Message from the Head of School & Chair of the Board of Governors

Despite our need to continue navigating the pandemic with a keen eye on community safety, the 2021–2022 school year was the beginning of a community renaissance. We said farewell to the most restrictive COVID protocols and returned to more regular school activities and campus life. This contributed to an enhanced sense of community and truly enriched the lives of our students.

At the start of the year, educators across Canada and the United States expressed deep concern about significant “pandemic learning loss” and skill deficiencies at all grade levels. However, our approach to recovery was to begin by highlighting students’ strengths. Rather than focusing on what our students didn’t know, or material missed, our teachers and advisors concentrated on reason and empathy and helped to build students’ knowledge and skills over time in a positive manner. Our commitment was to meet students where they were at, and support them to move forward and gain confidence in a purposeful way. For the most part, we believe we were very successful at reaching this important goal.

In the fall our campus had a kind of festival feeling after school and on weekends. Students revelled in the long-awaited return of athletics and various inter-school tournaments and competitions in activities such as robotics, debating, and Model UN. The focus was less on limitations and more on exploration and growth. Although we did experience pandemic restrictions during the winter term, we responded by extending traditional winter team sports well into the spring. Along with it came several exciting championships in basketball and hockey, as well as in traditional spring sports such as flag football and tennis.

We extend our thanks and appreciation to our faculty and staff. This includes people both in and outside the classroom. Personnel from reception, facilities maintenance, the LCC Store, the IT team, and other support staff are the critical human infrastructure that help makes our school function effectively. We place a strong emphasis on keeping a human face on learning and the student experience. Parent volunteerism from afar also supported this effort in unique ways. It was by our full community coming together that we were able to have a notable impact on the lives of our students.

Enrolment remained at record levels. There has been considerable interest in the merits of the IB approach, and interest in the Diploma Programme contributed to our largest Pre-U class ever (75 students). Our financial position also remained strong, with reserves meeting and exceeding the suggested ISM (Independent School Management) target.

Thank you to all Board members for their leadership and commitment to supporting LCC. Together we wrapped up a very successful six-year strategic plan, Vision 20/20: Global Pathways. We increased our financial endowment significantly (more than doubled in five years) and have been able to recruit a more diverse student body. Dozens of high school students from all corners of our city now receive significant financial bursaries of 50–100% of tuition. Community participation in the annual giving campaign has also grown significantly, allowing for enrichment in programs and facilities and support of bursaries.

In the fall of 2021 we surveyed our key constituents, after which our Board and leadership team worked with ISM to develop a new five-year strategic plan. This new plan — Stride Forward Boldly — was launched in September 2022 and is the theme of this issue of the LION. It is indeed a bold plan, and it will guide LCC to reach new heights through to 2027.

In terms of curriculum, we are proud to be the only English high school in Montreal to offer both the IB Middle Years and Diploma Programmes. We are certainly richer and more focused with this curricular evolution and transformation. In our primary school, enhancements to literacy development and project-based learning are notable achievements.

In 2021–2022 we deepened our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. This included staff training, themed events, guest speakers, assembly presentations and a rich array of classroom activities centred around these important topics. We look forward to keeping this important dialogue fresh and relevant.

Our commitment to student and community wellbeing was solidified by taking concrete action. Teachers for the youngest grades have been emphasizing socialemotional learning (SEL), employing a well-regarded program called Zones of Regulation. Later Junior School grades have implemented the Umbrella Project, building on this emotional work and introducing skills like resilience, realistic optimism and growth mindset. In the Middle and Senior Schools, we introduced and embraced a well-being framework called the PERMA-V model, developed by psychologist Martin Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania. It is a useful approach to helping students thrive and flourish, especially on the heels of the experiences resulting from the pandemic. We intend to continue developing the application of the framework further in the years to come.

Despite COVID restrictions, we maintained our strong focus on the spirit of Non Nobis Solum and development of student service. At all levels we raised both awareness and funds for a host of social causes in our city, and conducted our annual Junior School toy and high school food drives, among many other initiatives. As always, students learned about the importance of social justice and offered concrete help wherever they were able.

A very special thanks to our graduating students in grade 11 and Pre-U for their resilience throughout the pandemic. We are impressed by their leadership, role-modelling, and many achievements. We wish them well in their post-secondary studies and beyond.

After three years of shifting COVID restrictions and a host of educational challenges, we should be very proud of our community’s spirit and resolve. Students and staff were notably engaged in finding creative ways to thrive and flourish.

DAVID SCHWARTZ ’87 Chair, Board of Governors

CHRISTOPHER SHANNON (Pre-U ’76) Head of School

THE LCC BOARD OF GOVERNORS 2021–2022

Chair: David Schwartz ’87

Members: John Antoniou ’84 Andrea Arthurs Kristina Ashqar ’02 (Pre-U ’03) Tom Assimes ’84 Angela Auclair David Bensadoun ’87 (Pre-U ’88) Suzanne Costom Laurence Duguay Harley Greenspoon ’90 Constance Guindo Karyn Lassner Mark Pascal ’92 Costa Ragas ’01 (Pre-U ’02) Adam Ray Caitlin Rose ’99 Michael Shatilla ’88