A Magazine for the Alumni of Crescent School
Summer 2019
Lessons in Leadership
Five Head Boys reflect on what leadership means to them. Page 16
PHOTOGRAPHER: NATION WONG
Page 24
Andrew Sorbara ’93 has a vision for Toronto's laneways.
Making the City More Liveable
PHOTO PROVIDED BY SHARKWATER PRODUCTIONS
Page 28
The late Rob Stewart ’97 showed how one person can make a difference.
A Love of Sharks Leads to an Inspiring Legacy
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 1
Words from the Alumni Chair
Goodbye and welcome Working on your behalf as the Chair of the Alumni Executive for the last three years has been a real privilege. I look forward to continuing to serve the Crescent community in my new role as Chair, Board of Governors, commencing in September. (Writing this reminds me of that famous song lyric: “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”) Please join me in congratulating Tim Watson ’01, the new Chair of the Alumni Executive. He has been an excellent source of counsel and wisdom in his role as Chair of the Governance & Nomination Committee. Our growing alumni community will be well supported by Tim and the rest of the Executive. I want to especially thank Kathryn Foster for all she does for our alumni. Kathryn has been of invaluable assistance to me, and we are very lucky to have such a dedicated individual working on our behalf. By the time you read this, Kathryn will be a new mom. Please join me in wishing her and her husband, Kent, all the best. Lastly, here is a book recommendation for you. I’m reading How to Raise a Boy: The Power of Connection to Build Good Men by Dr. Michael Reichert. He draws on research and his experience as a psychologist to advocate a relational approach to raising our sons. This aligns well with Crescent School’s pedagogical approach and offers lots of food for thought for fathers and sons. Enjoy the read. Jamie Coulter ’87, P’21 Chair, Crescent Alumni Executive
Past & Present is published twice a year by Crescent School’s External Relations Department to help all alumni stay connected with the Crescent community. Cover: Naveen Gupta ’15 by Nation Wong
Editor: Leigh Bowser Editorial Committee: Leigh Bowser, Kathryn Foster, Leslie Pringle, Lynda Torneck Editorial Board: Jacob Barnes ’05, Philip Lloyd ’09, Myles Slocombe ’92, Tim Watson ’01
Art Direction & Design: Aegis Design Inc. Senior Designer: Sabrina Xiang Writers: Leigh Bowser, Warren Lang ’88, Diane Peters Photographers: Betty-Ann Armstrong, Scott MacDonald, Nation Wong. Illustrators: Wenting Li, Kara Pyle
Comments and suggestions about Past & Present are always welcome. Reach us at: Alumni Relations Office, Crescent School 2365 Bayview Avenue, Toronto ON M2L 1A2 e: alumni@crescentschool.org t: 416.449.2556 ext. 260
Upfront / Experiences Th eC ou
Let’s put on a show!
rd, Ca usical rt -act m o tw
a
Drama through the decades at Crescent Musicals, modern standards, Shakespearian classics and original works‌ Crescent loves to put on a show. Whether you were centre stage, behind the scenes or in the audience, here are highlights of Crescent performances that you might remember.
The Mikado Twelve Angry Men Th e
n Ma ic us M The Front Page
The Wizard of Oz
Romeo & Juli et
ILLUSTRATOR: WENTING LI
Olympus High
Coy ote Ni
ght Live
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 3
Past /1985 Crescent’s Senior Softball team was described as “a colourful combination of misfits” in the 1985 yearbook. Coached by Mark Olma, the team capped their record-breaking season that year with the ISAA championship.
Upfront / Alumni Back on Campus
Experiential Learning at Day X Alumni lead hands-on workshops for Middle School boys
Eight alumni spent a day at Crescent as part of the first-ever “Day X” for the Middle School boys. Held in December, Day X gave boys in Grades 7 and 8 an opportunity to explore non-traditional career options. In hands-on workshops led by alumni and other guests, they worked in groups to complete a project and present it to their classmates. The alumni who led Day X workshops were entrepreneur Oleg Baranov ’11, drone photographer Matthew Cheung ’15, filmmaker Matthew Corolis ’13, graphic designer Bert Fielding ’13, app developer Jordon Grant ’14, physiotherapist Dan Pringle ’05, VR producer Arthur Yeung ’97 and DJ Petr Schumacher ’16. Other workshops were led by Toronto Raptors TV announcer Matt Devlin P’20, ’22, Crescent’s staff carpenter Jerry Drab, artist and former faculty member Diliana Popova, and nutritionist Ben Sit. Funding for Day X was provided by the John Tansey Endowment Fund, which was established in The Crescent School Foundation in 2000 to support special projects which enhance the curriculum.
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Upfront / Alumni Back on Campus
Discussing Career Options
Nine alumni share advice at Grade 10 careers event What do you want to do when you grow up? When you’re in Grade 10, it’s time to start thinking about how to answer that question. That’s why Crescent invites alumni back on campus each April to speak with students about their personal career choices. The nine alumni who participated this year were Trevor Wallace ’00, Andrew Norris ’03, Andrew Chung ’04, Dan Pringle ’05, James Parry ’07, Zach Spencer ’07, David Allen ’08, Dustin Ashley ’11 and Henson Tam ’11.
Also Spotted… Rob Coleman ’83 – whose animation credits include The Lego Batman Movie and Star Wars Episodes I, II and III – answered Lower School boys’ questions (via a videosharing website) about animation and movie-making in March. Thanks to the former Team 610 members who came by to lend their support to this year’s robotics team: (back row) Grant Chesney ’18, Maraan Murugathas ’18, Bret Hodgkinson ’18, (front row) Gabriel Mok ’17, Walter Raftus ’17 and Charles Ju ’17.
Omar Elmor ’16, who is working on his teaching degree at Queen’s University, did a teaching placement with the Upper School English courses in April and May.
CRESCENT THEN
Teacher Ross Macdonald urged students to give it their all in the tug-of-war at Sports Day in 1980.
6 Past & Present / Summer 2019
Upfront / Alumni Back on Campus
Jake Graham ’09 was the guest speaker at the Grads' "Welcome to the Alumni" breakfast in May.
Dan Moor ’08 dropped by Innes Field with two of his Toronto Arrows teammates in April to give Crescent’s Senior Rugby squad some pointers.
Marc Fielding ’09 presented to Upper School business classes in April. Nicholas Oprescu-Havriliuc ’18 was a guest speaker at the Upper School’s French Cultural assembly in April.
Jake Erdman ’17 and Jonah Mandel ’17 visited in January to speak to the Grade 11 Economics class taught by Clark Davis ’02.
Celebrating Honesty, Respect & Compassion
Jason Sordi ’95 and Shannon Grant ’10 were part of Crescent’s Pride Day
Physiotherapist Dan Pringle ’05 spoke to the Grade 12 Introduction to Kinesiology students in December.
With the Pride rainbow flag flying in front of the school and activities programmed for each grade, Crescent’s second annual Pride Day events in January helped students learn about accepting diverse identities. As members of the LGBQT+ community, Jason Sordi ’95 and Shannon Grant ’10 visited Crescent to talk to students about how important it is for people to be able to express their true selves and the difference it makes when people step up as allies for those who need support.
CRESCENT NOW
Tug-of-war is still a popular challenge, as this photo from the September 2018 House Day shows.
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Upfront / Crescent News
Art With An Urgent Message
Photographer Edward Burtynsky enthralls students World-renowned landscape photographer and documentarian Edward Burtynsky was the special guest at an Upper School assembly on March 28, launching Crescent’s “Earth Month” of environment -themed programs and events. Burtynsky enthralled the students with his art, which captures how humanity has altered our planet. Responding to a student’s question about what can be done in the face of environmental devastation, Burtynsky said Canadians can bring about change through personal behaviour and making choices about the foods we eat or the carbon footprint we leave, through our wallets by supporting industries and products that are kinder to the environment, and by how we vote and supporting government with strong environmental policies and regulations. The presentation was made possible by the John Tansey Endowment Fund at Crescent. Other Earth Month activities at Crescent included a Middle School presentation by Nicholas De Pencier, one of the two filmmakers who collaborated with Burtynsky to create their award-winning film trilogy: Manufactured Landscapes, Watermark and Anthropocene: The Human Epoch.
Creative Advice
Life lessons from alumni featured in library mural Filling a two-storey wall in Crescent School’s library for Middle and Upper School students, a dramatic new mural called The Legacy Digest is the result of a unique collaboration between Crescent students, alumni, faculty and a professional artist. Generously funded by the NobleMarks Arts Endowment at Crescent and spearheaded by Upper School visual arts teacher Jody Roberts, the mural project was directed by artist Patrick Thompson of PA System, which has created public artwork across Canada and worldwide.
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Thompson’s mural features massive, colourful clouds and large, handwritten phrases such as “Laugh at yourself” and “Don’t let setbacks be defined as failures, but rather as learning.” The phrases came from students’ interviews with 10 Crescent alumni (Alan Diner ’87, Ben Mouckley ’98, Evan Lewis ’03, Ryan Austin ’04, Scott Watson ’04, John Racioppo ’07, Jake Graham ’09, Riley Shaw ’09, Eric Noble-Marks ’14 and Asher Weiss ’14) as well as entrepreneur Kimbal Musk. The mural was officially unveiled at Crescent’s LUNA arts showcase in April 2019. There are also plans to document the project in a video and book.
Upfront / Crescent News
School Year Highlights
A record number of 56 students experienced different cultures and hands-on learning in Outreach trips to Moose Factory/Cree First Nation, South Africa, Colombia and Tanzania, plus a trip to Iceland coming up in August.
The Lower and Middle School Team 610 members competed at the VEX IQ provincial robotics championship in March, finishing with an Honourable Mention and several personal bests.
Seven members of the Upper School Business Team advanced to the international DECA competition in May. Three students brought home medals for Top 10 overall scores in the written exams, and two students placed in the Top 10 overall in their category.
Grade 9 students Tony Wu and Hugo Hu placed third among 54 of the top teams in Canada at the Junior National Debating Championship in May. They entered the competition as the top junior debating team in Ontario after a perfect 5-0 win-loss record at the Ontario Student Debating Union event in March.
The Upper School Team 610 brought the Industrial Design Award home from the FIRST Robotics World Championship in Detroit in April. Competing against 400 teams from around the world, Team 610 finished in second place in the Tesla Division.
Crescent’s Math Team placed fifth against 35 of the best teams in the country in the Canadian Team Mathematics Contest in April. Of special note: team captain Patrick Su ’19 had a perfect individual score for the second year in a row.
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Upfront / Crescent News
Leadership Changes
Headmaster Michael Fellin.
New roles in Lower, Middle and Upper School There are familiar faces in new roles after changes to Crescent’s academic leadership came into effect at the end of the 2018/2019 school year. To further Crescent’s standing as a leader in boys’ education, Dr. Sandra Boyes has taken on the responsibilities of Executive Director, Professional Learning and Research. In this newly created role, she will lead professional learning pathways for faculty and be responsible for sharing Crescent’s expertise and developing its reflective practice within a culture of research. In addition to this role, she will continue as Head of Lower School. Ryan Bell ’98 has advanced to be Head of Middle School, and Ian Fisher has assumed the role of Assistant Head of Lower School. In the Upper School, Nick Kovacs has assumed the role of Deputy Headmaster in addition to his work as Head of Upper School. He will play a crucial role in supporting, coaching and enabling each of the Lower, Middle and Upper School’s administrative teams and directing day-today school operations across all three divisions. Meanwhile, Rob Costanzo has left his role as Assistant Head of Upper School to accept a prestigious role as Principal of Villanova College. There are two Assistant Head positions in the Upper School. Rich Prosser will continue in his role as Assistant Head.
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Towards Reconciliation Crescent acknowledges indigenous territory
Accompanied by singing, drumbeats and smudging led by special guests from the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, Crescent unveiled its land acknowledgment statement at a full-school assembly on January 15, 2019. “Today we are honouring the nations who have always held a deep connection to this land,” said
Land acknowledgments are statements that recognize the traditional territory of Indigenous peoples. Crescent's campus is located on the traditional territory of the HuronWendat, the Petun, the Haudenosaunee, the Mississauga of the New Credit First Nation, one of the peoples of the Anishinaabeg Confederacy and the Metis Nation, and is still home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island. (The full statement is posted at crescentschool.org/ about/our-campus.) The land acknowledgment is part of Crescent’s work to build relationships and understanding with Indigenous peoples. In 2018 and 2019, Crescent students participated in Outreach trips to First Nations communities in Northern Ontario. Closer to home, activities such as classroom art projects and local Outreach activities are also underway. March 1. Nearly 150 Crescent parents attended her “Keeping Young Brains Healthy” presentation to learn the latest research about the impact of vaping, alcohol, gaming and drugs on adolescent brains.
Supporting Boys’ Wellbeing International speakers share expertise at Crescent Learning isn’t just for students at Crescent. This year, the school hosted several child development experts at events for parents and educators to learn how to support boys’ wellbeing at home and in school. Dr. Christine Lay P’20, Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Toronto, spoke at Crescent on
On April 5, Crescent hosted the School Health & Wellbeing Summit presented by the International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC). Attended by 75 educators from over 30 different schools, the event featured Dr. Denise Pope of Challenge Success and the Stanford University Graduate School of Education and Dr. Michael Reichert of the Philadelphia-based Center for the Study of Boys’ and Girls’ Lives. Dr. Pope returned on April 6 to present a special workshop for more than 100 Crescent parents titled “The WellBalanced Student: Managing Stress and Overscheduling.”
Upfront / Crescent News
Go Coyotes!
Senior D2 Basketball
Highlights from Crescent’s teams in 2018/2019 From tryouts in September to the final matches in June, Crescent’s teams enjoyed a great year of training, camaraderie, character-building high and low points – and most of all, they had fun. Here are highlights from the championships.
U13 Rugby
OFSAA Qualifiers Senior D1 Basketball (4th Place finish) Upper School Cross-Country Upper School Track & Field Senior Rugby Upper School Swim Team Upper School Volleyball
Upper School Swim Team Senior Hockey
CAIS Nationals Senior D1 Basketball (Silver) U13 D1 Basketball (4th Place)
CISAA Champions
Senior Rugby
CISAA Silver Medallists
Junior Volleyball
Senior Cross-Country
Senior Ultimate Frisbee
U11 and Senior D2 Basketball U11, U12 and U10-U14 Overall Boys’ Cross-Country U13 and U14 Rugby U12 D1 and U14 D1 Soccer U14 and Senior D2 Squash Senior Ultimate Frisbee
U10 Green Basketball Upper School Track & Field
U10 Green, U13 D2, U13 D1, U14 D1, Junior D1 and Senior D1 Basketball U13 Cross-Country Senior Golf Senior Hockey Senior Rugby U11 Soccer U14 Softball Senior D1 Squash U12 and Midget Track & Field
Other Highlights Senior Hockey: St. Peter’s Classic Hockey Tournament Champions, Brother Arthur Tournament Champions Junior Volleyball: Mentor College Tournament Champions
U14 D1 Soccer
U14 Softball
Senior Rugby: Rothesay Netherwood RugbyFest Champions, St. Maximillian Kolbe Tournament Champions Crescent School Alumni Magazine 11
Upfront / Faculty Focus
In June, Crescent bid farewell to Penny Parker, Alexandru Pintilie and Peg Evans, who retired after careers that influenced the lives of hundreds of students. We wish them all the best for a long, healthy and happy retirement. Peg Evans / Lower School Music Teacher Started in 2008 as a long-term supply teacher; joined the faculty in 2014
2016
When I was 18, I wish I’d known: That charting my own course would have been a better fit for me than following the prescribed path. While my degrees and qualifications have definitely been useful, I see now that my scope was limited by meeting expectations and institutional requirements. My advice for the graduates: Goals are important, but leave room for unexpected twists and turns along the way. Take time to explore the sideroads that life presents to you, especially if they really pique your curiosity and interest. There’s a good chance these will lead you to what you are truly meant to do.
Alexandru Pintilie / Teacher of Upper School Mathematics & Statistics; Joined Crescent in 1999
2000
When I was 18, I wish I’d known: How to listen more and how to understand people who are unlike me. I wish I had been kinder and more open-minded. My advice for the graduates: Beauty surrounds us in so many forms. The whole point in life is to discover and experience beauty. There is beauty in geometry (but you need to learn math to experience it). There is beauty in an Italian song, a living organism, an Ibsen play, a Lionel Messi goal, the soul of a fellow human being… Get out of your comfortable routine and learn some new ways to see beauty.
Penny Parker / School Nurse Joined Crescent in 1997 When I was 18, I wish I’d known: That I would have either the luck or good fortune (or both) to learn and work with the best of the best both in the medical world and in the Crescent world. Appreciation comes much later in life! (For the record, I desperately wanted to be an airline stewardess. At the time it was necessary to be an RN to do this. Once I started nursing the rest is history. I have loved every minute!) My advice for the graduates: Follow your dream, however crazy it may seem. Never give up, never give in, and never take “no” for an answer. If things don't go your way, accept with grace and dignity and carry on until you hit smooth sailing! It will eventually happen. Appreciate your personal and work “tribes” – and give back! 12 Past & Present / Summer 2019
2014
Upfront / Alumni Recognition Awards
Congratulations to Our Newest Alumni Award Winners Each year, Crescent’s Alumni Recognition Awards honour Men of Character who merit special acknowledgement for their exceptional achievements and community service.
Jake Graham ’09 received the Young Alumni Excellence Award, which is for alumni who have distinguished themselves within 15 years of graduating from Crescent. After attending Wake Forest University on a running scholarship, Jake returned to Toronto and began a career in marketing. Then he switched gears and transitioned to being a professional photographer. During the Canada 150 celebrations in 2017, Jake drove across Canada, capturing the countryside with his camera. The CBC featured his work on several occasions, and he has completed projects for Canadian Geographic, Canada Goose, Parks Canada, TD Bank, Sheraton and others. His photos also appear on some of the world's biggest travel accounts, including EarthPix, Wilderness Culture and Explore Canada. You can see Jake’s photos on his @jakegrahamphoto Instagram account. (See the Summer 2018 issue of Past & Present for more about Jake's work.)
“Our award winners have shown there is not one well of passion or single path to success,” says Philip Lloyd ’09, who serves on the Alumni Recognition Awards Committee. “Through courage and character, they are making their own unique mark on the world. It's exactly what this program seeks to recognize. On behalf of the Alumni Executive, congratulations Jake, Barry and Alex!!"
Barry Gordon ’87, P’21 received the Alumni Community Leadership Award, which honours alumni who have demonstrated tremendous volunteer service to Crescent. Barry has been an active member of both the Crescent parent and alumni community for a number of years. In June 2019, Barry completed a successful three-year term as Chair of Crescent’s Board of Governors. Prior to that, he chaired the Foundation Board from 2013-2016. He also served as Chair of the Board’s Governance Committee and was a member of the Headmaster Selection Committee. Barry has been a long-time Crescent supporter as a donor and as a sponsor of Crescent's annual golf tournament. Before selling his company, he also employed many young alumni through the Alumni Internship Program. His long and unique history with Crescent began when his father, Chris Gordon, served as Headmaster (19701982). The Gordons lived in the residence on the top floor of Crescent's Manor House (now the Advancement offices) and Barry has fond memories of living on campus as a young boy. Barry and his wife, Wendy, have two children, including Oscar who is entering Grade 11 in September.
Alex Mihailidis ’92 received the Alumni Excellence Award, which honours alumni who have distinguished themselves in their professional careers, personal endeavours and community service. Alex is a Professor in the Department of Occupational Science & Technology at the University of Toronto. He is also the scientific director of AGE-WELL NCE (Aging Gracefully across Environments using Technology to Support Wellness, Engagement and Long Life), a network that strives to create real-world solutions that will make a meaningful impact on the lives of Canadian seniors and caregivers. Alex and his team have worked extensively to design robots/AI that will assist elderly people in their home. (See the Winter 2019 issue of Past & Present for more about Alex’s work.) He remains quite involved with the Crescent community, actively supporting the Alumni Internship Program as an employer and serving as a Professional Mentor through the Alumni Professional Mentoring Program.
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Present / April 2019 There are 11 sons of alumni in the Class of 2019. Dads and grads shown left to right: Derek Chalmers '79, P'19 with Brett Chalmers '19, Tim Wiggan ’90, P’19, ’21 with Coulson Wiggan ’19, John Reucassel ’87, P’19, ’24, ’27 with Rives Reucassel ’19, Paul Webster ’85, P’19, ’21 with Will Webster ’19, Gavin McOuat ’87, P’19 with Malcolm McOuat ’19, Jonathan Turnbull ’86, P’19 with Nick Turnbull ’19 and Ryan Turnbull ’19, and Jonathan Hunter ’87 P’19 with Campbell Hunter ’19.
Perspective from the Headmaster
Embracing Our Past and Our Present
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t a recent alumni event, I discussed the creative tension between the past and present of Crescent School. On the one hand, it is the relationships that our boys form with each other and with teachers, coaches and mentors that serve as the bedrock of our love and regard for the school over a lifetime. This familial culture is what makes Crescent so distinct as a school for boys. On the other hand, present-day expectations of students, teachers, and parents have never been more complex. The competitiveness of university admissions, the call for greater diversity and inclusivity, and the disruption facing the global workforce, among other things, require us to lean into our mission in an entirely new way. As such, our focus on building Men of Character from Boys of Promise, to prepare our boys to be good men in today’s world, is greater than ever. In doing so, we must continue to embrace our past and present with our boys. I trust you will find in these pages a rich tapestry of experiences and reflections, ensuring that the best of Crescent’s past remains part of its changing present. Veritate Stamus et Crescimus.
Michael Fellin P’24 Headmaster, Crescent School
Absent: Charlie Lehoczky ’87, P’17, ’19 and Alex Lehoczky ’19, Jordon Solomon ’85 P’19 and Jeremie Solomon ’19, Tim De Groot '86, P'16, '19 and Jack Ferguson ’19. Crescent School Alumni Magazine 15
LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP Crescent Head Boys across four decades reflect on the value of collaboration, listening and diverse perspectives By Warren Lang ’88
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nyone looking for insights about leadership might not immediately think to ask a radiology resident. But then Hussein Jaffer ’04 isn’t your typical medical practitioner. In 2008, after completing an undergraduate degree at McGill in Anatomy and Cell Biology, Jaffer enrolled in the Master of Health Science in Health Finance and Management program at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Maryland. While there, he studied leadership with professors who were actively involved in the systemic transformations initiated by the early Obama administration. Jaffer also spent two years with Deloitte’s Health Care consulting unit in Boston, advising leadership teams in large health systems and health-care organizations. So when he returned to Canada in 2010 to begin medical school at the University of Toronto, Jaffer knew some things about leadership. “People come from a wide variety of backgrounds, which forces you to take a step back and understand their perspective,” he says. “Empathizing with your team and really understanding the motivation behind each individual's actions helps you provide insightful leadership.” For his residency, which will wrap up next year, Jaffer is specializing in Interventional Radiology – the use of imaging technologies to enable minimally invasive surgical procedures. Spending the bulk of his time in operating rooms has helped refine his thinking. “As a surgeon, you work with a team that includes other physicians, nurses, technologists and an anesthesiologist,” he says. “Your job is to guide them by realizing that everybody has their own objectives for that particular surgery and patient. If you can relate to them, you can adapt as a leader and harness those perspectives in the best interest of the patient.” →
– Hussein Jaffer ’04
01 Hussein Jaffer is front row centre in this photo of the Class of 2004 Prefects. 02 Jaffer at Toronto Western Hospital. 03 As Head Boy, Jaffer (standing, right) led events like the 2003 toy drive.
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PHOTOGRAPHER: NATION WONG
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“Empathizing with your team and really understanding the motivation behind each individual's actions helps you provide insightful leadership.”
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“Treat people fairly and have a clear objective in mind. Here's our goal and here are the people in charge of getting to that goal. What do they need to get there? Let's make sure they have it.” – John Reucassel ’87, P’19, ’24, ’27 01 John Reucassel (second row, third from right) in his Grade 5 class taught by Bill Burridge.
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02 Reucassel (seventh from left) on the 1980/81 Lower School soccer team, coached by Pat Mills. 03 Reucassel is CEO at International Group, Inc.
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PHOTOGRAPHER: NATION WONG
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18 Past & Present / Summer 2019
Jaffer’s insights align with the ideas of two other alumni who, thanks to the double cohort when Crescent phased out Grade 13, were the only co-Head Boys in Crescent’s history: John Reucassel ’87 P’19, ’24, ’27 and Brian Lang ’87. After earning degrees from Queen’s and McGill universities, Reucassel worked his way up to Managing Director at BMO Capital Markets. Meanwhile, he remained closely connected to the family business his grandfather founded in 1943, International Group Inc., the largest independent wax producer in the world. Reucassel’s closest connection to the firm was his brother and best friend, Ken Reucassel '83 P'19, who joined the company in 1993 and rose through the ranks to become CEO. The brothers often talked about working together. When life threw them an unexpected curveball, they finally did. In November 2013, Ken was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, prompting John to speed up his plan to join the firm. From March 2014 until Ken’s death in November 2015, the brothers worked closely together to transition the leadership of the company. “In an ideal world, I would have had 10 years to learn the business,” says Reucassel. “But life doesn’t always give you what you want. Ken and I had about 18 months working together. It was fantastic. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot about the business and the remarkable work my brother had done.” Along with the personal and professional challenges of the transition, the firm also faced rapid consolidation within the industry, which thrust Reucassel into managing six acquisitions in four years. During those hectic years, he honed his view that leadership begins and ends with empowering people to do their part in achieving the company’s strategic and operational goals. “My style is to treat people fairly and have a clear objective in mind,” he says. “Here's our goal and here are the people in charge of getting to that goal. What do they need to get there? Let's make sure they have it.” Empowering and inspiring your team is a given for Brian Lang, who became President of Mastercard Canada in 2015,
PHOTOGRAPHER: NATION WONG
a role that he held until late June of this year, when he began as President and Chief Operating Officer of Real Matters Inc. “A decent leader realizes that it's actually not about you, it's about the people around you,” says Lang. “I'm a guy from the camp that says culture eats strategy every day. The biggest piece is to let the employees be the ones to shape the culture.” When he first arrived at Mastercard, Lang held 90 conversations in 90 days with key team members and used the insights he gathered to rapidly change the culture. With him at the helm, the organization became a global leader both within the enterprise and in the payments space, virtually eliminating employee turnover and reaching #9 on the Best Workplaces in Canada 2019 list. Reflecting on the leadership elements that contributed to this progress, Lang points to several of his leadership principles. “Listening is critical,” he says. “It's really genuine. It’s taking people's points of view and filtering them in with yours, as opposed to having yours as the standard.” Additionally, Lang points out that success flows from building a cohesive team that embraces diverse perspectives. “I don't hire people who are like me,” he says. “That’s not what we need. We need people who are really good at things that I’m not good at.” He also believes that while the ability to coach is an expectation of leaders, it’s equally important that they are coachable. →
“Listening is critical. It's really genuine. It’s taking people's points of view and filtering them in with yours, as opposed to having yours as the standard.” – Brian Lang ’87 01
01 Brian Lang at Mastercard Canada. 02 Lang (back row, fourth from left) played on the Upper School 1st Hockey team coached by Steve Davies and Geoff Roberts.
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This emphasis on cohesive teams is familiar to another Head Boy who travelled a unique path after graduation: Paul Gorrie ’94. After undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture at McGill, Gorrie worked for two years building sets for the Centaur Theatre company in Montreal. He then moved back to Toronto and spent six years apprenticing as a custom cabinet maker, all while playing guitar and writing music in several bands. Then, eight years ago, he decided to return to his roots and now works at Moss Sund Architects in Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood. With creativity as a focus in his professional life and personal interests, Gorrie has ample experience with collaboration. “You have to be able to advocate for your ideas, while at the same time being incredibly receptive to other ideas and making them all work together,” he says. “You have to be a really good communicator and a really good listener, because you need to understand where people are coming from.” Fueled by his creative experiences and several positive relationships with mentors and leaders, Gorrie has continued to refine his own thinking about leadership. “I try to give people confidence, try to remove stress, so they can be the best version of themselves,” he says.
“I try to give people confidence, try to remove stress, so they can be the best version of themselves.” – Paul Gorrie, ’94
01 Paul Gorrie is on the right in this 1993-94 photo. 02 Gorrie at Moss Sund Architects, Toronto. 03 Gorrie (centre) with Mike McDerment '94 (left) and Jeffrey Man '94 (right) in 1991-92. 04 Gorrie is standing on the left of this photo showing the 19931994 Prefects.
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PHOTOGRAPHER: NATION WONG
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PHOTOGRAPHER: NATION WONG
“Leading in an artistic context requires a delicate balance of hearing and integrating diverse perspectives while maintaining that steadfast journey toward a common goal.” – Naveen Gupta ’15
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02 01 Naveen Gupta at Crow's Theatre, Toronto. 02 Naveen with his brothers in 2011: Vijay '12 (centre) and Vinit '11 (right). 03 Naveen with his family members at Crescent in 2007/08. 04 Naveen (front right) learned how to knot his tie in Grade 3.
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Though a generation younger, these insights about leadership are shared by Head Boy Naveen Gupta ’15. During his recently completed bachelor’s degree in medical science at Western University, Gupta participated in student leadership, was heavily involved in theatre, and remained active in his favourite sport, hockey. Now, he is starting medical school at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. in the fall. “I have learned that leadership is caring about the teamwork and how individuals are working together toward the goal,” he says. “It’s focusing on the process and having the capabilities to ensure that no matter what challenges arise, the goal is still in mind.” This perspective came into sharper focus for Gupta recently when he took on the challenge of writing and directing a student play. “Leading in an artistic context requires a delicate balance of hearing and integrating diverse perspectives while maintaining that steadfast journey toward a common goal,” he says. “It was an invigorating and invaluable experience for me.” These five Head Boys from across four decades have had a diverse array of personal and professional experiences, yet they share a common perspective on leadership: understand people, build a cohesive team and harness the power of diverse perspectives. These themes echo an insight from John Quincy Adams: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” Crescent School Alumni Magazine 21
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2015
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
22 Past & Present / Summer 2019
THOUGHTS FROM CRESCENT’S MOST RECENT HEAD BOY
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We asked Crescent’s most recent Head Boy to reflect on the experience. Kyle Chang ’19 says he was grateful to have so much support from the Crescent community when he took on the role.
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“I understood that being Head Boy meant more than making speeches,” he says. “Rather, the job is more focused on the organization and leadership of a team to create positive changes for Crescent School.” As Head Boy, Kyle says he learned to “anticipate the unexpected” and that patience and compromise are important aspects of leadership.
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1980 Eric Friedman
1987 Brian Lang
1993 Brian Mathews
2000 Mike Reid
2007 Blake Parsons
1981 Brit Osler
1987 John Reucassel
1994 Paul Gorrie
2001 Kieran Quinn
2008 George Gleeson
1982 Richard Goldman
1988 Michael Donnely
1995 Michael Gentili
2002 Graham Black
2009 Robbie Mitchnick
1983 Patrick Seward
1989 Jason Knight
1996 Tighe Crombie
2003 DJ Lynde
2010 Jeffrey McFarland
1984 Kenneth Ruffo
1990 Jason Melbourne
1997 Ryan McAskile
2004 Hussein Jaffer
2011 Michael Webb
1985 Scott Barton
1991 Andrew Clark
1998 Ryan Bell
2005 Chris Penner
2012 Graham Rotenberg
1986 Peter Burgess
1992 Joel Hay
1999 Taylor Buckley
2006 John Fountas
2013 Jack Hayward
Kyle’s advice for future Head Boys:
2014 Alex Karayannopoulos 2015 Naveen Gupta 2016 Cooper Midroni 2017 Andrew Youngson 2018 Max Bennett
Set the bar high right away and keep that standard Sometimes the little things make the biggest impact You can’t do everything, so know who you can reach out to for help
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 23
Making the City More Liveable Andrew Sorbara ’93 is pushing for change in Toronto, one laneway at a time By Diane Peters
24 Past & Present / Summer 2019
PHOTOGRAPHER: NATION WONG
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 25
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and Trees Foundation. “I always had a passion for green space and public space,” he says. The organization, which is the official funding partner of the City of Toronto’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation division, needed significant restructuring. He had much to learn about the non-profit sector but was able to get the organization back on track. When he started, he was the only member, and now the foundation has a staff of five. Meanwhile, Sorbara got to know architect Craig Race, who had designed a laneway house for Alex Sharpe, a developer. The three began talking about Toronto’s 2,400 laneways and the potential for infill housing. They founded Lanescape in 2014 to advocate for a bylaw change to enable building more units. They gathered information from various players at city hall and beyond, lobbied for change and wrote a report. Sorbara says they moved slowly and made sure their advocacy work stayed cooperative with all stakeholders. “We knew it was something we had to change very delicately.” In 2018, the City of Toronto passed new bylaws that allow residents to build rentals or so-called nanny suites at the back of their lots. (To avoid complications around providing city services, the law does not allow homeowners to sell these units separately from their houses.)
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01 & 02 Lanescape's offices in downtown Toronto. 03 A prototype for a two-storey laneway house.
RENDERING PROVIDED BY: LANESCAPE
26 Past & Present / Summer 2019
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PHOTOGRAPHER: NATION WONG
ith sky-high home prices and rents, Toronto needs creative solutions to its everworsening housing crisis. Ideally, these new approaches will help the growing city stay livable too. Urban designer Andrew Sorbara ’93 is on it. He pressed for new rules for laneway housing through his startup Lanescape, builds infill housing through the family business, advocates for trees and more. The 44-yearold is just getting started with fresh, sometimes risky, ideas. “I’m interested in things that push the envelope, that are, in one way or another, kind of pioneering.” With numerous projects on the go, Sorbara has found himself working as something of an urban planning social entrepreneur. “I want to push the boundaries. That’s what really drives me.” His projects have an underlying goal of creating social good and a better city. Sorbara came to Crescent in Grade 4. He loved the small classes and engaged teachers. “It was close and intimate, and I really seized upon that to thrive academically. You could really push yourself and excel, and it felt almost limitless.” He appreciated, years later, the strong grounding he got in the basics. He remembers English teacher Bill Pedoe, who taught him writing skills. “When you learn how to write properly, you learn how to think properly. I still carry that with me today.” Studying anthropology at McGill, Sorbara found it easier than his years in Crescent’s Upper School. After his undergraduate degree, he wanted something entirely different and found it in a master's of science in Urban Design and City Planning from the Bartlett School at University College in London. It was the first year that program was open to students with no design or architecture background. Sorbara thinks he got in because of his fourth-year thesis on mental health—those writing skills and his strong foundation in STEM subjects from Crescent helped. After earning his master’s degree and working in London for an urban design consulting company, Sorbara came home to Toronto in 2001, keen to make a difference. He began with the family’s real estate business, the Sorbara Group, and enjoyed leading the creation of a downtown midrise and other urban infill projects. But straightforward success in real estate development wasn’t for him. “Having full-time responsibilities really limited me.” Staying with the company on a projectby-project basis, Sorbara also took the role as chair of the board of the Toronto Parks
04 Andrew Sorbara with Tony Cunha, Lanescape's senior project manager. 05 A prototype for a one-storey laneway house.
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RENDERING PROVIDED BY: LANESCAPE
“I’m interested in things that push the envelope, that are, in one way or another, kind of pioneering.” – Andrew Sorbara ’93
Part of Lanescape’s process was speaking with homeowners keen to build laneway units. Now, with the advocacy work wrapped up, Lanescape has turned to helping these people get started. Sorbara says they have created designs for about a dozen houses so far. “We’re really learning how to design small spaces well.” The company, which does building as well as design, plans to have some laneway houses completed by the end of 2019. But in the meantime, the always curious Sorbara keeps finding new ways to develop meaningful urban spaces. He recently became chair of the board of directors of The Friends of Allan Gardens. This non-profit group plans to rebuild the park’s conservatory and collaborate in new ways with the city and neighbourhood groups. Expect more projects for Sorbara in future – as long as it’s got a great city in its sights, and it’s innovative. “There’s always one or two new things I’m cooking up."
LANEWAY HOUSING: SMALL HOMES WITH BIG IMPACT Laneway houses — also called detached secondary suites, garden suites or coach houses — tick a lot of boxes for cities. They increase the supply of rental housing in established neighbourhoods and let homeowners bring in extra income to pay off their (often hefty) mortgages. They allow extended families to live together. By adding more eyes to the streets, laneway residents help make neighbourhoods safer too. Laneway suites can have a significant impact:
200,000 new rental units for Toronto from laneway housing, as estimated by a 2017 University of Toronto report
2,500
laneway suites have been added in Vancouver since 2009
1,000
laneway suites have gone up in Edmonton since 2006
Other cities that permit secondary suites include Victoria, Calgary, Hamilton and Ottawa
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 27
A Love of Sharks Leads to an Inspiring Legacy The late Rob Stewart ’97 joins Crescent’s Wall of Honour By Diane Peters
PHOTO PROVIDED BY SHARKWATER PRODUCTIONS
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ob Stewart rose to the surface of the water off the Florida Keys around 5 p.m. on January 31, 2017 and gave the OK sign to the nearby boat. He’d been diving with an instructor, who showed signs of distress as he reboarded the boat. While everyone tended to the ill diver, Stewart escaped notice, and slipped back under the water. When he was found three days later at a depth of 220 feet near where he went down, his close- knit family—parents Brian and Sandy and sister Alexandra—told the media they were “absolutely heartbroken” to lose the 37-year-old.
The loss resonates still, worldwide, for fans of this young filmmaker. In 2007, his film Sharkwater had the biggest opening weekend ever for a documentary in Canada, and it won 35 international awards that year. Sharkwater and 2013’s Revolution—which revealed the devastating effects of acidification of the world’s oceans—remain number one and three of Canadian documentaries, respectively, of the last 15 years. Together, these two films have earned more than 110 awards and been viewed by more than 125 million people. At the time of his death, Stewart was about 70% done the filming for his latest project, Sharkwater Extinction. →
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 29
“He was brilliant creatively,” says dad Brian. “He looked at things differently than the way most people did.” Stewart’s so-called action-adventure style of documentary filmmaking has been widely adopted by others. But perhaps more importantly, Stewart’s work had a profound environmental impact. With arresting images and also great storytelling, Stewart convinced viewers that sharks were magnificent creatures pivotal to the world’s food chains, not evil predators. The films and his advocacy work—he founded two environmental groups— motivated many countries to ban shark finning. (In June, Canada banned shark fin imports and exports; a similar bill is underway in the U.S.) One environmental group credits Stewart with
30 Past & Present / Summer 2019
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CRESCENT SCHOOL
1995: Crescent's Marine Biology trip
saving a third of the world’s sharks. Stewart was a Crescent student in Grades 7 to 9 and is a Class of 1997 alumnus. “We felt the education in public school wasn’t enough for him. He developed a love of science and he just wasn’t getting enough,” recalls mom Sandy. By this time, he already had an encyclopedic knowledge of marine life and was doing underwater photography. At Crescent, he excelled at math and science and took up rugby. He chose to return to a public high school—there were girls there—and played for the rugby team that won the Ontario championships. And later, while studying biology at Western University, he referred to math as a “bird course.” “His understanding of math came from Crescent. Their math program was just off the charts,” says Brian.
When Stewart was in Grade 11, he joined a Crescent marine biology trip to Belize. Brian thinks it was this trip where students were asked to bring back marine samples. While others came back with containers of bugs and small fish, Stewart hauled out a manta ray in a green garbage bag. After graduating university, Stewart began a successful career as a nature photographer but soon began making documentary films with environmental messages. His latest documentary revisits the plight of sharks. While Sharkwater focused on shark finning, Sharkwater Extinction explores how sharks are dying because shark meat is cheap and has now found its way into a wide range of products, from frozen fish to cosmetics.
PHOTOGRAPHER: WILL ALLEN
2007: Rob with Dustin Ashley '11 at Crescent screening of Sharkwater
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CRESCENT SCHOOL PHOTOS PROVIDED BY SHARKWATER PRODUCTIONS
Stewart left behind 400 hours of footage and meticulous notes. “It was great that Rob left everything in such fabulous shape,” says Brian. The family took over the organizational side of Stewart’s projects while his filmmaker colleagues edited the documentary. They did some additional shooting as well, but didn’t end up using it.
“He showed that one person can make a difference. It’s the people who are following in his footsteps that are the real legacy of his life.” – Brian Stewart
Sharkwater Extinction premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival to acclaim from critics and fans. Having enjoyed the largest opening weekend of a Canadian documentary that year, it’s now in worldwide release and available through Amazon Prime and Crave TV. Brian, Sandy and the filmmakers are now taking it around the world, visiting over 40 international festivals at last count and collecting numerous awards—28 to date. “He’s given us a new job,” says Sandy, admitting it’s bittersweet to be part of such a success but to not have Rob around. The family recently launched the Rob Stewart Sharkwater Foundation to support more conservation work. The Stewarts have been on hand to collect other accolades for their son too.
In 2017, the Canadian Screen Awards announced its award for Science or Nature Documentary Program would be renamed the Rob Stewart Award. And in May, Crescent named him to its Wall of Honour, which celebrates extraordinary alumni who exemplify the qualities of outstanding leadership, courage, innovation, community service and generosity. While Stewart is gone, others are finishing his projects or pursuing new things inspired by his ideas and artistry. “He showed that one person can make a difference,” says Brian. “It’s the people who are following in his footsteps that are the real legacy of his life.”
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 31
Expert Advice Here are five ways to keep yourself sun-safe this summer and looking your best for years to come:
1
Sunscreen. You know you should use it, but what do the numbers mean? SPF (Sun Protection Factor) measures sunscreen strength compared to unprotected skin. SPF 30 blocks 97% of harmful UV rays and is sufficient for most people. To be effective, you must reapply sunscreen every two hours (more frequently if swimming/sweating).
2
Don’t Forget Your Lips. Lips are skin and they can burn. In fact, the lips/nose/ ears are our most exposed (and therefore most commonly burned) facial features. Using SPF 15+ lip balm will protect your lips from UV damage.
Staying safe in the summer sun By Ryan Austin ’04 Ryan Austin is a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at The Plastic Surgery Clinic in Mississauga, ON. He is the Director of the Hand Surgery Fellowship at the University of Toronto and serves as a Next-Generation Editor for the Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
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32 Past & Present / Summer 2019
4
Avoid the Midday Sun. The sun is at peak strength from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you can’t (or won’t) avoid going out during these hours, it is critical to use all of your other protective measures (i.e. sunscreen, clothing, hat, sunglasses).
NEVER Use a Tanning Bed. UV rays from tanning beds are 15 times stronger than sunlight. Even a single tanning session increases your risk of skin cancer up to 70%.
5 ILLUSTRATOR: KARA PYLE
ow that summer is here, it’s tempting to spend as much time as possible outdoors, soaking up the sun on golf courses, docks and patios. But beware – danger lurks just below (actually… on) the surface. As a Plastic Surgeon, one of the most common conditions I treat is sun-induced skin cancer. Sadly, I’m no longer surprised when patients in their 30s and 40s come to my office for skin cancer removal. Those patients are destined for a life of doctors’ visits and surgical scars, but it can also be much more serious. Malignant melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, is diagnosed in 7,300 Canadians every year and kills over 1,200 Canadians (many of them otherwise healthy). If that doesn’t persuade you to take sun safety seriously, consider that UV exposure is the main cause of photoaging (a.k.a. sun damage). All those wrinkles, discolourations and skin laxity I treat in my patients every day are the direct result of increased sun exposure.
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Dress for Success. Harmful UV rays penetrate clothing, damaging areas we think are protected. The average cotton shirt has a UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) of 7–10, but studies only consider clothing to be “sun protective” if it is UPF 30+. Choose sun-protective clothing and remember that darker colours and thicker fabrics offer more protection.
Expert Advice
Lessons learned from a lifetime in golf By Scott Cowan ’89 Scott Cowan’s career has always focused on his passion for golf. He founded Cowan Golf, which provides luxury event and travel planning and execution to corporations and private clients. He is also Assistant Executive Director of Golf Operations at The Wynn Las Vegas.
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olf and Life have many parallels. Many of the lessons we learn on the course can be applied to life at home and work. I’m fortunate to have had golf in my life since I was a small boy, and luckier still to have the privilege of serving others in a game I love as my career. Here are a few impactful lessons I’ve learned along the way that I hope will help you on and off the course.
Be present. PGA Tour veteran Mike Reid once told me the story about how he lost the Masters Tournament in 1989. Leading by four shots with only with four holes to play, Mike said he starting thinking about how proud his dad would be to see him slip on the famous Green Jacket which goes to the winner. With that thought on his mind, he proceeded to hit his next shot in the water and his dream of winning vanished to the bottom of Rae’s Creek. When life comes at me at 1,000 miles an hour and my thoughts are overwhelming me, I remind myself to be present – to be where my feet are – to help me stay focused on my next shot, the next task, or on the important person in front of me.
Prepare for stressful situations.
ILLUSTRATOR: KARA PYLE
Routine, practice, preparation and strategy are vital for success. When the stress arrives in life or golf, it’s the preparation and practice that will get you through. Begin your game, test, work or any kind of childcare with a plan of attack and practice how you will respond to what may happen!
“ We don't rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training.” —Archilochus
Manage your expectations. Lofty goals are admirable, but your expectations in golf and life should be realistic to allow you to fully enjoy the activity and move your accomplishments forward. As I get older, I’ve become comfortable with setting new expectations for my game. It doesn’t make me any less competitive, or less disappointed with really bad shots, but I’m more appreciative of the good shots and changed the trajectory of improvement. This re-evaluation of my ability is a tool I use with staff evaluation and has helped me at home as a father.
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 33
Social Life
Together Again It’s always a good time when Crescent brothers get together. For more photos and upcoming event listings, go to crescentalumni.org.
London, UK There are a lot of alumni living “across the pond” and it was fun to catch up with them at the event in London on January 18.
Breakfast with the Mayor Crescent alumni in Toronto came out bright and early to hear Mayor John Tory P’99, ’06 share his thoughts about “Building Up Our City” at the Alumni Breakfast on May 8. Thank you to George Tory ’06 for hosting the event at Gardiner Roberts LLP.
New York City
Montreal It was great to see so many alumni at the Montreal event on February 27.
There were a lot of familiar faces at the reception for alumni in New York City on April 25 – including Headmaster Michael Fellin P’24 and faculty member Greg Michalski.
Kingston and London Alumni studying at Western University reconnected on January 31. The alumni at Queen’s University had to wait until March 6 after their event was postponed due to exceptionally terrible weather. 34 Past & Present / Summer 2019
Social Life
Alumni Reunion Crescent’s biggest alumni reunion yet took place on May 11. The Class of 1994 celebrated their 25th anniversary, and the Class of 1989 marked their 30th anniversary by presenting a cheque for $153,000 to establish The Alberto del Rosal and Rob Druzeta Class of ’89 Fund.
Friday Night Lights Chilly weather didn’t daunt the fans who came out to cheer for Crescent’s Junior and Senior Rugby teams when they took on Trinity College School at the Friday Night Lights game on May 10. Although the Juniors lost their game, the night ended on a high note with the Senior squad’s 36-24 victory.
California The February events in Los Angeles, Mountain View and San Francisco were a great opportunity to catch up with alumni pursuing tech careers. Thanks to our hosts Ben Sokolowski ’02, David Coleman ’02 and Andre Charoo ’99.
Dentonia Luncheon Our esteemed alumni who attended Crescent when it was located at Dentonia Park (1938-1975) were reunited once again on May 10. back row (l-r) Cameron Anspach ’61, David Varley ’63, Bruce Boyle ’61, Marc Joliat ’52, P’94, GP’24 ’26, David Young ’64, John Cernik ’54, Gordon Pritchard ’53, Hugh Thom ’58, P’92, ’95, Douglas Kennedy ’57, Brian Smith ’56, Dick Howard (former teacher), Bruce Burgess ’57, John Porter ’54, Allan Wilson ’53 front row (l-r) George Gardiner ’64, Fred May ’53, Fraser Mckee ’37, Tom Symons ’39, Bob Tweedle ’55, Martin Devonport ’68, Fred Gaby ’75
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 35
Life After Crescent
Milestones and Celebrations Have family or career news to share? Send your Life After Crescent updates to alumni@crescentschool.org.
1980s Rob Coleman '83 (second from right) caught up with Crescent faculty who attended a conference in Australia in November 2018. Rob is the Head of Animation at Animal Logic, based in Sydney.
Donald Wright ’84 completed a 42km ski marathon in Charlo, New Brunswick last winter. Hoping to capture his lost youth, he wore his Crescent cross-country ski team racing jacket. It didn’t help, but he had fun!
1990s Geoff Pollock ’91 was elected as a Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario in May. Benchers are members of the Board of Directors of the Law Society. Geoff was elected fourth out of 74 Toronto candidates. Jason Sordi ’95 was promoted to Vice President at RBC Wealth Management – Private Banking in March 2019. (See more about Jason on page 7.) Michael Deluce ’96, P’26 was promoted to President and CEO of Porter Airlines in April 2019.
Andrew Rathbun ’88 was nominated for a 2019 Juno Award in the “Jazz Album of the Year: Group” category for his album Atwood Suites.
Jamie Campbell ’97 has opened a daycare in Toronto called Two Short Storeys (twoshortstoreys.ca), aiming to provide the kind of daycare that he wished was available when his children were younger. Jamie and his wife Susan have two daughters, Piper (age 5) and Reese (age 3).
Basil Demeroutis ’87 and his wife Natasha welcomed twin girls on January 18, 2019. Georgina Marina (Georgie) and Matilda Leone (Tilly) are doing well and loving the attention from their big brother Alexander. Basil and his family live in the U.K.
36 Past & Present / Summer 2019
Gerald Chan ’99 was nominated as one of Canadian Lawyer magazine’s Top 25 Most Influential lawyers in the “Human Rights, Advocacy and Criminal” category. (Winners will be announced in August.) Gerald is a Partner at Stockwoods LLP in Toronto.
Life After Crescent
James Blake ’97 and his wife Alexandra Grand welcomed John (Jack) Richard William Blake on June 11, 2018.
Andrew Por ’96 and his wife Kyla welcomed twin girls, Hannah and Rachel, on January 4, 2019. Big sister Livia is enjoying her new role with her baby sisters. They live in Brooklyn.
Ryan Bell ’98 and his wife Catherine welcomed their first child, Madeleine Joanie, on December 15, 2018. Ryan is now the Head of Middle School at Crescent and previously was the Assistant Head of the Lower School.
Thomas Vandewater ’97 and his wife Janice welcomed their daughter, Avery, on March 19, 2019. She joins her older siblings Harry and Larkin.
Todd Hurst ’99 has worked as a teacher in Canada, South America and Asia. He met his wife Laura (a Canadian teacher) while working in South Korea. Their son Miles, who is in Grade 3, was born on Vancouver Island, and their daughter Ella, who is in Grade 1, was born in Thailand. Since August 2018, Todd has been a Grade 4 teacher at the Western International School of Shanghai. Todd and his family are making Shanghai home for the foreseeable future.
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 37
Life After Crescent
2000s Jeremy Lewis-Phillips ’01 recently moved to London, England after living in Brighton, England since 2001. Having sold his interests in his wooden toy business and organic kids clothing company, he is now doing forex and arbitrage trading as well as other entrepreneurial work in the U.K. and Europe. Andrew Boozary ’03 joined Toronto’s University Health Network as its new Executive Director of Health and Social Policy in January 2019. D.J. Lynde ’03 and his wife Jenna welcomed their second son, George, on November 20, 2018. Big brother Jack is excited to have a little brother.
Jacob Barnes ’05 joined the Toronto marketing agency Republic Story as the new Director of Client Success in April 2019. Peter Polydor ’05 is the founder of EurekaFEST, one of Southern California’s largest annual technology entrepreneurship events. He is also the President of Ergo Holding and the founder of Eureka Building and Eureka Hub. Eric Khoury ’06 and his wife Tara welcomed their son, Graydon, on November 20, 2018. Josh Graham ’07 and his wife Lauren own a small business called Graham Wellness in Toronto that provides home personal training, nutrition, life coaching and energy healing. They have also published
the Loving Partner Journal, a tool couples can use to strengthen their relationships. Dan Moor ’08 has returned from the U.K. to join the Toronto Arrows R.F.C., a rugby union club that plays in Major League Rugby. Brook Parsons ’08 recently started a new role as a professional fundraiser at SickKids Foundation. Maxwell Stiss ’08 moved to Miami from New York City to start a new role in April 2019 as the Project Architect, Information Technology for the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium.
2010s Marko Popovic ’12 was recently accepted to study ophthalmology at the University of Toronto. He is excited to be a future eye surgeon and thanks everyone at Crescent for providing him with the foundation to succeed. Ryan Newman ’15 worked at Google as a Software Engineer Intern last winter. This was his second Google internship as he completes his Bachelor of Computer Science,
Software Engineering option with a minor in Combinatorics at the University of Waterloo. John Conlin ’15 co-wrote and released his first single, “Radio Silence”, in April 2019. It’s available on Spotify, iTunes and Apple Music. Cooper Midroni ’16 started an internship in Singapore this May at a quantum computing startup called Entropica Labs. He is returning to Queen’s University in the fall to continue his undergrad.
Matt Wolfe ’08 recently joined his family’s real estate business after a successful five years at Chubb Insurance. He is working on the Portland Commons, a commercial development in downtown Toronto. Matt is also captain of the Toronto Scottish 1st XV rugby team. Marc Fielding ’09 has co-founded Halp (Halp.ca), which connects high school students with active post-secondary students to help answer their questions and make the transition to post-secondary life easier. Philip Lloyd ’09 has a new role as Communications Specialist at Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation.
Andrew Chung ’04 and Irene Kuan were married at the Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto on August 19, 2018.
38 Past & Present / Summer 2019
Will Higgs '15 (right) and Ryley Henderson '15 (left) had the chance to visit with Crescent University Counsellor Kathy Porteous at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in February 2019.
Life After Crescent
Jackson Bere ’18 plays for the Western University Mustangs Men’s Volleyball team, team and was named the 2018/2019 OUA West Division Rookie of the Year.
News from Crescent’s Alumni Relations Department Kathryn Foster and her husband Kent Foster welcomed their first baby, Nolan William Rutherford, on May 12, 2019. Kathryn is taking a year of maternity leave from her work as Crescent’s Associate Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations.
Stay Connected Join the Crescent Alumni Network Site. Go to crescentalumni.org to find mentoring opportunities, internship positions, reunions and networking events, news from your former classmates and ways to get involved at Crescent. Find alumni news on our social media: CrescentSchoolAlumni @CrescentAlums @crescent_alumni Crescent School Alumni Group Have questions? Contact alumni@crescentschool.org
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 39
Catching Up With...
Pat Mills: reflecting on a 30-year Crescent career Alumnus and faculty member Charlie Mills ’99 sat down with his dad, former Head of Middle School Pat Mills, to talk about Crescent memories. CM: How did the Crescent story begin for you? PM: I started at Crescent School in 1973. I was hired by Chris Gordon and he gave me $7,500 which I thought was a fortune. I left in 2004. CM: So that’s 30-plus years. PM: Well, 30 years, because actually after two years I went to France. I had a year in France, and then Chris Gordon sent me a contract in the mail when I was flat broke. CM: What were the early years like at Crescent? PM: Crescent was full of characters. We were a small school with lots of enthusiasm, lots of passion, lots of compassion and huge energy. The faculty included a black belt judoka, national team cricketers and soccer players, and professional jazz and concert musicians. Everybody helped everybody out. If the stage needed painting, the staff spent that night looking after it. We wanted to win, we were the little school that felt that we could, and we were very confident in ourselves, in each other. CM: Was there anything in particular that caused that? PM: One of the key ingredients was the leadership of Chris Gordon, who believed that if you took your time and hired well, then you had the right person to be part of a team. His philosophy was once you were in, you would grow with the school. And he looked after you, so that everybody wanted to stay. There were people who stayed for 40 years plus. And they always, in my experience, felt truly enthused to be there.
CM: Over 30 years, things change a lot. What were some memorable changes at Crescent? PM: At the beginning, we were a little school that had a lot of heart but we didn’t have a lot of facilities. Over the 30 years that I was there, we had wonderful additions to the facilities – art studios, computer labs, robotics, gymnasiums, field house, Astroturf, night lights, science labs, library, theatre. There’s a greater focus on the all-round student since these facilities were put in. It’s very cool now to be an artist, to act, to be a musician, to be in the choir. That wasn’t always true. I think that’s a really positive change. But there has always been a commitment to vision. The Board of Governors are always looking to the future. CM: What were the stages of your career at Crescent? PM: I started as a teacher in the Lower School, then moved to Assistant Head of the Lower School under Bill Burridge. I became Head of the Lower School. There was a restructuring and I was asked to be Head of the Middle School. In my last three years at Crescent, I was the Director of Alumni Relations, which was great fun. I thank John Tansey and Geoff Roberts for leading me to those new opportunities. CM: You’re a faculty alumnus now and you’ve gone to many alumni events. What is the importance of alumni? PM: Besides the incredible friendships, the alumni are committed not only to helping each other and having fun with each other, but they’re committed to giving back to the school and giving back to the community. The alumni continues to get stronger and they’re an integral part of Crescent.
Charlie Mills ’99 has been teaching in Crescent’s Middle School since Fall 2014.
40 Past & Present / Summer 2019
By Charlie Mills ’99
CM: What does the term “Crescent family” mean to you? PM: The Crescent family is everything. It meant so much to me. The most important part of the school always were the students, and everything that was done was to help students develop. I think a good family does that and a good family has compassion and a sense of humour. The people I knew at Crescent were fun. They got the job done but there was a great sense of humour along with great heart. CM: What did Crescent teach you? PM: I learned that relationships are the most important part of Crescent. Some people that I taught when they were 12 years old, I’ve now attended their 50th birthday parties. I keep in touch, I consider them great friends.
PHOTOGRAPHER: SCOTT MACDONALD
Crescent School 2365 Bayview Avenue Toronto, Ontario M2L 1A2
