SEPTEMBER 2016
Into our Second Century:
Charting a Course for Elmwood’s Future WHAT A YEAR IT WAS!
EDUCATING THE WHOLE GIRL
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Page 24
2015 – 2016 PHILANTHROPY REPORT Page 38
The Elmwood Fund Putting Girls First
For over 100 years, girls in green have walked through the doors oF this school and were inspired to learn. This is where they have learned to write, to add and subtract, to sing, dance and act, to shoot a foul shot and serve an ace. This is where they have learned to formulate an argument, develop a hypothesis and come to a conclusion. They’ve learned about friendship, about respect and about good citizenship. Inside these walls, they’ve learned how to learn, how to be heard, and how to feel good about themselves. None of this is possible without the community that surrounds and supports this special place. The community that has made these girls their first priority; that invested and believed in them. The community that ensures our girls continue to enjoy an unrivalled educational experience here at Elmwood. Follow in the footsteps of those who have demonstrated their belief in Elmwood, its mission and the promise of every Elmwood girl with a gift to the Elmwood Fund.
you may make your gift using the enclosed envelope or online at elmwood.ca.
This year, the Annual Campaign becomes The Elmwood Fund.
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WHAT A YEAR IT WAS!
INTO OUR SECOND CENTURY
EDUCATING THE WHOLE GIRL
Finding a fitting way to celebrate 100 years of history, tradition, inspiration and sisterhood is no easy task.
Reviewing Elmwood’s curriculum and charting a course for the future.
It takes more than lessons, classes, books and exams to grow a balanced, successful woman.
By Cheryl Boughton
By Teresa Stirling
By Chloe Girvan
14 Message from the Headmistress... 2
What a Year it Was!............................ 18
News and Notes..................................... 4
Into our Second Century................ 20
Another Year for the Record Books!...................................... 10
Educating the Whole Girl............... 24
Closing Ceremonies........................... 12 Graduate Success............................... 14
editor:
Teresa Stirling, Director of Communications photographers:
Alex Brault Dwayne Brown Lindsay Germano Chris Snow Chandra Wiegand design:
Ryan Mesheau
contributors:
Kate Angell Elise Aylen Tod Bain Cheryl Boughton Toosje Delaney ’00 Meagan Enticknap Lindsay Germano Chloe Girvan Jennifer Irwin-Jackson Brian McCullough Kimberley Senf Jen Walsh
Alumni Spotlight: Elizabeth (Raymont) Heatherington ’63.......32 Alumni Spotlight: Victoria Kellett ’95 ............................ 34
The Path to Leadership ...................28
Alumni News and Events............... 36
An Inspiring Girl: Cynthia Sedlezky ‘17 ........................ 30
Our Generous Donors ......................38 Class Notes............................................ 42
The Elmwood Emblem is published twice a year for the entire Elmwood community by Elmwood’s Communications Department
above:
elmwood school
Grade 12 student Emily Bangsboll ’17 and Kindergarten student Catherine Delaney ’29. Photo by Chris Snow
261 Buena Vista Rd. Ottawa ON K1M 0V9 Phone: (613) 749-6761 Email: info@elmwood.ca www.elmwood.ca
Elmwood’s Class of 2016 celebrate their graduation. Photo by Lindsay Germano
on the cover:
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MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMISTRESS Cheryl Boughton, Headmistress
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ust over a year ago, as I was preparing for the first day of our Centennial year, I was full of anticipation. Would it be a memorable celebration? Would it fill our community with spirit? Would anyone show up? And would I ever sleep again? I’m thrilled to be able to answer yes to all of those questions! From welcoming the Mayor to our opening assembly, listening in on a riveting conversation between literary giant Margaret Atwood and Elmwood’s own Catherine Clark ’95 at the stunning Canadian Museum of History, and learning to hula dance at the Centennial Finale, it was an incredible year! There were so many moments, big and small, that I will remember for years to come. It was also so wonderful to see so many of our alumni, alumni parents and former staff and faculty reconnect with the School throughout the year. The Elmwood spirit is alive and well, and I am so proud of what we have done together. I am also so incredibly proud of our Centennial graduates. As you’ll see in this issue, they had some truly impressive results, and are setting off to prestigious schools both near and far this fall. They are exemplars of our School motto: Summa Summarum – highest of the high! We wish them all the best as they take the next step in their educational journeys, and hope they will keep in touch. Now, with the Centennial celebrations in our rear-view mirror, we turn our attention to Elmwood’s second century. As we begin Elmwood’s 101st year, I, for one, am excited about where we are headed.
As you will remember, we launched the 2015 – 2020 Strategic Plan about 18 months ago. This year, we will continue to work on the five key objectives we outlined in that plan. One initiative I am particularly excited about is the Curriculum Review. We started the first phase of the project last year and, starting on page 20, we share details of this ongoing work. Our staff and faculty have been immersed in generative conversations to ensure that we are anticipating, innovating and leading, while remaining true to the foundational cornerstones that continue to guide our School. Another of our strategic priorities is fostering the development of well-rounded girls. We know that in order to develop confident, engaged and healthy girls, there has to be balance. “Educating the Whole Girl” on page 24 takes a closer look at what that means at Elmwood. That is just a small sampling of what we have in store for this year. I look forward to taking this next step in Elmwood’s history with all of you.
1 Headmistress Cheryl Boughton with Elmwood parent Mark Sutcliffe and Catherine Clark ’95. 2 Centennial Committee Co-Chair Nancy Greenley with Headmistress Cheryl Boughton at the Centennial Finale. 3 Adora Turland ’23 and her classmates were inspired by our Centennial daffodils. 4 Rowan Parkinson ’25, Mia Bettolli-Remonda ’26, Simone Gulati ’26 and Imara Bhulji ’25 participate in the Kangaroo Math Club. 5 Headmistress Cheryl Boughton presents Hannah Dolhai ’16 with her Elmwood Diploma. 2
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1 The Destination Imagination Club was made up of six creative Grade 3 students: Hannah Vermeij ’25, Marta Morgan ’25, Lydia Hagadorn ’25, Avery Brambell ’25, Emma Beaudoin ’25 and Imara Bhulji ’25. 2 Head of Keller, Emily Wright ’16, Head of Wilson, Sreenija Koya ’16, Mr. Robertson and Community Prefect, Megan Sweeney ’16, having a blast at the Wilson House Fiesta! 3 Elmwood’s Class of 2016 celebrating their last 100 nights at Elmwood. 4 Students help build hospital accommodations for doctors and nurses in Ecuador. 5 Grade 10 and 11 students in Amsterdam as part of the Canadian History March Break trip. 6 Concours oratoire winners Ella Iles ’21 (Gr. 7 Extended French), Leya Ghantous ’22 (Gr. 6 Extended French) and Bronte Assadzadeh ’18 (Gr. 10 Core French). 7 Empowering the Next Generation Panel: Victoria Lennox, Co-Founder & CEO of Startup Canada, Catherine Clark ’95, Catherine Clark Communications, Karen McGregor, Education Cloud Lead, Microsoft Canada and Marissa McTasney, Founder and CEO of Moxie Trades with Cheryl Boughton, Elmwood’s Headmistress
By Lindsay Germano, Communications Coordinator
NEWS AND NOTES Destination Imagination On Saturday, March 5th, Elmwood’s Destination Imagination Club, made up of six creative Grade 3 students, competed in the DI Eastern Ontario Tournament. We are proud to announce that they received first place in the Elementary Improv Challenge! Congratulations to Emma Beaudoin ’25, Avery Brambell ’25, Hannah Vermeij ’25, Imara Bhulji ’25, Marta Morgan ’25 and Lydia Hagadorn ’25. Empowering Women As part of our International Women’s Day celebrations on March 8th, Elmwood hosted Startup Canada, who had partnered with Microsoft Canada and Moxie Trades to empower women across Canada. As part of their #FindOneBeOne campaign, which encourages women to find a mentor and be a mentor, we had a “Empowering the Next Generation Panel” join us to speak with our Grade 7 – 12 girls, along with members of the Elmwood Community. Four dynamic women participated in the panel discussion: Catherine Clark ’95, Catherine Clark Communications, Victoria Lennox, Co-Founder and CEO of Startup Canada, Karen McGregor, Education Cloud Lead, Microsoft Canada and Marissa McTasney, Founder and CEO of Moxie Trades. Following the panel discussion some of our students had the opportunity to meet and chat with these fantastic women. It was an incredibly inspiring morning. 100 Years. 100 Nights. On the evening of March 8th, the Class of 2016 enjoyed a special evening to celebrate their last 100 nights as Elmwood students before graduating. We were thrilled to have several alumna join us as well, including: Christine Blackadar ’88, Stephanie Chin ’00, Ali Duret ’04, Shilpa Goel ’09, Danika Leminski ’09, Christiane
McGovern ’07, Marielle McGovern ’05, Joanna Rozanski ’03, Megan Russell ’15, Emily Stephens ’15, Lillian Wallace ’07, and Rachel Witherspoon ’08. The evening included a wonderful dinner and inspirational words from their teacher Mr. Sambles, a lovely speech about being an Alum from Shilpa Goel ’09 and a pep-talk from Head Girl, Brooke Mierins ’16. It was a memorable evening filled with fun trivia games, a prop-filled photo booth and lots of laughs! Building a Better World At the end of February a group of twelve students (in Grades 6 – 9) spent a total of 10 days in Ecuador on a ME to WE community service trip. They spent the majority of their time building hospital accommodations for doctors and nurses servicing the local community. The girls also visited the local school and spent two mornings playing soccer and organized games with the children. They assisted local farmers with chores and learned how to create the products the women’s co-op group make and sell to help support their families. Travelling Back in Time A group of Grade 10 and 11 students had the opportunity to participate in a Canadian history trip to Europe over March Break. They visited sites historically important during WWI and WWII in Germany, the Netherlands, France and England, including Sachenhausen Concentration Camp, Vimy Ridge, Anne Frank House, Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, Juno Beach and the Churchill War Rooms. They were also able to visit cities such as Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, Bruges and London. It was a great opportunity for their history textbook to come alive and to see the places that they have learned about in their classes.
Concours Oratoire As part of Semaine de la Francophonie students took part in a French-speaking contest (concours oratoire). All of the speakers did an absolutely fantastic job. The speeches were well written and wonderfully presented. Congratulations to the winners: Leya Ghantous ’22 (Gr. 6 Extended French), Ella Iles ’21 (Gr. 7 Extended French) and Bronte Assadzadeh ’18 (Gr. 10 Core French). Fiesta! On Wednesday, April 6th, Wilson House hosted its annual fundraiser in support of the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa. Since 1923, the Boys and Girls Club has provided after-school, weekend, and summer programs where children and youth can experience new opportunities and build positive relationships. Each year, they reach out to over 4,500 children in the Ottawa community, offering a safe and supportive place. The Wilson Fiesta took place in Elmwood’s Gymnasium and the evening was filled with fun games, awesome raffle prizes (including Carrie Underwood and Justin Bieber tickets) and scrumptious Mexican-themed food. Congratulations to Head of Wilson House, Sreenija Koya ’16 for organizing such a fun event! Are your lilacs safe? Twelve Grade 7 and three senior students showcased their science fair projects at the Ottawa Regional Science Fair at Carleton University in April. The girls presented their work to judges, parents and students with confidence and enthusiasm, and a number of them were awarded for their outstanding projects! Marika Kors ’21 received Honourable Mention and the Ottawa Horticultural Society Award for her project titled “Are your lilacs safe?” Inspired by a paper in an entomology journal, Marika conducted an E L M WO O D.C A
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NEWS AND NOTES investigation on whether Emerald Ash Borers are starting to attack trees in the same family. Maizie Solomon ’21 and Tara HansonWright ’21 received the Ottawa Field Naturalists’ Club Award for their unique investigation on decomposition titled “Nature’s Gold Mine!” Grace Charness ’21 and Emma Khatchadourian ’21 received Honourable Mention for their project titled “Stomping on the World,” a data analysis project on national ecological footprints. Congratulations to all of the participants and to Mr. Robertson for all his hard work with the girls. Celebration of Learning Parents were invited to the school on April 28th for Elmwood’s Celebration of Learning. This whole school event encompasses the Grade 5 Exhibition, the Grade 10 Middle Years Personal Project and Student Led Conferences for both Junior and Middle School. In addition, students led tours of the “Bright Spots” in the Middle and Senior School including the FabLab, Artists in Action, Drama, Music, French and The World of Science. This event is a wonderful opportunity for parents to celebrate their daughter’s learning and to experience the range of exciting learning spaces and experts we have at Elmwood. Technovation Elmwood students took part in a 12-week program called Technovation, which is designed to attract girls to potential careers in technology. This year it attracted 100 students who were part of 22 teams from 13 schools across Ottawa. Congratulations to Elmwood’s team, Victoria Radburn ’17, Qinchen Wang ’17 and Yizhou Peng ’17, who placed second in the competition with their rental platform app that allows users to “try before you buy.” Who let the dogs out? On Wednesday, May 4th, Keller House hosted its annual fundraiser in support of Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind. The Keller Cookout was held on the Elmwood field and the evening was filled with fun games for girls and their dogs, raffles, and delicious barbeque food. Well done to Keller House Prefect, Emily Wright ’16, for her superb organization of the Keller Cookout. It was an excellent event enjoyed by all—those with two legs and four! Classics Conference 2016 The Ontario Student Classics Conference is the only one of its kind in Canada. It is a multi-day event, bringing together up to 20 Ontario high schools that teach Latin to compete in dozens of events related to the ancient Roman and Greek world. The high schools that participate are both public and private, single-gender and co-educational. 6
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Elmwood has been participating in this conference since the 1980s, so this was our fourth decade of participation. Our team this year was composed of five students, Grades 9 – 11, who represented Elmwood exceptionally well. We are incredibly proud of this group of young women: they showed what commitment, hard work, and diligence can achieve! They earned 23 ribbons and six trophies, including the award for the top per-capita score, across all events. They also earned the award for the top per-capita scores in Creative Competitions, and the trophy for the total points in Creative Competitions. In addition, our team had three students recognized in the top Creative Student category, and the trophy for this was brought home to Elmwood! Our students worked with incredible commitment across the whole school year, and they achieved results which rivalled teams nine times our size! Congratulations to Elmwood’s Classics Conference Team, Alaa Ba-Rasheed ’19, Elizabeth Coulter ’18, Devon Keough ’18, Pooja Moorti ’17 and Jaida Wilson ’19 for their incredible achievements. A special thank you to Ms. Ellison for all of her hard work and dedication to the Classics Club. All for a good cause Grade 10 students participated in the Youth Philanthropy Initiative project on May 16th. Four groups, representing not-for-profit charities, presented to an audience why their charity should receive the $5000 grant. The four groups were: •H eart and Stroke Foundation represented by Rima Al-Adwani ’18, Bronte Assadzadeh ’18, Katherine Keough ’18 and Fiona Wang ’18. •M atthew House represented by Shannon Howarth ’18, Sonia Meletios ’18, Elizabeth Milne ’18, Tory Woodhead ’18, Helen Zhao ’18. •S pecial Olympics represented by Sharon Chen ’18, Leane Gaussorgues ’18, Sarah Murray ’18. •O peration Come Home represented by Diya Dadlani ’18, Carine Ladki ’18, Rebecca Walker ’18, Caelyn Want ’18. Megan Sweeney ’16 was an excellent Master of Ceremonies and our judges, Mr. Whitehouse, Mrs. Naufal-Moffatt, Sophie Barker ’17, Sydney Greenley ’17 and Maya Mainland-Gratton ’17 had the difficult task of selecting the winning charity. The winning charity that received $5000 was Matthew House Ottawa. Behind-the-scenes at Parliament Hill James and Sarah Baxter and the team at iPolitics offered a very special year-end, behindthe-scenes visit to Parliament Hill as a live auction item at the recent Gala. After their
winning bid, the Carruthers Family invited the entire Grade 6 class to come along for this exciting experience. The visit featured an insider’s tour and lunch in the exclusive Parliamentary Dining Room, joined by two Catherines—Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Catherine Cano, awardwinning journalist and President and General Manager of CPAC. It was a memorable and inspiring field trip for our Elmwood girls! Behind-the-scenes at the Supreme Court of Canada The Grade 5 class had the amazing opportunity to visit the Supreme Court of Canada in May, where they had a tour of the building and participated in a mock trial in the Federal Court of Appeals. Afterwards, the girls got to meet Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Abella, who shared her passion for her job and encouraged the girls to follow their dreams, wherever they may take them. Justice Abella had just become the first Canadian woman awarded an honorary degree by Yale University in its 315-year history. Cheers for Volunteers On the afternoon of May 27th we celebrated the incredible volunteers who helped make our Centennial year so fantastic. Dedicated parents, alumnae and friends of Elmwood gathered in the auditorium for a delicious luncheon prepared by the Elmwood Bistro to celebrate the end of a wonderful year. A special thank you to Gayle McLelland who effortlessly led our team of volunteers as Chair of Elmwood’s Parent Association. Marvellous Mathematicians Grade 3 student Rowan Parkinson ’25 scored 29 out of 30 in Mathematica Centrum Thales Competition, placing her on the National Honour Roll. She was tied for sixth overall, and was the top scorer in Ottawa. In addition, Grade 6 students, Jocelyn Emmerson ’22 and Avery Parkinson ’22, were both named to the National Honour Roll of the Pythagoras Competition. With an overall ranking of 109th, Elmwood also made the Pythagoras National Honour Roll. Elm63 Art Show On June 7th our Grade 11 and 12 art students welcomed the community to the vernissage for their senior art show. The show ran until June 12th at Star Motors. Congratulations to our talented artists and their inspiring teacher, Mrs. Chun. And thank you to Jeff Mierins of Star Motors for hosting the show! Deep Learning With the completion of our Elmwood Curriculum and International Baccalaureate examinations came another exciting opportunity for our students to engage in an enriching educational experience—better
1 Emma Khatchadourian ’21 and Grace Charness ’21 at the Regional Science Fair. 2 Grade 5 student, Frida Pohl ’23, presents her project at the Celebration of Learning. 3 Head of Keller, Emily Wright ’16 and Elise Lehman ’16 at the Keller Cookout. 4 Grade 10 Youth Philanthropy Initiative participants. 5 Grade 6 students get a special behind-the-scenes tour of Parliament Hill. 6 Our Grade 5 class had the amazing opportunity to visit the Supreme Court of Canada. 7 Parent volunteers, Jan Kennedy and Nancy Greenley celebrate the end of year at our Cheers for Volunteers event.
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NEWS AND NOTES known as Deep Learning. Deep Learning was a chance for students to dive into and explore a topic of their choice related to an Innovation theme. One of the highlights of the week was a bridge-building workshop. Students were given five large sheets of cardboard, a roll of duct tape and box cutters with the intention of trying to build a bridge for the team to walk across. The bridges were built in the span of three hours. Students had to use ingenuity and creative ideas to help get their groups across. Students also took part in many exciting learning opportunities outside of the classroom, including a Telesat tour, natural history tour (at various locations around Ottawa and Gatineau Park), a dance clinic, a trip to Montreal and more! Celebrating our Athletes After a very successful year of sport at Elmwood, athletes, their families and their coaches were excited to get together to celebrate at our Annual Sports Banquet. Organized by Sports Captain Safa Siddiqui ’16 and Senior School Athletic Director, Mr. Sambles, the evening was an opportunity to celebrate the incredible athletes we have here at Elmwood. In addition to team most valuable, sportsmanlike and improved players, a number of athletes were recognized with special awards. The winners were: •H elen Hume ’17 – Elite Athlete Award •K atherine Keough ’18 – Physical-Education Gold Medal •H annah Charness ’18 – Dunlop Intermediate Sports Cup •E mily Bangsboll ’17 – Wilson Senior Sports Cup •E mma Young ’18 – Neale Intermediate Sports Cup •E mily Hartvich ’17 – Maynard Sportsmanship Award •S ophie Barnes ’16 – Great Yoi Honour Athletic Award •L aura Morrison ’16 – Great Yoi Honour Athletic Award •D ania Rida ’16 – Great Yoi Honour Athletic Award •S afa Siddiqui ’16 – Great Yoi Honour Athletic Award At the Middle School Athletics assembly, the following athletes were celebrated for their achievements: •Z oe Lang ’22 and Jane Covington ’22 – Grade 6 Athletic Award •G race Charness ’21 – Jody Maclaren Cup, Grade 7 Award •M ackenzie Johnson ’20 – Fauquier Junior Cup, Grade 8 Award •P hoenix Plessas-Azurduy ’20 and Arielle Farinha ’20 – Crowdy Weir Bantam Award, Grade 8 Award • I sabelle Barker ’20 – Grade 8 Honour Athletic Award •A ndrea Douglas ’20 – Grade 8 Honour Athletic Award •A rielle Farinha ’20 – Grade 8 Honour 8
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Athletic Award •P hoenix Plessas-Azurduy ’20 – Grade 8 Honour Athletic Award We’ve got spirit! June 10th was spirit day and it was AWESOME! We kicked-off the morning with prefect announcements and then our current prefects got a little messy during “pie the prefects.” Everyone enjoyed a yummy BBQ lunch together before heading to the Governor General’s residence for spirit afternoon activities! We couldn’t have asked for better weather—it was an absolutely fantastic day! Elmwood Scholars Congratulations to Elmwood’s internal scholarship recipients for 2016 – 2017! MYP Scholarship – awarded to students who demonstrate academic excellence, contribute to school life and have shown exceptional understanding and practice of the International Baccalaureate Learner Profile. •E mma Farquhar ’23 •M ikayla Johnson ’23 •M iriam Rida ’23 •B ianca Sugunasiri ’23 •S onja Swettenham ’23 Senior School Scholarship – awarded to students who demonstrate academic excellence, contribute to school life and have demonstrated positive leadership ability through involvement in school life and/or the greater community. •C aitlin Baxter ’20 •M ackenzie Johnson ’20 •M aya Ladki ’20 Summa Summarum Scholarship – awarded to students who demonstrate academic excellence, contribute to school life and appreciate the benefits of and understand the expected rigour and commitment level of the IB Diploma Programme. •B ronte Assadzadeh ’18 •H annah Charness ’18 •S hannon Howarth ’18 •E lizabeth Milne ’18 Celebrating our Staff A lovely celebration was held at the end of the 2015 – 2016 school year to honour staff members retiring and celebrating milestones. Congratulations to: •C athy Wiley – retiring •B renda Huggins – retiring •V alerie Jean-Pierre – 10 years •P edro Serrao – 10 years •M artha Torres – 10 years •J udy Kealey – 20 years Thank you for your dedication to the School, and most of all, our students. Miss Bruce’s War Elmwood Theatre presented Miss Bruce’s War as part of the Ottawa Fringe Festival on Saturday, June 18th and Saturday, June 25th.
The play, written by Jean Duce Palmer (who was in attendance for both performances) was sold out well in advance of the first show, and those who were able to get a seat were not disappointed. Miss Bruce’s War is the story of a fledgling teacher sent into the hills of Alberta to supervise a one-room schoolhouse. It is WWII and Miss Bruce’s pupils are the children of German immigrants. Despite warnings not to fraternize with the ‘enemy,’ she is gradually won over by the community through their steadfast love for music and song. This gentle narrative looks at history when times were hard but ultimately transformative. Congratulations to our cast: Aviva Gerring ’21, Erica Giustiniani ’17, Lauren Jane Hudson ’22, Ciara Hurley ’24, Niamh Hurley ’21, Maya Mainland-Gratton ’17, Madighan Ryan ’22, Sonja Swettenham ’23 and Sophia Swettenham ’17; and crew: Emily Bangsboll ’17, Caroline Capehart ’18, Isabelle Collum ’19, Miho Iwai ’18, Madeleine Klebanoff O’Brien ’17, Sheetza McGarrry ’17, Pooja Moorti ’17, Lily-Anne Villemaire ’19 and of course, Mrs. Boychuk! From Canada to China For the past six years, Beijing International Education Exchange (BIEE) has been hosting a summer camp for international students. The goal of the camp is to introduce Chinese culture and tradition to teenagers around the world to help build relationships and facilitate international mindedness. On July 14th, Maya Kors ’19, Zaina Khan ’19, Keiren McClelland ’19 and Isabella Thomas ’19 set off to Beijing on an adventure of a lifetime. During the course of their stay in China they were able to visit historical sites such as the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Olympic Park, the Temple of Heaven, the Capital Museum, and China’s equivalent of our Parliament buildings: the Great Hall of People. They also toured three schools, attended a kung fu show, visited the Hutong district of Beijing, visited a teahouse and shopped at the Silk Market. In addition to excursions, the girls attended Chinese culture classes during the day and were able to engage in Chinese activities each evening. On the last day, students organized a friendship carnival where each country decorated booths and exchanged gifts, handicrafts and food. Every student brought items to camp to share with their new friends. On the final evening, each country gave a performance that represented their culture. The performances were sensational and their trip was unforgettable! Thank you to Mrs. Fraser for accompanying the girls!
1 Math contest winners, Jocelyn Emmerson ’22, Rowan Parkinson ’25 and Avery Parkinson ’22. 2 Zamzam Turki ’16 with her beautiful piece at the Elm63 Art Show vernissage. 3 Linnea Dalvi ’18 and Leen Zaghloul ’18 along with several other Grade 10 students visited Sander Geophysics Ltd. to learn all about airborne geophysics during Deep Learning week. 4 Great Yoi recipients Laura Morrison ’16, Dania Rida ’16, Sophie Barnes ’16 and Safa Siddiqui ’16 with Mr. Whitehouse. 5 Members of Keller House waiting for spirit day competitions to begin. 6 Grade 10 students Keiren McClelland ’19, Maya Kors ’19, Zaina Khan ’19 and Isabella Thomas ’19 with Mrs. Fraser at the Great Wall of China. 7 Cheryl Boughton with long serving staff members, Martha Torres, Valerie Jean-Pierre, Judy Kealey and Pedro Serrao. 8 Miss Bruce’s War cast members. 9 Elmwood’s 2016 International Baccalaureate graduates. 0 MYP Scholarship recipients: Sonja Swettenham ’23, Bianca Sugunasiri ’23, Mikayla Johnson ’23, Miriam Rida ’23 and Emma Farquhar ’23.
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ANOTHER YEAR FOR THE RECORD BOOKS! By Teresa Stirling, Director of Communications
Our athletes, musicians and actresses had another phenomenal year, bringing home trophies, medals and accolades, and making everyone at Elmwood very proud. For the second year in a row, Elmwood Theatre won the top prize at the Cappie Awards. The troupe’s production of Les Belles Soeurs was named Cappies Critics’ Favourite Play. In addition, a trio of actresses were recognized for their incredible performances: Best Comic Actress, Hannah Dolhai ’16; Best Supporting Actress, Eleanor Duffley ’17; and Best Actress, Emily Wright ’16. Our creative team of Vicky Bolitho ’16, Carine Ladki ’18, Diya Dadlani ’18 and Florence Campbell ’18 also took home a trophy for Best Costumes. All in all, Elmwood Theatre and our Critics’ Team were nominated for twelve Cappie awards this year—the greatest number of nominations over the past 10 years. We are so proud of our actresses, the crew, our critics and Mrs. Boychuk and Ms. Marquis, for this wonderful achievement. Not to be outdone, our musicians were in fine form this year as well! Elmwood was 10
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chosen as the “Most Outstanding Band” in the Concert Band Division of the Capital Region Musicfest. It was awarded to the school thanks to the collective efforts of our four concert bands, rather than one particular ensemble. This excellent result meant all four of our Concert Bands were then invited to perform at MusicFest Canada, also known as “The Nationals.” Under the direction of Mr. Gummeson, our Grade 6, 8 and Senior Concert Bands were all awarded three Gold ratings and our Grade 7 Concert Band was awarded three Silver ratings, in addition to a Certificate of Excellence, awarded at the discretion of the adjudicator for exceptional participation in the postperformance clinic. Congratulations to Mr. Gummeson and all of the students who performed! Other creative winners this year were our Classics Club, and our participants in National Capital History Day. Congratulations to Grade 9 English students, Isabelle Collum ’19, Maya Kors ’19, Grace McNally ’19, Jagnoor Saran ’19 and LilyAnne Villemaire ’19, who won Junior
Performance English at National Capital History Day, held at Carleton University. They presented their dramatic interpretation of The Scottsboro Trial that they completed in class during their study of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Continuing their dominance at the Ontario Student Classics Conference, the Classics Club won six first-place team trophies, including the Thompson Trophy for top percapita score, and the Top Creative Student Award for Pooja Moorti ’17. On the athletics side, the Eagles truly soared. Elmwood’s golden girl, Allegra Richter ’17, won the slalom gold medal at the OFSSA provincial alpine championships, as well as a gold medal in giant slalom and a silver medal in slalom at the NCSSAA championships. She also led the Elmwood team to first place in giant slalom and third place in slalom at the NCSSAA race. Also on the slopes, Heather Lounder ’17 won individual gold and the snowboarding team won gold at the NCSSAA snowboarding championships. On the track, Linnea Dalvi ’18 qualified
for the OFSAA East Regional Track Championships in only her first season running 200m. Three of Elmwood’s rowers earned gold medals this year: Laura Morrison ’16 (Head of the Rideau), Grace McNally ’19 (Head of the Fish) and Abigail Butler ’19 (Canadian Indoor Erg Championships). Elmwood’s crew also earned three silver and six bronze medals at competitions throughout the year. Our younger athletes would not be outdone by our Senior School girls! Andrea Douglas ’20 won the Grade 8 girls singles title at the Turnbull badminton tournament. Cross country runners Frida Pohl ’23 and Tara Hanson-Wright ’21 placed first and second in their respective races at the Annual Pumpkin Run. The Grade 7/8 relay team won four gold medals at the OISAA relay meet, the Grade 6/7 team won one gold, one silver and one bronze and Grace Charness ’21 placed first in the individual 400m. Finally, the Middle School soccer team went undefeated in season play. There certainly was a lot to celebrate in 2015 – 2016!
TOP ROW, left to right: Elmwood’s rowing crew at the Sarasota Florida Training Camp and American Youth Cup Regatta; our Grade 7/8 badminton team at the Turnbull Badminton Tournament; Allegra Richter ’17, with her gold medal following the OFSSA Provincial Alpine Championships; Elmwood’s Classics Club members: Devon Keough ’18, Alaa Ba-Rasheed ’19, Jaida Wilson ’19, Pooja Moorti ’17 and Elizabeth Milne ’18; Mr. Gummeson at holds Elmwood’s Gold Award from the Capital Region Musicfest; and members of Elmwood’s concert band at the Capital Region Musicfest. BOTTOM ROW, left to right: Members of Elmwood’s Classics Club with their trophies from the Ontario Student Classics Conference; Elmwood’s Cross-Country Team at the Annual Pumpkin Run; and 7/8 soccer team member, Sophie Glover ’21; On behalf of Elmwood, Sijyl Fasih ’17 accepted the Capital Region Music Festival trophy for Most Outstanding Concert Band 2016; 7/8 soccer team member, Grace Brunner ’21 goes for the ball; and Elmwood’s 2015/16 Senior School track team.
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CLOSING CEREMONIES 2016 1
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1 Headmistress Cheryl Boughton and Head Girl Brooke Mierins ’16 2 Graduates Hannah Dolhai ’16, Emily Wright ’16 and Omosikemi Oni ’16. 3 Elmwood’s Class of 2016 at the Graduation Dinner, held at the Rideau Club. 4 Rukmann Sandhu ’21 receives her Grade 7 Certificate of Achievement from Mrs. Boughton. 5 Summa Summarum Scholarship recipients: Bronte Assadzadeh ’18, Hannah Charness ’18, Shannon Howarth ’18 and Elizabeth Milne ’18 with Mrs. Boughton and Mr. Hudson. 6 Daniella Lloreda ’27 receives her Grade 1 Certificate of Achievement from Ms. Wakeham. 7 Ms. Tweedie, Avery Parkinson ’22, Zahra Robertson ’22 and Mrs. Blackadar following Middle School Closing Ceremonies. 8 Graduates Laura Morrison ’16 and Genevieve Laberge ’16. 9 Shelby McMahon ’23, Samantha Rossi ’23 and Bianca Sugunasiri ’23 with their yellow roses following Junior School Closing Ceremonies. 0 Junior Kindergarten student, Avery May ’29, enjoys a cupcake at the closing reception.
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4 8
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GRADUATE SUCCESS:
Class of
2016 Size of Graduating Class
30
Post Secondary Entry for September 2016
100%
University Entrance Scholarships
87%
Ontario Scholars
83%
Total Scholarship Value Offered
$2,350,000 Average scholarship offer per graduate
$78,333
International Baccalaureate Diploma and Certificate Candidates
21
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Post-Secondary Destinations for 2016 63% Ontario 10% Other Canadian Provinces 27% International ONTARIO Carleton University 5 Graduates Arts Chemistry Computer Science – Internet Security Electrical Engineering Film Studies Humber College 1 Graduate Graphic Design Queen’s University 1 Graduate Electrical and Computer Engineering Ryerson University 1 Graduate Graphic Communications Management Trent University 1 Graduate Forensic Science University of Ottawa 3 Graduates Economics Health Sciences Human Rights and Conflict Studies
University of Toronto 5 Graduates Chemical Engineering Commerce Economics and Mathematics Life Sciences Sociology University of Waterloo 1 Graduate Mathematics and Business Administration Western University 1 Graduate Medical Sciences OTHER CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES McGill University 2 Graduates International Relations and Economics Physics and English Literature University of British Columbia 1 Graduate Commerce
INTERNATIONAL Ohio State University 1 Graduate Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies Pennsylvania State University 1 Graduate Chemical Engineering Royal Holloway, University of London 2 Graduates Drama and Theatre Studies Law Smith College 1 Graduate Liberal Arts Texas A&M University 1 Graduate Chemistry/Forensics and Investigative Science University of Edinburgh 1 Graduate Law and International Relations University of Washington 1 Graduate Abnormal Psychology E L M WO O D.C A
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GRADUATE SUCCESS
University Degrees and Programs for 2016 SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH RELATED PROGRAMS – 50% • Abnormal Psychology • Chemical Engineering (2) • Chemistry • Chemistry/Forensics and Investigative Science • Computer Science – Internet Security • Economics and Mathematics • Electrical and Computer Engineering • Electrical Engineering • Forensic Science • Health Sciences • Life Sciences • Mathematics and Business Administration • Medical Sciences • Physics (dual major with English Literature) Number of Graduates: 15
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PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS – 7% • Law • Law and International Relations Number of Graduates: 2 BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS – 10% • Commerce (2) • Graphic Communications Management Number of Graduates: 3
ARTS, FINE ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES – 33% • Arts • Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies • Drama and Theatre Studies • Economics • Film Studies • Graphic Design • Human Rights and Conflict Studies • International Relations and Economics • Liberal Arts • Sociology Number of Graduates: 10
University Destinations 2011 – 2016
ONTARIO UNIVERSITIES Carleton University Guelph University Humber College Laurentian University McMaster University Queen’s University Ryerson University Trent University University of Ottawa University of Toronto University of Waterloo Western University Wilfrid Laurier University York University
OTHER CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES Acadia University Bishop’s University Concordia University Dalhousie University McGill University Mount Allison University Nova Scotia College of Art and Design St. Francis Xavier University University of British Columbia University of Victoria
INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITIES Babson College Duke University Fashion Institute of Technology Hobart and William Smith Colleges King’s College, London Les Roches International School of Hotel Management Massachusetts Institute of Technology New York University Northeastern University Nova Southestern University Ohio State University Pennsylvania State University Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland Royal Holloway, University of London Smith College St. Andrew’s University Texas A&M University University of Arizona University of Edinburgh University of Exeter University of Helsinki University of Sharjah University of Washington Yale University
IB Results:
We were thrilled to see excellent results from our International Baccalaureate graduates this year, which once again exceeded the world average. IB examinations are externally evaluated by educators around the world, and our results reflect the academic rigour of our program and the effort and talent of our students. Compared to the past five years, this year saw the highest percentage of graduates—40%—pursuing the IB Diploma, as well as an additional 30% choosing to take either standard- or higher-level IB courses. Incredibly, our average individual subject score was 5 out of 7, which is equal to 92% on the Ontario grading scale. Of special note are our highest point scorers—Fumi Shibutani ’16 and Yilin Wang ’16—who both achieved a very impressive 37 points total—a mark equivalent to a 96% average. We are very proud of the accomplishments of all of our IB graduates, and congratulate them on their hard work and perseverance. They are well positioned to go on to the next step in their educational journey, armed with the intellectual, social and emotional skills to succeed. E L M WO O D.C A
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WHAT A YEAR IT WAS! By Teresa Stirling, Director of Communications
Finding a fitting way to celebrate 100 years of history, tradition, inspiration and sisterhood is no easy task. And when you factor in the thousands of members of the Elmwood community, spread throughout the world, it seems impossible! Yet, through tenacious effort, creativity and teamwork, we look back on our Centennial year with a sense of pride and satisfaction—we did it! We kicked the year off with an exciting first day of school—students were greeted in the morning by an energized staff and faculty, received a special “birthday” present, and participated in an opening assembly, punctuated with a visit from Ottawa’s Mayor, Jim Watson. The day was filled with festivities, and capped off with record-breaking attendance at our Kick-off Carnival. Later in the month we held the first of our Centennial “Dress-up Through the Decades” days. These days were sprinkled throughout the year, and featured costumes and acces18
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sories befitting the different Elmwood eras. We were thrilled to also welcome a number of alumnae speakers to regale the students with stories of their time at Elmwood. On a gorgeous weekend at the beginning of October, we welcomed our entire community to gather for Centennial Weekend and celebrate the school we all call home. It was a weekend full of celebrations, new and old traditions and catching up with old friends—and it was a weekend we won’t soon forget. Friday was Founder’s Day, a celebration of the beginnings of the School. The day began
with an opening ceremony and the afternoon was filled with visitors taking tours of the school, the official opening of our decades rooms, historical exhibit, “The Girls in Green” uniformed doll display and “Between the Elm Trees,” our collaborative art project. In the evening, we held a cocktail party for the launch of our updated history book, Endeavour’s All: The Elmwood Story, 1915 – 2015, written by Janet Uren ’68. Saturday included a Family Fun Fair, with bouncy castles, a petting zoo, pumpkin painting and more, as well as a special drama performance. The Elmwood Bistro provided a fantastic BBQ lunch and the afternoon concluded with sports competitions and an ice cream social. That evening, we moved the party to the spectacular Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of History, for our Founder’s Dinner. The evening culminated in a fascinating interview with our special guest, Margaret Atwood, facilitated by Catherine Clark ’95. On Sunday morning, as a fitting finale for our weekend of celebrations, members of the community gathered for a traditional favou-
rite—Prayers—followed by a delicious brunch catered by the Elmwood Bistro. It was so nice to have one more opportunity to catch up with old friends and classmates, colleagues and students before everyone went their separate ways once again at the end of the weekend. Before we took a break for the Christmas holidays, we all came together as a community once more for the Old Girls Art Fair and Holly Tea. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to visit over a cup of tea, view some incredible art and sing along with our special Holly Tea Choir made up of alumni, teachers and current students. After the break there was a flurry of activity in preparation for the Father Daughter Gala. This annual favourite reached new heights this year, as fathers and daughters took a “Flight of Fancy” at the Canada Aviation Museum. It was a magical evening that was a highlight of this year for all that attended. In April, it was time for another Gala, but this time the moms were invited too! Current and alumnae parents, alumnae, faculty and
staff, and friends of Elmwood got dressed up and celebrated 100 years of brilliance at Elmwood’s Centennial Gala. Guests enjoyed a sumptuous dinner, sipped champagne, bid on superb auction items and hit the dance floor when Electrik took the stage! It truly was the “party of the century!” Finally, we invited everyone back to help us mark the end of our Centennial year with an incredible Centennial Finale. The luau theme was the perfect fit as we said ‘aloha’ to the past 100 years and ‘aloha’ to the future of Elmwood! It was a bittersweet moment, as members of the Elmwood Community placed memorabilia in our Centennial Time Capsule, signifying the end of this incredibly special year. Of course, we could not have done it without the help of literally hundreds of people! Thank you to everyone who attended, and special thanks to the members of our Centennial Committee, as well as all of the Event Chairs and their committees, for everything they did to ensure that this milestone year would be a memorable one. E L M WO O D.C A
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INTO OUR SECOND CENTURY: CHARTING A COURSE FOR ELMWOOD’S FUTURE By Cheryl Boughton, Headmistress
Elmwood School is regarded as an excellent academic institution and one of the top 25 independent schools in Canada. As an IB and CAIS accredited school, Elmwood is held to very high international educational standards, crossing all areas of school life. Our mission “to inspire each girl to reach her full potential” is clear and well known throughout our community. Students, teachers, parents and alumnae are all able to articulate the school’s goal for its students.
Evidence of achieving this goal can be seen in the school’s graduates, who are all offered places in the world’s most highly sought after universities. The school has many strengths: an excellent faculty, dedicated to the school’s mission; strong academic outcomes for all students; and a rich and broad co-curricular program which enables each student to be well-rounded. Despite Elmwood’s obvious strengths, one can never be complacent in education. The digital revolution has changed the way we work, the way we live and the way we learn. In this ever-shifting environment it is our responsibility to continue to be at the cutting edge of best practices in education. We must always ensure that we are offering the very best program for our students. With this in mind, one of the key initiatives outlined in our 2015 – 2020 Strategic Plan is to “review the Elmwood Curriculum to ensure delivery of enriching, intellectually rigorous and relevant academic programs, tailored to the needs of girls from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12.”
We laid the foundation for this process last year and will continue our work throughout the 2016 – 2017 school year. This article outlines the process we are following and reports on the progress made to date. Curriculum Review Team The Curriculum Review Team consists of: Cheryl Boughton, Head of School; Kate Angell, Director of Co-curricular Learning; Christine Blackadar, Deputy Head, Junior School; Meagan Enticknap-Smith, Director of Curriculum; Jennifer Irwin-Jackson, Executive Director of Advancement and Community Relations; and James Whitehouse, Deputy Head, Middle and Senior School. Developing the Process Being an International Baccalaureate school, it made sense to follow the inquiry process as we reviewed our curriculum. We created a process modelled on the Middle Years Program Design Cycle.
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Our students deserve a balanced workload and lifestyle, which includes considerations of the Approaches to Learning, a balanced timetable, amount of homework, eLearning opportunities and authentic assessment.
The Process Phase 1 – Inquiring and Analyzing (January – June 2016) 1. Determine the essential questions and success criteria 2. Determine what data we need 3. Determine who will gather the data 4. Review and analyze data 5. Develop a design brief Phase 2 – Developing Ideas (June – December 2016) 1. Develop a design specification for the Elmwood curriculum model 2. Share research and design specification with the Board of Governors 3. Develop design ideas for curriculum model 4. Choose curriculum model 5. Present the chosen model to stakeholders 6. Adapt chosen model after feedback 7. Develop a detailed overview plan for implementation in September 2017 Phase 3 – Creating the Solution (January – June 2017) 1. Construct a logical plan 2. Demonstrate technical skills/Provide professional development 3. Follow the plan to make the solution 4. Communicate changes to the model to stakeholders 5. Justify changes to the model Phase 4 – Evaluation (June – December 2017) 1. Design testing methods 2. Evaluate the success of the solution 3. Explain how the solution could be improved 4. Explain the impact of the solution Establishing the Essential Question In his book, A More Beautiful Question, author Warren Berger says that questions must be big and ambitious as well as actionable. He says, “A beautiful question is an ambitious yet actionable question that can begin to shift the way we perceive or think about something—and that might serve as 22
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a catalyst to bring about change.” The team agreed that our guiding question would be: “Does our curriculum meet the needs of our students?” In true inquiry style, this led us to additional questions, which included: • Who are our students and what are their needs? • What will their future look like? • Where does our academic program produce the strongest student outcomes and where does it need improvement? • What helps students achieve their full potential and what prevents them from doing so? • What do students and parents value most? What do they value least? • What is the right balance between tradition and innovation? • How well prepared are Elmwood graduates for university? • What alternative programs exist? With these questions guiding our thinking, we knew we were on the right track to discovering and understanding the importance of pursuing this review and what exciting things we might find. Data Sources A variety of data sources were identified that would be valuable in informing our process. This included: academic data (IB Diploma results, Grade 10 Literacy test results, MAP testing, Admissions test results, report card grades, survey of Student Success Centre data); consultation data (teachers, counsellors, parents, students and alumnae); historical data (course enrolment, graduate destinations and programs, demographic) and external research (innovative
schools, experts, fieldwork, girls learning). Data Survey Results Our initial survey of the data sources proved fascinating and formed the foundation for Phase Two. Our student surveys were particularly interesting and elicited a great deal of useful information. We shared this information with the Board of Governors as well as our faculty. Our Curriculum Review Team surveyed 25% of our students from Grade 4 to Grade 12. These students were selected at random to represent the needs of the student population. First the students participated in a short online survey that asked them to enter some basic demographic information, to rank six words about how they felt about their Elmwood education, to report in which subject did they feel they learned the most in the past year, how they felt about their homeroom and how much time they spent doing homework. After they finished the survey, the students participated in an interview with a member of the Curriculum Review Team. The highlights of the data review as well as the student surveys and interviews were both interesting and illuminating. We were encouraged to hear that Elmwood students value learning and strive for academic success, and based on that finding it was not surprising to see that the average Elmwood student is an A student, achieving an 85% average in her courses. Through the data collection process we confirmed that 7% of our students are gifted or require enrichment, and 18.5% have an identified learning challenge. No matter the case, students reported feeling
both challenged and supported at Elmwood. They also reported that they have learned the most in math and science, and that they spend increasingly more time on homework as they get older. Finally, there was also some indication that as girls grow older, there needs to be some adaptation to the morning routine (i.e. homeroom) to ensure we are meeting their needs. We were also interested to look at the data about our graduates. Our data from the past three graduating classes showed that they overwhelmingly choose to study STEM subjects, Liberal Arts, Business or Fine Arts/ Performing Arts/Architecture at university. It was also clear that the vast majority of our students remain in full time education and most are still at the university they originally chose. 98% of recent graduates are in full-time education, 97% of our IB Diploma graduates are still at the university they originally chose, and 88% of graduates from the past three years have stayed at their original university. All of this data helped position us well for the next step in the process. Curriculum Design Specification After conducting our in-depth research we were able to identify the needs of today’s Elmwood students. Our students are looking for curriculum pathways that lead to post-secondary programs or careers in areas of STEM, Liberal Arts, Business and Fine/Performing Arts/ Architecture. They are attracted to entry paths to selective university programs in Ontario, the rest of Canada, US and the UK. Beyond pure academic pursuits, our students want and need opportunities to develop a portfolio of skills, talents and abilities, including athletics, creativity, leadership, real world connections, entrepreneurship and community service. Our students deserve a balanced workload and lifestyle, which includes considerations of the Approaches to Learning, a balanced timetable, amount of homework, eLearning opportunities and authentic assessment. Finally, they want to be known, valued, challenged, supported and guided through each stage of their education. This is an exciting time in education and we feel strongly about ensuring that our curriculum supports our learners today and into the future. By harnessing the inquiry, creativity and energy of the curriculum review process we know that we can achieve our goals of putting a model into place that will address all of our goals. Over this academic year the team will continue to prototype various ideas, working with our faculty to further develop the concepts shared here into a curriculum model for implementation in 2017. We look forward to updating you later this year.
By the numbers
ELMWOOD’S STUDENT BODY
47% come from public school
41%
56%
85% average
come from outside Canada
different nationalities are currently represented at Elmwood.
The average girl has an
start their education at Elmwood
37%
come from Ottawa
40
12%
come from private school
44%
were born or have lived outside Canada.
98%
of recent graduates are currently in full-time post-secondary education.
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By Chloe Girvan
EDUCATING THE WHOLE GIRL
T
oday’s girls are growing up in a bright world filled with boundless opportunities. Thanks to dedicated parents, educators and shining female role models around the globe, young women can look forward to writing their own story and a limitless future. However, this does not guarantee that the path to adulthood will always be smooth. Unfortunately our current generation of girls is increasingly vulnerable to societal pressures that tend to intrude at a time where they should be preparing to soar. Poor self-esteem, relationship stressors, body image challenges, the influence of social media and mental health struggles are all potential barriers for a girl travelling the road to success. Although Elmwood strives to ensure that students reach the highest level of academic
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achievement possible, we also know that it takes more than lessons, classes, books and exams to grow a balanced successful woman. As part of a specialized priority in Elmwood’s Strategic Plan, The Whole Girl, we have vowed to, “Ensure that wellness, physical activity and mental health are valued and practiced at Elmwood,” and, “deliver an engaging co-curricular program that complements and enhances the academic program and reflects the needs and interests of today’s girls.” In the words of Cheryl Boughton, Headmistress of Elmwood School, “Inspiring each girl to reach her full potential isn’t just about academics. In order to develop confident, engaged and healthy girls, there has to be balance. Educating the ‘Whole Girl’ opens up the whole world.” At Elmwood we feel honoured to be entrusted with the care of tomorrow’s
leaders. One of our goals is to assist them in loving, valuing and caring for themselves as a whole. By bolstering each girl’s academic journey with the following four components we can help pave a route lined with the tools, practices and knowledge needed for a healthy and balanced life. Physical Health “ Evidence shows that students and girls who are involved in physical activity achieve better grades and can go on to achieve greater success in life. 80% of women in key leadership positions in Fortune 500 companies all took part in sport during their childhood.” Ivan Sambles, Senior School Athletic Director. Exercise provides young women with an impressive variety of physical and mental benefits. Potential advantages include; protection from disease, increased energy, bolstered self-esteem, improved sleep quality, a positive body image, lowered anxiety, maintenance of a healthy body weight and improved focus in the classroom. Recent studies also show that women who have participated in sports may have an advantage in the workplace. Playing sports helps participants learn about teamwork, goal-setting, the pursuit of excellence in performance and other achievementoriented behaviors—critical skills necessary for success in the workplace. Elmwood knows the importance of being physically active and has created an athletics department with room for everyone to participate in a way that they feel comfortable. We want to foster a love of fitness that stays with each girl throughout her life. Teams of competitive and house league sports make it easy for girls to learn, improve and gain confidence at their own pace. A variety of complimentary clubs provide another opportunity for students to stay active, improve coordination and have fun. Our educators also recognize the value of fresh air and free play, striving to get students outside as often as possible. Thanks to generous support from our Elmwood community, funds have been raised to build a track that encircles the grounds of the school. A new outdoor training circuit will help girls of every age to improve their strength and endurance. Nutritional Health “ Preparing and cooking healthy, delicious food for people is such a gratifying way of taking care of them.” Candice Butler, Elmwood Bistro Chef It is impossible to grow a Whole Girl without healthy, nutritious food. In order
for our students to reach their potential academically and physically, we know that they require a wide variety of nutrients derived from as many food groups as possible. By taking steps to remove vending machines and replace celebratory treats with non-food items, we hope to model a healthy lifestyle while instilling a love of wholesome, delicious food. The Elmwood Bistro, our dining hall, is a nut-free environment where students and staff gather to enjoy meals. Each day Chef Candice Butler prepares delicious offerings designed to maximize the nutritional potential of every bite. The kitchen prepares almost everything from scratch, with a wide variety of hot, cold and vegetarian options. Each day a fridge is stocked with grab-and-go items for those needing extra sustenance. All efforts are made to purchase food from local farmers and a bounty of fresh vegetables are harvested and frozen from Elmwood’s own garden. When asked how she decides what to prepare for the week, Candice replies: “I just think about what I would want my family to eat. We are like a family here. I love seeing a student try something new and take it as a huge compliment when the fridge is empty.” Dining together as a group also provides an opportunity for Elmwood’s girls to practice mindful eating and learn the value of taking time in the day to gather, refresh and nurture oneself. Wellbeing “ I try to look at the whole girl. Where she is coming from? What is going on in her life? I see each girl as a valuable individual and treat them how I would want my child to be treated.” Francie Marchand, Dean of Student Life Elmwood values the individuality of every student and wants to give each girl the opportunity to be heard and supported in all aspects of campus life and personal growth. Francie Marchand, Dean of Student Life, has been at Elmwood for almost twenty years. As a nurse, she is trained to care for the physical needs of students but makes their mental health and wellbeing a top priority. With a cozy couch and open door, Francie focuses on forming mutually respectful relationships with girls and listening to what they can teach all of us. Years spent as a social-psycho counselor have made Francie an expert on the challenges faced by young women and each day she strives to assist girls, communicate with parents and empower students to be their best self. This also involves teaching resilience. “It is so important for girls to become comfortable with making mistakes and to learn how to deal with big emotions in a safe, nurturing environment.” E L M WO O D.C A
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By the time Elmwood students graduate, they have accumulated a diverse, individualized portfolio of experiences and accomplishments that they take forward to university and the world beyond.
A Well-rounded Experience “Academic excellence, physical well being, a supportive, nurturing environment—all of these are vital aspects in a girl’s successful educational journey—but it is a rich, personalized co-curricular experience that provides the final piece of the puzzle. This is the ‘alchemy’ that allows each girl to fulfil her potential.” Kate Angell, Director of Co-curricular Learning At Elmwood, we believe that a rich, stimulating and challenging co-curricular program is an essential component of an outstanding, balanced education. As an example, Kate Angell cites a moment several years ago at Camp Elmwood, the annual camp for students in Grade 6 through 12 with which the school begins the academic year. “I was standing in line behind a Grade 6 student, waiting to attempt the formidable rock climbing wall, when I realized that the student was whispering ‘I’m so scared, I’m so scared’ over and over again. When it came to her turn, the girl struggled desperately to climb that wall. As she struggled, her fellow students called out words of encouragement, louder and louder. When she finally reached the top, the cheers could be heard throughout the forest and her smile of triumph was unforgettable. This is what a powerful co-curricular program can do when students are given the chance to challenge themselves. At its best, it is transformative.” On any given day, Elmwood is alive with co-curricular activities. In one Junior School classroom, a group of six- and seven-yearolds are mastering chess strategies, while on the second floor a group of fourth-grade girls are making props for the upcoming musical. Nearby, the Fibonacci Math Club is mastering strategies in preparation for a national mathematics competition. The 26
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third floor is filled with competing sounds— ukulele chords from the library, where the Calypso Club is practicing, and joyful shouts from the multipurpose room, where students are enthusiastically learning the basics of jiu-jitsu. Throughout the year, over 50 clubs and co-curricular activities are on offer in the Junior School alone. Some of these clubs are offered by outside experts, but most are run by Elmwood teachers who are passionate about engaging the students in a diverse range of opportunities. It is a similar story in Elmwood’s Middle and Senior Schools, where students can choose from a dazzling array of choices: Jazz Orchestra, Debate Club, Trinity Drama, Snowboarding, Astronomy, International Cultures Club, Duke of Edinburgh Award Program, Boys and Girls Club—again, most clubs and activities are run by Elmwood’s dedicated faculty, and the list of options is extraordinary. Co-curricular activities can be loosely grouped under four “pillars:” Athletics and well being, arts and creativity, community and service, and individual passions and
growth. These four pillars provide the foundation for our “Whole Girl, Whole World” school vision. In our Junior and Middle Schools, our goal is to encourage girls to step outside their comfort zones and try activities that they may not have experienced before. By Senior School, our emphasis is on depth rather than breadth; by this stage, many girls are discovering their passion for one particular area, and Elmwood students are encouraged to immerse themselves deeply in a smaller number of activities. Part of the girls’ growth process involves learning how to make choices and to find a balance with academic commitments and activities outside of school. By the time Elmwood students graduate, they have accumulated a diverse, individualized portfolio of experiences and accomplishments that they take forward to university and the world beyond. Even more important, each girl has developed a personal understanding of what “whole girl, whole world” means to her—and of what she, in turn, can bring to the world.
“ I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.” ~Louisa May Alcott
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THE PATH TO LEADERSHIP By Jen Walsh, Student Life Coordinator
I
n today’s 21st century world, education is all about developing transferable skills. Unlike schooling of days past, when content was key, now learning how to learn—and applying that learning to the real world—is what is most in demand. At Elmwood, girls are encouraged and enabled to practice the key skills of collaboration, critical thinking and especially leadership both inside and outside of the classroom. At Elmwood, student leadership is embedded in all that we do. Girls have the opportunity to be leaders in various ways, and in various settings around the school, building up to the opportunity to be a prefect in their Grade 12 year. Girls can be leaders academically, in their classes, by taking on a role of assisting others with tricky concepts or skills. They can be leaders in whatever they are passionate about, whether that be on the sports field, basketball court or onstage. There are also plenty of opportunities to be a role model for younger students, which in and of itself is an important way that our older students are leaders every single day. As students move through Elmwood, the opportunities to gain leadership skills, and to practice and refine them becomes even more relevant as students prepare themselves to be leaders in their final year of high school. All Grade 12 students are seen as leaders and role models to our younger students, whether they are prefects or not. Beginning in March of their Grade 11 year, students are asked to reflect upon what they want their Grade 12 year to look like, and what they want their Elmwood legacy to be. They are introduced to all of the leadership positions available to them, and have the chance to speak with the students 28
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currently occupying those positions. By the end of May, they are asked to submit their statement of interest and application for prefect positions. They also create a video to introduce themselves to the students. The next step in the process is to participate in a brief interview with the staff member who oversees the prefects. This interview is rather informal, but it gives the student the chance to articulate to an adult why they are running for the position that they have chosen. Finally, the candidates are asked to give a speech to all members of the Elmwood community from Grade 5 through 12, and staff. Students and staff then all vote in order to choose their representatives for the next school year. It is a true democracy, with everyone participating in the process and with all votes counting equally. While being a member of the prefect team may be the pinnacle of some girls’ journey in leadership while at Elmwood, there are plenty of other ways that leadership skills are embedded within all facets of school life. In the classroom, girls are tasked with being leaders within group work situations or amongst their peers in leading or teaching activities to their classmates. Girls at all school levels can participate in clubs and sports teams, where there are plenty of leadership opportunities to be had. Finally, in Grades 11 and 12, all girls are seen as leaders because they are role models to our younger students on Spirit days and at Camp Elmwood. As part of our student leadership program, the girls are introduced to Kouzes and Posner’s “The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership” from their book The Student Leadership Challenge. Working through
these five practices—model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act and encourage the heart—allows our girls to flex their leadership muscles, and develop confidence, self-awareness and vision. This sets students up for success in the next steps of their educational journey, as well as in their future careers. Leadership skills are important to have in the current world. They provide young people with transferable attributes that they will be able to apply in their future educational pursuits as well as in the world of work. We encourage all Elmwood students to become leaders in their own way, and follow their own leadership path, learning the skills that they will use in to be successful global citizens in the future.
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AN INSPIRING HEAD GIRL:
CYNTHIA SEDLEZKY ’17
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By Kimberly Senf, Senior Librarian
ynthia Sedlezky ’17 is Elmwood’s first Head Girl of the new century and is excited to celebrate the future of Elmwood. Cynthia is entering her final year of high school and is starting her Grade 12 year with a lot of enthusiasm for her role as Head Girl, as well as all the excitement that comes along with preparing for graduation, and university next year. Cynthia started at Elmwood in Grade 3 and has fond memories of the time she spent in the Junior School. She clearly remembers that she spent every recess playing soccer on the field with her friends. She had Mrs. Wiley as her Grade 3 teacher and recalls her first classroom experience at Elmwood as a fun and lively environment in the Junior School. Some of Cynthia’s favourite memories involve not just her many classmates (there are over 50 students in the class of 2017), but the teachers that help inspire each girl to reach her full potential. Cynthia states “I love the teachers at Elmwood and I have so many great memories.” Physics class sticks out as a favourite memory, both for her interest in the subject and Dr. Harris’ ability to transform the classroom into a space where both learning and hilarity can exist in unison. A well-rounded student, Cynthia exemplifies everything it means to be an Elmwood girl. She is both focused on her academics and involved in many different areas of school life. She had a prominent role in last year’s Elmwood Theatre production (and Cappies award-winning play), Les Belles Soeurs. This was her third year acting in Elmwood Theatre productions, an environment she flourishes in. When it comes to sports, Cynthia has been an active member of the basketball, soccer and volleyball teams. To top off her myriad interests, Cynthia also makes time for pleasure reading as a member of Elmwood’s Book Club, as well as teaching herself to play the guitar. At Closing Ceremonies in June, Cynthia was awarded two prestigious awards. The Judy and Margot Toller Memorial Award is awarded to the student who best exemplifies the values and spirit of these alumnae through her sense of humour, caring demeanour and joy of life and acceptance
of others. Cynthia was also awarded the IB Learner Profile award, an award bestowed upon a student who exemplifies the International Baccalaureate Learner Profile traits of being a knowledgeable, risk-taking, open-minded and principled student. These IB Learner Profile traits are just part of what make Cynthia a natural choice for the role of Head Girl. She has been eager to carve out a leadership position for herself as a prefect since she first walked the halls of Elmwood. She’s always looked up to the prefects because they are so involved in school life and have a huge presence in the school. She knew she wanted to be Head Girl since she was eight years old and she started putting thought into her application early on in her Grade 11 year. During her tenure as Head Girl, Cynthia wants to spread her enthusiasm for school life and make sure that every student feels like they’re part of something special at Elmwood. She can’t imagine her Elmwood experience without all of the co-curriculars that she’s been involved in and school events that have become cherished memories. One particular Elmwood event that has remained with her is the Father Daughter Dance she attended the year her older sister Val was in Grade 12, Cynthia was in Grade 9 and her younger sister Allison was in Grade 6. It was wonderful to have everyone there at the dance, but she remembers that her father had a hard enough time choosing which daughter to sit next to at dinner, never mind which one to dance with first! Cynthia was lucky enough to have had both her sisters at Elmwood with her and she has fond memories of playing rugby on the same team as Val, and this year Allison will join her in Senior School. Cynthia spent her summer in a leadership role as a counselor at a camp outside of Ottawa. Leading the prefect team this year should not pose a challenge for Cynthia, whose friendly and open-minded demeanour make her a natural leader. This year’s graduating class is so large that she will have many additional students who are eager to get involved with school events and lend a hand where needed. The year has just begun and it will be great to see what Cynthia will accomplish! E L M WO O D.C A
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
A CAREER OF SERVICE:
ELIZABETH / LIZ (RAYMONT) HEATHERINGTON ’63
Opposite page: A photo from the 1962-63 school year of Headmistress Patricia Blyth with her senior prefects. Liz Raymont is second from the right. (Photo: Samara 1963) Above left: As Old Girls’ Association Co-chair Liz does her best to keep alumnae involved with their alma mater. (Photo: Brian McCullough) Top right: At work with the children in the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp, Thailand, 1975. (Photo: Elizabeth Heatherington collection) Middle right: On the 40th anniversary of Operation Babylift in 2015, Liz sits next to a beaming Thanh (Campbell), one of the babies she cradled in her lap during the long flight from Hong Kong to Canada. “That was incredible,” Liz said. (Photo: Elizabeth Heatherington collection) Bottom right: With husband Scott, Canadian Ambassador to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, speaking at Canadian National Day in Tallinn, Estonia, 2009. (“The hat was made for our wedding in 1970, and is still useful!”) (Photo: Elizabeth Heatherington collection) 32
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“The school asked us every day, ‘What is your purpose?’”
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By Brian McCullough here is a quiet, measured orderliness about Elizabeth Heatherington ’63 that speaks volumes about the years she has spent representing Canada on the international stage. Both in concert with her diplomat husband Scott Heatherington on overseas assignments, and as a coordinator with the Bureau of Protocol at Global Affairs Canada here at home, Liz’s years of service to her country, and to areas of need can serve as a model for girls and young women seeking focus in their lives. The career resume of this Elmwood graduate (Head of Fry House) and former member of the Board of Governors reads like a primer on How to Be Helpful. She has assisted refugees in Thailand, supervised volunteers in a charity thrift shop in Bonn, raised funds for Latvian children’s charities through the International Women’s Association—it seems there is nothing this Elmwood Old Girl has not done, nor will do, to honour her school’s motto: Summa Summarum. Liz mentioned that of course she was not alone in volunteering overseas. As it is impossible for spouses of foreign service officers to work in many places, the natural thing to do is to volunteer. If there is one episode in Liz’s career that seems to crystallize her willingness to volunteer, it is Operation Babylift—the emergency mass evacuation of South Vietnamese children to Canada (and other countries) as North Vietnamese forces closed in on the southern capital of Saigon in April 1975. For the 28-year-old Elizabeth stationed in Hong Kong with Scott during his posting as an immigration officer, there was no hesitation when the head of mission called upon her and four other diplomatic spouses to escort evacuated babies on an emergency flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal where agency officials from Families for Children would be waiting to take charge of the infants. “We didn’t even have time to change our clothes or anything,” Elizabeth said. “We just went with what we were wearing. We each had five babies in the seat beside us and in our arms, and we had to make sure they did not become dehydrated on the long flight. A lot of them were not well. It was not easy.” The aftermath wasn’t much easier either. After seeing the last of the babies taken into care in Montreal, Elizabeth found she had missed her connecting flight to Ottawa where she was hoping to stay with her parents. In the
chaos of events she was sure that no one had alerted them to her possible visit. An intercity bus was her only option. “There I was,” she said, “standing in a bus shelter outside Dorval airport on the trans-Canada highway in my sweaty, dirty old clothes from Hong Kong, and it was April, and it was snowing.” When she remembered she had only Hong Kong currency with her, a kindly fellow passenger lent enough money to get home. It was three o’clock in the morning by the time she finally arrived at her parent’s house, whereupon her father answered the door with a baseball bat in hand. It was the end of a very long day. Elizabeth credits her parents in large measure for her own strength and resilience under unusual circumstances. Her father, Colonel Robert Lewis Raymont, was a career intelligence officer in the Canadian army, and her mother Mary served as a driver in the women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service during the Second World War (as did Princess Elizabeth). But she also looks back on her 14 years at her alma mater on Buena Vista Road, beginning with Junior Kindergarten in 1949, as worthy training for making significant contributions at home and abroad. “We all need a purpose, and when I was at Elmwood we had a structure which I found to be very beneficial,” she said. “We started every morning with prayers, and this would be followed by announcements about current events. Headmistress Whitwill’s decision to introduce the International Baccalaureate program to Elmwood in 1978 was so wise. Elmwood always was rather international, what with all of the families who were in the diplomatic, military or international business community, but the ‘IB’ gave us that step up.” As co-chair of the Elmwood Old Girls’ Association, Elizabeth maintains close ties with the school. “What I see now is a real interest in global affairs,” she said. “As a country we have to be responsible for world issues, and now at the school there is a real sense of ‘How can I be of service to the international community?’” Liz said she feels her career “just happened” through her close association with Scott’s foreign service overseas, but added that the opportunities this created for her were amazing. “There were so many things I would never have done otherwise,” she said. Even now in semi-retirement she is planning to take a certificate in English as a Second Language so that she can work with Syrian refugees and other people new to Canada, and carries on with her volunteerism at the Church of St. Bartholomew and elsewhere. It seems a challenge, and she is asked whether she ever tires of being “on” all the time. “Never. It energizes me,” she said. “I don’t think there’s any on or off, it’s just a part of life. It’s the way my parents brought me up, and how the school asked us every day, ‘What is your purpose?’”
Looking Back...
“ Earlier this year I was asked to speak to the current students about the 1960s. I think the students might have been a little disappointed because my talk was not all about the Beatles and short skirts. Actually, what I remember most about the sixties was our worry about the atomic bomb. People were building shelters in their basements and backyards. If you look at some of the essays we did during that time, it’s interesting how we expressed that fear and preoccupation. I told the students about this, and also about what a shock the death of President Kennedy was to us in 1963, so my talk was a little more serious than they might have expected.” – Elizabeth (Raymont) Heatherington ‘63, Co-chair Elmwood Old Girls’ Association
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
THE “RIPPLE EFFECT” OF ELMWOOD’S INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
VICTORIA KELLETT ’95
Left: Victoria with her family (Photo: Brian McCullough) Above: Victoria (at left) with husband Vance McEvoy celebrating Mexico’s Independence Day during their posting to Guadalajara in 2007. (Photo: Victoria Kellett collection)
“ There was always an opportunity available (at Elmwood) if you wanted to try something that had an international flavour to it, and this had a huge impact on me. It had this ripple effect that was just extraordinary.”
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During a trip to northern Sri Lanka in 2010 to assess Canada’s contribution to de-mining after the 30-year civil war came to an end, Victoria Kellett (centre wearing white blouse) toured a heavily mined area and met with a group of all-women de-miners funded by the Government of Canada. (Photo: Victoria Kellett collection)
“That spark I had inside me to go out in the world is something that Elmwood fanned even further.” By Brian McCullough
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hen Victoria Kellett was 10 years old her family would drive past the Foreign Affairs building on Sussex Drive on their way to drop her and her twin brother Nicholas off at Elmwood in the morning. One day Victoria asked her mother what it was that people did in the building with all the flags. It was a moment that changed her life. “When my mother explained to me the type of work they did, I knew immediately that’s where I wanted to be,” she said. “I wanted to travel, to meet people, and to have a chance to try different things.” It would be another 15 years before she walked through the doors of the Lester B. Pearson Building as a policy analyst with the then Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, now Global Affairs Canada, but she ended up exactly where she said she would after university. Today, this mother of two young children has shaped a satisfying career for herself within the Department, a journey that has taken her to many of the places she once only dreamed about. Early into her career Victoria decided to switch her concentration to humanitarian affairs, and took a short break to complete a Masters of Law degree in International Law with International Relations at the University of Kent’s Brussels School of International Studies. As she does with most things, she approached her postgraduate education with purpose. “When I went back for my masters I was very determined about what it was I wanted to achieve,” she said. “I was very focused.
Elmwood gave me a lot of advantages that many of the other students just didn’t have in terms of discipline, in terms of figuring out how to analyze a situation and decide what information is useful, and how to get to the core of an argument.” Victoria said she continues to appreciate the way her classes with Mr. McCabe, Mrs. Faguy, and Mrs. Schmidt helped her to build these skills during her 10 years at Elmwood. “They were very rigorous in their approach, and I think that’s something I needed,” she said. “I went to Montessori school from JK to third grade, but the minute I entered Elmwood for Grade 4 everything changed. I knew it was a right fit for me.” From 2006 until 2014, when she went on language training (Mandarin) and then a second maternity leave, Victoria Kellet’s assignments at Global Affairs became increasingly focused on the management of Canadian response to international crises. They culminated in her appointment as Deputy Director for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Response in 2013, a position that allowed her to exercise what she feels is her strongest asset: coordinating the most appropriate resources Canada can offer the world in times of emergency. It is a responsibility she said can be at times “tricky.” In 2010 Victoria accompanied her husband Vance McEvoy, a senior policy analyst with Global Affairs Canada, on his two-year posting to Shanghai. Global Affairs made the most of the opportunity and established Victoria as a Southeast Asia resource in humanitarian affairs for the Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force, a move she calls innovative and exciting. Victoria was actually a seasoned traveller by the time she graduated senior school in 1995. In Grade 11 she was appointed as one of four Elmwood delegates to the National Student Commonwealth Forum, and was later selected to be Canada’s youth ambassador to the Commonwealth Youth Program. Both activities allowed her to travel around the world.
“That spark I had inside me to go out in the world is something that Elmwood fanned even further,” she said. “There was always an opportunity available if you wanted to try something that had an international flavour to it, and this had a huge impact on me. It had this ripple effect that was just extraordinary.” Whether she is caring for her two young children with her husband at home, or orchestrating humanitarian relief for other people’s children half-way around the world, Victoria said she thrives on trying new things and dealing with changing dynamics. “For me, change is something I welcome,” she said. “We are not always in control of life, so this notion of unpredictability is something you have to be pretty comfortable with, and I am very adaptable.” Victoria said she is excited about the new challenges awaiting her when she returns to work at Global Affairs Canada in November, and added that while humanitarian work can take a toll on a person she is always encouraged by what Canada does for people on the world stage, often out of the spotlight. “I feel very privileged to be able to do the type of work I do because I have been given so many opportunities in my own life,” she said. “This work has been difficult at times, emotionally heavy, but it is so inspiring to see how people rise to the occasion in a crisis. I love it because I can see that what Canada is doing is having a direct impact. To see communities affected by significant disasters, and then doing what we can to reunify families, give them shelter, and protect the most vulnerable—being part of that is so fulfilling, especially now that I have my own family.” Even now, Victoria Kellett’s alma mater is never far out of mind. “If you’re looking for a buzz word for Elmwood,” she said, “it’s engagement—engagement with other people, engagement in opportunities, engagement in giving, engagement in life. Elmwood gave me so much, and I am very grateful. I just want to pay it forward.” E L M WO O D.C A
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ALUMNI NEWS Prescott Reunion
Christiane McGovern ’07
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Courtney Smith ’06
Old Girls’ Association Meeting
Legal Eagles Congratulations to four Elmwood graduates who were called to the Bar at a ceremony at the National Arts Centre on June 15, 2016: Christiane McGovern ’07 Christiane earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences at McGill University before pursuing her law degree at Queen’s University. She articled at Gowling WLG, and has been hired there as an associate. Courtney Smith ’06 Courtney attended Carleton University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts, Criminology and Criminal Justice. She then moved to the U.K., where she attended law school at the University of Leicester. She articled at LCS Law and is now working as a lawyer at The Mobile Lawyer. Cynthia Wallace ’08 Cynthia is a graduate of the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. Prior to law school, she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Queen’s University. She articled at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin, and is currently an associate at the firm. Rachel Witherspoon ’07 Rachel earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph before pursuing her law degree at Queen’s University. She is now an associate at Dentons Canada LLP, where she also articled.
Old Girls’ Association Elmwood Old Girls Association Co-Chairs Elizabeth Heatherington ’63 and Janet Uren ’68 hosted a wonderful meeting and buffet dinner on June 28th at Liz’s home. Twenty-five Old Girls attended to reminisce and share stories about events held during the Centennial year. The group also got started planning some alumni events for the upcoming school year, and it was wonderful to see the renewed sense of excitement about the Association. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Jennifer Irwin-Jackson, Elmwood’s Executive Director of Advancement and Community Relations at jirwin-jackson@elmwood.ca.
Together Again! Elmwood Old Girls are so grateful to Judith (Maclaren) Caldwell ’51 for hosting the fifth annual Prescott Reunion and welcoming 11 Old Girls to her home on the St. Lawrence. Elmwood’s Executive Director of Advancement and Community Relations, Jennifer Irwin-Jackson, had an opportunity to recap our Centennial year of celebrations and update our alumnae. After a wonderful brunch, we were able to reminisce and take a special photo of four of our Head Girls. Despite the heat, guests enjoyed the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival’s adaptation of Much Ado about Nothing and are already looking forward to next summer’s gettogether. Calling all artists! Planning is underway for the 2016 Old Girls’ Art Fair, which will be held on Saturday, December 3, in conjunction with the Holly Tea. We invite the artists among us—Old Girls, current students, Elmwood parents and staff—to participate. If you are interested in submitting up to three pieces to the show, please contact Lindsay Germano at lgermano@elmwood.ca or (613) 7496761 for details. The application deadline is October 25.
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PHILANTHROPY REPORT
THANK YOU TO OUR 2015-2016 DONORS We sincerely thank all our parents, past parents, grandparents, alumnae, staff and friends who supported Elmwood School, based on receipted donations, between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016. Donors to the Annual Campaign, endowment funds, the Gala “Fitness Track” and other strategic projects are included. Donors that have contributed in the last five or more consecutive years are identified with a * symbol. A special thank you for your unwavering dedication and commitment to Elmwood. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our donor listing. If, however, there are any errors or omissions, please accept our sincere apologies and notify the Advancement Office so that the appropriate correction can be made.
FOUNDER’S LEVEL GIFTS $25,000 AND GREATER Dan & Denise Carruthers * Daniel Goldberg & Whitney Fox-Goldberg * Peter & Kelly Hudson * Terry & Catherine McLaughlin * David & Debra Wu *
VISIONARY LEVEL GIFTS $10,000 – $24,999 Olivier Benloulou Chris Brennan & Stephanie James-Brennan * Michael & Karen Fung Kee Fung * Christopher & Laurie Gillin * Sean Murray & Jamilah Taib-Murray * The Peers & Snelling Family Jacob & Jeannie Polisuk *
PACTUM SERVA LEVEL GIFTS $5,000 – $9,999 Denis Barbeau & Alexei O’Connor James & Sarah Baxter * John Brooks & Anna Blauveldt * George Dolhai & Catherine Coulter * Jeffrey & Tara-Leigh Mierins * Nizar & Nadia Rida * Fayez & Nooren Thawer *
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GOVERNOR’S LEVEL GIFTS $2,500 – $4,999 Craig & Antonia Betts David & Cheryl Boughton * Robin Boushey & France Bourbonnais * Nicholas Caragianis & Sarah Murray * Patrick & Patricia Coady * Norma (Wilson) Davies ’42 * Peter & Ann Marie Hume * David Little & Andrea Johnson Scott Parkinson & Jane Mathew Jonathan Richter & Raquelle Dupuis * James Ryan & Robyn Ryan Bell Shalin Sugunasiri & Jacqueline Palumbo-Sugunasiri * Ted Woodhead & Aileen Conway Eric Yau & Paula McNeil Yau * Kenneth Young & Valerie Nixon
HEAD’S LEVEL GIFTS $1,000 – $2,499 Rahim & Shahin Abdullah * Sanjay & Colleen Acharya Brook Bangsboll & Jan Kennedy * Allan & Sarah Bifield * Christine (McGregor) Blackadar ’88 * Michael Bolitho & Angelica Thiele-Bolitho * Jody Bothwell * Gregory & Pilar Bryson * Judith (Maclaren) Caldwell ‘51 Mitchell Charness & Janice Palmer * Nan Chen & Yu Wang Peggy Cork * Michael Crystal & Tracey Thompson * Mario D’Addario & Vana Andreou Nicholas & Suzanne Dawes Dave & Jill Dickinson * Doug Ducharme & Junya Devine Mike & Nancy Greenley * Andy & Krista Hartvich Nobutaka Hayashi & Natalie Piche Elizabeth (Raymont) Heatherington ’63 * Peter Ho & Giovanna Valente Arthur Howarth & Michelle Martin * Derek & Elizabeth Howe * Gary & Lori Hutchinson * Jacob & Billie Irving Paul Jackson & Jennifer Irwin-Jackson Christopher & Karin Johnson Terry Keough & Lynne Watt *
Arlie Koyman * Malek & Liana Ladki John & Crickett Lindgren David & Diana Mason Benjamin Merkley & Véronique French Merkley ’96 * Marcus Minshall & Dominique Jacobson ’02 * Ed Morgan & Mollie Johnson Scott & Christine Murray * Peter & Nina Nicolini Kevin & Ann Nowlan Matt Perreault * Brian & Cathy Peters * Francine Provost Cynthia Rathwell * Annette Rossiter * Jack & Nadine Sabine * Emmanuel Simantirakis & Voula Karamanos Teresa Stirling * Brad & Heather Sweeney * Nimroz Thawer High Commissioner Simon Tucker & Penny Tucker Janet Uren ‘68 Roland Villemaire & Judith Wilcox Geoffrey & Silvana Waddington Allan & Marilyn Wilson Sophie Xing Renxu Zhou & Haiou Zeng
CONTRIBUTOR’S LEVEL GIFTS $500 – $999
FRIEND’S LEVEL GIFTS UP TO $499
Adel Abd El Malek & Eriny Faltas David & Hilary Alexander David & Katherine Angell Stephen & Sandra Assaly * Geneviève Audet * Elise Aylen Jonathan Barker & Margaret Lawson John Bassi Peter Boehm & Julie Wayand Gordon Brownlee & Carolyn Sims * Richard & Kristin Brunner * Mark & Tracey Burton Donald Campbell & Anne Touchette Julia Clubb ’75 John & Gloria Connelly Diane Cramphin Sandra Crossman David Gerring & Elaine Barrett-Cramer Christopher Glover & Carolyn Foley David Goldstein & Kim Doran * Paul Goulet Claire Greenberg Roger Greenberg Margot Peters Gualtieri Kenn Harper & Kathleen Lippa Koyuki Hayashi ’16 Charles Hofley & Julie Pryor Hofley Sarah Jennings ’58 Matthew Jones & Virginia Roth Liam & Korey Kealey Ryan Keon & Cindy Tomlinson Keon Rouben Khatchadourian & Wendy Davenport James Klymchuk & Gillian Carpenter David Law & Carol Watson Wei Lian & Qing Weng Nicholas Lloreda & Alessandra Tassara Leslie Love ’75 Donna MacPhee Brunet ’75 Jeanette Marett ’64 Neuczki Mathurin ’08 Jean McCloskey * Walter & Chris McGinn Ian Meletios Sarina Messina Evelyn Pike * Michael Potter * Warren & Tracy Pratte Shawn Rivers Charles Saikaley Ryan Short Sohail & Nadra Siddiqui Kelly Spence & Elizabeth Thompson * Lisa Stilborn ’83 Joan Sun Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib & Elisa Chan * George Tawagi & Françine Belleau Carolyn Wakeham David Wakeland & Ann MacDonald Timothy & Carolyn Walsh * Mike Wilson & Stephanie Meyer * Thomas Znotins & Sandra Fraser *
Pat Adams Jenika Adolph Matthew & Kathleen Aken Osama Al Khalili & Ola Yasin Abdullah AlJarallah & Abrar Alfahad Mohamed Allam & Meriem Boufassa Ray & Rita Arseneau Alireza Assadzadeh & Janis Jones Martin & Ioulia Aversa Ercel Baker & Xiaobei Chen * Michael Barnes & Josée Berthiaume * Sophie Barnes ’16 Alyson Bartlett * Andrew Batchelor Marcos Bettolli & Ana Remonda Vibov & Neelema Bhan Victoria Bolitho ’16 Mary Jane (Finlayson) Bowie ’68 Angela Boychuk * Iain Brambell & Laryssa Biesenthal David & Vera Briscoe Joan Brodie ’68 Cheryl Brownlie * Michael & Jane Buckley Christopher & Candice Butler Brent & Mary Capehart Joan Caron ’55 Elaine Castillo Jean-Roger Cavé & Brigitte Gonga Yuhua Chen ’16 Heawon Chun Gary & Marilee Chwast Janice Clarke * Laura Grace Conlon Christian & Vanessa Cook Leigh Anne Currie Richard Cuthbert & Jennifer Lefere Sanja Cvetanovic Melanie D’Alessio Kishore & Sabita Dadlani Aneesh & Anna Dalvi Ralph & Elizabeth DeFelice * Edward Deng & Christine Hou * Erin Derbyshire * Pamela (Broome) Dewar ’60 Brian Dinsdale & Rosemary Fincham Emma Dolhai ’12 Hannah Dolhai ’16 Nicole Drake Stephane Dube * Blaine Duffley & Anne Gilbert Beth Ellison Richard Emmerson & Jee Won Lee Andrew Smith & Meagan Enticknap-Smith Lynne (Houwing) Evenson ’79 Claudio Falsetto & Laleah Beaudoin Bruce Farquhar & Christelle Desgranges * Frank & Judith Farrell * Katherine Ferguson ’35 Paulina Finak Quinn Fincham ’16 Duncan Fraser & Leigh Fraser-Roberts Jonathan Frauley & Leigh-Anne Currie Asmait Fukur ’16
Doug & Alice Fyfe Denny Galli & Maribeth Young Gerardo & Editha Garcia Fabien & Aurelie Gaussorgues * Gail Gavan * Joan (Campbell) Gazeley ’55 Lindsay Germano * Margaret Gilliam Claire Glazer * Shilpa Goel ’09 Brianna Gonga-Cavé ’16 Janet Graham Pierre Gratton & Lynn Mainland Sam Grbesic * Nicholas Gummeson * Bill Halloran & Sheila Gallant-Halloran * Daniel Hanson & Sarah Wright * Nathan Harris Farah (Akhtar) Hasan ’91 Sarah Hay * Douglas & Susanne Heim Ryan Hodgins Allison Holmes * Brenda Huggins * Janet Hughson ’69 Chuck Hui & Sarah Rice Michael & Anne-Marie Hurley Meaghan Iwanowski Brad & Nicole Jacobs Valerie Jean-Pierre Aijun Ji & Huayan Kuang Natasha Josselyn Allison Karahalios Gary & Stacey Kay * Judy Kearley Patrick Kelly * Rabeya Khan ’16 Seema Khan Sheraz & Shabana Khan Nadine Kilbertus YamHean Kong * Alan & Naoko Kors Sreenija Koya ’16 Sreenivasa & Aruna Koya Michael Kremmel & Katie Fraser Genevieve Laberge ’16 Gilles Laberge & Carmen Natividad Donald & Kelly Lamoureux Charles Laplante & Joyce Baker Robert & Carolyn Lauzon Richard LeBlanc & Natalie Briscoe Elise Lehman ’16 Terry & Francesca Lehman Jason Levesque Miriam Lewis ’34 Ming Li & Xinhong Jin Cong Ma ’16 Jun Ma & Ying Li Richard & Ethel MacDonald Alli MacDougall * Brendan MacGillivray Mark MacInnis Tanja Mackin W. Allan MacEwen & Leslie MacLeod Mohammad Mahin * Francie Marchand * Teresa Marquis Carol Martin Rusty Martin Jerry Masia Mandala & Vikki Brodowska Robin May & Stephanie Chin
John & Gayle McClelland Marielle McGovern ’05 Christiane McGovern ’07 Shawn & Wendy McNally Kate Meadowcroft Gladys (Abankwa) Meier-Klodt ’81 Debra Middleton Brooke Mierins ’16 Donald & Janice Miller Andrew Milne & Nihal Sherif Tom & Joanne Molnar * Aiyanna Morris ’16 Laura Morrison ’16 Erin Mulcahy * Donna Naufal Moffatt * Trevor & Juliana Nightingale Charles O’Brien & Randi Klebanoff Donald & Rachel Oakes Omosikemi Oni ’16 Sarah Onyango ’83 Andrew Pateman & Mary Noella MacInnis Jian Peng & Juan Chao Matt Perreault * Stephen & Nicole Posivak Stephane Poulin & Stefanie Jansen-Poulin * Nicola Powadiuk Malek Purran * Tara Rajan Dania Rida ’16 Colin Robertson Lynn Robertson ’82 Bonnie Robinson Sandy (Booth) Rogan ’63 Christina Rossi Alaa Rostom & Catherine Dube Pauline Rubarth * Vicki Sainsbury ’67 * Ivan Sambles Anish & Naina Sanghavi Kimberly Senf Pedro Serrao Guanghui & Aixia Shang Fahim Sheikh & Deeba Khalid Fumi Shibutani ’16 Miriam Siddiqui ’16 Meera Singla ’16 Sanjeev & Lalita Singla * Philip Smith & Alexandra Colt * Evan Solomon & Tammy Quinn Jordan Small Simon & Bernadette Somerville Jean-Pierre Souaid & Dalida Jilwan Corey Sproule Vincent Stapleton & Renren Bai Bob & Jill Strachan Rui Sun & Ye Zhao Mark & Ginny Sutcliffe * Megan Sweeney ’16 Blanche Talbot * Samantha Thompson-Spence ’16 Jane Thornton Martha Torres Gregory Townsend & Anna Liberta Townsend * Glen & Anne Tremblay Dixie Trudel Zamzam Turki ’16 Cheryl Tweedie * Mahendra & Tanuja Vaidya Tessa van Haastrecht ’16 Troy & Joanna van Haastrecht Obbe & Donna Vermeij * E L M WO O D.C A
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PHILANTHROPY REPORT
Markley Wakeland ’16 Katherine (Caldwell) Walker ’44 * Scott & Kathryn Walker Jennifer Walsh * Chengmao Wang & Xinyu Yang Haibin Wang & Yanli Zhang Haiming & Yali Wang Weiwei Wang & Carole Yan Xiaowei Wang & Li Zhang Yilin Wang ’16 Ziling Wang ’16 Jeremy & Christine Want Judith (Carter) Webster ’63 Frederick & Gillian Whichelo * Derek & Annica White James Whitehouse
Barbara Whitley ’36 * Chandra Wiegand * Cathy Wiley * Victoria Wilgress ’71 Jacqui Wilson Emily Wright ’16 Gang Wu & Li Sha Cecille Wu ’16 Paula Zoubek
TRIBUTE GIFTS In memory of Mary Barnes & Leslie W.C.S. Barnes In memory of Sandra Sharpe In memory of Jim Tassie
ENDOWED FUNDS Giselle Campeau Scholarship Fund Norma Davies Scholarship Fund Paul Deacon Memorial Scholarship Fund Katherine Ellis Endowment in Memory of Mabel Dunlop ’29 Elmwood School Endowment Fund Elmwood School Old Girls’ Association Scholarship Endowment Fund Elmwood School Scholarship Fund Dr. Carol Kirby Global Citizenship Program Endowment Fund Joan Matthews-Khan Scholarship Endowment Fund
Milena Sigmund Scholarship Fund Cairine Wilson Memorial Scholarship Fund Judy and Margot Toller Memorial Fund Class of 2013 Legacy Endowment Fund Class of 2014 Legacy Endowment Fund Class of 2015 Legacy Endowment Fund Class of 2016 Legacy Endowment Fund
Our Corporate Partners Make a Difference Throughout the School Year! Elmwood’s four Corporate Partners have committed a total of $160,000 over a three-year period and we are honoured to recognize their generosity at many events throughout the school year. Thank you to Terry and Catherine McLaughlin (Terlin Construction Ltd.), Jeff Mierins and Tara-Leigh Cancino Brouillette (Star Motors), Jacob and Jeannie Polisuk (Vista Credit) and David and Debra Wu (Movati Athletic).
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PACTUM SERVA SOCIETY Donors with cumulative giving history of $5,000 or more are permanently recognized on our Donor Wall located in the Atrium. Names are listed as requested by the donor. SUMMA SUMMARUM “HIGHEST OF HIGH” $250,000 AND GREATER Thomas Ahearn Rebecca Baker & John Witherspoon Rod & Sandy Bryden Elmwood School Parents & Friends Association Ethel Fauquier Sean Murray & Jamilah Taib-Murray ’82 Jeannie & Jacob Polisuk Michael Potter John & Jennifer Ruddy Lilias Southam Senator Cairine R. Wilson PARENS “FOUNDER” $100,000 – $249,000 Chris Brennan & Stephanie James-Brennan Dan & Denise Carruthers Norma Davies ’42 Paul & Adelle Deacon Daniel Goldberg & Whitney Fox-Goldberg Derek & Elizabeth Howe Peter & Kelly Hudson Brendan Lucas & Chloe Lucas Terry & Catherine McLaughlin Brooke, Ava & Mila Mierins Esme Pepall ’34 Jim & Pam Skippen R. Howard Webster Foundation William White David & Debra Wu Gary Zed PATRONUS “PATRON” $25,000 - $99,999 Rita & Ray Arseneau Laureen Assaly Stephen & Sandra Assaly The Baxter Family Donald & Shelia Bayne Olivier & Pascale Benloulou J.P. Bickell Foundation Douglas & Sharon Black Robin Boushey & France Bourbonnais Jean-Luc & Catherine Brazeau Neil Bregman, Katherine Jeans & Ivy Bregman Janet Burns ’29 The Robert Campeau Family Foundation Nicholas Caragianis & Sarah Murray Catherine Coulter & George Dolhai Eleanor Creery Elmwood School Staff John, Louise, Veronique ’96, Isabelle ’98 & David French Michael & Karen Fung Kee Fung Philip & Beata Garel-Jones The Gillin Family Paul Faynwachs Mike & Nancy Greenley The Griffith Foundation Peter Griffiths & Willa Griffiths-Kersten Lucy Grossman-Hensel Morag S. Gundy Alice Hunt Lori & Gary Hutchinson Carol Kirby Anja Kloch ’88
Raymond Kuate Konga Katie ’97 & Ruth Lark ’10 Dennis & Andrea Laurin Kenneth & Christina Loeb David & Diana Mason David McClenahan Anne McDougall Benjamin Merkley & Véronique French Merkley ’96 Burton & Susann Merkley The Peers & Snelling Family Brian & Cathy Peters Gordon & Wendy Peters Andy & Bonnie Robinson Rockwell International Canada Lawrence Schembri & Elizabeth Springer Janet Southam Ritchie ’30 Bob & Jill Strachan Ronald & Wendy Sumner Fayez & Nooren Thawer Toller Memorial Fund Janet Uren ’68 Irena Wight Allan & Marilyn Wilson Cairine R.M. Wilson ’31 The Yau Family AUCTOR “BUILDER” $10,000 – $24,999 Rahim & Shahin Abdullah Sanjay & Colleen Acharya Peter & Denise Allen Anonymous Jagtar & Manjit Basi James & Sarah Baxter Paul Beaulé Luc Berube & Odette Laneuville E.W. Bickle Foundation John, Johanna & Jennifer ’04 Blakney Michael Bolitho & Angelica Thiele-Bolitho David & Patricia Boomer David & Cheryl Boughton Gretta Bradley The Janet & Charles Burns Foundation Peter & Nenita Clark James & Vera Cody Elizabeth Coristine ’34 Michael Crystal & Tracey Thompson Mario Cuconato & Danielle May-Cuconato Elizabeth Davis The Dawes Family Dave & Jill Dickinson Gordon Douglas & Margaret I. Douglas Victor Duret & Hilary McCormack Katherine Ellis Ellen Ewert Stephen Gallagher Joan Henderson IBM Alfred Jay & Kim Ling Cynthia Kasem & Julia Campbell ’08 Estate of Nancy Kneeland (Martin) Donegani ’38 Louis & Patricia Lamontagne Allan MacEwen Joan Matthews Khan ’50 Jean C. McCloskey Sarah McDonald ’04, Katherine McDonald ’09 & Heather McDonald ’11
E.B. McDougall Ian McDowell & Carrol Pitters John & Jane Melloul In Memory of Maxine Miller & Stuart Noble David Milne & Pam Gibb-Carsley Scott & Christine Murray Harry & Lee Near Robert & Joanne Nelson Akiko Nishiyama ’78 N.E. Peters Foundation John & Liz Pigott Judy Nesbitt Reid ’50 The Kathleen M. Richardson Foundation Inc. Jonathan Richter & Raquelle Dupuis Michael Robinson & Mary-Louise Walsh Annette Rossiter John & Amy Russell James Ryan & Robyn Ryan Bell Frank & Hannah Sellers In memory of Sandra Sharpe (1987 - 2007) Andrei & Nadia Shirobokov Sanjeev & Lalita Singla Helen Hirsh Spence & David Spence George Tawagi & Françine Belleau John Thomson & Susan Sollars Fred & Jean Toller Gregory Townsend & Anna Liberta Townsend Glen & Ann Tremblay Biff & Dianne Wheeler Ruth Wijkman ’54 Russel & Anne Wilson Thomas Znotins & Sandra Fraser AMICUS “FRIEND” $5,000 – $9,999 Faiza & Aly Abdulla Lilias Ahern ’58 Anonymous David, Sharon, Ryan, Jaye & Brody Appotive Christian Asselin & Joanne Lefebvre Sol Avisar & Karen Brook Brook Bangsboll & Jan Kennedy Denis Barbeau & Alexei O’Connor Blake, Denise & Quincy Batson Mary Beattie Craig & Antonia Betts David & Barbara Berks Jody Bothwell Peter Bouzanis & Maureen Donnelly Ole Bredberg & Berta Canizares Gregory & Pilar Bryson Judith (Maclaren) Caldwell ’51 Juliet Caragianis ’11 Sophia Caragianis ’15 Nazib & Nimira Charania Mitchell Charness & Janice Palmer Yan Chen & Nancy Zhang Class of 2013 Class of 2014 Class of 2015 Class of 2016 Patrick & Patricia Coady Helen Cooper David & Peggy Cork Glenn Coulter Anna Cundill ’35 Heather Dewar Luard Zahir Dhalla & Sahira Charania Doug Ducharme & Junya Devine Mitchel Fein
Chris Fournier James Frodsham The Geddes Family Debbie Gill Elizabeth B. Gill The Greenehaven Foundation The Guimaraes Family Nicholas Gummeson David Goldstein & Kim Doran James Haebe & Sharon Ebata Maureen L. Harper ’84 Nobutaka Hayashi & Natalie Piche Arthur Howarth & Michelle Martin Thomas & Karen Howcroft Ann Marie & Peter Hume Caroline Kern ’69 Grant & Dawn King Peter & Susan Knowlton Kerry & Roshene Lawson Michael & Suzanne Lewis John & Crickett Lindgren The Mackenzie Foundation Donald Maclaren ’38 Nancy MacLaren ’44 Gary & Louise Maffett Evva Massey-Henry ’69 Brian McGarry & Joan Sun The McLaughlin Foundation Janis & Hilda Mierins Foundation Husein & Nimet Moloo Claudia Montgomery William & Mary Elizabeth Mulock Darren & Clare Nippard Bernard & Linda Normand Scott Parkinson & Jane Mathew The Paterson Foundation Jaime Pitfield & Nicole Jauvin Oliver Portner & Kathleen Gartke Elizabeth (Raymont) Heatherington ’63 Christopher & Jean Rath Cynthia Rathwell Patrick & Beverly Reid Susan (Reid) Senn ’77 Nizar & Nadia Rida Don & Meena Roberts Emile, Cheryl, Rachael & Paul Rodrigues Michael & Cynthia Rowland Joanna Rozanski ’03 Jack & Nadine Sabine Charles Saikaley Ian & Melissa Shabinsky A.L. Smith Ann Southam ’37 Shalin Sugunasiri & Jacqueline Palumbo-Sugunasiri Brad & Heather Sweeney Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib & Elisa Chan Ryan & Joanna Todd Brian Toller & Lorna Tener Robert & Madeleine Toller Weiping Tong & Ying Chen Raman Tuli & Caroline Bigue William & Barbara Turner Betty (Caldwell) Walker ’44 Ralph & Helen Westington Barbara Whitley ’36 Don Whitney & Cindy Harrison Greg Wilson & Joanne McBean-Wilson Ted Woodhead & Aileen Conway Nhanci Wright Kenneth Young & Valerie Nixon
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CLASS NOTES 1950s
1960s
Patsy Knowlton ’51 (Head of Keller) Patsy is enjoying life on the family farm in Metcalfe with her husband. She has five beautiful grandchildren. Patsy was Head of Keller and still has her Keller pin.
Jane Rowley ’60 (Head of Keller) Following Elmwood Jane traveled to India with Ruth Petrie ’60 (Head of Fry) to visit her family. When Jane returned she got married and had four wonderful children.
Diane (Boyd) Bethune ’52 (Head of Keller) After graduation from Elmwood Diane attended McGill University obtaining a B.A. in English and French. After that she worked at the Library at N.R.C. in the original building on Sussex Drive. She married her husband Don in 1958 and they have two children: Margot, who lives in Toronto and Andrew, who is in Dublin, Ohio. Margot attended Elmwood for Grades 7 and 8. They also have five grandchildren. Diane became very involved with books: running two second-hand bookshops with her husband after his retirement, book collecting and working at the Rockcliffe Book Fair for over 25 years and the Rockcliffe Library sale since its inception. Diane worked part-time at Shirley Leishman’s and very happily at the Bookery where she nurtured her passion for children’s books. For over 20 years she worked at Books on Beechwood and still goes in occasionally. Diane’s Elmwood memories are very happy ones: “It was the era when we didn’t compete in sports against other schools so house competitiveness was significant particularly on the playing field. All our gym teachers were from England so we had to teach them the rules of basketball. Finally Miss Jessop from New Brunswick arrived who informed us we were playing 1928 rules! We also knitted for the unsuspecting needy; most importantly afghans whose squares were done by hapless knitters in garish shapes and colours.”
Jeanette (McDonald) Marett ’64 (Head of Keller) After Elmwood, Jeanette attended Mount Allison University to complete a B.A., she finished at Carleton University with a Bachelor of Arts and spent her career at Library of Parliament; indexing, clipping, filing, organizing committees for the Senate and House of Commons. Jeanette is now retired and actively enjoys going to church, book clubs, and reconnecting often with Old Girls. She has two children and four grandchildren. Her daughter, Amy Marett ’97 was a lifer at Elmwood and currently resides in Kingston with her husband and two boys. Amy is now a registered Dietician having gone to Dalhousie University and then onto Mount Saint Vincent University. Mrs. Blyth was Jeanette’s Headmistress and later in life Jeanette’s parents ended up in the same retirement home as her in Ottawa. Jeanette was present at the Centennial Finale in June and still relishes the very special memories she had as a student.
Linda Redpath ’58 (Head of Nightingale) Linda headed to Vancouver after Elmwood. She got married, had three beautiful kids and found herself a single mom. She decided to go back to Montreal to Concordia and received a degree in Canadian Studies, then went on to attend McGill University and received her Masters in Social Work. Linda worked at the Montreal General and then in England in the Kensington area in counselling near the Benedictine Centre, then onto the BC Cancer Agency. They were all extraordinary experiences for her. Linda now has one grandchild who lives in Toronto and also goes to Oconto Campground, just as she and a lot of Elmwood girls did when they were younger. Linda’s life was very busy and she had planned to retire in Toronto or Montreal but went out to visit her son in Prince Edward Island and never left! She lives in a small home in the country. She was recently contacted by Illana Stepan, a classmate who visited her in PEI. Jane McTavish was also a classmate and Linda has a lovely memory of her parents because she was a boarder and they were very welcoming. Linda thought Mrs. Graham was a phenomenal Headmistress and has terrific memories of all the conversations with her leading up to graduation. Linda is so grateful for the effect Elmwood had on her life... the School created a great deal of independence and focus as her life evolved.
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Janet Uren ’68 Janet is celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Linden House Theatre Company with another show at Elmwood. The company will be producing a comedy centering on the joys and miseries of miscommunication. The play is called Imaginary Lines, by British playwright Reggie Oliver, and it will take place between November 4 and 13. There will be a special Elmwood Preview on November 2 with a reception beforehand at the school. All proceeds from that show go to the Old Girls’ Scholarship Endowment Fund. The company has been contributing to that fund annually for ten years now. Martha (Pimm) Caflisch ’69 After graduation from Elmwood, Martha went on to earn her bachelor’s degree from McGill, a Masters in International Relations from the University of Miami, and her Law Degree from the Université de Neuchâtel in Switzerland. While in Switzerland, she got married, and began her career, working in the legal departments of a number of banks and trust companies, including the Russian Commercial Bank and the RBS Coutts Bank. In addition to her law practice, Martha studied pilates, and opened her own studio in 2003. Martha lives in Zurich and has three grown children: Giulia, Alana and Notta. Dawn Harwood-Jones ’69 Dawn was moved to read that there was a “Classics Club.” Her mother, Lorna Harwood-Jones, was one of the two teachers who created the Classics Studies course. This year Dawn succumbed to the disease that runs rampant in her family—the love of teaching. Now Dawn is teaching seniors how to create quality videos with their smartphones “How to outsmart your smartphone.” The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Photo credit: Karen Runge of Lunenburg, NS.
Martha (Pimm) Caflisch ’69
Dawn Harwood-Jones ’69
Ellen Wong ’75
1970s
1990s
Jane Ginsberg ’72 (Head of Nightingale) Jane is a Registered Nurse and worked at the Civic Hospital Emergency for many years. Jane has been living in Toronto now for the past 10 years, working at Hill House Hospice. Jane’s son Jonathan is in banking in Ottawa and she hopes to move back in the near future.
Nimroz Thawer ’92 (Head of Wilson) Nimroz graduated from the University of Ottawa with an Honours degree in Human Kinetics, then moved to Toronto for several years to work before returning to Ottawa in 2015. She has two children; a boy Armaan who will turn 12 in September and will be attending Ashbury College and a daughter Imara who will be in Grade 4 in September at Elmwood. She is currently the Director of Sales and Marketing at the Days Inn Ottawa West.
Ellen Wong ’75 Ellen attended Elmwood in Grade 11 and 12 having arrived from Vietnam after her parents saw an ad for Elmwood in Hong Kong. After she graduated, Ellen moved to Montreal and married in 1986. She and her husband went into the transport industry and started their own export company between Canada and Hong Kong. After living many years in Montreal, Ellen decided to retire to Hong Kong and visited Elmwood with her family this past summer! 1980s Resa Solomon ’87 (Head of Nightingale) Immediately upon graduation from Elmwood, Resa took a special trip to her heritage homeland (she was born in Winnipeg): Trinidad & Tobago. The September following graduation she enrolled in Biochemistry at the University of Ottawa. She ultimately switched to complete a degree (BASc.) in Chemical Engineering at the University. It was a tough road and an amazing experience—spurred on in part by the wonderful preparation and encouragement students had at Elmwood to pursue the fields of their choosing, including science and technology! Resa has recently moved onto phase two of her career as a chef and business owner, but she was an engineer and science manager/director for many years. Julie Waterhouse ’88 (Head of Keller) After graduation, Julie went to the University of Waterloo, where she completed a Bachelor of Math and then a Masters of Math in Computer Science. During her Masters, she took a five-week trip to northern India with a group of other university students. After that, Julie worked for IBM for 18 years, and then left to start her own web development agency. She is married, and living in Markham.
Clare (Morrison) Hodgetts ’93 An experienced photographer, Claire uses the shots she captures as a tool to get the discussion rolling on environmental conservation. Many years working on bird conservation projects around the world, as well as over half a decade working for the National Wildlife Research Center in Ottawa looking at pesticides and their effect on wildlife, directed her course to raising awareness of environmental issues. A diploma in photojournalism gave her the avenue to do just that and helped develop her mission to further environmental conservation through photography. In Focus is her latest project. Teaming up with Ethical Profiling in Vancouver (owned and operated by Kemp Edwards—an old Ashbury boy) and three other photographers, they produce ethically conscious scarves (made from recycled bottles) with 25% of sales going to charity. The idea was launched at a successful charity/fashion/art gala in Vancouver last November. Each photographer showcased a selection of local artwork of which three images were printed on limited edition scarves. Each photographer chose a local charity and 50% of sales from the evening went to the charities. The scarves are still available online at www.infocusvancouver.com. It’s a model of wearable art that gives back—a win-win situation. Clare is excited with many more projects in the works. To see more of her work, please visit www.mophoto.ca. Photo credit: Chris Hodgetts
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CLASS NOTES
Karen Morrison ’96
Nicola Krishna ’00
Jordan Nodelman ’94 Jordan attended Elmwood in Grade 4 before moving to the United States in 1985. He now resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he is a realtor serving South Florida and a photographer. (www. jmnphoto.com)
Barbados a lot lately. Laura went back to school and is halfway through completing a Masters of Kinesiology, in High Performance Coaching and Technical Leadership. It’s through UBC but designed for people who are in the sport world, so mostly online to accommodate travel and competition schedules. Her free time is occupied with drinking wine, camping and playing in the mountainside lake by her house, swimming or paddleboarding.
Karen Morrison ’96 Karen’s daughter, Arcadie, turned 13 this year—the same age Karen was when she left Elmwood 25 years ago for the Arts Canterbury program. After studying for 11 years at four different universities and colleges, changing her major five times, and moving briefly to Mobile, Alabama, Karen now lives a quiet life in the same neighbourhood where she grew up and makes a living as a technical writer. Speaking of writing, a few years ago Karen ran into her fourth grade teacher from Elmwood, Mrs. Mayes, in church. The first thing Mrs. Mayes asked her was, “Do you still write?” That’s what planted the idea in her head to try to make a living at what she does best. It took Karen 30 years to figure out what to do, but Mrs. Mayes had her figured out in 10 months when she was 9 years old. Technical writing might sound a little dry, but there are more opportunities for creativity than you might think! The photo is of Karen and Arcadie’s Christmas holiday last year at Universal Studios. Laura (Pitt) Watson ’98 (Head of Nightingale) Laura loves living in Port Moody, just outside of Vancouver, where she has been for 10 years. She recently celebrated her seventh wedding anniversary with her husband Sean. She doesn’t have kids, and wants to get a dog, but two cats have dominated her household! All of her sisters have moved to B.C. as well, so there are four Pitt sisters out west. Laura is as a Senior Coaching Consultant for the Coaching Association of Canada. CAC is located in Ottawa, so she works from her home office and travels a lot. The CAC has 66 sports they run the coaching education programs for, from grassroots to Olympic. Laura oversees the 13 provinces and territories, and all of parasport and also manages the International contracts, so she has been working in 44
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2000s Nicola Krishna ’00 (Head of Wilson) Nicola completed her undergraduate degree at Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Arts, Honours in Film Studies. Not knowing what she wanted to do with her life, she did what most people do, and traveled. She went to Australia and lived and worked there for a year and a half, before returning to Toronto with more of a focus. She completed a Graduate Certificate Program in Corporate Communications and Public Relations at Centennial College, and officially started a career in Public Relations. Since then, she has worked mostly within the entertainment field, working for four years at a boutique PR firm before moving to her current employer, Bell Media. Entertainment PR is very demanding and fast paced, but she definitely likes it that way. A lot of people think entertainment PR is all glitz and glamour, which is not true. While she has been on many red carpets, from the Much Music Video Awards to the JUNO Awards, it’s much less glamorous than one would think when you’re not the star! Mostly, she is dodging out of camera shots because she’s always in the way. Publicists live for the action behind the scenes and seeing all the hard work pay off with a front page spread in a newspaper! She says she has definitely been very lucky in her career so far, and has worked with some really interesting clients along the way, Dolly Parton being one of her most memorable!
CLASS NOTES
Malgosia Mosielski ’01
Jill (Blackman) Woolley ’02
Tiffany (Semple) Mullen ’00 (Prefect at Large) Upon graduation from Elmwood in 2000, Tiffany went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts, Sociology with Honours. She returned to Ottawa and started working at CIHI, The Canadian Institute for Health Information, where she is currently the Senior Coordinator for Infrastructure Services. The job entails project management and communications for the IT department and she enjoys it immensely. Tiffany lives very close to where she grew up in the Ottawa region with her husband Ben and their two children Finnley and Bode. They are a busy family that enjoys marathoning, cottaging and travel whenever they can! Malgosia Mosielski ’01 Right after graduation from Elmwood, Malgosia moved to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island to begin university. In 2005 she graduated from the University of PEI with a Bachelor of Science degree (honours Biology). Then in 2010 she graduated from the Atlantic Veterinary College with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. Malgosia then went on to practice small animal and equine medicine in Virginia and Ontario. In 2012, she was diagnosed with aplastic anemia and took off a year to have a bone marrow transplant (a story for another time). During that time, she decided to pursue further specialization in Veterinary Public Health, and applied and was accepted to the Master of Public Health program at the University of Waterloo. She graduated from the University of Waterloo in fall of 2015 and is currently studying to write her Board examinations in Veterinary Public Health this coming year. As for work, Malgosia is currently working as an Associate Director of Assessments at the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) where she works to improve the lives of animals being used in
Sarah Quinn ’06
research, teaching, and testing. As for the fun stuff, she just bought her first house in Lindenlea, she is lucky enough to have two horses and three kitties, and is in the midst of planning an exciting trip to Scotland and Sweden for this upcoming year. Jill (Blackman) Woolley ’02 (Head of Fry) “F is for Fantastic.” Her journey after Elmwood has been filled with fantastic experiences through education, travel, work, play and love. Since graduating in 2002, she received a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Education from Lakehead University. “R is really great.” Between degrees Jill had a really great time teaching middle school English for three years in Japan. After her second degree, she taught at an elementary school in a fly-in First Nations community in Northern Ontario for four years, along with her (now) husband. “Y is for Yahoo!” Jonathan and Jill were married at the beginning of 2014 and welcomed a daughter, Jordyn Olivia, last summer. They’ve just purchased their first home in Red Lake, Ontario where they continue to work in education with First Nations communities in the north. “’Cuz FRY just takes the cake!” Jill says that it was an honour to be Head of Fry and she continues to be grateful for the opportunities she had while at Elmwood. Her experiences over the eight years she was a student at the school helped to shape the woman she is today. Sarah Quinn ’06 (Head of Nightingale) Sarah was Head of Nightingale in 2005 – 06 and went on to McGill and studied political science and history. While she was there she ran McMUN, the largest model UN conference in North America and competed at conferences across Canada and the US and at the WorldMUN conference in 2009 in Amsterdam. Sarah also ran SSPN—the event planning network for the Students Society—and the Intramural Basketball league for two years. McGill was an extension of her time at Elmwood, balancing schoolwork with lots of activities, planning events, having fun and maximizing her time. When she graduated she won the Volunteer of the Year award from E L M WO O D.C A
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CLASS NOTES
Sarah Pullen ’10
Lucy Robert ’11
the Students’ Society and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Relations Students’ Association. After graduation Sarah moved to New York and became a conference coordinator for ALM Media—producing commercial real estate events and travelling across the country. She was on the road 32 weeks a year and loved it! Sarah built an extensive network nationally and has had different roles producing 2000-person events and heading up sales for the West Coast. In 2014 she moved to Los Angeles and started Connect Media (www.connect.media) with a long-time colleague. The organization expanded nationally this year and reaches 200,000 commercial real estate execs nationally with their daily news and produce 15 events a year. The Connect Media team has grown from two to 13 and they are opening offices in Texas and New York this fall. Rachel Hutchinson ’08 Rachel graduated in May with distinction, cum laude, from Harvard Law School. She has accepted a position with an international law firm in Boston. Emily Mansfield ’08 (Head of Nightingale) Emily went to Queen’s University and completed a BSc (honors) in molecular biology. She then started to work for a biotech company in Kanata called DNA Genotek. She took on a technical sales role, which manages all academic research revenue (sales) for Scotland, Ireland and the UK. It’s been four years and she is loving it!
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2010s Sarah Pullen ’10 Since graduating, Sarah has gone on to complete a BA from Acadia University in Political Science, graduating in 2014. Presently, she is completing her Master’s Degree in Infrastructure Protection and International Security at Carleton University. This unique and elite program combines both civil engineering and policy development skills to produce graduates dedicated to protecting Canada’s critical infrastructure. In February of 2016, Sarah was selected as one of five students from across Canada to present her own research at the Canadian Catastrophe Conference in Toronto. She presented research on building community resilience to disasters, with specific attention to social capital, to experts in the fields of disaster recovery and emergency management from across the globe. Sarah will be continuing her studies this fall while also working in the Department of National Defence. Lucy Robert ’11 After graduating with a dual degree from Western University in Media Theory and Production, and a certificate in Broadcast Television at Fanshawe College and interning at Breakfast Television in Toronto for two months, Lucy landed her first industry job as a production assistant at Legend 3D in Toronto, working in post production and 3D conversions for films such as Disney’s Alice Through the Looking Glass and The Finest Hours and IMAX’s A Beautiful Planet. Lucy then was promoted to a Production Coordinator after five months and worked on films such as Ghostbusters and Pete’s Dragon. This past July Lucy accepted another promotion as VFX Coordinator at Legend 3D and is working on two new films that will be out in theatres soon! Photo is of Lucy’s graduation day from June 2015 with her family, who are all Western graduates; her brother just completed his first year at Western as well!
CLASS NOTES
Charlotte Murfin ’13
Erin Chapman ’12 (Head of Nightingale) After Elmwood Erin went to York University for a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and transferred to the University of Ottawa for a Bachelor of Arts in Communication after one semester. Following her first year, Erin attended the Rockettes Summer Intensive Program in New York City as the only non-American admitted into the program. At UOttawa, she was elected as the Vice President of Philanthropy for the Communication Students’ Association for two years straight and then went on to become the President of the Association, representing the 1,600 students studying communications, public relations, digital journalism, and world cinemas. Last year she ran in the campus-wide elections and won a seat as a Faculty of Arts representative on the Board of Administration for the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa—she also sits on the 101 Week and Constitutional committees. During her time at UOttawa she has participated in the co-op program, completing work terms at CanmetENERGY, Canada Revenue Agency, Alcatel-Lucent (now Nokia), and is currently working at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. Erin will be finished her undergraduate degree this December. Throughout her university career she has used her dance abilities in aerial training and is now going to competitions in Canada and the US for aerial silks, hoop and pole. This summer, Erin competed at the North American Pole Dance Championships in Chicago with an aerial hoop routine, and will be competing at the Great White North competition this coming fall for pole. After her graduation this winter, she is planning to take fast-track business courses at Ryerson and audition to dance on cruise ships and performing cirque shows. Ideally she would like to go into a field that mixes business with creativity either in fashion, advertising or film production. “Anchors away to all my fellow Nightingalers, cause when you’re on our team you’re the best in town!”
Brynley Hanson-Wright ’14
Charlotte Murfin ’13 Charlotte just graduated from University of Exeter with a 2:1 in Bachelor of Laws with Honours in Law. She is moving to London in September to begin her Legal Practice Course with an MSc in Law, Business and Management at University of Law. Brynley Hanson-Wright ’14 (Sports Captain) Brynley is studying Integrated Science at McMaster University. She’s going into third year now with a concentration in psychology, neuroscience and behaviour. She’s also on the varsity rowing team. The summer of 2014 (a week after graduation from Elmwood) Brynley paddled a 52-day arctic canoe trip with Camp Wanapitei. They covered 1200km and ended on the Coppermine river which led to the town of Kugluktuk on the Arctic Ocean. It was an absolutely incredible experience with paddles all night long under the midnight sun, portages across the barren lands, and paddling in the path of early explorers to famous sites along rapids in iconic red-cliff canyons. This summer Brynley was hired as a trail ambassador by a nonprofit organization called Path of the Paddle to travel 1200km of the Trans Canada Trail, from Thunder Bay to Whiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba. The route starts with a week on Lake Superior, then includes a 14km portage used by Voyageurs to reach the interior of Canada, and then more upstream, downstream and lake paddling to connect major towns, landmarks, heritage sites and waterways in the region. In all, the trip will take 10 weeks to complete and it’s only her and her boyfriend Erik the whole way. Their job is to collect data on the trail so that Path of the Paddle can make maps and guidebooks for the area to increase tourism of the water trail, and also for them to share their adventure online through a blog and other social media. Check out Path of the Paddle on Instagram and Facebook to see what she has been doing this summer. For more info on anything regarding her trip visit: www.popaambassadors.com E L M WO O D.C A
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WELCOME TO ELMWOOD!
We welcomed the following members of staff this year:
Angela Charlebois, Assistant Chef Ms. Charlebois was born and raised in Ottawa. She is a wife and a mother of two (Harmony, 13 and Elton, one) She met her husband in a kitchen. She loves food! She knew she wanted to cook from a very young age, from her first taste of escargot with her grandfather and watching the Urban Peasant and Julia Child cook on TV with her grandmother. She wanted to have a cooking show so bad! But, there’s still time for that. For her Grade 11 Cooperative Education placement, Ms. Charlebois chose to work in a busy downtown restaurant (Bravo Bravo). When her course was over, they hired her. It was right around Christmas time and she’s been in the kitchen ever since. Six years ago Ms. Charlebois graduated from Algonquin College’s Culinary Management program. Before coming to Elmwood, she worked for many reputable establishments including Life of Pie, The Red Apron, Epicuria and Thyme and Again. 48
SEPTEMBER 2016
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Tod Bain, Database Manager Mr. Bain started his high tech career at 14 here in the Kanata. Opportunities took him to London, England where he spent 10 years working with some of the largest telecom carriers in Europe and the biggest online advertising companies in the world. Having returned to his hometown to be closer to his family, he looks forward to helping Elmwood realize its plan to move the backend administrative systems onto a new platform to better serve the needs of the school. Fun Fact: Mr. Bain has four daughters and his eldest daughter nearly ran over Paul McCartney with her push scooter while learning to ride it in the Regent’s Park, London.
ELMWOOD EMBLEM
Derek O’Farrell, Math and Science Teacher/Rowing Coach Mr. O’Farrell will be familiar to our rowers, as he previously coached our rowing team in a volunteer capacity. He is excited to come on board as math and science teacher as well as our new rowing coach. Mr. O’Farrell was a senior Canadian Olympic rower and crew captain, three-time world championship medalist with 25 international races for Canada. He also rowed for McGill University, where he graduated in 2007. Since retiring from rowing, Mr. O’Farrell has completed his teaching degree as well as an MBA.
Vanessa Sjerven, Junior Kindergarten Teacher We are also excited to welcome back Ms. Vanessa Sjerven to Elmwood as our Junior Kindergarten teacher. Ms. Sjerven is a highly experienced teacher with a particular passion for the early years. She has a broad range of relevant experience, including covering Elmwood’s Grade 1 class during an extended leave. From 2011 to 2014, she worked as a Kindergarten Teacher at the International School of Kenya (ISK). Prior to her time at ISK, Ms. Sjerven worked at a variety of schools across Canada and taught at the elementary, middle and high school levels.
GOOD NEWS!
Abigail Kilbertus born June 27, 2015, daughter of Middle School Athletic Director, Nadine Kilbertus.
Paige Gagnon born August 7, 2015, daughter of Grade 1 teacher, Ginny Strachan ’00
Theo Belley born on February 23, 2016, son of ESL teacher, Guillaume Belley.
Annabelle Dube born January 13, 2015, daughter of Laptop Technician, Stephane Dube.
Finley Hodgins born May 6, 2016, son of Grade 4 teacher, Ryan Hodgins
Noah Markel born January 20, 2016, son of HPE Instructional Leader, Erin Derbyshire
Olivia Gummeson born July 4, 2016, daughter of music teacher, Nicholas Gummeson.
Grade 5 teacher, Jenika Adolph got married on July 30, 2016 at her family farmhouse in Snowroad Station, Ontario. Her husband’s name is Francisco Alvarez and she will now be Mrs. Alvarez, which will take some getting used to! Their wedding was a collaboration of work from both of their families with tons of homemade details, from the candle holder centrepieces to the three different piñatas. It was farmhouse chic meets Mexican fiesta! Congratulations Jenika!
Emblem
The Emblem is published twice a year. To ensure your news is included in the next issue, please submit your story and a high resolution photo to lgermano@elmwood.ca by January 15, 2017. E L M WO O D.C A
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SHE IS OUR FIRST PRIORITY TOO. We are experts in how girls learn, grow, and succeed. Like you, our goal is to make sure your daughter reaches her full potential. In our girl-centric learning environment, the first student to raise her hand is a girl, the first student across the finish line is a girl, and the first student to lend a hand is a girl. This safe, supportive atmosphere fosters academic excellence, self-confidence and a healthy outlook on life. That’s why our graduates are well prepared to go on to their first-choice universities and take on first-class careers.
As you already know, when you put her first, amazing things happen.
Inspiring girls
Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Elmwood School, 261 Buena Vista Rd. Ottawa ON K1M 0V9
OPEN HOUSE Saturday, October 22 | 9 a.m. Elmwood School puts families first too. Join us to learn more about everything we can offer you and your daughter. · Before- and after-school programming, including homework supervision · Transportation · Healthy meals prepared on-site · Individualized support from our Student Success Centre · Wide range of co-curricular programs, including music, dance, athletics and more.
RSVP at Elmwood.ca or call (613) 744-7783
www.elmwood.ca