mission and values—to help steer our strategy and decisions. Frequently we turn the lens to our beautiful school buildings and campus to help define who we are. And of course, those who view a school’s identity, aligned with academic and signature programs, should be of no surprise. However when considering our people, by far the largest group under our roof is our students: diverse, talented, vibrant, and filled with initiative and ready to take on the world. Students are at the forefront at Ashbury in both teaching and learning. I think that all would agree that having dedicated faculty and staff ready to share, guide and nurture students is central to any school and, although each family makes school choices based on a sense of purpose, often the people define the experience. A distinction of the Ashbury experience is that learning goes beyond the traditional view of where learning emanates and puts the spotlight on students. Our students are not simply recipients of new knowledge and skills, but those who contribute to our community in profound ways. As a day and boarding school within the national capital, our diversity remains a unique strength, and we seek to empower our students to step out of their comfort zones and task themselves in a balanced liberal arts and extracurricular program. Students as leaders, whether formally or informally, bring to the table new ideas and challenge us to shape our programs. Alan November’s Who Owns the Learning? asks us to consider how we best prepare students for success in this digital world. But his question asks more than who is taking the lead in the digital age—it is about who can develop a sense for initiative and inquiry within our school that impacts learning for all. A number of initiatives at Ashbury were developed by students this year: community outreach,
Ashbury’s Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (RSI) and a firstever TEDx at Ashbury College are just a few examples that have helped transform the learning experience for students this fall. So as you explore this issue of the Ashbury News, be reminded of the strength of our students— diverse in backgrounds and overflowing with ideas that are ready to be shared. La diversité de nos étudiants, soit nos plus jeunes, soit ceux et celles qui sont en train de compléter leurs études avec nous, sont toujours prêts à agir et contribuer à l’apprentissage de notre communauté.
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Our students are not simply recipients of new knowledge and skills, but those who contribute to our community in profound ways.
Probitas, Comitas, Virtus Norman Southward Head of School
NEWS & NOTES
News
School
April 2015
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chool Captain Mitch Kurylowicz received the City Builder award from the City of Ottawa for his volunteer work and fundraising in humanitarian projects. Mitch founded Project Jenga, a charity that raises funds to build schools for boys in Kenya. In March, Project Jenga held a gala in Ottawa, attended by actresses Mia Farrow and Marlee Matlin, alongside Free The Children co-founders Marc and Craig Kielburger. The third-annual gala dinner also featured human rights advocate and grandson of Nelson Mandela, Kweku Mandela. Over 340 people attended, and together, raised more than $117,000 to support education in Kenya.
scored high in the contest last year when he was in Grade 8. Not surprisingly, Nicholas says math is his favourite subject.
cultures. International Day at Ashbury builds on the notion of education for global citizenship where we come together as a school to look at some hard issues. This year students identified the theme of threats to humanity, and simulated a United Nations Security Council Session on dealing with ISIS. Grade 12 student Roya Shams spoke to a packed Maclaren Hall of her experience in Afghanistan and the historic and contemporary realities of the country she left four years ago. Students broke out into discussion groups to look at different conflict areas of the world and evaluate how nations might best respond. They also returned “to Canada” to evaluate the merits and pitfalls of proposed legislation, Bill C-51 before breaking for lunch with sweet and savoury dishes from around the world.
Green Party leader, Elizabeth May, visited Ashbury during Earth Week and talked to students about the politics involved in dealing with climate change.
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icholas Sullivan Grade 9 was presented with the gold medal in the Pascal competition in April. He was one of a handful of students from across Canada to score 100%, on the test, organized by the University of Waterloo’s Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing. He also
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nternational Day proved once again to be a successful tradition of sharing
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he ever-popular student art show merged with the International Potluck Dinner this year bringing dinner and a show to a whole new level! Families and staff gathered to share traditional cultural meals in Maclaren Hall prior to browsing the student
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Ottawa Mayor, Jim Watson and Osgoode Ward Councillor George Darouze, presented Mitch Kurylowicz with the City Builder award for his fundraising and volunteer work in April.
NEWS & NOTES
Our students had fun hanging around the school gym thanks to climbing equipment temporarily installed by JungleSports. The experience added some extra fun to PE classes and allowed students to reach new heights with their fitness.
creativity on display at the “Memorable things did happen here!” event.
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arent and staff volunteers once again participated in the annual Science Fête as willing listeners to our student scientists. Answering questions about scientific investigations is a valuable skill-building opportunity for our students, who benefit from having to explain and outline their thinking process to others.
Junior School students exerted some good neighbourly muscle during Earth Week as they walked to nearby Rockcliffe Park and gave it a spring cleaning.
offerings and analyze their choices on a more efficient time scale. Students would also be linked to past alumni who could give them answers to questions about their chosen universities.
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ver 400 Ashbury students joined together to form the largest ever team to participate in the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, raising over $23,000 dollars for the Ottawa Hospital.
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our Ashbury students were the only students in Ottawa to make the finals of the Young Entrepreneurs, Make Your Pitch contest, a high school entrepreneurship competition organized by the Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure and Ontario Centres of Excellence as part of the Youth Jobs Strategy. The contest challenged students in Grades 9–12 to pitch their business ideas in a two-minute video that was voted on by the public and expert judges. Finalists presented their ideas in front of a judging panel in Toronto for a chance to receive reserved entry into the Summer Company program. Jonathan Chow, Grade 11, pitched an idea for a charitable wishlist that would allow charities to post their needs in one consolidated area to make accessibility easier for organizations and volunteers. Monica Taing, Grade 11, and Lauren Wang and Laura Alb both Grade 10, pitched Caniversity which allows graduating students the opportunity to compare university
May 2015
From left to right, Laura Alb, Monica Taing, Jonathan Chow, and Lauren Wang.
Grade 5 French students had a sweet trip to Canada’s only urban sugar bush in April. The nearby cabane à sucre in Vanier was just the spot to learn about French culture, tradition and sample some tasty treats made of freshly boiled maple syrup. Yum!
opular McGill University chemistry professor and media contributor Dr. Joe Schwarcz visited Ashbury on May 19 to speak to students and launch his new book, Monkeys, Myths and Molecules. Dr. Schwarcz explained how his love of chemistry began, and demonstrated simple “magic” tricks, all made possible through chemistry. Students were enthralled by Dr. Schwarcz’s experiments and his infectious goal to instill a love of science in people of all ages. Dr. Schwarcz’s visit to campus was due in part to Ashbury alumna Emily Shore ’03, who works at McGill’s Office for Science & Society.
McGill’s Dr. Joe Schwarcz wowed Ashbury students with his scientific experiments ahead of the launch of his new book, Monkeys, Myths and Molecules.
NEWS & NOTES
Grade 9 students visited the Ottawa River to perform a study of both abiotic and biotic features. The students use the results to help determine the health of the ecosystem as part of their summative for their module on ecology.
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rade 10 Civics classes visited Parliament Hill in May as a complement to their study of democracy and the Canadian parliamentary process. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau spoke to the students about his role as MP for Papineau, Quebec and as Leader of the Liberal Party. He answered some thoughtful questions posed by our students and gave them some good insight into the importance of our democratic processes and the inner workings of parliament.
Visiting students from the Discovery School in Mexico joined Ashbury Art Club for some colourful North American expressions of creativity!
June 2015
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unior students travelled to the Dominican Republic in June for a service trip that included building a park at an orphanage for children with disabilities. Teacher Susan Nally wrote the following on Facebook on the last day of the trip. “We are finished our trip, and we wrapped with another great and busy day. We started off by driving
through the dump where many people work and live, sifting through the garbage for things they can sell or eat. It was quite sobering. Then we went to bring the children at Mustard Seed to their new park! Although for most of our students it was their first time meeting children with severe disabilities, they were incredible. They handled themselves with confidence and grace and had a lot of fun! Tonight, we will enjoy our final dinner together and tomorrow we fly home. Parents, we want you to know how proud we are of your kids. They were absolutely fantastic every single day of the trip. The days were long, HOT, and tiring and we heard not a single complaint (in fact, quite the opposite). Thank you! Hasta mañana!”
In early May, my teacher, Mrs. Boyd, told us we would take part in a mystery Skype. A mystery Skype is when two classes, in this case two Grade 4 classes, Skype with each other; but we didn’t know where the other class was, so we had to guess, and ask questions. So the day before we Skyped, we thought of some questions to ask them.
We Skyped on three different days. Each time we Skyped, we had to cover the Canadian map and clock so they wouldn’t give us away. We could tell that it was an international school because the kids looked like they were from all-over the world (that made it harder for us). We took turns asking and answering questions. By the end of the first morning we knew they were in the eastern hemisphere. By the end of the second morning we figured out they were in Africa. On the third day, we guessed that they were in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, and they guessed we were in Ottawa. After that, we got to introduce ourselves, tell a little bit about our city, and life where we are. We learned that they were eight hours ahead of us, so they were leaving school when we just arrived. We also learned that they once had a baboon on their campus. We told them about skating on the canal and eating beavertails. Doing the mystery Skype helped us practise our lines of longitude and latitude. Also, we got to meet some kids on the other side of the earth. This was also lots of fun! By Hannah Barwinski
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Here are some of the questions we thought of: Are you in the Western Hemisphere? Are you in the Southern Hemisphere? Are you in Europe? And so on... We only had about 10–15 minutes to ask them questions, but they would also ask us questions.
NEWS & NOTES
Jonathan Chow ’16 became one of three Canadians (85 people globally) accepted into the Research Science Institute, a competitive, science, summer enrichment program at Boston’s MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). He wrote about his experiences earlier in the summer. “After two weeks at MIT I wish, now, more than anything, that I could attend next fall. It’s fantastic and I am incredibly grateful for this amazing opportunity! I have narrowed down my research topic to predictive analysis in stock behaviour. Specifically, it will study how markets are influenced by new articles. Studies have shown that a stock’s price will change 20 minutes after a new article is published in relation to that article. I am going to attempt to construct a program that better calculates the sentiment (how positively or negatively a stock is portrayed) of news articles and predict short-term price change from it. I am using all my skills to try to work on understanding this topic, and then determining how to create a research paper. It’s a huge challenge; however, I am incredibly happy that I have this opportunity. In addition to the work, we have the ability to explore MIT and the city. In a few nights, I will hear Phillip Sharp speak, a Nobel Laureate in Medicine for his discovery of RNA splicing and that there are introns (which are not ‘junk’ as we learned in biology). Dr. Sharp will present to us on his research and its implications. As well, some of us will be able to have dinner with him.
Jon Chow, right, was one of three Canadian students accepted into a summer research program at MIT.
Thank you all again for this unforgettable adventure!”
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rade 4 students and their classroom-born chicks enjoyed some outdoor playtime on the Head of School’s lawn in early June. Ashbury students showed off the week-old hatchlings to visiting Senior Kindergarteners from Rockcliffe Park Public School.
at Ashbury 33 years ago and now proudly offered at every grade level. For more on Closings, please see pages 10 and 11. At Closing we also bid goodbye to Ms. Elisabeth Arbuckle, who taught at Ashbury for the past 20 years and retired in June. Although most of her teaching has been in the Junior School she ignited the creative abilities of so many of our students.
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oth the boys and girls rugby teams qualified for OFSAA in June and the girls brought home the bronze medal. Congrats!
his year’s Closing ceremonies were coeducationally significant. Six of the Junior School female graduates became the first lifers to graduate from the Junior School, and a tree was planted to recognize them on the pathway to Ashbury House. The Class of 2015 has some firsts as well, with 10 girls being the first to graduate from both Junior and Senior Schools. As the first full school girl lifers come through in 2019 we continue to build programs that capture our belief in the importance of coeducation—first established
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s. Nancy Jowett also completed 30 years of service to Ashbury College in June as English and Writer’s
NEWS & NOTES
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Make your gift today! ashbury.ca/give
Craft Teacher and leading initiatives such as the Blazer and House Skits. Her passion for teaching, creative expression and bringing voice to students through their writing has given newfound confidence to many an Ashbury graduate.
Cup. A great experience for Ashbury staff and neighbours to catch some professional-level rugby action on our very own pitch!
July 2015
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s. Glenna Allen retired after 31 years at Ashbury. As math teacher and former Housemaster she has held high levels of expectation, rigour and support for students that brings them to the next level. With her husband Mr. Bill Stapleford who retired from Ashbury nearly ten years ago their household has contributed 59 years of service to Ashbury—that’s a lot of math!
August 2015
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embers of Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team practised at Ashbury for the week leading up to their game against the U.S. and the Rugby World
September 2015
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shbury welcomed nearly 700 students from 52 different countries to its campus on September 10 as its 124th school year in the nation’s capital opened. Prior to the first day of classes, 188 new students, many of them boarders, participated in an orientation day, where they met faculty, each other, found their way to classes and learned about co-curricular opportunities. The school itself had many updates over the summer break—both physically and personnel-wise. Several new teachers joined the faculty, while interior painting and renovation work readied a new fitness centre and science lab ahead of student use.
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ampus was still a busy and active place last summer as Ashbury’s summer programs filled classrooms, gymnasiums and playing fields with children of all ages. From academic reach-ahead programs to IB prep courses and camps featuring everything from Claymation and music to sports and art, learning opportunities soared along with the temperature! For information on this year’s summer offerings, please visit summer.ashbury.ca
NEWS & NOTES
October 2015
questions about how the media covered the candidates.
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rade 12 students created math games based on the rules of probability and our Grade 4s and 7s played them. Math is fun!
Over 50 flags adorned the Ashbury campus to mark the 124th opening of the school year in the nation’s capital. The flags represent the international makeup of this year’s student population, which numbers nearly 700.
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oarding students took advantage of the combination of a beautiful fall day and the school’s proximity to Gatineau Park for an autumnal hike. A perfect afternoon of fresh air, nature and exercise!
aul Wells, political editor for Maclean’s, spoke to students about the major issues in the federal election and his experience moderating the Leader’s Debate. He was able to give a more personal depiction of the four leaders and the tremendous respect that each has for the other. Students also had the opportunity to ask
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shbury students engaged with federal candidates in a studentrun all candidates’ debate—the first to be held in the Ottawa-Vanier riding. Liberal Mauril Bélanger, NDP Emilie Taman, Conservative David Piccini and Green Party campaign manager Dan LeRoy, representing candidate Nira Dookeran, sat together on Ashbury’s theatre stage to introduce their party platforms. More than 200 students listened intently and then had the opportunity to ask the candidates
Welcome New Faculty Ms. Lisa Bettencourt teaches Visual Arts and Communication Technology in the Senior School. Lisa received her BA in Journalism at SUNY Plattsburgh, which she attended on an athletic scholarship to play hockey. Ms. Jennifer Goodwin teaches Mathematics in the Senior School. She earned her Honours BSc in Mathematics and her BEd from Queen’s. Ms. Alina Ianovskaia is the newest member of the Senior School Visual Arts program. Alina has a Master of Teaching from OISE, University of Toronto and an Honours BA in Arts, Culture and Fine Art from the University of Toronto. Ms. Chelsea Larock is the newest member of our Senior School English Department. Chelsea just completed her MA with the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa. Chelsea also holds a BEd from the University of Ottawa and a BA in English and Creative Writing from Concordia University.
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Ms. Haley Palmer is the newest member of the Senior School Mathematics Department. Haley just finished her Master of Professional Education in Mathematics Curriculum Studies at Western University. She also has a BSc in Chemistry and Economics as well as a BEd from Memorial University. Mr. Nathan Lackey has joined our boys residential team and teaches in the Senior School Social Studies department. Nathan has a BA in History and Geography from the University of Waterloo and a BEd from Queen’s. Mr. Cody MacFarlane has also joined our residential team and teaches one section of Senior School music. Cody holds a Bachelor of Music and BEd from the University of Ottawa and is actively involved with the Opera Lyra Ottawa Chorister. Ms. Tanja Ness has joined the girls’ residential team and teaches Science and Physical Education. She holds an Honours BA in Kinesiology and a BEd from Western University. Tanja was a member of the National Senior Women’s 7’s Rugby Team and serves as coach for Ashbury girls rugby.
NEWS & NOTES
Friendly competition was the order of the day at the annual House Run in support of the United Way.
projects and met in international groups to discuss world issues. The Conference culminated in the creation of an action plan to take home to the Ashbury community.
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shbury students returned from a successful trip to Singapore where they attended the 2015 Round Square Conference. The theme of the Conference was Act Today, Change Tomorrow. Over 1000 delegates from around the world gathered at the United World College in Singapore to discuss sustainability. Students heard keynote speakers, participated in service
Ottawa-Vanier candidates participated in a student-run election debate at Ashbury College on October 1. Party representatives from left to right: Dan LeRoy, campaign manager for Green Party candidate Nira Dookeran, David Piccini with the Conservative Party of Canada, Emilie Taman with NDP and Mauril Bélanger, Liberal incumbent.
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shbur y par ticipated in StudentVote, an exercise that saw students in all grades mark their ballots for the October 19 federal election.
October ended on a festive note with Halloween falling on our regular out-of-uniform day. Students and staff showed off their creative costumes and celebrated with seasonal activities, like carving of individual jack o’lanterns in Mrs. Boyd’s Grade 4 class.
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questions. Students wanted to know what candidates intend to do about poverty in the area, their thoughts on coalition governments, how the riding’s diversity may affect the election outcome, and what cuts to the National Research Council will mean for scientific research in Canada. Several of the candidates talked about the importance of voting in elections, regardless of political allegiance. The event was a great learning experience for students—most of whom were too young to cast a ballot—and should promote political activism as they grow.
NEWS & NOTES
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Closings 2015
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“WE RECOGNIZE THE HARD WORK OF OUR STUDENTS AT CLOSING, AND WHILE ONLY A SMALL PERCENTAGE WILL RECEIVE AWARDS, THE SPIRIT OF THE CEREMONY IS TO CELEBRATE THE ACHIEVEMENT OF ALL OF OUR STUDENTS.” —GARY GODKIN, HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL
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Grads practise the Ashbury tradition of throwing their school ties.
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Happy grads celebrate their achievement.
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Graduates were all smiles as they walked out of the school for the last time as students.
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Many international families travelled thousands of kilometres to attend the ceremony.
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The day ended with a dinner and dance at the Museum of History.
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Students, families and staff gathered on the front lawn for Closing.
NEWS & NOTES
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Closings 2015
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Junior “AT CLOSING WE COME TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE THE YEAR, THE GROWTH, THE MEMORIES. FROM A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE, YES YOU ARE LEARNING AND GROWING, BUT IN A MORE SUBTLE WAY, YOU ARE ALSO TRANSFORMING OVER TIME.” —BRIAN STOROSKO, HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL
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Grade 8 grads throw their jackets as they commemorate the completion of their Junior School journey.
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Mr. Storosko welcomed guests to Junior School Closing, his last as Head of Junior School (Mr. Storosko is now Deputy Head of School).
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Mr. King presents Grade 8 grad Tyler Wilson with a history award.
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Mrs. Arbuckle presents an art award to Jenna Si, Grade 7, at her last Closing (Mrs. Arbuckle retired as an art teacher in June.)
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Junior students walk to their seats in the gymnasium prior to the ceremony’s start.
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NEWS & NOTES
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Stepping Out of The Comfort Zone Kendal Young returns from a whirlwind sabbatical to lead the Junior School
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endal Young spent much of the past year experiencing and learning new things—which turned out to be appropriate training for her new role as Head of the Junior School at Ashbury. Young took the helm of the Junior School in August, when former Head Brian Storosko became Deputy Head of School. She’s back in the saddle at Ashbury after a year of travel and professional development gained during a working sabbatical that took her from Rockcliffe to Europe and back again. Inspired by her professor parents and their sabbaticals to France, Young began planning her own professional leave about five years ago. Together with her partner, the couple organized an extensive itinerary that began with hiking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Young says she has spent her life walking, so following in the footsteps along a path that has been travelled by millions of pilgrims since the Middle Ages seemed fitting. “Neither my partner nor I are religious,
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but we very much appreciated the tranquility of the countryside and meeting hikers from around the world,” she says. Unfortunately, even the best-laid plans are sometimes interrupted, and soon after beginning the monumental walk, Young developed Achilles tendinitis and had to deal with the injury. Ever resourceful, she turned her attention from trekking the route to learning Spanish—a necessity, as she needed to communicate with the locals who were providing her care. Though her plans were sidelined, Young describes her physical setback as one of the most positive life experiences she has ever had. “I encountered some of the kindest and most compassionate people who helped me get to my next destination,” she says. “I saw humanity at its best and the experience opened my eyes to how we all connect with one another.” Once she was able, the trip resumed with stops in Madrid and Barcelona. Later, she spent two months living in Paris, where she took the opportunity to study business French. She and her partner then spent a few weeks touring Norway. Throughout the year away from Ashbury, Young immersed herself in books about leadership, both of the school and business varieties—topics for which she says she has a curiosity.
NEWS & NOTES
Calling it on the courts Malcolm Mousseau earns accolades as international volleyball referee
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alcolm Mousseau has been at Ashbury for 29 years and in addition to his academic and administrative contributions to the school, he has also earned accolades in the athletic world as a distinguished volleyball referee. Mr. Mousseau is one of nine active international volleyball referees in Canada, a position he has accrued after nearly a lifetime of involvement in the sport. An athlete in high school, Mr. Mousseau first became certified as a referee in Grade 11, after some prompting from his coach. “I stuck with it, and at age 24 became one of the youngest refs in Canada to receive the level 4 qualification” he says. Through service as the head volleyball referee in Ontario and as editor of the Volleyball Canada Rulebook, he honed his skills and developed a passion for calling games both here at home, and internationally. Having refereed at tournaments in Tunisia, Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago, China, Thailand, Russia, Serbia and Turkey, Mousseau travelled to South Korea this summer for the World University Games. There, he was one of 2000 international referees who oversaw 10 different sports and 7000 athletes. As a top-level referee, Mousseau receives assignments from various referee organizations, the majority of which he turns down due to conflicts during the school year. And while the assignments he does accept are exciting, Mousseau explains that the role of a referee is a serious one. “The posting is strict,” he says. “You have to take an exam on the first day, and a breathalyser is applied before every match. If you’re
lucky you may get a half-day off to see some of the sights, otherwise you are on the courts and on the job.” Today, Mousseau serves on the executive of Canadian referees for Volleyball Canada, where he is often called upon to make difficult decisions over some potentially charged game results. His position requires him to be an expert on the minutiae of the game, and to use precedent and rulebooks to inform his rulings. “The rigorous process means you don’t lose track of being a student,” he says. “Your role is to be an authority, but also to be a good teammate. Refereeing is really about being the best you can be.” In addition to his referee work, Mousseau, who has a degree in kinesiology, has been an active coach at Ashbury, mentoring the junior girls volleyball teams for more than 15 years. It’s a position he enjoys and hopes to continue. “Having the opportunity to see the best players in the world compete allows me to break down a skill for players here at Ashbury,” he explains. With so much time spent on the courts, it’s lucky that volleyball is a family favourite for the Mousseaus. Mr. Mousseau met his wife through volleyball, where she was a fellow coach and referee, and his daughter Leah now competes at the university level. While the trip to South Korea will likely be his last international journey as a referee, he doesn’t foresee a time when he will stop learning lessons from volleyball. “Volleyball has taught me that the three keys to success are preparation, skill and luck,” he says. “Two of those things are under your control, and one is not. I’ve applied that rule to my work at Ashbury, and it has served me well.”
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New Head of Junior School, Kendal Young, spent the past year travelling the world, including walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
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Malcolm Mousseau travelled to Kazan, Russia in 2013 as an international volleyball referee.
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Once back in Canada, the learning recommenced on home soil, with courses in special education, careers and guidance. “Learning is what makes me happiest,” she says. “If I could afford to be a full-time university student, I would sign up right away. Now, back in the routine of daily school life, Young is acclimatizing to her new position, and is busy reconnecting with students, teachers and parents. With her transition a priority, she says she has set goals for herself that include strengthening bilingual offerings in the Junior School, and working with teachers to enhance the student leadership program. The year of travel and learning has left Young refreshed, inspired and with a lifetime of memories on which to build. It also cemented lessons she will take with her as she nurtures the future of the Junior School. “I now know the importance of stepping out of my comfort zone,” she says. “I don’t want to live a life that is based on should haves.”
NEWS & NOTES
Voice
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Bono won’t soon forget this dynamo Just days after graduating from Ashbury, teen philanthropist Mitch Kurylowicz ’15 met the U2 superstar in Ottawa
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s he sat casually outside Parliament on a stone ledge on a sunny spring day, the star-struck people crowded a dozen deep around the entrance to Centre Block waiting for a glimpse of Bono had no way of knowing that Mitch Kurylowicz had just spent the day with U2’s front man. Kurylowicz, a recent graduate of Ottawa’s Ashbury College, met Bono on a June morning at the National Arts Centre. Kurylowicz was there representing Project Jenga, a charity he founded that is helping to establish the first all-boys secondary 1 school in the Nkori Nkori region of Kenya by 2016. He got the idea after visiting the region when he was still in Grade 8. Now, nearly four years later, Kurylowicz found himself at the same table as Bono, who sat down with 15 individuals and groups representing charities prior to meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair. “We had an hour-long conversation between all of us. The mayor and Bono were there and Bono was really engaged and asked what he could say to Justin Trudeau, Tom Mulcair and the prime minister,” said Kurylowicz. Kurylowicz said he wanted Bono to know that engaging young people is key to making a difference in the world. “People say that Canadians now are losing that aspirational sense that Canadians are very generous—we’re kind of losing the sense of that. I said that with the youth coming up it’s the next generation of change makers so there’s definitely hope that we can regain that sense that Canadians are, generally speaking, very good at giving and very generous.” ‘Very generous’ is a good way to describe Kurylowicz. On his second trip to Kenya with Free The Children, an organization founded by the Kielburger brothers to fight poverty and promote education in developing countries, Kurylowicz attended the opening of an all-girls school and wondered why there wasn’t one for boys. “I thought to myself, where do the boys go to school? Is there a school for boys? I thought of course there would be, because throughout history boys were more educated than girls but in this case there wasn’t a boys school to match the quality of education the girls were receiving.”
So, Kurylowicz launched Project Jenga, which acts in partnership with Free The Children and, through a number of fundraising initiatives in Ottawa, is helping to fund the construction of the school. “It just broke ground in August and it was a huge ceremony—over 1000 people came and some walked up to five hours to be a part of it,” said Kurylowicz, who will return to Kenya in a few weeks to see what kind of progress has been made on the school. After his meeting with Bono and other charity groups at the National Arts Centre, Kurylowicz and the group walked to Parliament and watched question period with Bono. “It was very interesting. It was regular question period, but he was there and he listened in, and he really wanted to actually learn. His whole idea of coming here—it was a listening tour,” he said, adding that Bono didn’t come to talk about his own anti-poverty initiative, the ONE campaign, or about himself. “It’s about, ‘What can I learn from this and how can I speak to these federal political leaders about how to make a change?’ ” Kurylowicz said the charity reps that met with Bono asked him to tell the federal leaders that Canadians who donate to charities want to know where their money is going and how it can make a difference. The young philanthropist wasn’t old enough to vote in the federal election but he wants to be a part of the conversation. “Even though I’m not allowed to vote, I’d like to exercise my right to speak to these issues and as a young person I think I’m a valued part of that stakeholder group, the youth, that should be contributing to these discussions.” Kurylowicz is attending the University of Toronto, where he studies commerce at Trinity College. Reprinted, and updated slightly, with permission from iPolitics.ca 2
NEWS & NOTES
‘This diploma belongs to us’ The remarkable journey to graduation for Roya Shams ’15
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going to make a difference in this world,” said Padme Raina, Ashbury’s assistant director of boarding admissions. “So she’s intense...She has a higher calling.” Roya has had to overcome huge gaps in her education while developing the language skills to communicate her ideas. Doing that in an academic school such as Ashbury was a significant challenge—both for her and for school officials. “To take a student like Roya, with a limited education, and to make it happen was a huge ask—but that’s the commitment we made,” said Raina. Although no one from Roya’s Afghan family was in attendance at her graduation, many members of what she calls her “Canadian family” were there, among them Raina, Ashbury nurse Tui Noonan, CTV anchor Lisa LaFlamme, and the Toronto Star’s Michael Cooke. Noonan said Roya has dealt with homesickness, sleeplessness and grief. “I was able to support her through some of those tough times when she missed home and was still grieving for her father, or wasn’t sleeping well. She would have nightmares, reliving Kandahar. It has been a long journey and it has been an eye opener for a lot of us, but I think she’s done herself proud.” Roya said her graduation ceremony would be emotional. “I will keep my father in mind for sure because he wanted to see this, but his spirit, his love, is still with me. I’ll also be thinking about all those girls who don’t have the same opportunity I have: It’s quite hard when you want something and can’t accomplish it. I know I’m one of the luckiest.” Reprinted, and updated slightly, with permission from the Ottawa Citizen. 1
Mitch Kurylowicz ’15 met U2’s Bono just days after graduating from Ashbury.
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School captain, Mitch Kurylowicz, gave the valedictory address at Closing 2015.
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Roya Shams received her Ashbury diploma on June 14, 2015, just three years after fleeing Afghanistan. She is now studying international development at the University of Ottawa.
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hen Roya Shams accepted her diploma on June 14, 2015 on the front lawn of Ashbury College, it marked the end of a high school journey like few others. Roya arrived in Ottawa in January 2012, weeks after fleeing Kandahar, Afghanistan with the help of Toronto Star reporter Paul Watson and the newspaper’s editor, Michael Cooke. Watson, one of the finest war correspondents of his generation, had cast aside his long-held belief that reporters don’t get involved in their stories to rescue Roya from Taliban threats following the murder of her father, an Afghan police commander. Ashbury was the only private boarding school in Canada to offer a placement and bursary to Roya. At first, she struggled in this city. She wasn’t used to the cold, to being away from her family, to living with a dog in the house where she billeted. At Ashbury, one of the country’s elite private schools, she’d get lost in the hallways, show up late for class, and drown in the torrent of strange words. “I’d spend all day at school not knowing what the teachers were taking about—Shakespeare and essays—and then I’d go home and try to find out on the Internet what an essay is,” she remembered. Four months after she arrived, Ashbury officials decided Roya needed more intensive English-as-a-second-language (ESL) support so they arranged for her to spend a term at Brockville’s Fulford Academy. Roya returned to Ashbury in September 2012, and steadily gained confidence as a student and leader—although mathematics and essays continued to be a challenge. In an interview after the last of her exams, she reflected on her journey—and offered thanks to all of those friends, tutors, teachers and mentors who helped her reach graduation day. “I don’t think I can say I made it. I can say we made it. I feel this graduation diploma, this ceremony, belongs to us, not to me. We worked as a chain to get here....No one ever turned me down when I needed help. No one ever shut the door.” Roya has been awarded a full scholarship to the University of Ottawa through the Father Roger Guindon Student Assistance Fund, designed to help those who have overcome significant challenges. She will be studying international development. Roya said she wants to pursue a degree in international law so that she can fight on behalf of girls and women being denied their human rights. “Before, I had the vision and no tools. Now, I have the vision and the tools,” she said. Roya’s father was unusually progressive for an Afghan patriarch and sought to ensure that his wife and daughters were all educated. “I feel there’s a lot of her that is trying to do her father proud, that his death was not in vain, that she’s
NEWS & NOTES
Springfest 2015
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pringfest 2015, held on Saturday, May 9, was a huge success thanks to the dedication and support from The Guild and A-Club. Ashbury welcomed alumni back to campus and invited the entire community to kick off the outdoor season. All of our rugby teams participated in the day; the Junior School played flag rugby on the practice field, the junior boys team hosted an exhibition game, the senior boys team played a league game and the
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varsity girls faced off against alumnae rugby players. Alumni ended the day with a touch rugby tournament, followed by a reception in Maclaren Hall. The day also had a morning yoga class, a spring plant sale and a colour run! Ashbury would like to extend a special thanks to Modern Body Yoga and Artistic Landscape for their support in making this day such a success. Save the date for Springfest 2016 on Saturday, May 14!
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1 Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson stopped by for a visit. 2 Robbie Ashe ’11, Alex Achtemichuk ’10, Andres Beltran ’96, Alex Robinson ’05, Teddy Taggart ’11, Andrew McIntyre ’11, Danial Taggart ’05, Will Robinson ’08, Ian Mutter ’08, Steven Koutsomitopoulos ’10. 3 Our colour runners, ready to get painted! 4 The senior rugby game.
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5 Jill Dickinson, Andrea Laurin and Nancy Carr at the spring plant sale.
NEWS & NOTES
2015
Ashbury Golf Classic
nity to continue his education at Ashbury, thanks to the support of those involved in the Golf Classic. A special thanks goes out to our event sponsors, without whom the day would not be possible: the Aliferis Family, Sussex Capital, Dilawri Auto Group and Richcraft Homes. As always, a sincere thank you to our exceptional Ashbury Partners for their continued support: Mark Motors, EY, Sezlik Ottawa Luxury Properties and Doherty & Associates. Thanks again to everyone who participated in and supported the Ashbury Gold Classic 2015; see you all next year for another amazing event!
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Front row: Katherine Jeans, Terri Hoddinott, back row: Andrea Laurin, Elise Reekie, Claire Greenberg
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Jamie Boyce ’95, Peter Nicolini ’95
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Jill Dickinson, Laurie Oppenheimer, Nancy Chow, Jane Forsyth
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The winning foursome, Chris Taggart, Steve Saunders, Doug Lazier, Teddy Taggart ’11
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he Ashbury Golf Classic had another successful tournament on May 25 at The Gatineau Golf and Country Club. The rainy day did not stop our dedicated golfers from enjoying the course and the spa, put on by Carte Blanche in one of Richcraft’s beautiful model homes. This year, with the support of all those involved in the golf tournament, we raised just over $40,000 towards the Ashbury College Association Scholarship Fund. Thanks to our on-the-course sponsors: Claridge Homes, Beyond the Pale Brewery, Tamarack Homes, PerleyRobertson, Hill & McDougall, CIBC, Jeff Hill, BMO Nesbitt-Burns, District Realty, Tannis Foods and Norton Rose. The golf ended with a 19th hole reception, courtesy of Dilawri Auto Group, which brought all the golfers and spa guests together to kick off the evening portion of the event. Guests enjoyed delicious food and wine, an exciting live auction, but the highlight of the night was hearing the story of Ashbury student and scholarship recipient, Owen Boisvert. Owen spoke about his Ashbury experience and how grateful he is to be given the opportu-
NEWS & NOTES
Recognition
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shbury held its Volunteer Appreciation Evening in May to toast the many parents and friends of Ashbury who help make the school great. Three new Ashbury Volunteer awards were presented to Stephen ’81 and Sandra Assaly (past parents, alumnus, past member of the Ashbury Guild, Board of Governors and Alumni Executive), Albert Lightstone (past parent, past member of the Parents’ Committee and president of the Ashbury Guild) and Laurie Oppenheimer (parent and Ashbury Guild member). The Jean Teron Award for exceptional and sustained service to Ashbury College, was presented by Cynthia Baxter to Dr. Chris Carruthers (past parent, Board member, Board chair, life governor and member of various school committees). On behalf of our students, thank you to all who give their time.
T H E J E A N T E R O N AWA R D F O R O U T S TA N D I N G S E R V I C E T O ASHBURY COLLEGE First introduced at Closing 2013, and in honour of Jean Teron, this award recognizes outstanding volunteer contributions made to Ashbury College by members of its parent, alumni or volunteer communities. Ashbury is seeking nominations for future recipients of the Jean Teron Award. The next award will be presented in the spring of 2016 at a special reception recognizing volunteer service. To nominate an individual from the Ashbury community, please complete the online form at: ashbury.ca/about/volunteer/award
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Award recipients Stephen Assaly ’81 and Sandra Assaly, presenter Janice McDonald.
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Norman Southward, award recipient Albert Lightstone, presenter Donna Taucer.
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Dr. Chris Carruthers receiving the Jean Teron Award, presenter and last year’s winner, Cynthia Baxter.
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Award recipient Laurie Oppenheimer, presenter Nancy Chow.
NEWS & NOTES
Fundraising
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shbury welcomed a new Director of Advancement this school year: Jannine Atkinson. Taking up her post in early September, she is charged with securing financial resources to help support Ashbury College’s Strategic Plan. Previous to arriving at Ashbury, Jannine worked at the University of Ottawa, where she was the Manager of Development at both the Centre for Global and Community Engagement/Faculty of Science. She has experience developing major gifts, and working with colleagues to coordinate planned gifts and annual campaigns, and directly soliciting and recognizing individual and corporate donors. Ashbury News sat down with Jannine to find out her fund raising plans for the school.
so great for our students and allows them to reach their full potential. AN: What will your initial focus be? JA: I will be working closely with the Foundation Board to create and implement a strategy to increase our endowment while strengthening our current annual and major gifts programs in alignment with the Strategic Plan.
AN: What’s the key to success in fundraising at an educational institution? JA: Having inspiring stories to tell, having committed volunteers and AN: For anyone engaged alumni who h a s n’t While tuition supports the costs of are all important d on at e d to education, it is the support of our donors to fundraising Ashbury before, success. Ashbury that has made the Ashbury experience so why should they is very fortunate great for our students and allows them to consider it? to have all three. JA: We are comOur students reach their full potential. ing up to excel academiAshbury’s 125th cally; they are active in the local community as well as globally, all the while anniversary and in this special year, we are hoping to raise participating in many extra-curricular activities, such as awareness of and support for our Financial Assistance athletics and the arts. Our volunteers are unstoppable, supProgram. Our goal, moving forward is to double the amount porting the Ashbury community in all its facets and our of funding available to excellent students who might not be alumni are engaged and supportive and infinitely proud to able to attend Ashbury for financial reasons. This is an opporbe Ashburians. tunity for donors to ensure the continued success of a well rounded and inclusive educational environment achieved AN: Why is fundraising important to a school like Ashbury? due to the generosity of those who have supported the school JA: While tuition supports the costs of education, it is the support of our donors that has made the Ashbury experience in the past.
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AN: Why were you drawn to working at Ashbury? JA: Ashbury’s strategic goal of inspiring global citizens for the 21st Century really resonates with me. The opportunity to work with a great team surrounded every day by young people who will shape Canada and the world in years to come is very exciting. Being able to connect our donors’ philanthropic goals with opportunities to support programs that help our students meet their goals makes coming into work fun and exciting.
F E AT U R E
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Ashbury’s yearly Huntsman trip delivers environmental lessons that translate to the classroom—and beyond
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t the end of each summer, as thousands of Ottawa high school students savour their last week of vacation before heading back to class, one group of Ashbury students opt instead to pile into a bus headed for New Brunswick. The IB Huntsman Marine trip has been a ritual at Ashbury for the past 10 years. Students in upper-level biology and environmental studies classes spend six days on Canada’s eastern coast studying marine life, collecting data on the effects of climate change, watching whales and birds, and generally immersing themselves in nature. Ashbury science teacher Susan Wall first introduced the Huntsman experience to Ashbury upon her arrival at the school more than a decade ago. Familiar with the program offerings from a teaching post at a maritime school, Wall thought Ashbury students would benefit from exploring the Bay of Fundy’s natural laboratory.
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Designed as a resource to take the place of a mandatory half-course not accommodated within the current curriculum, a trip to Huntsman offered learning opportunities unavailable in the land-locked nation’s capital. The trip began as a pilot project, with Wall driving a handful of students east in a van. “After a few years of doing that, and the students loving the trip, I thought the school should be more involved and we made it a bigger outing,” she says. This past September 34 students left Ottawa on a charter bus headed for The Huntsman Marine Science Centre, which lies outside St. Andrews, New Brunswick. The not-for-profit research and science based teaching site, provides learning opportunities for students from elementary grades right through to university. Capitalizing on its prime location on the Bay of Fundy, a consortium of universities, government departments and private sector interests established the centre in 1969. Today, working scientists make Huntsman
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inform, but inspire students to aim higher and bring realworld meaning to the study of biology. “It’s a real opportunity for our students to be working alongside university researchers,” says Wall. “I tell them that they should be proud of the work they’re doing.” Another highlight of the trip are the excursions aboard research vessles to see birds and whales—and sometimes a porpoise or shark, if students are lucky. Majestic humpbacks are usually off the coast of Grand Manan Island in early September, and the graceful sea mammals put on a show for Huntsman visitors. For many Ashbury students, the opportunity to see a whale for the first time leaves a lasting impression. “You really appreciate the magnitude of the size that can truly only be seen live,” says Grade 12 student, Mario Bassi.
I have chaperoned many high school trips over the years and was very impressed with your students. They were respectful, hard working and genuinely engaged in the various science activities. I was also impressed on how well your students bonded and seemed to help each other to complete their assignments. Thanks again for allowing me to help chaperon your field trip. It was a rewarding experience for me personally, and I am certain it will leave a lasting impression on your students for many years you come. — John Lubczynski, a planner with the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and father of Ashbury teacher Julia Lubczynski, chaperoned this year’s Huntsman trip.
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their base, and interact with the students who visit and learn in their laboratories. The centre is one-stop shopping for class trips, with the facilities providing meals and lodging to students. Ashbury subsidizes the lab fees required, and students are responsible for everything else. The six-day Huntsman trip is now mandatory for students taking higher-level IB biology classes and the environmental systems course. It’s an intensive excursion, designed to challenge student abilities in research, data collection and experiment design. The work actually begins on the bus ride down, with exercises and prep-work completed on laptops. Then, once they arrive in New Brunswick, the introduction is quick and the lab duties start almost immediately. “There’s a strong inquiry component to the work,” explains Wall. “On the final day, students are tasked with coming up with and executing their own experiments. They’re busy each day collecting sea stars, doing a plankton drag on the beach and bringing their finds back to the labs and the saltwater aquariums to conduct their research. It’s hands-on learning at its finest.” Wall says some of the students are initially overwhelmed with the amount of work required on the trip, but rise to the challenge to push themselves both physically and academically. “Never in my life had I thought I would do half of what was asked of us, but I’m glad I had the chance,” says Grade 12 student, Clara Ghali. “I climbed over seaweed covered rocks and dug for worms! That was definitely a first.” The lab work and field excursions are interspersed with lectures on aquaculture from visiting professors, in this year’s case, from Western University. The talks not only serve to
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Ray David is a bus driver with Healey Transportation Ltd, based in Smiths Falls. He has made more than 25 trips delivering students to the Huntsman Centre, 12 with Ashbury. Each year, he requests the job of driving Ashbury students and staff to New Brunswick for the week at Huntsman. “I have found after the last four decades of driving a bus, science students are some of the best behaved, most dedicated to what they are doing, and willing to learn something new. I have not had a trip with your students that I don’t go home and mention to my wife, what a great group I had. Not all trips are like that, believe me. Every trip from Ashbury has been a pleasure,” he says.
The trip also serves as an introduction to Canada’s east coast, with its stunning landscape and welcoming people. Some Grade 12 students become so charmed with the locale that they opt to pursue university studies in the area. For others, the coastal experiences are a little more tangible. “Eating raw scallops on the Fundy Spray vessel as we sped along Passamaquoddy Bay was definitely a highlight for me,” says David Sung, Grade 12. In addition to taking advantage of everything the maritime region has to offer, Wall says the trip gives students a sense of the importance of nature within their daily existence. The bird and whale watching excursions develop a naturalist’s intelligence in some students, and a general appreciation for the natural in others. The opportunity to learn and study in a new environment produces other positive outcomes as well.“Students are encouraged to eat outside, to do lots of walking and it’s just generally a different experience for them,” she says. “They see that they feel better when they go for a walk, that they make better decisions by being out in the fresh air.” Beyond the curriculum lessons, Wall also says the trip brings the reality of climate change home to students who may have been unaware of impact before. The effect on sea life populations is noticeable, according to Wall, who cites this year’s absence of blue mussels. “They’re just gone,” she says. For students, seeing wildlife in their natural habitat, and understanding how the ecosystem is both interconnected and in jeopardy are important lessons. “Spending time in
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Students explore the beach during low tide.
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Whale watching on the Fundy spray.
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At the lighthouse near Huntsman.
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Students use the Huntsman lab facilities alongside university researchers.
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Work begins on the bus ride to New Brunswick.
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Collecting a variety of sea creatures for examination.
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nature made me realize how much there is beyond the concrete in our daily lives, and the need to protect our environment,” says David Sung. Wall acknowledges that having students see and touch wildlife adds a context to lessons about the diversity of life that she is not able to replicate in the classroom. “I hope the trip emphasizes that we are in a critical decade for action; that climate change is having a very real effect,” she says. “These kids are just starting on the planet and they need to see how it’s changing.” Though intensive, and at times exhausting, the Huntsman trip leaves a lasting impression on the students—and teachers—who participate, evidenced in part by the planned production of a batch of “I survived Huntsman” T-shirts. And come next summer, with the first day of school looming, Wall will be first on the bus back to New Brunswick, leading a new batch of students east. “It really is the highlight of the year for me,” she says. For more on Huntsman visit huntsmanmarine.ca
ASHBURY ALUMNI
2015
Reunions
Honoured years 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010
Reunion weekend was busy for our honoured years, as several off-site celebrations took place across Ottawa. Classmates were able to reconnect and catch up in an informal setting, in addition to the Homecoming festivities that happened on Ashbury’s campus. Thank you to our volunteers who helped organize such successful reunions!
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Norman Southward, Graham Booth ’05, Elaine Richardson ’05, Vicki Hope ’05, Danial Taggart ’05, Soleil Adler ’05, Rebecca Lauks ’05, Muditha Galle Kankanange ’05, Nael Alsaffar ’05, Carmen Paz ’05
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Norman Southward, Peter Wilson ’75, Mike Beedell ’75
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The Class of ’00 gathered at The Brig on Saturday evening
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Darcy Walsh ’95 hosted classmates and faculty on Friday evening
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Norman Southward, Josh Bates ’85, Dara Rigal ’85
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Class of ’90, Front row: Adam Fisher, Justin Phillips, Stewart Johnston, Carlos Guillen, Tommy Lee, Ian Ahamad, David Campbell. Middle row: Nancy Urbas, Jonathan Winberg, Charles Dendy, Mike Taggart, Sean Stevens, Ian McLaine, Kent Fincham. Back row: Eric Hardie, David Wyatt, Kevin Judge, Pascal Comeau, Alex Graham, Alasdair Stuart-Bell. Way back row: John Crow, Derek Harvie. Boy on far right: Hamish Stuart-Bell
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Naomi Niznick ’10 and Norman Southward
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Norman Southward, Chris Grant ‘65, James MacLaren ’65, Bob Lash ‘65
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ou made our 2015 Homecoming and Reunions a huge success. The weather was beautiful, the BBQ was delicious and the memories were amazing.
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A special thanks to our class reps: 5 year reunion (2010) Alex Bleeker 10 year reunion (2005) Kathryn Christie and Rebecca Lauks 15 year reunion (2000) Michelle Taggart 20 year reunion (1995) Darcy Walsh 25 year reunion (1990) Alasdair Stuart-Bell 30 year reunion (1985) Josh Bates Some of our old boys made it out to celebrate their 50 year (+) reunions! Luc Wells ’51, John Rogan ’59, Kent Cook ’61, Graham Jackson ’54, John Boone ’56, James MacLaren ’65, Chris Grant ’65 and Rob Lash ’65. Former staff Ray Anderson, who started at Ashbury in 1954, also joined in to wish some of his former students well. And we would like to make a special thanks to Kiril Kesarev ’95 who came all the way from Finland and Thomas Lee ’90 who came from Taiwan! A warm thanks to our Ashbury partners: Sezlik Luxury Properties, EY, Doherty & Associates and Mark Motors, as well as our beer sponsor, Clocktower Brew Pub.
We hope to see you all for Homecoming and Reunions 2016 as we celebrate Ashbury’s 125th with events running all weekend from
SEPTEMBER 23–26, 2016!
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ASHBURY ALUMNI
Ashbury Travels
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pring was a busy time for the Ashbury alumni community! Successful receptions were held in Kingston, Montreal, Toronto and London, U.K. where alumni of all ages were able to connect and
John Turner ’47. And once again, David Graham ’55 kindly opened up his beautiful London home to 70 alumni and friends.
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catch up. A group of young alumni gathered at the Queen’s University home of Ryan Aimers ’11, Andrew McIntyre ’11, Teddy Taggart ’11 and Andrew Mansfield ’11. Ashbury faculty members and Head of School, Norman Southward, joined in. A group of Montreal residents reconnected at Club Atwater. Another successful reception was held in Toronto, where generations were able to reconnect and mingle over food and drinks. Attendees included the Chair of Ashbury’s Foundation Board, David Pigott ’79 and Right Honourable
UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS: December 2015 Ottawa Alumni Holiday Party January 2016
Hong Kong and Shanghai
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San Francisco, Beverly Hills
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Toronto
April 2016 Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, London U.K. May 2016
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KINGSTON PHOTOS: 1 Faculty members Matt Wearing and Greg Taylor ’96 caught up with Kingston hosts, Ryan Aimers ’11, Andrew Mansfield ’11, Teddy Taggart ’11 and Andrew McIntyre ’11 2 Ashbury alumni attending Queen’s University reconnected in Kingston
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MONTREAL PHOTO: 3 Brian Storosko, Pierre LaTraverse ’80, Ray Satterthwaite, Charlotte O’Neill ’11, Robbie Ashe ’11, Emily Shore ’03 and Daniel Roberts ’04 connected at Club Atwater in Montreal TORONTO PHOTOS: 4 Sophia Lal ’09, Sarah Corkery ’09, Jeff Black
’09, Jenna Greenberg ’09 and Nicola Ostrom ’09 chatted at Loft404 in Toronto
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Fulop ’09, Sophia Lal ’09 and Jacob Fitzgerald ’10 mingled in Toronto
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LONDON PHOTOS: 7 Ashbury alumni gathered at the London home of David Graham ’55 in April Cahn ’74, Richard Fidler ’60 and his wife Valerie
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8 Diane Cahn with Stewart Wooles ’67, Edward
ASHBURY ALUMNI
Profiles
Alumni
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Andrew Huang ’02 Modern musician and YouTube sensation By Stephanie Brooks ’07
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or Andrew Huang ’02, creating original music for a large, loyal following on the world’s most popular video website was never something he envisioned for his future during his time at Ashbury, where he often spent lunch hours in the music room, performed in school coffee houses, and honed his creative side in Mrs. Jowett’s renowned writer’s craft class. Nor did it occur to him while he was completing his Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus in music at York University. In fact, at one point during his undergraduate studies, Huang says he resigned himself to becoming a teacher. Today, his audience isn’t students but a crowd of 255,000+ engaged and devoted YouTube subscribers tuned into the diverse, exciting and inventive musical creations Huang is sharing. “I’ve been very slowly and organically growing a listenership through online word-of-mouth,” says Huang, who first uploaded his creations in 2004. “When I started putting up YouTube videos, things started getting traction.” His latest to go viral is a remake of The Weeknd’s song Can’t Feel My Face, in which Huang recreates the summer hit using his voice and tools found within the reach of a dentist’s chair—gloves, light, toothbrush, drill, mirror, and other dental instruments.
The tune showcases the type of music Huang makes, working with many genres and multiple instruments and other objects. One of his biggest hits on the channel is a cover of 99 Red Balloons, using only red balloons as instruments. It has more than 3,600,000 views. He credits his high school music teacher, Mr. Tanod, for introducing him to various types of music during his youth. “I kind of fell in love with all of it, which is a big part of why I think I like to explore a lot of different genres of music today.” Not only does he write the music and star in the videos, but produces all of it and shares it with the world with the help of his wife, who recently quit her job in marketing to further promote her husband’s talent. “During university, I ended up stumbling into being a producer and songwriter for hire, so I was creating these personalized songs for anybody who would find me, and that eventually led to doing some commercial work,” he says. All the while, he was creating original music on the side, and found the welcoming YouTube community to be where his songs took off. About three years ago, he made the jump to doing it full time. And he hasn’t looked back since. andrewismusic.com/
Maskull Lasserre ’97 Artist, sculptor and Dismaland imagineer By Stephanie Brooks ’07
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hen Maskull Lasserre ’97 was at Ashbury, he and a friend undertook a challenging extracurricular project in a subject he was passionate about: chemistry. The students were attempting to make a sonoluminescence chamber that would glow with light emitted by tiny bubbles suspended in a liquid when subjected to sound. After having laboured over the experiment for countless hours, the pair was ultimately unsuccessful. But years later, Lasserre would discover that experiences like these came to inform his approach to the creative craft that became his career. “It was one of those things where the process of working on something was really the valuable part of it and I think that’s definitely something I import into my work now,” notes Lasserre. His work, as a sculptor, has been exhibited across Canada at public and private galleries, in the United States, and in
Europe, where he was personally invited to be one of two Canadian “imagineers” to showcase installations in Banksy’s popular art exhibition, Dismaland. Lasserre’s pieces are often made from everyday objects transformed, including his famed carousel horse, featured at Dismaland—a wooden horse with the anatomy carved into it. It is through creations like this that Lasserre’s interest in subjects like science, history and philosophy becomes evident—the latter of which he pursued as a minor at Mount Allison during his BFA, before going on to achieve a MFA in sculpting from Concordia University. “[Art] is like a byproduct of the things I’m interested in… art is the language; the content is from these other things,” he says. Lasserre says he doesn’t make art about other art, and admits to not spending time or money in museums. “I’m much more interested in the quotidian existence and how that can be fertile in a way that art isn’t. It’s a prime resource, just experience. That’s definitely what motivates and inspires me.”
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With a mother who’s a painter and a scientist father, Lasserre says his work is something he was born into. “I’ve always grown up around objects and images and that kind of material curiosity about things,” Lasserre says. “I’ve somehow managed to leverage it into a life, if not a career.” An accidental career though it may be, it’s one that boasts international accolades, including the title as current artistin-residence at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Despite his success, Lasserre remains humble and stays true to his experiential method—as opposed to being in the business of making a product—that defines his efforts. maskulllasserre.com
Vanessa Piazza ’00 Television executive and producer By Stephanie Brooks ’07
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f Vanessa Piazza ’00 had a piece of advice for Ashbury grads or recent alumni, it would be that to achieve your goals, you have to take risks and work hard. And she’s living proof of those words of wisdom. As an executive producer at Prodigy Pictures, Piazza is currently producing two series airing in Canada and on SYFY
in the U.S., and is responsible for producing the Franco/Canadian co-production of XIII: The Series. She also oversees the multi-platform development strategy for Prodigy and was recently named one of North America’s top upcoming executives by The Hollywood Reporter. To get there, Piazza dove in and worked her way up in an industry in which there aren’t any rigid prerequisites for experience; everyone paves their own way. “The route I took was more learning by doing,” 3 she says. “It’s being immersed in the world that’s the best experience one could ask for.” After graduating from Ashbury and pursuing a Bachelor of Arts at Dalhousie University, Piazza decided to start her working life in Toronto, where she began as an intern at a magazine. “I just kind of moved here and I realized I have to be able to afford my rent, figure it out... I threw myself into the fire in that respect, too,” she explains. She then transitioned from the editorial world to that of production, starting at Prodigy Pictures as a production assistant and working up to executive producer over the years and through different shows. Her current projects are Dark Matter, a science fiction series that goes to air for its second season in December, and Lost Girl, whose fifth and final season is now airing on Showcase. The shows are produced in Canada, but are made with an international market in mind. Piazza says of the decade she’s worked in the industry in Canada there’s great opportunity, but that it’s also an exciting time for television and film in general. “I think we’ve gotten to a point where people can start making television they believe in, and it’s gotten way more progressive. Some of the stuff were seeing now is breaking a lot more boundaries, it’s very diverse, and there’s a lot more risk-taking,” she says. Much like the industry itself, Piazza took risks that have helped get her to where she is today. “It’s important to be brave with what you want to pursue, not to be scared of failure,” she advises. And with a career that started under the lights of the Ashbury Theatre and is now on the big screen, for Piazza, the risks were definitely worth the reward. 1
Andrew Huang
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Maskull Lasserre. © Nic Dua
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Vanessa Piazza
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ASHBURY ALUMNI
ASHBURY ALUMNI
Chatter
Ashbury
’54
The Hon. Stewart McInnes ’54 (second from left) enjoyed a holiday with fellow Ashbury alumni on October 1, 2015. Left, Bruce Hillary ’57, Stewart McInnes, Ned Rhodes ’55, Terry Devine ’51, Alan Gill ’62 (absent: Chris Nowakowski ’55 and David Graham ’55). This is one of the last pictures taken of Stewart, as he sadly passed away just days after. See the In Memoriam section, pages 38–39, for more.
“I remember fondly my years at Ashbury, especially the great teachers who taught me things I’ve never forgotten and who gave me the tools to learn much more,” he says. “I see from the pages of the News that many things have changed but not the commitment to teach and nurture young minds. Bravi!”
relationships with a wide range of prospective students, collaborators, partners and donors in creating a unique Pan-Canada National Brewing program in conjunction with Niagara College in Ontario.
’79
Ean Higgings ’79 returned to Canada from his home in Australia this summer and enjoyed a gathering with fellow alumni at the cottage of Michael Evans ’76 in Larrimac, Quebec. Also on hand were George McKenna ’76, Michael Evans ’76, Guy Warwick ’76 and Jeff Beedell ’76.
’75 ’69
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David Macfarlane ’69 is retired and living in Rome, Italy. He had a 25-year career with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, working in Italy, Afghanistan and North Korea.
Dave Hornell ’57 has written a book called Seeing the Elephant, Vietnam 1968. It recounts how a lad from a village in Ontario, Canada, blundered back and forth across the U.S. border, through stints in the Canadian Army, the RCAF and, eventually the USAF. Caught up in the Vietnam vortex, he fell through the rabbit hole into shaky attachment with the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army, as an Air Force weather man—tasked more often to drive a truck than gaze skyward into monsoon. The book provides insight into how the army operated from a unique viewpoint, how command philosophies varied from unit to unit, and how to survive those peculiarities in peace and war.
Peter Johnston-Berresford ’75 has b e en manag ing Brewmaster and Brewery Operations, since June 2012 at Olds College in Olds, Alberta. He is primarily responsible for guiding the installation and operations of the programs for educational purposes and revenue generation. He nurtures, promotes and develops
Christopher Wright ’82 married Joseph Murphy, his partner of 28 years on May 15, 2015 at the Raleigh Hotel garden in Miami Beach. The couple met in New York City in 1988, moved to Miami in 1991 and then Santiago, Chile in 2008.
’89
Dugald Seely ’89, executive director of the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre and Canadian lead investigator of the Canadian/U.S. Integrative Oncology Study, will lead a study of 400 people with advanced breast, colorectal, pancreatic and ovarian cancer at seven clinics across North America over three years. About 100 people from the
ASHBURY ALUMNI
Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre are expected to be part of the study. The observational study should offer “exploratory evidence”, he said, about the effect advanced integrative oncology treatments—naturopathic treatments combined with traditional medical treatment—have on cancer patients. The work, he added, “will provide valuable insight on the role of naturopathic medicine in cancer care and will lead to the conduct of more rigorous randomized controlled trials.” Advanced integrative oncology is aimed at improving survival, enhancing quality of life, reducing side effects from conventional treatment and helping to prevent recurrence. Therapies range from nutritional advice and counselling about exercise to intravenous vitamin C and intravenous mistletoe. Both studies will add to the research about the impact of naturopathic therapies on how late-stage cancer patients do.
’97
Owen Thomas Knox was born at the Civic Hospital, in Ottawa on July 31, 2015. Proud parents are Natalie Bennett Knox ’97 and Chris Knox. Owen is a
new little brother for Liam Alexander who is three. Proud grandparents are Deborah and Claude Bennett, who is a life governor of Ashbury College.
’98
Hilary Burn Dudley ’98 caught up with Chris Miedema in Boston last spring. Hilary works in Boston as a laywer.
2011, is a co-founder of Women on Screen and its Short Film Incubator Series, and was an associate producer with the Blue Flame Collective on the 2013 Slate. She serves as co-chair of the ACTRA Toronto Diversity Committe and is a member of ACTRA Toronto Council. Her television work includes the action spy drama series Nikita. She has also appeared on film in the comedy romance Dirty Singles (2014), the comedy drama short Entrain (2014), the drama short Just a Prayer and served as writer and executive producer in the drama short Balloon Man (2011).
’01
Farrah Merani ’01 had her film Just a Prayer selected for the 2013 Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival, and the 2014 Women’s Voices Now Film Festival in Los Angeles. The film had its first screening in Ottawa on October 22, 2015. Farrah attended the University of Toronto before going on to train at the Drama Centre London in the U.K. She founded Lifeguard Productions in
’02
Alanna J. Dewan ‘02 became the proud mother to Stevie Alice Street Dewan on September 18. Baby Stevie weighed 8 lbs 1 oz. Mother and baby are doing well. Grandparents,
Dear Alumni, Past Parents and Former Staff, We need your help! Coming up in 2016 we will be celebrating our 125th anniversary. We would love to showcase many of the old photos and old uniforms and equipment in our display cabinets throughout the year and at our Homecoming Anniversary Weekend from September 23-26, 2016. We are looking for photos of the following: • • • • •
grounds and sports fields buildings classrooms fellow classmates cadets
• • • •
boarding rooms Symington Hall library special visitors to the school
Your help would be greatly appreciated in making our 125th celebrations truly memorable. Please contact Vicky Wilgress at 613-749-9630 ext. 252 or vwilgress@ashbury.ca if you have photos to share.
Please note: Any old photos can be returned to you after we copy them.
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Also, any old sports uniforms and school uniforms would be greatly appreciated.
ASHBURY ALUMNI
Tom Street, former teacher, and wife Patty are delighted to welcome their first grandchild.
’03
Christina Stefanski ’03 married Jared Devine on June 6, 2015 in Ottawa at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club. They met while she was completing her university studies in Halifax and have since established their Ottawa-based business Kuhlabo. Together they specialize in responsive web design and content marketing, helping clients solve challenges and achieve business objectives. With combined experience developing interactive websites for Hudson’s Bay, LCBO, Guinness, Levi’s and marketing communications for Sony, they are offering a complimentary website performance analysis to Ashbury alumni and parents.
’05
Taleen Haddad ’05 graduated from the National University of Ireland with Honours Degrees in a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery and the Art of Obstetrics on May 13, 2015. She is taking her residency in internal medicine in Ottawa. The family is very appreciative of the foundation Taleen received from Ashbury College.
’07
Stephanie Brooks ’07 and Adam Stanley were married in King City, Ontario, on September 12, 2015. Annie Bergeron-Oliver ’07 was a bridesmaid, and other Ashbury alumni were in attendance. Stephanie and Adam live in Ottawa where Adam works as a journalist and Stephanie is a writer and communications professional.
while at the college. With over 200 students, Tony stands out for his high academic achievements, including being the recipient of the university’s Academic Scholarship, Henry Hutchinson Scholarship for Pharmacology, Gold Medal award in his Health and Disease course, and scored in the 100th percentile of his Core Clinical Skills course. Tony has also displayed leadership skills in his role as class representative while on placement in Castlebar Academy and as a mentor for first year students. He was also the recipient of the annual Sherlock Holmes Award in his semester 3.1 Core Clinical Skills module for his finely tuned skills of observation, deduction and attention to detail.
’12
John Biewald ’12 was named the OUA Defensive Player of the Week for September 21, 2015. He is currently second in the nation in QB Sacks for the Mustangs at Western University. John has been a member of the Elite Performance Academy program since 2012, and has trained in the Elite D2D CIS/NCAA Summer Prep Program since its inception.
’03
Sheila Street ’03 and her husband Chris Carter are thrilled to announce the arrival of Thomas John Carter on Saturday, October 3. Proud grandparents are Tom, former teacher, and Patti Street.
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’07
’04
Nazir Savji ’04 has graduated from medical school at New York University and is doing his residency in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Opera singer and bass baritone Philippe Sly ’07 performed the title role in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro at the War Memorial Opera in San Francisco on July 3. The performance was simulcast at AT&T Park, better known as Giants Stadium. In September, he sang the fratricidal Golaud in a concert version of Debussy’s Pelleas et Melisande with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.
’11
Tony Haddad ’11 has just completed his fourth year in medicine from the National University of Ireland in Galway, Ireland. He has received First Class Honours every year
Do you have major life event you would like to see included in the fall issue of Ashbury News? Let us know about weddings, births, new jobs or other professional accomplishments. Send a short write up and a photo to alumni@ashbury.ca
’13
Ping Ping Lu ’13 has been busy building her future since leaving Ashbury. The talented artist started school at London’s prestigious Architectural Association School of Architecture this fall.
ASHBURY ALUMNI
Bessie Zhang ’13 dropped by the school in May to chat with teachers and students. Bessie is an accomplished Ashbury graduate, having secured an IB Diploma score of 44 out of a possible 45. She is currently attending Harvard University, where she started her degree with social entrepreneurship as her intended destination. She has changed her plans after being surprised by how much she loved her anthropology course and the fulfillment she experienced while doing an internship in South Africa. She is interested now in pursuing a career in global health care. Her advice to current Ashbury students? “Be open to surprises.”
time at the school, recalling with particular affection for her French exchange and trips to New York City with the World Affairs Club. “I came back from New York that first time with my mind blown,” she says. Her travel started to influence the art she produced in Ms. Doleman’s classes, including various cityscapes painted in acrylics. She later experimented with textile designs and sewing, all with the support of her teachers. “Ms. Doleman was always so encouraging and supportive in whatever I did,” says Ping Ping. Though art is still important to her, Ping Ping says she looks forward to exercising her creativity through architectural design. As a full IB student at Ashbury, she acknowledges the program instilled a strong work ethic that will help her over the course of the next
four years. “I never thought I would use the IB benefit to be honest, but it definitely helped me in securing a placement in London. I didn’t have to transfer any of my marks and my records were immediately recognized. It’s now something I’m really grateful to have,” she says. Good luck Ping Ping. We look forward to seeing your creation vision become reality in the years to come!
’13
Olivia Zed ’13 and Jayne Watson, past parent and CEO of the National Arts Centre (NAC) Foundation, co-chaired a fundraiser in support of Bootcamp for Brains, a new initiative of G(irls)20 to cultivate the next generation of female leaders. The evening fundraiser on June 15 raised nearly $100,000 and attracted more than 100 supporters and sponsors.
Andrew Burwash ’14 and Alexandra Dolganow ’14 volunteered to help Chris Miedema, with his ASM/NACE workshop for teachers this summer. Here they are in the boys residence checking teachers in.
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Following a year of architectural studies at Carleton, Ping Ping decided she needed to expand her horizons, so she set off on a year of travel, visits with family in Edmonton, courses at the Parsons School of Design in New York, and even stints waitressing and teaching snowboarding. She was drawn back to the world of architecture though, and on a whim, decided to Google the best schools to study in the world. The London institution popped up as number one, and so Ping Ping decided to apply. After several tough interviews, Ping Ping was admitted last January and even received a scholarship. Along with experiencing life in the U.K. capital, Ping Ping is excited by the challenging courses and inspiring guest lecturers the school provides. Back for a visit to Ashbury this summer, Ping Ping reminisced about her
ASHBURY ALUMNI
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Bootcamp for Brains is a unique skillsbuilding program that is bringing 100 girls, ages 15 to 17, from across Canada to Ottawa to build future leaders. The two weeks of intense training will take place at Ashbury College in July 2016. Olivia was also able to meet Bono when he was in Ottawa meeting with our political leaders. She was a participant in a discussion at the NAC with heads of Canada’s international development organizations. She particpated as a representative for G(irls)20. Olivia is now in third year at McGill University studying international development. She spent her summer working for G(irls)20, doing research and communications.
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’14
Congratulations to Annie Sirois ’14 who was named the St. FX Female Freshman of the Year. “Frosh week is amazing, you meet so many people, you do so many activities, and already I can kind of feel the decline. It would be great to continue with activities where everyone is meeting new people; not for house points, just something fun,” said Sirois.
’15
Kerson Leong ’15 returned to Ottawa to perform with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra at their opening concert at the National Arts Centre on October 5, 2015. Currently Kerson is an artist in residence at the
Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium. Kerson gained recognition at the age of 13 for his violin talent. Kerson
and his brother Stanley ’12, performed at many Ashbury events when they were students at the school.
ATTENTION ALUMNI!
Artsie@ashbury NEEDS YOU! ARE YOU CURRENTLY OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN INVOLVED IN THE ARTS? Here is what we need: Creative folk like you! Artist, Ballerina, Creator, Dramatist, Entertainer, Film maker, Gallery curator, House designer, Illustrator, Jeweller, Krafty, Lithographer, Musician, Needle pointer, Opera performer, Producer, Questioner, Rapper, Sculptor, Typographer, Urban designer, Videographer, Water colourist, Xylophonist, Yodeller, Zany You guessed it; we want the real A, B, Cs to join us in celebrating 125 years of Ashbury College creativity, and to get involved with celebrations, and to help create a database of our artists. Contact us at artsie125@ashbury.ca to get involved
Ashbury wants to help you celebrate your life’s milestones! Do you have a new baby? New job? New house? Let us know about the developments in your life and we’ll send you some Ashbury swag to mark the occasion. Drop us a line at alumni@ashbury.ca with your news and contact information.
ASHBURY ALUMNI
Across the playing field, next to the lovely new Matthews Residence, stands one of the first permanent residences of Rockcliffe Village: 224 Springfield Road. The house was constructed in 1893 for my great uncle, Samuel Short and his wife, Alice Armstrong Barnhart. Uncle Sam was born in Dunkerton, Somerset, England in 1867 and arrived in New Edinburgh in June 1873. Aunt Allie was born on Barnhart Island in the St. Lawrence River in 1869. She was descended from Mohawk blood and King George III deeded Barnhart Island to the family for Barnhart family loyalty to the British Crown during the American Revolution. For a number of years, 224 Springfield bore the name Dunkerton House after Sam’s birth village. Sam and Allie raised two children at 224 Springfield—son Major Herbert Short and daughter, Dorothy. Herb went on to Hemmingford, Quebec where he owned and successfully operated Apple Orchards. Dorothy became a dietician and worked for a time at Ashbury and Toronto’s Upper Canada College. Sam was employed at the Besserer Street Post Office Bank, which stood where the Westin Hotel/Rideau Centre now stands. Sam’s superior was Colonel Plunkett Bourchier Taylor, father of Canadian industrialist, Edward Plunkett Taylor, better known as E.P.
Sam was a prize-winning horticulin its original glory was my grand turist, well known for his peonies which father’s handy work: banister, railings grew where the school’s parking lot and and the large newel post in their origitennis courts are now located. nal colours. As so often happens in As with much of the Sam Short land, older homes, someone decides to paint Ashbury came into possession of 224. over the darker woods, but thank you When I was in my early teens, Sam told to all who had that opportunity and me that his brother, William Short (my chose not to change colours. Grampa grandfather), was, among other skills, would be pleased and so am I. an excellent woodworker. Sam Written by Bob Short who is the great nephew of Sam Short. explained that the main banister and 224 Springfield is now the residence of railings in the house were made by my Ashbury’s nurse. grandfather, along with some of the decorative outdoor features, which can be seen on the side verandah. I had not seen them for years and decided it was time to take a few photos for the Short family free. On Monday, May 25, 2015, with the kind assistance of A s h b u r y ’s Relations A m b a s s a d o r, Victoria “Vicky” Wilgress, I was Bob Short visited 225 Springfield in May. The home, escorted through which is the current residence of Ashbury’s school nurse, was built in 1893 for Bob’s uncle. 224 Springfield Road and there
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A Short history of 224 Springfield Road
ASHBURY ALUMNI
Memoriam
In
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ain King ’38 passed away in Victoria, B.C. on August 26, 2015 in his 95th year. Wain attended Ashbury College from 1935–1938. He served in the Canadian Army from 1939 to 1968, and was proudest of the time he spent as an officer in the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment in Sicily, Italy and Northwest Europe during World War II. Wain served a Regional Governor, with the school’s Board of Governors in the late ’80s, and early ’90s.
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lin Bennet ’44 died peacefully on March 31, 2015, aged 87 in England. Glin was sent to Canada at the age of 13 after war broke out. As a student at the Abinger Hill School, he arrived in Ottawa to attend Ashbury and was very fortunate to end up living 1 with the Barclay family who opened Glin’s eyes to the great outdoors. Glin developed his love of skiing, walking, boating and a range of other outdoor activities, which stayed with him for the rest of his life. When the war ended, he crossed the Atlantic again and later studied medicine at Dublin’s Trinity College. In 1954, working for the National Service, he was posted to Cyprus and Egypt during the Suez Crisis. Married with four children, Glin became a psychiatrist in the 1960s, and specialized his research on the effects of trauma and stress.
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onathan (Jonny) Harrison ’44 passed away in England on March 28, 2015. Jonny attended the annual London, England reunions hosted by alumnus David Graham. He also had come to Canada for the occassional visit, especially in 1991 for the school’s centennial celebrations. Jonny was the son of James Harrison, the Headmaster of Abinger Hill School in Surrey, and travelled to Ottawa with his family and other students in 1940 to escapt the war. His memories of his four years at Ashbury College during wartime were very strong and he and his family were so grateful to the school and community for caring for the boys. In 1991, Jonny arranged with his fellow classmates to fund the Abinger Hill Speaking Prize, which continues to be awarded in the Junior School. Jonny was also an accomplished rower, and a member of the Oxford crew. He was very proud of his win in 1954, when he stroked the Oxford crew in the 100th boat race to victory.
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obert C. Thomas ’46 of Fredericton NB, passed away on March 25, 2015. He attended Ashbury College from 1939–1946 where he excelled at many sports. He was then trained for combat in the Second World War, which fortunately ended before his deployment. He graduated from Carleton University and then Osgoode Hall Law School (1955). He practised law at the firm of Thomas & Winship in Ottawa for many years focusing on estate work and real estate. He served as Reeve of Torbolton Township, Ontario, and was proud to have attended the Liberal leadership convention where Pierre Trudeau was elected leader.
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tewart McInnes ’54, a highly regarded lawyer, arbitrator and federal politician who served in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, passed away October 3, 2015. Stewart had a successful career with the law firm McInnes Cooper for close to 40 years. Stewart attended Ashbury College from 1951–1954, along with his brothers Hector ’52 and Roderick ’62. Following law school at Dalhousie University, he practised general litigation and appeared before a number of administrative tribunals. In 1984, Stewart was elected to the House of Commons as the Progressive Conservative member for Halifax.
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avid Dollin ’70 passed away on May 1, 2015 at his home after a short battle with cancer. David left behind his wife Nicole, daughter Heather and son-in-law Joshua. David was a long-time bookseller and publicist in Ottawa.
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ndrew (Drew) Ashton ’72 passed away at his home in Toronto, on June 1, 2015. Drew attended Ashbury College from 1965 to 1971 as a boarder from Montreal. He spent his career working in the computer business which he thoroughly enjoyed along with his annual trips to Las Vegas and Aruba.
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arc Duguay ’72 died peacefully in hospital in Ottawa on July 26, 2015. Marc was very involved while he was a student at Ashbury College from 1969 to 1972. He then supported the school and the Alumni Executive, serving on the Board of Governors as the President of the Alumni Association from 1987–1988. Marc kept in touch with his fellow classmates and kept close ties with Alan MacEwen, Ed Jokinen and Bill Stratton. Always full of fun and mischief, he enjoyed returning to the school at Homecoming back in the 1990s and reliving many memories.
ASHBURY ALUMNI
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im Putt, who worked at Ashbury College from 2001–2012, passed away on July 29, 2015 at the young age of 45. He was the loving and devoted father of Norbey ’12 and Seth. “My Dad Tim will always be my hero, he will always 2 be my guardian angel, and he will always be my Papi,” Norbey wrote in a Facebook post. “I will never forget all that he has done for me. I will live my life to the fullest in his honour and will love and care for my family the way he did for his.” Putt, who spoke five languages, originally pursued a career in law but soon discovered his true passion was teaching. He worked at Ashbury and Blyth Academy in Toronto before coming back to Hamilton. He also coached and played soccer. Friends and former colleagues of Tim’s gathered on the Ashbury campus in September to dedicate a tree to Tim’s memory. The plaque will serve as a lasting testament to Tim’s dedication to the school.
every respect, Jim was old school, addressing boys by their surname and always expecting his students to treat people with respect and good manners. He was kind hearted and always had time for the boy who may have been experiencing difficult times in school, or in life. He expected fair play and had no time for bullying or cheating. Jim believed in doing his duty and in setting a good example. He was always in the back row of chapel, and occasionally I would feel a little sheepish if I were accidentally to displace him by sitting in his favourite pew. Each boy who passed through Junior School will have a strong memory of Jim Humphreys. Regardless of weather, he was usually dressed in knee socks, Bermuda shorts and blazer and would frequently travel the halls of Ashbury playing on his invisible trumpet. On the playing field, Jim led with enthusiasm and great energy. He expected each boy to do his best; he would bellow instruction and encouragement, and demanded fair play. His passion, of course, was rugby and, no doubt, he has taken great delight in the outstanding levels to which the game has risen at the school. In retirement, despite declining health, he would often visit Ashbury and enjoy watching a rugby game. Jim was always available to help out, whether it be driving a bus to a school event, or assisting with the Ashbury Guild, or a special event for parents. He would do this with his usual good nature and affable manner. Rest in peace, Jim, and thank you for sharing so much of yourself in the service of Ashbury.”
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im Humphreys, longtime teacher in the Junior School, passed away after a long illness on August 13, 2015 at the age of 76. A memorial service was held at Ashbury during Homecoming weekend. Roy Napier, former Headmaster from 1987–2000, wrote the following tribute about Jim which was read at Jim’s memorial service in the chapel on September 27, 2015. “It is a privilege to pay tribute to Jim Humphreys and the significant contribution that he made to the life of Ashbury College over a period of 33 years. Jim was hired nearly 50 years ago, and he served the school faithfully until his retirement in 2001. Over this time, the school saw many changes, but Jim was a mainstay in the Junior School faculty where he taught French and sports. In
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Glin Bennet
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Tim Putt
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Staff with Tim’s tree Jim Humphreys in his trademark Bermuda shorts
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The right to be a pilgrim What’s the meaning behind Ashbury’s school hymn? By The Rev. Dr. Robert Sears
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n 1941 Ashbury adopted the Abinger Hill school and Empire Youth Movement hymn “He who would valiant be” for its own. It must have been a great comfort to the 50 plus students from Abinger Hill, who were sent away to safety in 1940 with just 10 days’ notice. Singing a familiar song is good medicine when fighting homesickness and worry. The text of the hymn originally adopted by the school came from the 1906 English hymnal. Canon Percy Dearmer was the editor of the popular hymn. He had wanted to make a wellknown allegorical hymn more palatable to church-going ears, so he Christianized the text and removed many of its allegorical elements. The original text reworked by Canon Dearmer came from John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress (1684). The book is arguably the most influential spiritual story written in the English language. It is an allegory of the soul told as great journey. The journey told is more like Sam and Frodo’s in the Lord of the Rings than we find in Runaway Bunny. The book reads more like a medieval morality play, than Harry Potter, even though the events depicted appear equally magical. For all its distinctness from contemporary journey literature, the repeated refrain of the hymn is very modern: you have a right to be a pilgrim. You have a right to make a journey of your own life. This was something of a battle cry for John Bunyan, as he didn’t always get to live it. He was a political dissident, imprisoned for 12 years for preaching without a licence. And Bunyan wrote the second part of The Pilgrim’s Progress while in prison. By 1993, however, our Ashbury Hymnal reflected some changes. First, “To be a Pilgrim” was not listed in the front of the hymnal as our school hymn alongside what was then called “The School Prayer.” Second, the text of the hymn #68 had changed. No longer was it the 1906 hymn, as one might have expected. In its place was an ad hoc compilation of verses. The first two
verses were taken from the 1684 version of the hymn and the last verse was from the 1906 version. Some 20 years further on we can see this move away from the Christianized 1906 version of the hymn fits better with our pluralist context than the colonial Empire Youth Movement. And the allegorical nature of original The Pilgrim’s Progress text allows for wide interpretation. The one in the story who recites the words of our school hymn in The Pilgrim’s Progress is called Valiantfor-Truth. Translated into modern diction, the person is a courageous truth seeker. This is the voice we take on when we sing our school hymn. Perhaps a lofty goal in cynical times, but surely an appropriate message for an educational institution. The boasts made in the hymn are worthy inspiration. Imagine being so motivated as to say with confidence that no discouragement will make you once relent. You will strive to seek, to find. You will be resilient. You will push through and learn from mistakes, failures, and misfortunes. Or imagine believing that no dismal stories will confound you. You will not let any number of sorrowful stories in the news or sad events in the lives of family, friends, or acquaintances distract you from your calling. No lion can you fright. No bully. Not even cancer. Nothing can daunt your spirit.
Depression will not find a home in your heart or mind. Idealistic? Probably. But what a salutary message; good medicine for our time.
TO BE A PILGRIM Who would true valour see, Let him come hither; One here will constant be, Come wind, come weather. There’s no discouragement Shall make him once relent, his first avow’d intent To be a pilgrim. Whoso beset him round With dismal stories, Do but themselves confound. His strength the more is; No lion can him fright, He’ll with a giant fight; But he will have a right To be a pilgrim. Hobgoblin, nor foul fiend, Can daunt his spirit; He knows he at the end Shall life inherit. Then fancies fly away, He’ll fear not what men say; He’ll labor night and day To be a pilgrim.
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