HSC Review Spring 2017
The magazine for THE Hillfield Strathallan College Community
Fighting
Spirit Lawyer Karenna Williams ’04 makes the case for First Nations rights
+
Liz Loughrey ’13
Rising Up
Siblings
Unrivalled
A House
for All
Inside
An Educational
Journey... Each day is full of new learning and adventure for our students. This is only possible thanks to generations of supportive donors.
20 The HSC Review is published by Hillfield Strathallan College and the Communications and Advancement Office. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please contact Zahra Valani at 905-389-1367, ext. 162, or communications@hsc.on.ca. Visit our website at hsc.on.ca. Editorial Director: Zahra Valani, Director of Advancement and Communications Editorial Advisor: Berton Woodward Design and Production: Simon Cooper/Hybrid Ideas Greening Marketing Katelyn Galer, Communications Officer
...Made Possible by
You
Visit www.hsc.on.ca/excellence to donate today and support HSC students on their educational journey.
Text and Photography: Eric Bosch Steve Carty Penny Elton Mike Ford Marnie Helmy Danielle Hourigan ’82 Lorna Kelly Laurie Lewis Wandering Eye Photography Barbara Wickens Berton Woodward Cover: Karenna Williams ’04 photographed by Carlo Ricci at Spanish Banks, Vancouver.
Learn with Joy. Live with Purpose.
24
36
College Life 6 Features A House for All Junior and Montessori students join HSC’s venerable system of pride, spirit and connection.
20
Fighting Spirit Lawyer Karenna Williams ’04 is making the case for First Nations people right up to the Supreme Court.
24
Siblings Unrivalled From Road to Avonlea to General Hospital to dance, the three Zamprogna kids have all made their mark.
28
It Runs in the Family Four generations of Harrisons have been attending HSC since 1929.
32
Rising Up Singer Liz Loughrey ’13 is getting big support as she pursues big ambitions in pop music.
36
Top Honours 40 The Alumni Award of Distinction; The Alumni Hall of Excellence; Stellar Students; Perfect Prefects Giving 50 The Joy of Innovative Learning, 20 Years on the Links
Printing: Battlefield Graphics
Passages 54
Copyright 2017 Hillfield Strathallan College.
The Last Word 58
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 3
→
→ Messages
Messages From Marc Ayotte Head of College
From Erica Otaguro ’07 President, HSC Alumni Association
A Whole School Connected
Strengthening the Bonds
Parents now have a window into the daily educational world of their children
Check out Mentor Connect, one of the many ways to stay involved with HSC
W
ith the collective talents of over 1,180 students, 200-plus employees, more than 800 current families and four generations of alumni, our community enjoys strength in numbers. But with so many stakeholders and interests in play, how do we connect all the dots to stay connected and engaged? In 2015-16, we did so by implementing a multi-year plan for Direction 5 of our Strategic Plan Towards 20/20, which
interaction between students, teachers and parents. It puts at our fingertips educational applications that enrich student learning and complement the classroom experience. Parents now have a window into the daily educational world of their children and all aspects of College life—from calendars and menus to assignments and curriculum. In our offline efforts to strengthen the bonds of community, we extended the HSC House System this fall to include our
“These meaningful, reciprocal relationships are the foundation of a strong community on campus and beyond our gates.” focuses on Community Connections and Engagement. Our 2016–17 year began with the launch of myHSC. An internal, web-based Learning Management System, myHSC facilitates communication and online Page 4
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
Early Education students (see page 20). On October 6, 2016, the campus was awash in colour during our first College-wide House Colours Day. Students wore their yellow, blue, red or orange gear for our Turkey Trot and House Cross Country events. Our
Grade 12 leaders ran with our younger students and their fellow House members, and even our Toddlers participated by wearing House colours and cheering on our Turkey Trotters from the playground. Thanks to our dedicated Alumni Executive, we also continue to expand our Mentorship Program—HSC Mentor Connect—to engage current students and young alumni with HSC alumni and parents. The early success of the program indicates that our graduates are eager to share wisdom and provide insight into students’ personal and professional goals, and that students are keen to learn from the real world experience of our alumni. These meaningful, reciprocal relationships are the foundation of a strong community on campus and beyond our gates. We are delighted to bring these initiatives to HSC, and to further establish ourselves as a school built on over a century of personal relationships and community.
I
believe that all HSC alumni possess a shared understanding of our individual and collective capacity to better the world around us. I also believe we have a responsibility to share our learnings and experiences with our community. More than ever, the HSC Alumni Association is able to provide ways for you to give back and engage with your alma mater. Annual reunions, Homecoming Weekend, Carol Service—these are just a handful of the activities that draw alumni back to campus. By staying connected with HSC, you strengthen the bond between you and the school that provided you with opportunities to explore your creative, intellectual, physical, social and moral capabilities. Staying connected can mean many things, from sharing your news with classmates or reading the HSC Review, to making a donation or attending community events. Volunteerism is also a vital part of community life at HSC, and we are
forever grateful to those alumni who are generous with their time and talents. Whether it is through participation on a board or a committee, or pitching in at an event like our Annual HSC Golf Classic, the contributions of our alumni volunteers demonstrate the spirit of service that differentiates HSC from other independent schools. One of the Alumni Association volunteer initiatives I am most proud of is HSC Mentor Connect. A powerful online platform, Mentor Connect facilitates oneto-one career consultations among HSC students and alumni. It is a tangible way alumni can inspire future generations to achieve their goals and ambitions. For students exploring career paths and higher education opportunities after graduation, a meaningful mentorship relationship can be a powerful motivating force and a source of inspiration. Mentors benefit from knowing they have had a positive impact, while enriching their own professional networks and sharpening
their own communication and leadership skills. We want to tap into the expertise of alumni working in all sectors, and we welcome anyone who wants to learn more to visit hsc.on.ca/mentorship for updates on how to get involved. To all, once again, thank you for your commitment to HSC.
Join the Conversation hsc.on.ca/social
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 5
→ College Life
W
It’s All About Challenge New Senior School Principal Rick Kunc wants to take students out of their comfort zone By Berton Woodward
Page 6
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
hen Rick Kunc talks about the kind of learning he wants to expand as the new principal of the Senior School, he points to designwerx. No, it’s not some students who need remedial spelling. It’s a project backed by the David Tutty Joy & Innovation Fund, in which communication technology students work alongside their teachers in their own design studio, doing paid creative work for outside clients, such as web design or a new logo. “That’s personalized authentic learning, that’s self-directed learning,” says Rick. “That’s a real-life experience for students. They’re being evaluated not only from the educational point of view, but by a client’s satisfaction. So, how do we make that happen across our entire school?” Rick, whose surname is pronounced “Koontz”, joined HSC at the beginning of the 2016-17 year after two decades working as a teacher and principal with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. At his most recent schools—Nora Frances Henderson Secondary, Barton Secondary and Westmount Secondary— he developed a reputation as a leader in personalized authentic learning. Which is what, exactly? To begin with, it’s critical to HSC’s strategic plan, Towards 20/20, which envisions outcomes in which “each graduate has a unique/differentiated learning experience beyond the requirements of the Ontario School Diploma.” But more poetically, here’s what Rick says: “What’s exciting for me is that it’s not a one-size-fits-all model. It’s educators leveraging the strengths that students have as individuals. It’s asking them to challenge themselves. It’s asking questions that move them outside of their comfort zone, asking questions that allow them to go out into the world and find the answers, asking them to be curious, asking them to investigate, asking them to question the status quo. “In short, it means that students have an active part in the learning process, and in finding their passion in learning.” In a geography class about environmental impact, for example, an entrepreneurially minded student might be encouraged to come up with a business plan that helps the environment—perhaps a recycling firm. Or in math, a student passionate about theatre might be challenged to work out the
Rick Kunc with other teachers at the House event (top); having fun at a Science event (bottom left); chatting with Senior students (bottom right)
dimensions for a stage design, or an athlete to figure out how to fit eight soccer fields onto the HSC grounds. It’s about making broader connections, too, says Rick. “In high school, we typically had silos—I go to my geography class and I learn about geography, I go to my math class and I learn about math, and the two
Hamilton teaching phys. ed, geography and guidance—and studying more. Qualifying to be a principal, he did coursework at Western, Brock and York universities, and earned a Master’s in International Education at the Burlington campus of Australia’s Charles Sturt University. “It’s the long journey of educators,” he chuckles.
“What’s exciting for me is that it’s not a one-size-fits-all model. It’s educators leveraging the strengths that students have as individuals.” do not naturally connect. But when we’re allowing students to have that ownership of their learning, it allows them to start making those connections.” And here is an aspect that every student will rejoice over. As they work on their projects, personally or in groups, they will be evaluated as they go, says Rick. “As a school, that’s where we hope to move—to assess student learning in ways other than a pen-and-paper test.” Although this is Rick’s first posting in an independent school, he knows the local educational turf well. Born in Dundas and a graduate of now-closed Parkside High, he took his B.A. in physical education at McMaster. After adding a B.Ed. at the University of Toronto, he was back in
His family is, in fact, full of educators— his father Al was a principal, his mother Brenda worked for the public board, his sister Donna Hils is an elementary school teacher, and his uncle, Norman Kunc, is a well-known lecturer on disability rights and inclusive education. Rick and his wife, Jackie Penman, have four children in the education system aged 12 to 20. Rick has a passion for the outdoors, and for sports. But he is clearly most passionate about education, and his new role at HSC. “Seeing the wonderful sense of community here has been overwhelming to me,” he says. “It truly is a College that supports each of its students. I’m thrilled to get the opportunity to work here.” HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 7
→ College Life
Authors in Waiting Students find inspiration at Write Across the College
Junior Boys team racers Ashvin Moro (left) and Jace Ellis
The Junior Girls were confident at race start and finished first in their division
Team Captain Steph Gerend
HSC’s Cross Country win was anchored in teamwork
E
Page 8
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
HSC won by acquiring points across four divisions: Senior Girls, Senior Boys, Junior Girls and Junior Boys. While they only captured one division outright—a gold for the Junior Girls—the performances of the other teams allowed HSC to amass enough points to capture the Overall Co-Ed School title. Mark can honestly boast that each of the team’s 48 runners contributed to the final result. Team captains Tom Campbell, Steph Gerend, Mayah Moosajee and Dinesh Moro were role models for their teammates, many of whom were running competitively for the first time. “The team worked really hard and diversified their training to be more competitive,” says Mayah, the girls’ captain. “Our team spirit and collective motivation made a huge contribution to our success.”
While there were a few breakout individual performances at CISAA (like the spectacular OFSAA qualifying runs by Georgia Cross-Bermingham, Jace Ellis, Ben Parker and Dinesh Moro), Tom Campbell says the team is strongest as a whole. “Everyone was so supportive and encouraging towards each other,” he says. “We had each other’s backs no matter what.” On November 5, the team returned to Port Hope for the OFSAA Cross Country championships. While wins to place were elusive, the team held their own against the best Cross Country athletes in Ontario. By bringing HSC into the OFSAA fold, the team brought to life their new team motto—“Training takes discipline, racing takes courage.”
On September 16, students spread out across campus to participate in the annual Write Across the College event
Pods for Learning Anne-Marie Hourigan ’77 helps lead a new strategy at the Eva Rothwell Centre
F
Discipline and Courage veryone loves an underdog story, and the HSC Cross Country CISAA Championship win is one of them. On October 26, 2016, in Port Hope, Ont., the team astounded the competition with a first-place tie for the Overall Co-Ed School title. The result qualified the team for the 2016 OFSAA Championships, and validated their efforts to reinvent the sport at HSC. Coach Mark Ryall attributes their unprecedented success to a shift in thinking—from a focus on individual achievements to team performance. “Cross country is often viewed as an individual sport,” he says, “but our two big wins, the Junior Girls Division and Overall Co-ed School, could not have happened without a critical mass of participation, training and encouragement within our teams.”
O
n September 16, the entire Middle School, along with many Junior and Montessori students, participated in the 4th Annual Write Across the College event. Each grade received age-and-stage appropriate writing prompts, and then spread out across HSC fields to use the surrounding natural environment to inspire them. Some comments from the students about the experience: “It felt calm.” “I get my best ideas when I’m alone and it’s quiet.” “It was fun to write with pencil and not a laptop.” “This was awesome—I got to continue writing a book I started!” Overheard when they got back to their classrooms: “Can we keep writing?” and “Can I share what I wrote?” Middle School students have many opportunities to write freely throughout the year, as well as the chance to enter one of their works in application for the Writer-in-Residence program.
or Anne-Marie Hourigan ’77 (Hall of Excellence ’11), it was a bit of a revelation. After her retirement in 2014 as a Judge of the Ontario Court of Justice, she became a member of the board of the Eva Rothwell Centre in Hamilton’s North End. “There I learned two things in short order,” she says. “First, that the Keith neighbourhood it serves is one of the most impoverished areas in Ontario, and second, that there is a rich history of giving to the centre by the HSC community.” Anne-Marie notes that 43 per cent of local residents live in poverty—a number that jumps to 70 per cent for children—life expectancy is nearly 10 years below the Hamilton average, and the high school dropout rate is
up to three times the city’s level. Now the Centre’s board has launched a new strategic plan that combines essential services for the community with the opportunity to learn. “Through the introduction of Learning Pods, our aim is to provide community members with the support, knowledge and confidence they require to lift themselves out of poverty,” Anne-Marie says. “These six Learning Pods, intended for people of all ages, will specifically address identified gaps that hinder our impoverished community’s ability to prosper.” The Pods involve learning and support through a wide variety of means in the six areas of Education, Employment and Vocation, Wellness, Essential
Skills, Youth Empowerment, and Creative Arts. Pods such as Education will complement the work of existing partners, including the on-site Larry Paikin Literacy Express. Anne-Marie points out that the Eva Rothwell Centre is named for the mother of one of its key donors, Edward Palonek ’78, and many HSC students have volunteered there. “This is an exciting time for the centre, and I strongly encourage my fellow alumni, parents and other HSC community members to join in,” she says. “Whether it is volunteering your time, donating funds, providing programming ideas for the Pods or creating new partnerships, it’s all greatly appreciated.” There’s more information at www.evarothwell.org. HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 9
→ College Life
A Big Year for Mentorship How alumni and parents can help guide students and young alums
A Neyk (left) and Oliver with some of the 640 toiletries they received in spring 2016 for Wesley Urban Ministries
Helping Hands Save your tiny toiletries and support those in need
S
ometimes the littlest things can add up to something big. Take, for instance, a travel-size bottle of shampoo. For most of us, it is a convenience or a perk that comes as part of a resort vacation. For someone living on the streets, where staying clean is a daily struggle, donated toiletries can contribute to a sense of selfworth and dignity. With the help of two enterprising Montessori 9 students, there is a new way for the homeless in Hamilton to find desperately needed hygiene products. Neyk Amin and Oliver de Boer are the proud founders of The Helping Hands Foundation—a project designed to put unwanted hotel toiletries in the hands of those most in need. It all began in early 2016 when Neyk and Oliver began a Montessori 8 class project about poverty. One evening, Neyk came across a homeless man in Toronto as he was leaving a sporting event. The man’s situation troubled Neyk and he shared Page 10
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
what he saw with Oliver. Inspired to learn more, the two boys began to research poverty in their own community. According to Neyk, they came to two realizations—that poverty is a big problem in parts of Hamilton, and that when you see a big problem you have a responsibility to do something about it. “We are privileged and we should be grateful,” he says. “It’s our responsibility to try to help people who need it.” The two students began to brainstorm ways they could help. A conference call with Wesley Urban Ministries in Hamilton led to their “eureka” moment. When Oliver and Neyk asked what their clients needed most, the response was hygiene products. Helping Hands was seeded in this conversation. Oliver and Neyk approached College leadership for permission to start a collection campaign. Members of the HSC community travelling during March break or for conferences were asked to save their travel-size toiletries. The boys would
sort and deliver the items to Wesley Urban Ministries, which would then distribute them to those in need. It was a major success. On April 29, 2016, Oliver and Neyk delivered over 640 hygiene items (along with 47 hand-loomed toques from the school’s Hats for Humanity Club) to Wesley Urban Ministries. As they prepare to enter Middle School, Neyk and Oliver have no intention of winding Helping Hands down. For 2016-17, they have set a goal of 2,500 items. Someday they even hope to take the Foundation to other schools in Canada and across the province. Their even bigger dream is to help end poverty in Canada forever. And they plan to do it one soap, one act of kindness, at a time. During future travels, please consider saving the toiletries from your hotel room. Donations may be dropped off at the Elementary or Senior Learning Commons. Contact Linda Watson at linda.watson@hsc. on.ca for more information.
re you a potential Dragon? Or simply someone who loves to offer guidance to young people? HSC would love to hear from you as its mentoring programs continue to grow. Research confirms the powerful effects that a positive mentoring relationship can have on young people, and that high-quality advice and support greatly enhance the chances of career success. The HSC community is a rich resource of some of the very best professionals in their fields—as well as people with great life experience. As filmmaker Steven Spielberg once put it, “The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” In 2016, the College launched HSC Mentor Connect, our new online platform that allows alumni and parents from many walks of life to share their expertise through career conversations, resumé critiques and mock interviews. Within a few months, over 100 alumni and parents have joined the program, hoping to connect with other alumni and HSC students and be part of a movement to support academic and career advice and encouragement. It’s very straightforward. Take the experience of lawyer Ishat Reza ’94. “Signing up was easy and efficient through my LinkedIn
Senior Students Ammar Attar (left) and Josh Shenker (right) receive their Investor’s Choice Award from HSC Trojan Brianne Barton ‘03
account,” she says. “I had a recent law graduate schedule a 30-minute phone chat with me for career advice, and the Mentor Connect service was well-organized, providing a conference call number and sending a helpful reminder in advance of the call. It’s a great way for alumni to connect.” This past year, too, saw the first HSC Trojan Trials. This “Dragons’ Den” style event brought together Grade 11 students in the Small Business Program to present their business initiatives and ideas to a panel of four experienced alumni who listened, questioned, made suggestions and finally judged the proposals. At the end of the event, the Trojans awarded Best Pitch, Best Idea and Investor’s Choice, and the students had learned powerful lessons in concept development, business acumen and presentation. These are just two of the opportunities for alumni and parents to give back to the College of their time and talents. There are many ways to get involved. For more information about mentoring at HSC, visit hsc.on.ca/mentorship or contact Lorna Kelly, Alumni Advancement Manager, at alumni@hsc.on.ca or at 905-389-1367, ext. 117.
Students gather to ask questions after the Health Sciences panel, part of the mentorship program
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 11
Kids Helping Kids A Colours Day fundraising success sends low-income students to camp
A
s part of HSC’s College-wide Colours Day, the Middle School and Senior School travelled to the Dundas Valley Conservation Area on October 6 for their joint House Cross Country run. In addition to building school spirit and house comraderie, Colours Day is an opportunity to demonstrate care for the greater community. This year students in all four schools collected pledges to help send students from our partner school, Adelaide Hoodless, to Tim Horton Children’s Foundation camps. With the help of everyone at HSC, the College collected over $21,000 in donations. A generous $10,000 match from the Clanachan family meant HSC raised over $31,000 in total for the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation. The money will help Adelaide Hoodless to send an entire class to a Tim Horton’s camp, twice
Page 12
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
a year. Our partner school is now also grandfathered into this special program for future years. At Tim Horton Children’s Foundation camps, students from low-income families explore the importance of teamwork, discover leadership potential and develop an increased sense of independence. Students return home with a more positive attitude about their future and the confidence to achieve their goals. In late November, a class from Adelaide Hoodless embarked on their first Tim Horton’s camp experience. Sarah Kondo, faculty advisor at Adelaide Hoodless, wrote to HSC with a heart-warming update: “We are absolutely loving camp! It has been a life-changing experience for these kids! Seeing them there and doing all these new activities is incredible. They are different kids than they are in the classroom! We cannot thank HSC enough.”
Middle and Senior School students travelled to the Dundas Valley Conservation Area on October 6, for their joint House Cross Country Run
“The Whoosters” with the prop created for their In Plain Sight Destination Imagination challenge
Destination? Imagination! HSC students put their innovation skills to the test against thousands of others in Knoxville, Tennessee
W
ho are “The Whoosters”, “The Sapphire Necklace”, “Musicians in Power” and the “Idea Changers”? They are HSC’s Destination Imagination dream teams—students with a knack for problem-solving and a love of innovation. In the spring of 2016, HSC students from Grades 3-4 and Montessori 8-9 teamed up and put their think-outside-the-box skills to the test in regional and national Destination Imagination competitions. All four teams finished in the top two in their categories at the national level, and on May 25-27, 2016, they joined thousands of other students from around the world in Knoxville, Tennessee for the Destination Imagination Global Finals tournament. An educational non-profit, Destination Imagination teaches 21st-century skills and STEM principles using creative and collaborative challenges. Working together, students must use quick thinking, creativity and determination to find innovative solutions to problems in separate Team Challenges and Instant Challenges. They then present their solutions to appraisers in tournament-style settings. Junior School teacher Kathleen Collins helped coach HSC’s Destination Imagination teams, and loves the program for its focus on innovation in a team environment. “They are solving STEM and fine arts challenges, but also being asked to improvise, problem-solve and collaborate in new ways.
They are the creators of a finished solution that they can share with others and feel proud of,” says Collins. “It is truly a one-of-a-kind opportunity for young learners.” Montessori 9 student Jesse Visentini was a member of “The Whoosters” and competed in the “In Plain Sight” category. Their challenge: Research the use of camouflage in nature, then present a story with a plot twist caused by the use of camouflage. They then had to apply camouflage methods to an original, team-designed set piece or prop and present two team choice elements that demonstrated the team’s interests, skills, strengths and talents. Jesse gelled with his four Junior School teammates and thinks their ability to work together is what got them to the finals. “We listened to everyone’s ideas and then mixed them all up to see what we could do with them,” he says. While Jesse’s teammate, Grade 4 student Isabella Minetti, wished they had won the competition, she is proud of how they presented and feels lucky they had the opportunity to attend the finals. “We learned that it’s not about if you succeed or don’t succeed, it’s that you try your best and feel okay about how you did.” She is already looking forward to next year’s Destination Imagination challenges. “I can’t wait to see how well we can succeed as a team.” Learn more at destinationimagination.org. HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 13
→ College Life
Wellness Prefect Kassie Hill led discussions with Grade 7s about the impact of the Canadian Residential School system
Fifteen students travelled to Kenya in 2016 to help build a classroom with funds raised by HSC’s Me-to-We committees
The truth about residential schools
Building a classroom in Kenya
I
Laura Watson (left), Kassie Hill and Daniela DeJong at the first ever Mini We Day at HSC on January 20
From Me to We HSC students and faculty seize opportunities to make a difference—at home and abroad
I
n October 2016, 39 HSC students travelled to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto to join 20,000 Canadian youth at WE Day, the signature event of the WE Movement—an international youth movement founded by Free the Children’s Marc and Craig Kielburger and committed to positive change and results-based community service. Tickets to WE Day can’t be bought, but are earned through community service and volunteerism. A-list performers and speakers—including Macklemore, the Barenaked Ladies, Nelly Furtado, Winnie Harlow, Rick Hansen and Margaret Trudeau— inspired lucky ticket-holders with messages about social issues including poverty and human trafficking, access to clean water,
Page 14
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
education, bullying and social justice. Middle School teacher Laura Curtis attended WE Day 2016 with a select group of student leaders. She believes it is empowering for them to be exposed to young people and celebrities who have gone from caring primarily about “me” to caring about “we”. “We want them to see that there are students around the country who are passionate about global issues and taking action in small but meaningful ways,” she says. “It’s an opportunity for students to see that they are not too young to make a difference.” On the opposite page, we profile some of the ways the WE Movement has inspired HSC students—and teachers—to reach out, to reflect, and to make the world a better place.
ndigenous activism was a prominent theme of WE Day 2016, and Middle School teacher Sheri Whitmore left inspired by the call from musician Gord Downie for reconciliation and greater awareness of the challenges faced by Canada’s First Nations. To complement the publication of Downie’s multimedia project The Secret Path, she created a unit in her Grade 7 English classes to explore the impact of Canada’s residential schools system. “The first step after we came back from WE Day was to just talk about it,” says Whitmore. “To see who knew what residential schools were, do some brainstorming in the classes and have the students define the problem we wanted to address.” The problem identified was lack of awareness. Gillian Ayotte, one of Whitmore’s Grade 7 students, was shocked to discover how many kids, even in the Senior School, didn’t know about the history of residential schools in Canada. “In the future, our generation will be leading the country, but if we don’t learn about these issues, what’s to stop it from happening again? We’ll be mimicking the behavior of the past,” she says. Classmate Natasa Sormaz agrees. “Even though it might not be a bright part, it is still a part of our history as a country,” she says. Projects are based on students’ individual strengths and interests. They include a video, in-class presentations, a report at Chapel, a poem set to music, and even a submission to the David Tutty Joy and Innovation Fund to support a memorial at HSC. Two groups are collaborating to create a custom t-shirt project for the Every Child Matters orange shirt campaign in September 2017 (see page 51). Another group is working with early education students on an ageand-stage appropriate alphabet book. It’s the authenticity of the project and the learning that impresses Whitmore most—that students are creating something tangible, and moving outside their comfort zones. “It has brought kids together with different interests. And it’s not a one-size-fits-all outcome, because it is based on the passion of the student versus the requirement of the assignment. They aren’t tied to the curriculum and they are learning that there is a whole big world out there that they can learn about.” Ali Haider, another of Whitmore’s Grade 7 students, certainly gets the idea of project-based learning. “I like this type of learning more, it really sticks,” he says. “It shows kids the big picture.”
A
mazing as WE Day is, it is just one day on the calendar. For members of the HSC Middle and Senior School Me-to-We Committees, the hard work of making a positive impact in the world goes on all year. The committees focus on a particular cause or social issue each year. In 2015-16, the Senior School committed to a service project in Africa—the construction of a classroom for a boys’ school in Kenya. They partnered with the Middle School committee to organize fundraising activities, including dress-down days, coffee houses and vendor booths at community events like Homecoming. It was their February event “Minga” (Swahili for community celebration) that made their fundraising goal a reality. Guests enjoyed dinner and a silent auction, plus a line-up of performers and speakers from Free the Children. Together, they raised over $15,000. Fifteen students then had the opportunity to travel to the Maasai Mara River area in Kenya in August 2016, where they worked alongside community members to build a classroom that will help provide barrier-free access to quality education. The new goal for 2016-17 is to raise enough money to bring a clean water system to a community in Kenya.
Students gather with community members from the Maasai Mara River area in Kenya
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 15
→ College Life
Celebrating 50 Years of Montessori HSC’s innovative school is Canada’s third oldest
A
n anniversary is a hallmark that encourages us to celebrate and reflect. Those sentiments are appropriate as we mark 50 years of Montessori at HSC. When Col. John Page brought Montessori education to our campus in 1967, it was a pedagogy that was not new globally, but fairly recent on the North American educational scene. In an era of traditional education, the move was innovative, particularly in an established independent school, but it was in keeping with HSC’s pursuit of excellence. Dr. Maria Montessori opened the first Montessori school in Rome in 1907. An educational pioneer and medical doctor, Montessori developed an educational philosophy based on her clinical observations of child development. She noted that children learned through their senses and made connections with their
5O
Montessori School HSC • 1967 - 2017
Page 16
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
environment with hands-on exploration. Montessori students were encouraged to make their own work choices, repeat tasks for mastery, and self-correct errors. All this was accomplished in a specifically prepared environment that featured a family grouping of three-year age spans. The older students served as role models and peer tutors to their younger mentors. Montessori at HSC has flourished for half a century, making us the third oldest Canadian Montessori school. An amazing 44 of the 50 years were led by Dianne de Freitas, a nationally respected Montessorian who taught multi-generational families, shepherded the new Montessori building in 1999 and served as an inspirational leader to a dedicated group of Montessori teachers. Our staff honours their passion for discovery-based learning with every new lesson and models a genuine respect for the individual with each student. Our students, some the children of former students, renew their teachers’ commitment to child-centred learning on a daily basis as we watch them discover, explore and mentor. Montessori students are engaged learners who experience the joy of learning in each task they undertake. While we are happy to mark 50 years of Montessori, we celebrate that joy every day. Danielle Hourigan ’82 Montessori School Principal
The Freedom to Choose How Montessori education helps develop entrepreneurial spirit
W
hen asked by a student for the answer to a question, a Montessori educator is most likely to respond first with, “How would you solve the problem?” Feeding students answers helps them in the moment. Guiding them as they solve problems independently prepares them for life. Seeking one’s own answers to questions is not the easy path. But it is the path that builds strengths like drive, creativity, self-motivation and self-discipline—all characteristics of a Montessori education and all touchpoints in HSC’s goal of instilling entrepreneurial spirit in its students. What is that spirit exactly? HSC embraced this definition in its strategic planning document: “Students with entrepreneurial spirit create, believe and overcome. Students educated at HSC will have the confidence to pursue innovative solutions to local and global challenges so they can make the world a better place.” It might be hard to imagine small
children with such noble pursuits. Yet Montessori Principal Danielle Hourigan ’82 sees this statement in action every day. “It seems a very adult mentality,” Danielle says. “But the seeds of entrepreneurial spirit are sown in children as young as the 18-month-olds in our Montessori Toddler program, and this continues through CASA and elementary.” Immersed in a hands-on program, Montessori students focus on exploration and discovery. They tinker, experiment, and seek out new experiences—all to build a sense of inquiry and a questioning mind. Teachers want students to take risks, have the courage to make their own choices and be able to adapt. “We model how to become responsible decision makers—to make purposeful and meaningful choices, and to deal with the consequences, whether positive or negative,” says Danielle. For her, entrepreneurial spirit is twosided. Students need the personal qualities of confidence and persistence, and the ability to follow through on tasks. But they must also be invested in the success of a
project or task at a deeper level. “When we think of an entrepreneur in the traditional sense, it’s someone who has a passion or interest in something, and is willing to face obstacles and to problemsolve to meet their goal,” says Danielle. “Allowing children to choose the tasks they want to do in the Montessori environment, starting from a very young age, gets them passionate about, and connected to, what they are learning.” Entrepreneurial spirit is also about being comfortable making mistakes. Danielle points to Montessori materials, all of which have built-in self-correcting components that challenge students to reflect and to correct their own work. “By not always relying on an adult to review their work, students make the connections between taking risks, responsibility for choices and perseverance when faced with failure,” she says. The result is students with confidence, who make their own judgments and rely on their own abilities to solve problems. It’s an entrepreneurial mindset that students carry with them for life. HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 17
→ College Life
Grade 2 students Tyler Clifford (left) and Simon Hutton explore coding with Dash, the roaming robot; creativity in cardboard (bottom)
Of Walls and Genius How the Junior School encourages innovation through the ‘4Cs’ mindset
W Jacey Goldberg (left) and Maggie Urbshas are among the first aspiring reporters to join the Junior School Reporters Club
On the Beat Students cover all the big stories in the Junior School Reporter’s Club
W
hen the myHSC learning management system launched in September 2016, it offered the promise of enriched educational experiences for students of all ages. The start-up of a Junior School Reporter’s Club for aspiring young writers is one way the system is delivering on that promise. Junior School Principal Shailau Spivak came up with the idea for the club as a way to provide dynamic and engaging content for the school’s new Resource Board. Stories written by students would be a fun way to draw parents into myHSC, while providing students with an authentic learning opportunity that connected them to their communities in new ways. Spivak asked interested Grade 4 students to submit proposals as to why they should be chosen to participate. The response demonstrated passion, enthusiasm Page 18
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
and a remarkable understanding of the responsibilities involved. “I have the courage to approach students or teachers and ask them questions and collect information,” said one. “I enjoy writing and taking pictures. I also enjoy being part of something big,” said another. All 12 selected students have begun to roam the school looking for opportunities to catch learning in action, taking photos and collaboratively writing stories. They have covered major College events for the Junior School, including Monster Mash, Trojan for a Day, Remembrance Day, Junior School Skating and many other Junior School life stories. Here is how the students covered Monster Mash: At school on Friday, October 28 it was Monster Mash from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Both Maggie and Jacey and approximately
600 people attended. There were so many activities like eating, Feed the Monster, Just Dance, donut eating and the Haunted Hallway. The Haunted Hallway was very scary. Maggie and Jacey even thought that the Haunted Hallway was scary. We asked some teachers if they would want to go next year, if we had Monster Mash again and they said yes. We interviewed the Grade 1 and 2 classes and here is what they thought about Monster Mash: exciting, very fun, creepy, fantastic, awesome, super, teachers were fun, amazing, scary, interesting, surprising, spooktacular, cool, food was yummy, fun games, silly, donuts were yummy, haunted hallway was scary, the tattoos were so cool. By: Jacey & Maggie
hat do a Wonder Wall, a Genius Hour and a Tutty Fund grant proposal all have in common? They reflect a mindset at the Junior School that encourages innovation while incorporating a range of educational opportunities for students with diverse learning styles. The way lessons unfold may differ, yet the underlying goal is the same: to educate students in creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. The 4Cs, as they’re sometimes called, are in keeping with HSC’s vision of preparing students for whatever the future may hold. “The jobs our students will have may not even exist yet,” explains Principal Shailau Spivak. “But we do know these skills will be critical to whatever they do.” As part of this, the Junior School encourages a spirit of inquiry. Each classroom has its own Wonder Wall where students post hand-printed questions. Some, such as “How does a tree grow?”, stem from classroom lessons, while others arise from students’ own interests. And they can spur curiosity in others. The question, “What does a caracal eat?”, came from a student with a keen interest in wildlife and sparked others to discover that a caracal is a medium-sized cat native to much of Africa. Genius Hour is a time aside for students
to pursue their passions. It’s yet another opportunity for hands-on exploration and self-directed learning. The school offers students a variety of tools to solve problems they tackle. Those who learn by doing, for instance, can try out a set of Makedo tools for constructing anything imaginable out of cardboard. They also have access to an array of age-appropriate technology. One, a little roaming robot named Dash indirectly teaches coding as students decide where it should stop and go. The Junior School also stresses projectbased learning, where students can work
independently or collaborate. The benefits of collaborating were highlighted when they worked together recently to decide what should be included when their playground was renovated. Their proposal helped to gain a Tutty Fund grant for outdoor play spaces (see page 50). Not only that, the company hired to do the work will do a focus group with the kids. “This is what we mean by innovation,” says Spivak. “Our students had a new idea, they worked together to execute their plan and, as a result, they are creating something of value.”
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 19
→ Features
A House for All Is he a Birch? Is she a Tay? Junior and Montessori students join HSC’s venerable system of pride, spirit and connection
By Penny Elton Page 20
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
H
SC is a big place. For a four-year-old starting Junior Kindergarten, or a shy Montessori 7 sharing a hallway with boisterous Senior School students, it might seem positively enormous. To help them avoid feeling like little fish in an impossibly big pond, the College connects students through common goals and a shared sense of identity. HSC’s House system is one of the oldest and most successful traditions the school uses to achieve this goal. Yet until recently, Houses only extended to the Senior and Middle Schools, starting in Grade 5. This changed on September 8, 2016, when HSC officially included the Junior and Montessori School students in the House system. Every HSC student across all four schools now belongs to one of four brother/sister House combinations: Birch/Earn, Cedar/ More, Maple/Tay or Pine/Yre. Each House combination boasts its own colour (red, blue, orange
or yellow) and each is named for a Canadian tree or Scottish river—a nod to HSC’s founders. Family members are placed in the same House across generations. The College awards students with House points throughout the year for a variety of activities, achievements and, in the upper schools, competition wins. With its bright colours, club-like feel and the promise of fun, it’s no wonder kids like Grade 4 student Jack Collins are excited to be participating in the House system. “I like that I am with my friends and we get to do activities together,” says Jack, who is a member of Pine/Yre like his little sister Annie and his mother, Junior School teacher Kathleen Collins. “It’s almost like a team. You communicate and work together.” The inclusion of Early Education students complements a variety of Junior and Montessori School programs and activities—such as the lunch buddy program, clubs and reading partners—that build bonds between students from different grades and schools. HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 21
→ Features
Our Cherished Connection
School Life coordinators are responsible for planning these House events throughout the academic year. It’s their job to enrich the learning experience through school spirit, and to bring together students who might otherwise never cross paths. “Bringing the House system to the Early Ed students allows us to be connected on another level,” says Junior School Teacher and School Life Coordinator Hilary Munn. “It creates comradery, connections and lifelong friendship between students of all ages. The pride and sense of belonging that comes from being in a House also helps promote school spirit for generations.” On the first day of school, the Junior School sent students on a “top secret” mission to find out their House, while the Montessori School held a Harry Potter-inspired “sorting hat” ceremony to reveal each student’s affiliation. Everyone, even the smallest toddlers, received a House shirt to wear at events. “The students couldn’t wait to find out which House they would belong to,” recalls Erica Otaguro ’07, Montessori Teacher and School Life Coordinator. “It’s another way to get them excited about school events and about working together.” During the unveiling of Houses, Grade 3 student Miah Isaacs says she was nervous and curious. Her uncle and aunt—William Montour ’09 and Georgia Montour ’13—were in Birch and Earn, and Miah knew her brother Trey, as a Grade 5 student, would also be getting his house assignment that day. She was thrilled when it Page 22
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
was revealed she was an Earn, he was a Birch, and they would all be in the same House. “It made me feel special to be with the other kids in Birch and Earn,” Miah says. “I have a lot of people in my House, and I get to see my brother and meet new people.” On October 6, 2016, the newest and youngest House members enjoyed their first official House activity at a special House Colours Day that combined the annual Early Ed Turkey Trot and the House Cross-Country event for the Middle and Senior Schools. Speaking as both a teacher and an HSC alum, Otaguro believes bringing the House system to Early Ed deepens a student’s sense of ownership in the school community and strengthens the link to school history and traditions. Shared experiences and a common bond make HSC a special place—and are part of why alumni often describe returning to campus as “coming home”. “Inclusion in a House gives students a sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves,” says Otaguro. “They learn in a very real way that they have another family—a House family— within the greater HSC community.” HSC Patron Judith King-Siganski ’62, one of the College’s most involved alumni, echoes that view and takes it a step further. “The House system creates a different support group, beyond the other children in class,” she says. “It lays the foundation for our students to become global citizens.”
W
hen I first stepped onto the HSC campus in the fall of 1976, before I met anyone or sat through a class, I already belonged—because I was a More. The House connection immediately bonded me to my housemates and to a community within the broader HSC context. House affiliation was a source of pride for each HSC student. While the boys were named for Canadian trees, Cedar, Birch, Pine and Maple, the girls’ Houses were named Strathmore, Strathearn, Strathyre and Strathtay in honour of Scotland, the country of heritage of the founders of Strathallan, Miss Virtue and Miss Fitzgerald. Whenever I meet an HSC grad, their House affiliation is always part of the conversation as old rivalries and shared experiences are discussed. In the spring of 2016, I was overjoyed to hear that the Junior and Montessori school students were to be included in this revered HSC tradition. The opportunity to bring older mentor students together with their younger housemates forming meaningful and lasting bonds was an exciting prospect. When we launched our first College-wide House Colour Day in October, I watched a two-yearold proudly walk into the Montessori Piazza in her new yellow Yre shirt. She spotted a prefect dressed head to toe in yellow and raced to the older student for a hug, exclaiming, “We are in the same House!” The sense of community and connection I have cherished for 40 years had just embraced a new generation.
Everyone received a t-shirt to wear at House events
Danielle Hourigan ’82 Montessori School Principal HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 23
→ Features
Spirit FIGHTING
Lawyer Karenna Williams ’04 is making the case for First Nations people right up to the Supreme Court By Berton Woodward Photo by Carlo Ricci
Page 24
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 25
→ Features
K
Johnson, the poet, used to live,” she notes—and in Grade 3 started arenna Williams ’04 is a Turtle, and proud of it. What does school at HSC along with older sister Lauren ’01. “My sister and I that tell us about her? were the only Indigenous kids in the school,” she recalls. But she First, that she has good reason for her pride. The clan had a clear idea of her heritage from her parents. “They raised system among the Haudenosaunee, or Six Nations, brings a clear us knowing who we were. Even when we were small, they would structure to some of the most important life events: marriage (not drive us out from Toronto to the longhouse on the reserve. You with a member of the same clan), longhouse meetings (where you have a sense that you are at home when people know you and sit and the order of speaking) and your children (same clan as know your parents.” their mother). Her mother, Dianne Longboat, now an Elder in Aboriginal And maybe it tells us a little more about this strong-willed, Services at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, accomplished lawyer. According to Mohawk teachings, members of grew up on the Six Nations Reserve until her teens, and earned the Turtle clan are consistent and determined. They get along well a Master’s in Education at the University of Toronto. She was with others. And this: “They take their time to think before they working for the National Indian Brotherhood in the 1970s, when respond to a question or issue. They are good at mediating and she met Paul Williams at a conference while he was representing resolving disputes. As a collective, the Turtles are wise and fair.” the Union of Ontario Indians. Yes, that sounds like Karenna. “Up to 1951, it was illegal under the Indian Act for an Indian She brushes aside such generalizations on principle. But to hire a lawyer to pursue claims,” says Karenna. “So people like Karenna is the first to agree that to understand her, you need to my dad who started practising understand her First Nations Aboriginal law in the 1970s are background, because her mother’s “It’s really about these peoples really the first generation of heritage has formed such a large lawyers involved in this field. part of her life. And that remains continuing to be who they are.” Often they were told there is no true even when you know that on such thing as Aboriginal rights her father’s side, she has Czech or Aboriginal title. They had a really tough row to hoe. And my ancestors who were killed in concentration camps in the Second dad practised in our house, so we heard a lot about it!” War War and she is equally proud of that heritage. You see, Dad Karenna was still quite young when her father was a negotiator himself—lawyer Paul Williams—has been engaged in the struggle for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy during the Oka crisis of 1990. for Indigenous law and justice for more than 40 years, becoming And she was a pretty carefree student in a citizen of the Onondaga Nation of the Yre House at HSC. “I had some wonderful Haudenosaunee (Wolf clan) along the way. teachers,” she recalls. Among them were Today, Karenna works in a Vancouver Blanka Guyatt in Guidance—“she knew law firm dedicated to First Nations causes, every university, every program and who and was recently part of a team arguing to talk to”—and Dan Martin in Politics and before the Supreme Court of Canada a Modern Western Civilization—“he didn’t case that could change how Canadians’ let us settle, and gave us books he knew Charter right to freedom of religion is were very challenging.” She also played a interpreted. She has also helped take on lot of sports, including field hockey, rowing the museums of North America that are and swimming, and was a House captain. reluctant to return Haudenosaunee masks She recalls no reaction from from their collections, and she was an schoolmates to her being Mohawk, Indigenous student leader and journal “besides curiosity.” Her parents sometimes editor in university. came to the school to give presentations Throughout, she has been fighting for about the culture of the Haudenosaunee the right of First Nations to maintain their (who do not like the word Iroquois due own heritage, laws and governments. to its historical associations). They would “The reality is the Indigenous people also accompany her classes on field trips were here first, and they were living to historical sites that involved Indigenous in their organized societies, with their peoples. The site guides often still spoke of legal systems, their political structures “Iroquois savagery”, she says, “so having and their religions,” Karenna says. “The my parents there to counter that made all struggles that you see now—even if the difference. Who the Haudenosaunee they are fought over development or really are is fascinating—one of the earliest pipelines—are really about these peoples democracies, a functioning legal system. It’s a brilliant culture.” continuing to be who they are.” After HSC, she headed to McGill for a double major in art It’s a long way—and yet not a long way—from when she lived history and political science. That included courses in Aboriginal on the edge of the Six Nations Reserve and attended HSC. She had People and Canadian Politics and in Indigenous Art, where “I was spent her early years in Leaside in Toronto, then moved to a house the only Indigenous student in the class.” At university, she says, “I by the Grand River—“about four doors down from where Pauline Page 26
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
In Jumbo Valley, Karenna is helping the Ktunaxa First Nation oppose development of a $450 million ski resort
was very vocal,” and she was invited by some of her professors to do independent study with them on Indigenous issues. Then it was on to law school at the University of Toronto, where she plunged into working with the Aboriginal Law Students Association, which she later led, and became an editor at the student-run Indigenous Law Journal. In her first summer, she was awarded the June Callwood Fellowship in Aboriginal Law and found a way to apply her background in both art history and political science. With her father, she worked on a Haudenosaunee initiative to gain the return of ceremonial medicine masks kept in museums around the continent, including the Canadian Museum of History (then the Canadian Museum of Civilization) and the Royal Ontario Museum. Last summer, she says proudly, the Canadian Museum of History returned its masks to the Six Nations. She also did an exchange term at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, which has a strong Aboriginal law program. During summers, she began working in Vancouver with her current firm, Peter Grant and Associates, a small office whose leader, Peter Grant, has a similar history to her father’s. “I knew I wanted to do Aboriginal law and I knew I wanted to do it in a firm dedicated to working with Indigenous people,” she says. Her father practises on his own, she notes, navigating a legal history with Indigenous peoples in Ontario that is much older and more treatybound than B.C.’s. “The issues on the West Coast are so interesting,” she says. “In B.C., there’s much more uncharted territory.”
H
aving passed the B.C. bar in 2012, Karenna is now working almost literally in uncharted territory—a case involving the remote Jumbo Valley in the Columbia Mountains, the next range west of the Rockies. There the Ktunaxa (Kootenay) First Nation is opposing development of a $450 million ski resort on grounds that it would drive out the spirit of the grizzly bear that they interact with in prayers and ceremonies. Both the B.C. Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal ruled against the Ktunaxa, but in early 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada agreed to hear the case. In December, Karenna appeared with her colleagues before the top court to argue that the development would infringe the Ktunaxa’s right to freedom of religion under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. “It’s particularly fascinating, because for so many Indigenous people, their spirituality is so closely tied to the land,” says Karenna. As she awaits the Supreme Court’s decision later this year, Karenna feels tremendously honoured to have appeared before it, especially so early in her professional life. “My grandmother on my mother’s side told us that whatever your career is, it becomes a career of service,” she says. “So I don’t see this as some large personal or professional opportunity for me. It’s that there’s a lot at stake for the Ktunaxa and for Indigenous people across the country. I want to make sure I do everything I can to adequately represent them, and for them to know that I’m fighting hard for them.” Spoken like a true Turtle. HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 27
→ Features
siblings
From Road to Avonlea to General Hospital to dance, the three Zamprogna kids—Gema ’95, Dominic ’98 and Amanda ’98— have all made their mark in the performing arts By Barbara Wickens Photo of Gema (left) and Amanda by Wandering Eye Photo Page 28
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
unrivalled HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 29
→ Features
T
he leaded glass door and side lights of the Victorian house are so stunning that strangers have walked up the front steps, knocked, and offered to buy them. But that’s not what makes this Sherman Street building so special. It’s the Zamprogna family home, the launching pad for countless Hamiltonians who’ve enriched the performing arts in Canada. This includes the second generation of Zamprognas, all HSC grads who’ve followed their actor/dancer parents, Lou and Pauline, into the family business. Sisters Gema ’95 (Felicity on Road to Avonlea) and Amanda ’98 returned from TV and movie-making to live in the general vicinity, but the third sibling, Amanda’s twin brother Dominic ’98, is in Los Angeles where he has a high-profile role on the long-running daytime television drama, General Hospital. Just as when they were growing up here, only the top two of the three storeys contain the private household. The ground floor is given over to The Dance Centre, where everyone from toddlers to late bloomers has learned ballet, jazz and tap. The studio’s layout is nothing fancy—bare hardwood floor, large mirrors and two barres—but that’s exactly the point. The centre concentrates on the safe and technical aspects of dance training. Gema and Amanda take turns describing their family background, sometimes finishing each other’s sentences. It’s clear they’re inspired by their parents, who have played a significant role in their lives. Pride is tinged with sadness when they talk about their mother, who died unexpectedly in 2013. Pauline’s treatment of all her young charges managed to blend high expectations with good-natured nurturing. “She was like a second mother to so many of the kids who passed through here,” recalls Amanda. “We’re touched that we received so many sympathy cards from people all around the world telling us how profound an influence she had had on them.” Their parents met in the early 1970s when Lou was in London, performing Page 30
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
on stage in the West End and in movies, notably Fiddler on the Roof and Man of La Mancha. Pauline, who was born in England and had studied ballet at the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), also appeared in West End productions and on television with Judi Dench and Albert Finney. The couple moved to Lou’s hometown of Hamilton and in 1975 opened The Dance Centre. “They were artists, but they were also entrepreneurs,” says Gema. “They didn’t know how things would turn out, but they took a leap of faith.” That leap, and plenty of hard work, paid off when they were able to open a second dance studio in nearby Dundas. They also had students accepted into the distinguished National Ballet and Royal Winnipeg Ballet schools.
“We were always very supportive of one another. We were all in.” At the same time, they were active with the School for the Performing Arts at Theatre Aquarius, where Lou is the long-serving director of training programs. It became a regular haunt for their three children, with Amanda and Dominic acting in student productions and Gema helping out as her shooting schedule allowed. In 2014, Lou and Pauline were inducted into the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction, which recognizes and celebrates those who have made lasting contributions to the city. So it’s hardly surprising the Zamprogna siblings would gravitate to the performing arts. Or as Dominic put it on the phone from Los Angeles, “Growing up, we were always surrounded by dancers and actors. I don’t think any of us was ever going to be a math genius, say, or a doctor.” They experienced the normal ups and downs of childhood. “We definitely fought about whatever siblings fight about,” says Amanda. But she also remembers wanting
to wear her big sister’s clothes. Gema adds, “We were always very supportive of one another. We were all in.” Gema was the first of the trio to make a name for herself. From 1990 to 1996 she acted in what is probably still her best-known role, that of teenager Felicity King in the Emmy award-winning television series, Road to Avonlea. Loosely based on the writings of Anne of Green Gables novelist Lucy Maud Montgomery, the series was set in Prince Edward Island but filmed in Ontario. Although the locations weren’t far from Hamilton, Gema was still frequently absent from school. Tutoring helped keep her grades up, but dealing with classmates in public school could be awkward. “I was made to feel alienated, which kids can do when one of their peers is doing something which might be seen as different or unusual,” she says. It was time for a change. Hillfield Strathallan College had been on the family’s radar for some time and in 1991, Gema entered Grade 9, the first recipient of the prestigious Arts Scholarship. Amanda and Dominic, also acting by then, followed three years later. They discovered that HSC’s philosophy of fostering each student’s personal growth meant the school went beyond merely accommodating their schedules. The faculty were hugely supportive of budding careers. “It’s a really great school if you have aspirations,” says Dominic, “They really want to help you harness your goals. In fact, today all my friends from there are doing exactly what they want to be doing.” In Dominic’s case, that’s his popular role as Det. Dante Falconeri on General Hospital. Still, there had been a point when he’d had to make up his own mind about his future. Decision time came in first-year university when the theatre arts program he had enrolled in insisted students do no extracurricular professional work. Instead, Dominic quit and went on to appear on TV’s Battlestar Galactica and in several movies. He also had a lead role in the CBC TV teen drama Edgemont.
Gema, left, and Amanda hang out at the barre (top); Dominic is thriving in Hollywood (bottom left); The Dance Centre is the hub of the family
H
e was living in Vancouver when his agent learned the hospital soap opera was casting the detective’s role. At her insistence, he went to Los Angeles, read for the part—and got it. Dominic and wife Linda Leslie have lived with their growing family in L.A. since 2009, where despite his success, he maintains he’s not really a Hollywood star. “I’m happy just being one of the guys on the show,” he says. “I have a great life—I feel blessed.” For Amanda, her memories of HSC include the high academic standards. “I really feel HSC challenged us to think about broader concepts,” she says. “By the time you go to university, it doesn’t seem that big a leap.” While at HSC she acted on several television programs, including the TV movie Family Pictures with Anjelica Huston and Sam Neill. She and Dominic had their one professional gig together in an episode of the action/
adventure series Counterstrike starring Christopher Plummer. “We played siblings, but it was a small part and there isn’t much to remember about it except that in the story our family got blown up in our car,” she recalls. Amanda received a diploma in theatre acting from Ryerson University in Toronto. After that she went on to become a Registered Massage Therapist. “I studied massage because I felt it complemented both acting and dance and was an extension of what I felt I had already learned about the body and how it moved,” she explains. Married to Steve Atkinson ’97 with two children, Amanda has worked as an RMT for the last 12 years. She also teaches jazz and tap at the Hamilton studio and helps to run The Dance Centre business alongside her father and sister. Gema, too, went on to university, studying at Queen’s, and continued to
dance and act. In May 2006, she was scheduled to appear at Road to Avonlea’s first official cast reunion but couldn’t attend because she’d gone into labour the day before with her second child, Sam. Today, Gema lives in Grimsby with her husband, Daniel Boich, and their three children. While her focus is closer to home these days, she’s as busy as ever. Like her mother, Gema is an RAD Registered Teacher of ballet, a highly regarded designation recognized worldwide, and owns and operates a third Dance Centre in Grimsby. The purpose-built studio also offers acting and voice training. In addition, Gema does work as a voice-over artist for TV and radio commercials, and to top it all off, is a qualified Pilates instructor. All three Zamprogna siblings have accomplished what many never do—find their place in the world. Lessons learned at home, and at HSC, have served them well. HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 31
→ Features
It Runs in the Family Four generations of Harrisons have been attending HSC since 1929 By Barbara Wickens
W
hen Nancy Harrison ’41 (née Wigle) started kindergarten at Strathallan School in 1929, she had no idea the precedent she was setting, even when her sister Susan started there 10 years later. But two decades on, the Harrisons joined the hallowed ranks of HSC’s multigeneration families when Nancy’s four children—Trisha, Hugh, Bill and Doug—followed in her footsteps.
It didn’t stop with them. Including uncles and aunts, cousins and in-laws, in all 32 members of the extended Wigle-Harrison clan have attended HSC through the years. Now the fourth generation is just starting out, and recently 10 Harrison family members gathered at HSC to talk about their school days, their accomplishments, and some of their fondest memories.
Photo by Mike Ford
Page 32
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 33
→ Features
Susan Ford ’52 (née Wigle) 1939 – 1949 Post HSC: Earned an MA from New York University, then lived and worked in New York City for 20 years. Later in Toronto worked at the Art Gallery of Ontario and in 1979 co-founded Ballenford Books, a renowned outlet devoted exclusively to architecture books.
‘
“In kindergarten, there were two of us. The teachers would confuse us so they called me Winky. A few years later, the class size had expanded to eight or nine students. One time I had to retake a geography test and by mistake the teacher gave me her copy with all the answers on it.”
’
Susan Ford ’52 (née Wigle)
Nancy Harrison ’41 (née Wigle)
Hugh Harrison ’69
Doug Harrison ’78
1954 – 1956; 1965 – 1969
Post HSC: Returned to Hamilton in 1987 after living and working in Boston, New York, San Francisco and Toronto in fashion merchandising and retailing. Switched careers to become a library technician until retiring recently. A.k.a. Miss General Knowledge since Grade 10, when she scored the top mark on the general knowledge test given to the upper grades.
Post HSC: Returned to Hamilton four years ago after living overseas for 40 years, mainly in Africa and Asia, working in film and advertising. Wrote the official National Day songs of Singapore.
Spring 2017
Post HSC: Chartered accountant, now working part-time at not-for-profit organizations, including the local Humane Society. Recently returned from 10 years in New York, where he was Chief Financial Officer at a school for children with disabilities.
‘ ’ ’ ‘
“I was very small for my age and my classmates called me Peanut. Once they picked me up and put me in a cupboard. Those of us who lived near Strathallan School when it was still on Robinson Street usually went home for lunch. But sometimes we would stay at school and I really enjoyed it when they served creamed corn, mashed potatoes and sausages. That was still my favourite years later.”
“I attended HSC for just one year of elementary school and returned years later for Grade 13. I liked participating in intercollegiate athletics, something I didn’t do in the public school system. I also liked the small class size better. Switching from public to private school, it was like going to camp in comparison.”
Anne Bothwell Harrison ’73
‘
Bill Harrison ’71
“I still have my report card from 1954. I read it 40 years later and realized nothing had changed. They said I had a tendency to be silly.”
1994 – 2003
’
‘
‘
Post HSC: Commercial litigation lawyer with Toronto firm Stikeman Elliott LLB for the last 30 years. “In 1975, I had a summer job at the school along with a few others. We painted a few classrooms and did other Joe jobs. Once we had to clean out all the paper with the old letterhead. For a brief while after the two schools had merged, the name was Hillfield Strathallan Colleges and we had to throw out everything with the ‘s’ on it. We thought this was a terrible waste, but Bill Hair, the groundskeeper who was our boss, just said ‘Yours is not to question why…’”
Alisa Harrison ’03 (née Burton Bonca)
’
Alisa Harrison ’03 (née Burton Bonca)
Anne Bothwell Harrison ’73
1972 – 1978
‘ ’ ’ It Runs in the Family |
Post HSC: Mother of Trisha, Hugh, Bill and Doug. Greatgrandmother of Charlotte and A.J.
Doug Harrison ’78
1963 – 1967
HSC Review
1957 – 1958; 1970 – 1971
“Bill and I met when we were writing the entrance exam in 1970. The beauty of HSC is the small class size, but that meant the students all knew each other very well when Bill and I came along in high school. They were probably hoping to meet someone new and I think they were a little disappointed to learn the new boy was dating the new girl.”
Hugh Harrison ’69
|
1929 – 1941
Post HSC: Teacher, now retired. Married Bill Harrison in 1978.
Trisha Harrison ’67
Page 34
Bill Harrison ’71
1970 – 1973
Trisha Harrison ’67
“It was my time here that developed my leadership skills, ability to speak in public and general confidence in my abilities.”
‘
Nancy Harrison ’41 (née Wigle)
Post HSC: Mother of Charlotte and A.J., the fourth generation to attend HSC. Married to non-alum Steve Harrison, son of Anne and Bill Harrison. Works in business development at Financeit, a business-to-business, point-of-sale financing provider.
“I auditioned for the part of Dorothy in a production of The Wizard of Oz and had just a terrible audition. I asked for a second shot and the teachers gave it to me. When I got the part, I was so shocked and excited.”
Charlotte Harrison ’31 2017 –??
’
Age 3 ½. Entered Montessori School in January. Pre HSC: Decided her favourite colours are green and purple.
‘ ’ “I like the uniform.”
Charlotte Harrison ’31
‘
Aron-James Harrison ’33
Aron-James Harrison ’33 A.k.a. A.J. Will enter Montessori Toddler program in September 2017, having turned 18 months old in April. Pre HSC: Has recently taken up walking. “Aya ya ya ya!” HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 35
→ Features
Rising SINGER LIZ LOUGHREY ’13
IS GETTING BIG SUPPORT for her BIG AMBITIONS IN POP MUSIC By Berton Woodward Photo by Steve Carty
Page 36
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 37
→ Features
Pave Way
Help
W
atch Liz Loughrey ’13, and you are watching the future of popular music. That’s not a prediction of how high her star will rise, although she is creating a lot of buzz as a singer in Toronto and Los Angeles. But she is the future of how it works. “For artists, the industry has completely changed,” she says. “The artist has to wear every hat. You have to be the businesswoman, you have to be the creative, you have to be the entrepreneur. But there’s a lot of freedom in that—to create an empire from the very beginning.” For Liz, the empire is coming along quite nicely. Her band, LZL, features Grammy-winning Toronto guitarist and producer “Adrian X” Eccleston, who has worked with Drake, the Weeknd, Nelly Furtado, Kylie Minogue and Hamilton native jacksoul. Adrian X told a Los Angeles interviewer in 2016 that one of Canada’s top exports is singers like Celine Dion, Bryan Adams, Justin Bieber and Drake. “I put Liz in the same category,” he said. “When we first met, I said, ‘you’re amazing’.” And she’s getting a lot of notice for her signature song and video “Rise Up!”, cowritten with Adrian X and Miami producer Supa Dups. Released in October 2016, it’s a big song with big ideas and ambitions, like hers. When you gonna rise up, everybody stand up! We’re gonna feel like we never felt before. The video adds global context to the “Rise Up” theme, filled with a barrage of images of people in action around the world, especially in developing countries. Liz herself appears only occasionally, but memorably, as a powerful, torch-bearing woman. It’s also, she hopes, a movement—or #RiseUpMovement. “When I was writing it, I didn’t have an activist mission in mind, but it was undeniable when we listened to it that it had this Bob Marley ‘come together’ kind of vibe,” she says. “It really became this call to action for me. I’m keenly aware that we live in a world where people are complacent. So we have been working on a social media campaign that calls people to action, and we hope it will become global.” She has already held inspirational Rise Up workshops in Toronto schools with Adrian X, playing music, telling students her own story and “delivering a message of selfempowerment”, with many more scheduled for 2017. “It will be an ongoing project, Page 38
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
the
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Lao Tzu
Name a Paver
We invite you to make your personal and permanent mark at HSC with a donation to the Final Chapter of the Transformation HSC campaign.
In the video for “Rise Up!”, Liz appeared as a powerful female figure
maybe become a charity one day,” she says. It’s easy to see that Liz, at 21, is a very determined woman. She is laying out a carefully considered strategy for a musical career she expects to last a long time. “There is no Plan B,” she says. Plan A dates back to age 4 in her native Oakville, when she first started learning piano. Her mother Patricia was a celebrated Indian dancer from Trinidad, while her Irishborn father Kevin, a marketing consultant, ran entertainment pubs around Dublin in his time. “So I get it from both sides – performance and creative from my Mom, business and logistics from my Dad.” She wrote her first song at age 12, and by the time she reached HSC in Grade 9—as the Arts Scholar for her four years—she was entering North American music competitions that led to ventures in recording. “I began taking my first trips to L.A. when I was 16, so I missed a lot of school,” she laughs. “There was a great support system at HSC where I felt I could pursue this career but still maintain the academics.” With HSC’s stress on personalized learning, she was even able to write a song in place of an essay to tell the story of The Odyssey. In Grade 11, she went on an HSC trip to rural Kenya organized by Free the Children, and for three weeks helped build a school and improve villages. It made an impact
that helped fuel “Rise Up!”, which includes snippets of video she shot there. After graduation, she reached a crossroads. She was accepted at the University of Toronto in international relations but didn’t go. “It was a very hard decision,” she says. “I’ve always been interested in global affairs. But I felt I would spread myself too thin. This industry is so competitive, you have to maintain your focus.” She was introduced to Adrian X by her Toronto-based vocal coach, Brandon Brophy. Now, with Adrian X on guitar, she is fronting LZL—pronounced L-Zee-L— and preparing to release an EP of four or five new songs. She prefers LZL to her own name, she says, partly because everyone mispronounces Loughrey (“Lockree”) and partly because Liz the self-marketer likes a brand with a strong logo. And there’s another reason. “For me, it’s coming out of this poised and puttogether Liz Loughrey and coming into the artist who can really kill it on stage. That differentiation with the names is what drives me to be fearless.” After the EP comes out, LZL will go on tour. Liz is still building her fan base, but she’s in it for the long haul. “I have the same big dreams that everyone in this industry does,” she says. “You’re supposed to be practising your Grammy speech already, and I’m definitely doing that.”
$6,000 Smith Family
3.5 x 18 inch paver. Possible engravings include: Student Name and Class Year OR Family Name Pavers can have one line consisting of 24 characters per line, including spacing.
$25,000 Smith Family John ’16 Sally ’19
11.5 x 18 inch paver. Possible engravings could include: Student Name and Class Year OR Family Name OR Family Name with Sibling and Class Years Pavers can have three lines consisting of 24 characters per line, including spacing.
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 39
→ Top Honours
Distinction The Alumni Award of
2015 – 2016
Standout People
The HSC Alumni Award of Distinction Program celebrates the achievements of alumni in our community who have lived the aspirations of the Hillfield Strathallan College Vision and developed into global citizens who have in effect bettered the world around them.
Great Legal Minds The Alumni Award of Distinction goes to twin sisters who have each excelled in the broad field of human rights law
A look at the individuals who received HSC’s top honours in the past year
Ratna Kapur ’78 Professor Ratna Kapur attended Hillfield Strathallan College from 1974 to 1976. After graduating high school, she earned a BA in Delhi, India, a BA and MA in law from Cambridge University, and her LLM from Harvard Law School. Ratna specializes in legal philosophy, human rights and international law, and is currently a visiting Professor of Law at Queen Mary University in London. She is a regular Global Professor of Law at Jindal Global Law School in Sonepat, outside New Delhi, and a senior faculty member at the Institute of Global Law and Policy, Harvard Law School. Ratna initially practised law for a number of years in New Delhi, and now teaches and publishes extensively on issues of international law, human rights, feminist legal theory and postcolonial theory. Ratna has also worked as a legal consultant on issues of human rights for various UN bodies, including the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, UNICEF and the Division for the Advancement of Women, and was the Senior Gender Advisor with the United Nations Mission in Nepal during the transition period. Ratna has held many distinguished faculty and fellowship positions worldwide, including a visting professorship at Yale Law School and NYU School of Law, fellowships at Harvard Law School and Cambridge University, and chairs at Dalhousie School of Law and the Cleveland Marshall School of Law. She has published three major books on rights and law, with another forthcoming on human rights and freedom in a troubled world.
Page 40
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
Naina Kapur ’78 Born in Uganda, raised first in Edinburgh and then Canada, Naina Kapur graduated from HSC in 1978. After acquiring her English Honours BA from University of Toronto, Naina qualified as a lawyer from King’s College, England. At 25, a passion to create social change led her to settle and work in India. This launched her journey as a social activist, Supreme Court litigator, co-founder and Director of Sakshi (a non-profit organization working on gender issues), law reformer, policy maker, speaker and present-day equality expert. She has been engaged in women’s equality rights for most of her professional life, nationally and internationally. Addressing attitudes is central to Naina’s approach to equality. The findings of a path-breaking research project she led on judicial gender perceptions and justice systems resulted in an Asia Pacific Forum on Equality Education for Judges. Over 10 years, Naina co-chaired the Forum to create a unique judge/NGO partnership program, acknowledged by UN Women as a Best Practice program in 2002. Naina is best known for her pioneering public-interest litigation before the Supreme Court of India, resulting in a landmark judge-made law on workplace sexual harassment in 1997 which mandated prevention, prohibition and redress of sexual harassment at all workplaces. It paved the way for similar law reform in South Asia and legislation in India. Naina’s years of persistent advocacy towards more equalitybased laws on rape influenced the Law Commission of India Report on Rape and led to another landmark Supreme Court of India judgment for child-friendly courtroom procedures in child sexual abuse cases in 2004. She was an expert contributor before the Chief Justice Verma Committee on Rape Law Reform emerging from the gang rape of a young woman on a New Delhi bus in 2014. For her efforts, Naina was honoured with a Grassroots Woman of the Decade Achievers Award 2014 by the Association Chambers of Commerce Women’s League. The joy she gains from young people and teaching led Naina to design a hallmark experiential Outward Bound leadership program for students of law and social work. Based on the philosophy of The Matrix and Paulo Coelho’s The Pilgrimage, the workshop design engaged students with rural communities to test individual values, priorities and their sense of self. In addition to her extensive writings on equality and related issues, Naina is a Brandeis International Fellow (International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, Brandeis University) and has been a Visiting Fellow in the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School. She has also conceived, directed and edited short films on equality, disability, sexual harassment and sexuality. Since 2008, innovation and creativity have also extended into Naina’s passion for photo art, resulting in three public exhibitions of her work. HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 41
→ Top Honours
Excellence The Alumni AWARD OF
The Alumni Hall of Excellence celebrates alumni who embody and promote the ideals of Hillfield Strathallan College. By honouring this distinguished group of alumni, the College continues its tradition of inspiring others through the legacy of alumni who have come before them.
Putting the Brakes on Disease Dilan Dissanayake ’00 Dilan Dissanayake graduated from Hillfield Strathallan College in 2000. He received a Bachelor of Health Sciences from McMaster University before enrolling in the MD/PhD Combined Program at the University of Toronto. He earned his PhD in Immunology with a research focus on the factors that govern the activation of immune responses in autoimmunity and cancer immunotherapy. His work led to several novel discoveries, including the first demonstration that a defect of a certain molecular “brake” within immune cells may contribute to the development of autoimmune disease. After completing his MD, Dilan entered the University of Toronto Paediatric Residency Program to pursue a career as a clinician-scientist, and he continues to investigate the impact of the immune system on disease processes with the hope of developing new therapies. Most recently, Dilan was involved in a project that led to a curative treatment option for a patient with a newly identified rare genetic mutation, and he is currently using his immunology training to explore disease mechanisms within Paediatric Rheumatology. Dilan has received multiple honours for academic excellence and awards for his research, particularly in the area of immunology. His work has been cited in nearly 400 scientific publications to date, and he is also actively involved in the mentorship of medical students who share an interest in scientific research.
Dilan Dissanayake’s work is cited in nearly 400 publications
The Art of Recovery Mike Branch founded Inovex for customers in the health and energy sectors
Software Superstar Mike Branch ’99 Mike Branch graduated from HSC in 1999 after seven years at the College, and went on to the University of Toronto where he earned a BASc in Computer Engineering from the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In 2003, Mike founded Inovex and served as CEO and President for 13 years. Inovex is a software company that develops web and mobile software applications for customers in the healthcare and energy sectors, ranging from secure patient portals to municipal energy management systems. In 2013, Inovex launched Maps BI, a web-based dashboarding and visualization platform with a focus on geo-spatial data, and earned two International Business Awards, for Best New Software Product and Best Software Design. Mike is a published architect in the software domain for his work on mobile data collection systems and realtime, web-based data acquisition systems, appearing in IEEE Industry Applications magazine. He was honoured with the Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) Young Engineer Medal in 2013 and Engineers Canada Young Engineer Award in 2014. These awards are presented to a professional engineer under the age of 35 for outstanding contributions in engineering. Page 42
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
Inovex’s expertise in developing highly salient web applications was also showcased on CBC Television’s Dragon’s Den, through the successful pitch for the cellphone brokerage portal myCELLmyTERMS.com. In January 2016, Maps BI was acquired by Geotab. Mike is now Vice President of Business Intelligence, where he leads the charge for developing solutions that enable insight from the one billion telematics records that Geotab processes on a daily basis–critical to the development of infrastructure surrounding autonomous vehicles. Mike has served the University of Toronto on a number of boards, including the Executive Board of the Engineering Alumni Association, the Executive Committee of the College of Electors, and the Chancellor Search Committee. In 2010, he received an Arbor Award from the University of Toronto in recognition of his service. He also serves as a board member of Streetwise Actors and is a member of the Haltech Regional Innovation Centre. Mike is the Past President of HSC’s Alumni Association Executive and earlier was the Association’s Awards Chair and Young Alumni Chair. He currently sits on the Board of Governors for the College.
Sarah Garside ’83 Dr. Sarah Garside is currently an Associate Professor at McMaster University in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, and a teacher for the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine. Earlier in her career, she completed an Honours Arts and Science degree (with a major in English) and later obtained a PhD in Neuroscience. Following completion of her PhD, she entered medical school and trained to become a psychiatrist. One of her primary areas of interest lies in the area of ethics and mental health, and Sarah has held funding from NARSAD, the Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation and the Ontario Mental Health Foundation. Her areas of expertise include psychopharmacology, treatment of psychosis, e-curriculum development and neuroscience. As a student at HSC, Sarah excelled at art, particularly in pencil, batik, watercolour and acrylics. She even helped create HSC’s first summer art camp. She put the creation of art aside when her children were born so she could concentrate on her psychiatry career and family. However, after suffering a catastrophic head injury in a 2011 car accident, she returned to painting as part of her recovery. In 2015, Sarah was invited to display her first ever oil painting at a prestigious art show at the Louvre in Paris, France. She was one of 10 Canadian artists chosen by a jury of art experts to display their work at the Louvre as part of an international exhibition organized by the French National Society of Fine Arts. The work she displayed was named “Orchidesque” and she explains that the orchid had massive personal symbolism.
Sarah Garside was chosen to display a painting at the Louvre in Paris
“When I was recovering from my coma in hospital, the one flower that four or five people brought to me was an orchid. I still have 13 or 14 of them across my windowsill. It became the plant that represented to me my recovery, new opportunities, new things.” HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 43
→ Top Honours
MENTORS
Singular Students
N
The Alumni Association Leadership Award is given to one male and one female Grade 9 recipient, internal
WE
or external, who embodies the College’s Mission, Vision and Values, especially through outstanding leadership potential. To learn more about HSC Scholarships and Bursaries contact admissions@hsc.on.ca
S
MENTEES Luke D’Ambrosi Birch House
Throughout his time in both the Junior and Middle Schools, Luke has always been an enthusiastic and accomplished student. He excels academically with a natural flair for the arts, while also getting involved in athletics and extracurricular activities both in and outside HSC. Luke has been a leader with the Energy Saving and School Ambassador teams, a role he continues in the Senior School. He has held several captaincies of athletics teams, winning leadership awards for his efforts, and has won over 200 House points. Outside school he is involved with representative soccer and hockey. In addition, he has been an active member of the concert band and art clubs. “He has consistently taken the initiative to be a leader,” says teacher Denise Cober. “He is always willing and able to help others with any given task and embrace new opportunities with enthusiasm.” During his first term in the Senior School, Luke has continued to focus on maintaining a high academic average while being a dual sport athlete. “I am grateful for the various opportunities HSC offers,” he says, “and I look forward to growing as a leader at the College.”
Kind & Humble The 2016 Robb W.K. Webb ’74 Alumni Award of Distinction Graduate Scholarship is given to a departing student who epitomizes the nature of service and leading by example
Matthew Tutty ’16 Matthew is currently studying engineering at Western University, having achieved advanced entry to the university’s Ivey Business School. At HSC, Matthew successfully managed to balance attaining his strong academic results with extensive involvement in many roles throughout the College community. He was well known for his genuine commitment and passion for HSC, being recognized with awards for contribution to House spirit and to College life and acting Page 44
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
Kate Masliwec Earn House
Kate has excelled academically throughout her time at HSC, while also being an accomplished athlete and holding many leadership roles. In Grade 8 she was Earn House Captain and captained the U14 Girls championship soccer team. She won many athletic leadership awards throughout her Middle School years along with both the Bantam and Junior sports awards, and excelled in volleyball and track and field. Kate has maintained her high academic standing and taken an active role as part of the Wellness Committee and Middle School Mentorship Program. She always notices when other students need help or encouragement and has been known to be the first to act as a mentor to younger students. Now, in the Senior School, Kate continues to further her leadership skills, being co-captain of the CAIS U15 Girls soccer team for their trip to Victoria, B.C., and to help new students adjust in the HSC community. “This scholarship has provided me many amazing experiences which continue to shape who I am,” she says. “I look forward to all the upcoming leadership hours that will allow me to keep giving back to the HSC community.”
as a prefect in his graduating year. He was an active participant throughout his time in the Senior School on the Student Council, serving as president in Grade 11. He was invited to the Ontario Educational Leadership Centre in 2011, the Global Young Leaders Conference in Washington in 2014 and the CAIS Student Leadership Conference in Montreal in 2015. He received the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award in 2015, an internationally recognized achievement. Matthew was also an active participant on the rowing and volleyball teams and was recognized as an outstanding delegate in the Model United Nations. He was a member of the English Conversation Circle and volunteered at the Catholic Children’s Aid Society and Big Kids Club. Throughout his years at Hillfield Strathallan College, Matthew strived to lead by example, under the College’s ideals of joy and purpose. “I continually try to commit myself to kindness and humbleness every day,” he said in his application. “I try to bring the ideals of joy and purpose to the numerous commitments I have in the school, local and international communities.”
Join our community network and get connected
Career conversations
networking
1 in 4
HSC mentor connect has
100+
Mentors
MillenNials credit a mentor for helping them seek a leadership role at work.
Mentorship
is the KEY to career success for young professionals
Resume Critiques
JUST
Mock interviews
Mentoring is a
WIN-WIN
The number of mentors it takes to make a difference
HSC Mentor connect can help you build a professional network, get career advice, get personal and professional development and receive guidance and support. join now at www.hsc.on.ca/mentorship.
→ Top Honours
Perfect Prefects
Arundhati Nair Spirit Prefect & Head Girl Future ambition: Doctor Favourite subject: Biology Favourite artist: Half Moon Run
Haydn Wain-Lowe Athletic Prefect & Head Boy
Willow Barton Female Athletic Prefect
Future ambition:
Future ambition:
Renowned philanthropist
Teacher and Coach
Favourite subject:
Favourite subject:
21st Century Business
Gym
Favourite artist:
Favourite artist:
Drake/Taylor Swift
Sahana Kapur Chapel Prefect Future ambition: Broadway Favourite subject: Law Favourite artist: Any musician from the 1960s
Kenji Marshall Academic Prefect Future Ambition: Biomedical engineer Favourite Subject: Physics Favourite Artist: Yundi Li
Page 46
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
These students are this year’s leaders across the College. Here’s what they’re into:
Juice
Lukas Bauer Middle School Prefect Future ambition: Tesla engineer Favourite subject: Physics Favourite artist: Vulfpeck
Jenna Eyram Junior School Prefect Future ambition: CEO/Disney Princess Favourite subject: AP Economics/Communications Technology Favourite artist: ABBA
Kassie Hill Wellness Prefect Future ambition: To be happy in whatever I am doing Favourite subject: English (or any class where I can be writing!) Favourite artist: Hozier or Banksy
Mourad El Mofty Service Prefect Future ambition: Happiness Favourite subject: Economics Favourite artist: Drake
Dinesh Moro Media Arts and Public Relations Prefect Future Ambition: Field staff for Doctors Without Borders Favourite Subject: Communications Technology and Biology Favourite Artist: Snarky Puppy
Sasha Paikin Arts Prefect Future ambition: Performer on Broadway Favourite subject: Music or Math Favourite artist: Leslie Odom Jr.
Laura Watson Montessori Prefect Future Ambition: CEO Favourite Subject: Math Favourite Artist: Ed Sheeran HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 47
HSC Lifers 2016
MAY 12–13
Every year as we celebrate the graduating class at HSC, we say goodbye to a group of students we know as “Lifers”. These students joined the College at the start of their education and have been part of the HSC community throughout their school years.
20 17 Friday, May 12
Saturday, May 13
SHOWCASE OF THE ARTS
Visual Arts and Musical performances
PANCAKE bREAKFAST
Complimentary
PEP RAlly
Come cheer on your HSC Trojans! All are welcome.
ART DISPlAy
Visual Arts Exhibit
TENNIS TOURNAMENT
Open Doubles, for Ages 12+
HEKTOR’S HOME RUN
1km or 5km Routes
Saturday, May 13 EVENiNG AlUMNI REUNION RECEPTION
Celebrating years that end in ’2 and ’7
ATHlETIC HAll OF FAME AWARDS
Athletic Hall of Fame Awards celebrating the 2017 Inductees Following the Reception and Athletic Hall of Fame Awards
AlUMNI REUNION DINNER
* SUbjECT TO CHANgE
KIDS ZONE
Activities, Crafts & Inflatables
SlOW PITCH FUTbOlITO RUgby
Alumni Athletic Games
FOOD TRUCKS
Lunch available for purchase
PARENTS OF AlUMNI CAFE
Tasty treats for purchase
MINUTE TO WIN IT & vENDOR vIllAgE
Student-run charity games & sales
gET All THE DETAIlS AT WWW.HSC.ON.Ca/HOMECOMiNG2017
Front row (from left): Griffin Dowd, Adrian Filice, Daniela D’Ambrosi, Zoe McMillan, Carina Schiappa, Kimberly Work, Bianca Beraldo, Alyssa DeSantis, Kyle Constantin. Middle row: Rebecca Kuhn, Brooke Romano, Tate Kamps, Gwyneth Fisher, Colette Galan, Gabrielle Lamy, Jennifer Armstrong, Bryan Huck. Back row: Bijan Anvari, Christopher Kolios, Ryan Bennett, Robert Lazier, Kallen Harber, Nicholas Hofland, Anthony Miceski, Matthew Robertson, Nick DiLoreto.
Where The Grads Are
Canada
Acadia University 1 Bishop’s University 1 University of British Columbia 2 BC Institute of Technology 1 Brock University 1 Carleton University 4 Dalhousie University 1 University of Guelph 3 University of Guelph-Humber 1 Hair Xtacy Academy 1 McGill University 2
McMaster University 12 Mohawk College 1 Queen’s University 18 Ryerson University 7 University of Toronto 20 Western University 20 University of Victoria 1 University of Waterloo 6 Wilfrid Laurier University 2 York University 1
United States
Bowling Green State University 1 University of California-Berkeley 1 Carnegie Mellon University 1 Columbia University 1 Florida Atlantic University 1
Rest of the World
Leeds University, UK 1 London Metropolitan University, UK 1
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 49
→ Giving
The Joy of Innovative Learning In 2014, HSC established The David Tutty Joy and Innovation Fund to memorialize one of our community’s most loved and enthusiastic members. In keeping with scientist David Tutty’s outlook and values, the Fund is designed to support innovative and creative ideas proposed by students and staff. Thanks to our donors, here are a few of the projects you can expect to see come to life at HSC in coming months.
Osmo System – $3,000 Lisa Mitchell, Junior School faculty “The Osmo systems are designed to capture each child’s interest and imagination, allowing our youngest learners to manipulate real-life objects with immediate technological feedback. This integration of digital and concrete worlds allows learners to enter realms one previously could only imagine.”
Table Restoration – $150 Sharon Neibert, Middle School faculty “We hope to preserve a piece of HSC history by restoring the original prize day table. By adding it to the Kemper Lounge, we think it will not only be functional for displaying items and serving food at receptions, but it will also add warmth and tradition to the modern space.”
Ping Pong Recreational Initiative – $2,900 Mason Leggat, Grade 7 Last year, outdoor tennis courts returned to HSC. Now, we have indoor table tennis! Three ping pong tables have been purchased and will be a first step towards a recreational Ping Pong Club in the Middle School. The Ping Pong Club will be a welcome addition to the school’s current wellness initiatives and provide students another opportunity for indoor physical activity. “Keep calm and ping pong.”
Page 50
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
Have a Heart, Give all Girls a Good Start – $30 Jacey Goldberg, Grade 4 “This year I want to continue to help girls around the world through Plan Canada’s Because I Am a Girl campaign. My focus is on helping all girls get a good education. I am doing a fundraiser called, ‘Have a Heart, Give All Girls a Good Start’. I will be creating another awareness video and will be selling heart-shaped treats. When people donate, they can write their name on the giant heart I have made. This heart will stay on display. We can all show we care about supporting girls and that it is not okay to treat girls differently.”
Launch Pad Curator – $15,000 Eleonor Kerr, Human Resources “We will be staffing our Launch Pad makerspace with an energetic, creative curator, who is passionate about science and technology and who will truly ignite our students and feed their curiosity through the use of interesting tools!”
HSC Drone – $2,000 Chris DiMarino and Brandon Prodger, Senior School faculty “We are extremely excited to have a drone at HSC. and we are diligently learning how best to pilot it to keep it safe and get highquality images and film. We intend to empower the students to pilot it and record multimedia events such as sports games, student projects, house activities and many more.”
Naturalization Maintenance of Bioswales – $650 John Hannah, Middle School faculty “Bioswales are landscape features that help manage storm water. Our campus is in the Cootes Paradise watershed. Our bioswales ameliorate runoff from the HSC parking lots as a primary function, but they also support plants, insects, birds and small mammals, increasing the biodiversity in our community. Learning to manage them provides an important practical opportunity for our Middle School students to see the differences they can make when they take action in environmental stewardship.”
Leave No Trace – $2,000 Noah Losani, Grade 12
Outdoor Learning Space – $4,000 John Hannah, Middle School faculty “A student-inspired proposal to enhance this space between the Young and Heaven buildings includes features that will shade the area, provide for wildlife, create space for enjoying social time outside, and allow teachers and students to group together or spend time learning outdoors. Vining plants have been selected to grow over a proposed landscape structure or arbour that will lead to two or three outdoor seating areas.”
“Leave No Trace is an initiative designed for people to reduce or eliminate their carbon footprint through global reforestation. It is a very simple process. The inspiration came from an article I read, which stated that the Earth had lost half its trees since human civilization began. My hope is that it will provide students with an effective way to have a lasting, positive impact on the world around them.”
Learning Beyond Imagination Virtual Reality – $1,500 Samarth Athreya, Grade 9 Virtual reality is a powerful educational tool. Grade 9 student, Samarth Athreya believes that adding virtual reality devices in the classroom will induce hope and curiosity in HSC students. “The goal for my project is to spark the joy of learning in children and to introduce a new method of learning”.
Orange Shirt Day – $500 Sheri Whitmore, Middle School faculty “We applied for these funds to create and produce orange t-shirts to acknowledge and raise awareness about residential schools in Canada. We would like to join the communities across Canada each year to ensure this type of tragedy never happens again. Our slogan is ‘Every Child Matters’ and we remember that Phylis Webstad created this day because she suffered at a residential school, having her brand new orange t-shirt taken away.”
Worm Chalet – $785 AJ Murray, Grade 4 “The Worm Chalet project came out of research I did about pollution and compost. This is a chance for Grade 3 and 4 students to learn not just about diverting classroom waste, but also about the science behind healthy soil. We can use our learning to teach other kids, and pass it on.”
Outdoor Play Spaces – $15,000 Multiple Applicants College-wide Outdoor play is essential to help release energy and recharge students so they are ready for classroom learning. In response to multiple applications related to age-andstage-appropriate enhancements to our outdoor play areas, HSC has begun the process of developing a collaborative multi-year plan. We look forward to providing an update in the coming months.
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 51
→ Giving
20 Years on the Links The 2016 HSC Golf Classic raised more than $26,000
I
t’s a day of community building, reconnecting and great golf, all in support of scholarships and awards at HSC. In 2016, a full field of golfers headed out to the links to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the annual HSC Golf Classic at Dundas Valley Golf and Curling Club. Alumni, faculty, parents and friends of HSC joined the event, presented by the HSC Alumni Association, along with young alumni and other community members participating for the first time. Golfers were treated to a delicious barbecue lunch accompanied by live jazz performed by HSC students, and later enjoyed dinner and the presentation of awards. The golfers were entertained by hole experiences including putting, nearest to the pin and longest drive competitions as well as competing for the longest marshmallow drive.
Page 52
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
The HSC Alumni Executive Golf Committee thanks all participants and sponsors who helped to make the 20th anniversary an event to remember. Their generous support helped raise more than $26,000 towards scholarships and awards at HSC. The Alumni Association will present the 21st annual HSC Golf Classic, sponsored by The Morgan Investments Group Inc., on Tuesday, June 27, 2017, once again at the Dundas Valley Golf and Curling Club. If you would like to be a part of the 2017 HSC Golf Classic, there are great sponsorship opportunities available. For more information, visit www.hsc.on.ca/golfsponsorship or contact Leah Fraser, Events Coordinator, at leah.fraser@hsc.on.ca or 905-389-1367, ext.153.
Page 53
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
→ Passages Shawn Locke ’07 & Veronika Jaeschke ’10
Shawn Locke ’07 and Veronika Jaeschke ’10 were married on August 12, 2016 and enjoyed their reception at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club. Many HSC alumni were there to help celebrate.
Our Lives
Laura ’98 & Eric Padden Ron Joyce
HSC congratulates philanthropist and longtime friend of HSC Ron Joyce for his recognition as Outstanding Philanthropist at the 9th annual National Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon on November 15, 2016. Ron was nominated for demonstrating outstanding commitment and leadership in all aspects of philanthropy in Hamilton and Burlington. During the past decade, the Joyce Family Foundation has donated almost $75 million to numerous organizations in the region, from the Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation to McMaster University, as well as HSC. Healthcare and education are two causes close to Ron’s heart.
Aaron ’95 & Annie Ciancone
Aaron Ciancone ’95 and Annie Ciancone are proud to announce the birth of their daughter Evelyn Pearle, born June 8, 2016, weighing 8 lbs. 11 oz.
Mayce Galoni ’12
Maggie Fox ’91
The board of the DMZ at Ryerson University recently appointed Maggie Fox ’91as an executive–in–residence and board member. The DMZ (formerly the Digital Media Zone) is the leading business incubator for technology startups in Canada, fuelling the success of emerging entrepreneurs by connecting them with customers, advisors, influencers and other entrepreneurs. Maggie is the former CEO and founder of Social Media Group, one of the world’s first pure-play social media agencies, and most recently Global Senior Vice President of Digital and Content for enterprise software giant SAP. In 2011, the National Post named her one of Canada’s Top Innovators. She also sits on the board of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Page 54
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
HSC congratulates Mayce Galoni ’12 for achieving a top spot as a finalist in SiriusXM’s Top Comic 2016 contest. Mayce launched his career in comedy at just 15 years old, and has gone on to perform across Canada with Yuk Yuks. He has appeared at Just For Laughs, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, and the Halifax Comedy Festival and performed on CBC Radio’s The Debaters. He has also appeared on MTV, BiteTV, and taped a set for Kevin Hart’s LOL Live, and has opened for big names in comedy including Doug Stanhope and Gilbert Gottfried. Mayce was the winner of the 2013 Brantford Comedy Festival Rising Stars Competition, the 2014 Go Yuk Yourself Comedy Competition, and the 2015 Border City Comedy Competition. In September 2016, Mayce released his debut comedy album with TooFar.TV. Mayce is often on the road, but when he is home he can frequently be seen at Yuk Yuk’s in downtown Hamilton.
Laura Padden ’98 (née Balfour) and Eric Padden are delighted to have a new son, Gordon Cromwell Southam Padden, born on December 19, 2016 in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is brother to Scarlett, age 2, Eli, 17, and Noah, 19, and the grandson of David Balfour ’66, great-grandson of the late William Southam Balfour ’37 and nephew of St. Clair Balfour ’96.
Dr. Gail Robinson ’60
Dr. Gail Robinson ’60 has been appointed as President of the American College of Psychiatrists. The college comprises more than 750 psychiatrists in North America, who have demonstrated excellence in the field of psychiatry and achieved national recognition in clinical practice, research, academic leadership or teaching. Gail is a board member of the American Psychiatric Association and the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry. She is also a member of the Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities and Chairs the Committee on Gender and Mental Health.
Bruce Pearson
Michael Lee-Chin
New HSC parent Michael Lee-Chin was recently appointed Chair of the Government of Jamaica’s newly established Economic Growth Council (EGC). As Chair, Michael is tasked with leading a team from the private and public sectors to advise the Government of Jamaica on the adoption of a bold framework of economic initiatives to foster five per cent annual growth by 2020. Michael is the Founder, President and Chairman of Portland Holdings, and he and his partner Sonya Hamilton are well-known figures in philanthropy and public service. He is also known for his ongoing support of Jamaica, his birth nation. The EGC Call to Action can be downloaded at bit.ly/2gPIxuU.
Bruce Pearson (HSC Board of Trustees and Current Parent) was honoured at the Mohawk College Alumni of Distinction Dinner on October 27, 2016. This annual awards program recognizes the career achievements and community contributions of successful college alumni. Co-Founder and retired former President of Pearson-Dunn Insurance and Financial Services Inc., Bruce is a lifelong Ancaster resident who has remained committed to serving his community. He is a long-standing member of the local Rotary Club and Agricultural Society, is an immediate Past-Chair and board member of the YMCA of Hamilton, Burlington and Brantford, and has served as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Hamilton Police Services Board. Bruce is a Director of the Heartland Farm Mutual Insurance Company and currently serves as the Chair of the Governing Board of the Insurance Institute of Ontario. He is also the past Chair of the Registered Insurance Institute of Ontario.
Dr. Sheila Singh ’90
The Terry Fox Research Institute, through the New Frontiers program, recently awarded McMaster University’s Dr. Sheila Singh ’90 and her team $2.25 million to find new treatments to fight incurable brain cancer. This funded TFRI “dream team” plans to tackle the most lethal and aggressive brain tumour that occurs in adults by focusing not on the original tumour, but on the relapsed cancer. As project leader, Sheila, a Canada Research Chair in Human Cancer Stem Cell Biology, will work with investigators Drs. Sachdev Sidhu and Jason Moffat of the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto; and Dr. Robert Rottapel of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, the University Health Network and U of T.
Ben Simpson ’08
Ben Simpson ’08 married Andrea Crinklaw on September 10, 2016 at Rosseau, Ont. Ben is the son of David ’73 and Gwynneth Simpson, and grandson of the late J. Benjamin ’41 and Helen Simpson. Wedding attendants included Caitlin Simpson ’09 and Reid Millard ’08. Also present were John ’75 and Toni Simpson and George ’44 and Mary Ann Simpson. The couple live in Whitehorse, Yukon.
Ashley ’02 & Jeremiah Tickell
Ashley Tickell ’02 (née Taylor) and Jeremiah Tickell welcomed a beautiful baby boy, Grant, on August 10, 2016, weighing 6 lbs. 13 ozs. HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 55
→ Passages
Lives Lived Cox, Clinton Joseph ’90
Clinton died on October 17, 2016, at age 45. Son of Jim and Marlene (Bruno), brother to Sloane ’95 (Mark Munshaw). Predeceased by brother Christopher Ashley (1966). Missed by his loving companion Colleen Krasic and her children Molly and Lunden. A self-taught guitar player, Clinton was a passionate Rush fan and loved the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was awaiting graduation from Mohawk College—a milestone he worked hard to achieve.
James died on June 13, 2016, in Hamilton. Beloved son of Helen and James Hood (predeceased), and brother of William (predeceased). Jimmy is remembered by his brother Brian ’63 (Carollynne) and sister Christine Soomet ’67 and by his good friend Lorne Helmer. Fiercely independent, a free spirit and generous in nature, Jimmy loved life.
Farmer, Dr. Richard H.D. ’43
Wendy passed away in Hamilton on June 19, 2016, at 79. Wife of George and loving mother of Lisa Niblett, Mary Hanley and Jill Kopulos. Nanny of Ashley and Trevor Niblett, and Griffin and Maddi Hanley. Sister of Andy Long. Her gregarious presence will be missed from the Long family tree.
HSC Corporation Richard died peacefully in Hamilton on October 6, 2016. Son of the late Dr. G.R.D. Farmer and Marny Champ Farmer. Survived by his wife of 54 years, Tutti Robidoux Farmer, daughters Alison Farmer ’84 and Nell Spicer ’85 (Stefan ’83), and sister Alison Gibson ’47 (Kerr ’41). Predeceased by his brother, William G.D. Farmer ’44 (1951), and his eldest daughter, Sarah ’81 (1995). Granddad to Tessa ’11, Julia ’14 and Philip Spicer ’17. An Old Boy of Hillfield and Upper Canada College, Dick graduated from University of Toronto Medical School in 1952. He practiced in the Caledonia area before post-graduate training in Montreal, Toronto and England. He was president of the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons in 1977. He was also Chief of Staff and Chief of Plastic Surgery at Chedoke and Chedoke-McMaster Hospitals. Dick had a long-standing commitment to the Reserves, serving in the R.C.A.M.C. Militia as Lt. Col and C.O. of No. 16 Medical Company. He was a founding member of the Foundation of the Hamilton Conservation Authority and honorary physician of the St. George’s Society. He loved music, books, nature, history, St. John’s Church, and the Ancaster area—where the Farmers have lived for seven generations.
Frid, Patricia Helen ’53 (née Kain)
Patricia died in Bracebridge, Ont., on August 25, 2016, at 81. Wife of 59 years to Douglas Frid, devoted mother to Wayne. Predeceased by her daughter Wendy and by her parents Betty and Lyle Kain. Pat is missed by her brothers Robert, Allen, Brian and Gary, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and many extended family members.
Page 56
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
Hood, James McLean ’61
Kopulos, Wendy Mae ’56 (née Long)
Lazier, Colin Gillies ’67
Corporation Member, Former Governor Colin died peacefully on August 24, 2016 in Ancaster. Beloved husband of Barbara Jean Jennings ’67 for 45 years. Father of Amy Schaefer ’93 (Erik ’91), Catherine (Kate) Lazier ’95 (Richard Fong), Colin Laird Lazier ’97 (Natalie), and William Lazier ’00 (Amanda). Poppa of Martha ’22 and Audrey Schaefer, Elizabeth Campbell and James Fong, Hannah and Colin Searson Lazier and Daphne Lazier. Son of the Hon. Colin Simpson Lazier ’35 (Jocelyn) and predeceased by his mother Martha Gillies. Brother of Douglas Lazier ’68 (Mary Ellen Fitzgerald), Dr. Sarah Keating ’73 (Thomas) and Thomas Lazier ’81 (Catherine). Son-in-law of Jean Jennings, Corporation Member. Brother-in-law of Laird Jennings ’62 (Joan ’64), Mary McKeon ’64 (Barry) and Margaret Dickinson ’72 (Donald). Colin was a Partner of Lazier Hickey LLP, a former President of the Holland Society of New York, former Chair of Chedoke McMaster Hospitals, former Chair of Chedoke Health Foundation, former Secretary-Treasurer of the Malloch Foundation and former Chair of the Official Board of Centenary United Church.
Lazier, The Hon. Colin Simpson ’35
Patron, Builder, Former Board Chair, Former Governor, Former Trustee, Former Alumni President Colin passed away on October 30, 2016 at Sunnybrook Veterans Centre. Husband of Jocelyn Davis. Predeceased by his first wife, Martha Gillies, by his parents, Judge Ernest Franklin Lazier and Muriel Simpson, and by his brothers Harold, John and Stephen. Also predeceased by his son Colin Gillies Lazier ’67. Father of Douglas ’68 (Mary Ellen), Dr. Sarah Keating ’73 (Tom), and Thomas ’81 (Catherine). Poppa to Amy Schaefer ’93, Kate Lazier ’95, Colin L. Lazier ’97, William Lazier ’00, Sharon Sharpe, Judith Lazier, Rosemary Lazier, Geoffrey Keating, Leslie Keating, Douglas Lazier
’14, and Robert Lazier ’16. Loved by nine great-grandchildren. Stepfather to Julie McMeekin and Deborah Merritt. Colin was a retired Justice of the Superior Court of Ontario. A graduate of Hillfield, Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto, Trinity College, he enlisted in the RCAF and served overseas as a bomber pilot with RAF Squadron 107 during the Second World War. Colin attended Osgoode Hall and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1948 and appointed to the bench in 1972. He served on numerous charitable boards in Hamilton and was a longtime member of the Hamilton Golf and Country Club.
Smith, Alastair Armstrong Gibson ’40
HSC Corporation Alastair died on October 23, 2016. Husband of 64 years to Jessie Mead Smith (née Maben), father of Derek ’72, Maben ’73 and Deirdre, and grandfather to Alastair Smith; Alexandru, Nicholas and Kira Rainwater; and step-granddaughter, Elizabeth Thompson. Alastair was born in 1923 in Winona, Ont. He was the grandson of the late Senator E.D. Smith and Senator William Gibson, son of the late Brigadier Armand and Evelyn Smith; and brother of the late Major E. Llewellyn G. Smith. He was educated at Lake Lodge, Grimsby; Hillfield; Trinity College School, Port Hope; and Trinity College, University of Toronto. Alastair joined the Canadian Armoured Corps in 1943 and was commissioned to the Infantry Corps in 1944. He was destined for the Pacific Theatre with the 6th Canadian Division prior to his discharge in the fall of 1945 after the Japanese surrender. He joined the family business—E.D. Smith and Sons Ltd.— assuming several roles over four decades. At the time of his departure, he was Executive Vice President. In 1974, he created the Food Division at the Retail Council of Canada, and later acquired the Kingston Canada Dry Bottling Co. franchise. Alastair was a warden at St. John’s Church, Winona and St. George’s Cathedral, Kingston, and was active at St. Mark’s, Barriefield. In Kingston, he participated in many organizations including the Royal Kingston United Services Institute and Probus Clubs. Alastair enjoyed playing golf at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club and at the Colonnade course.
Stradwick, Elizabeth ’77
Elizabeth died in Oakville on May 15, 2016. Mother of Athena Stradwick and grandmother of Aviva Stradwick-Bunsie. Predeceased by her mother Barbara Stradwick-Swindall, Elizabeth is remembered by her father Jack Stradwick (Janette Fergus), brother Jay and sisters Pamela, Cindy and Katie. Elizabeth had a gift with children and animals, and was happiest watching over her granddaughter, her niece Claire and her nephew Jack. HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
|
Page 57
→ The Last Word
High-Impact Teachers One of our most memorable was True Davidson. Her spirit sang
The hSC ORAL hISTORY PROJeCT
By Gerald Wright ’58
I
n the late 1940s and 1950s, when I attended Hillfield, the boys’ predecessor to Hillfield Strathallan College, it was a fraction of the size of the College today, and you had to do almost everything. That meant football (or at least soccer), hockey, cricket, cross-country running, boxing, the cadet corps, the school magazine, the dramatic society and a host of other activities, including lots of homework. There were hardly any options or spare periods, and most of our everyday routine was compulsory. I didn’t enjoy everything, but I got a lot out of editing The Boar, the school magazine, and I looked forward to participating in the Dramatic Society’s annual production. We performed such classics as Hamlet and She Stoops to Conquer, and a memorable farce by Philip King called See How They Run. As I got older, there were many evenings when I stayed late to work on one of these activities, missed the school bus and had to hitchhike home—not a practice recommended today! Although as small boys we never spoke of the Second World War, it cast its shadow over everything we did. There were a number of boys whose fathers had not returned from the war, many of the staff had done military service, and there was an emphasis on values such as courage and fortitude that appeared to have been validated as a result of the war. Around 1947, one of my classmates, Bill Holton ’58 (later chair of HSC’s board), hosted a birthday party and his parents took us to see the film Scott of the Antarctic, about Captain Robert Falcon Scott, who just missed being the discoverer of the South Pole and died on the return journey. The film, with its depiction of almost unimaginable bravery in the face of appalling conditions, reinforced the attitudes handed down from the wartime era and left a lasting impression. The school’s impact on me came chiefly from the teachers. One who made a huge impact in a very short time was True Davidson, who taught English in 1954-55 and later became mayor of East York. Her spirit sang. She relished spontaneity and the clash of opinions. Zealously she strove to make us view literature in relation
Page 58
|
HSC Review
|
Spring 2017
to life, to revel in the earthiness of Shakespeare, to read a poem as an assault on the senses and not as a puzzle from which the literal meaning must be painfully extracted. Hers was the guiding hand behind a mimeographed newspaper called The Piglet, an irreverent offspring of The Boar, which included provocative advice on etiquette from “Primula Proper.” (“Every master appreciates helpful hints on how to conduct the lesson. The student usually knows best anyway.”) I have done a good deal of university teaching, both in Canada and in Japan, and that has left me with enormous respect for teachers at the elementary and secondary levels. I think their task is crucial and doesn’t get enough attention. Advanced knowledge contributes mightily to Canada’s success as an economy and as a society, and thus the role played by our educational institutions is strategic. This, along with my happy memories, is why I support HSC. The College puts a lot of emphasis on innovation, a very good sign. My own interests are heavily international and I hope HSC develops in its students an abiding curiosity about what goes on beyond their country’s borders. The base for that exists in a student body that is much more multicultural than it was in my time. In particular, Asia is the biggest contributor to world economic output today. It is acquiring new technologies and business models so fast that this could be quite disruptive to economic activity here at home. Tomorrow’s graduates have got to be resilient above all else. That means acquiring international experience and an international outlook so that they can understand what is happening, withstand the shocks coming from a rapidly transforming environment, and build rewarding careers for themselves. Gerald Wright ’58, a professor at Carlton University, was an HSC board member from 1981 to 1985 and is an Excellence Campaign donor and annual Prize Day donor (The Gerald Wrights’ Prize for Reading, Speaking or Debating and The Betty Wright ’28 Art Award for Excellence in Grade 9 or Grade 10 Visual Arts or Drama).
Be PART OF The hSC STORY! LET US CAPTURE YOUR HSC JOURNEY SHARE YOUR HSC MEMORABILIA
For more than a century, Hillfield Strathallan College and its predecessor schools have nurtured hundreds of students as they grew and learned. Every alumnus of the College carries with them part of our history, a history that we want to preserve and share with future generations. Whatever paths our students took after leaving the College, they are all HSC alumni. The HSC Oral History Project aims to gather alumni memories as an encyclopedia of our history, and to digitally preserve them for future generations in the College archives.
To participate, contact: Lorna Kelly, Alumni Advancement Manager Online: www.hsc.on.ca/alumni e-mail: lorna.kelly@hsc.on.ca Phone: 905-389-1367, ext. 117
HSC CAMPS Calling All
Summer Campers! HSC’s Summer Recreational and Academic/Enrichment Camp programs provide exciting and engaging full day, full week programs for girls and boys ages 3-15. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: www.hsc.on.ca/summer-camp
Joy. Passion. Potential. An educational journey that prepares students to inspire, lead, act, and make a difference in the world.
Hillfield Strathallan College 299 Fennell Avenue West, Hamilton ON L9C 1G3
P. 905-389-1367
www.hsc.on.ca