Message from Head of Senior School

Message from the Head of Senior School

The 2021-2022 school year was one for the KCS history books. Thanks to the tremendous commitment of many, we realized the dream of opening a KCS Senior School. When the pandemic hit, our goal of opening in September 2021 seemed out of reach. Our new facility at 2183 Lake Shore certainly wouldn’t be ready in time. In the end, a small group of families came forward and made clear that they wanted us to find another location so their child could stay at KCS beyond grade 8. We doubled our efforts and secured a temporary home in the heart of Bloor West Village. The year began with six founding students, with one more joining us in November. Like the original founders of KCS, these students, families, and many adults in our community who made the launch of the Senior School happen will always have a special place in our school’s story.

We were small, nimble, and embraced an enriched, experiential model which made for special opportunities despite pandemic restrictions. Place-based learning got us outside regularly, whether canoeing, walking the Humber Trail, winter camping, spring camping and more. Course enrichment pushed students to apply their learning in ways that made a difference - testing for e-coli in the Humber River, removing invasive species from High Park, creating French infographics promoting francophone service agencies on social media, posting artwork on public infrastructure and more.

Additional enrichment was infused in our program thanks to students and staff meeting with 40 external experts, including professional designers, IT specialists, a University Chancellor, the founder of a not-for-profit, an acclaimed Indigenous artist and Knowledge Keeper, an award-winning songwriter, and more. We launched the unique KCS By Design student leadership program, where students identify a challenge or opportunity of interest, engage in a design thinking process, and address it. Last year’s group chose water pollution and helped educate Junior School students while also leading a beach clean-up of over 50 participants. Finally, our founding students were the first to experience the KCS Path Program. Each chose a topic of greatest interest - flight, Highland dance, music composition, graphic design, car design, technology, and filmmaking - and spent Wednesday afternoons independently learning about their topic from an academic, artistic, athletic and citizenship perspective. Among the many special features of Path is the Path Mentor, an adult expert for each student in the area of their topic, who offered our students tips and feedback on each student’s personal learning journey. Collectively, the students embraced their passions, leveraged their strengths, developed as leaders, and demonstrated what students are capable of when school is designed to spark it.

The KCS mission is to be a defining force in developing lifelong learners. Our school is proving to be that force by literally expanding what’s possible in education. Connecting school with the world outside it is the education that thought leaders, employers, and university presidents say youth need. Our founding students have set the stage for generations of future KCS students who will discover the expanding possibilities available to them as a result.

ANDREA FANJOY

Head of Senior School