A publication for all members of the St. Clement’s School Community — Fall 2018
Fall 2018
Our mission St. Clement’s School develops outstanding women who are intellectually curious, courageous, and compassionate. Principal Martha Perry ’85 Executive Director of Advancement Lisa Watson Associate Director of Communications Jason Fearon Editor Simon Vaughan, Communications Manager Copy Editor Joanne Thompson, Past Staff Graphic Design Underline Studio Contributing Photographers Karri North Derek Monson, Staff Dan O’Dwyer Alisha Trigatti, Staff Illustrations Rami Niemi Antonio Uve Printing Andora Graphics Inc. Thank you to all of our community members who contributed photographs, stories, opinions, and personal expertise in creating this magazine. Your input is encouraged: Jason Fearon, Associate Director of Communications 416 483 4414 x2230 jason.fearon@scs.on.ca Alumnae Contact Meagan Thomas Associate Director, Alumnae and Donor Relations 416 483 4414 x2231 meagan.thomas@scs.on.ca
St. Clement’s School 21 St. Clements Ave. Toronto, ON M4R 1G8 Canada Telephone 416 483 4835 scs.on.ca
COVER PHOTO KARRI NORTH
Red Blazer is published twice yearly by the Advancement Office for all members of the St. Clement’s School Community.
Welcome
The start of every school year brings with it friendships new and friendships renewed; excitement, expectation, and the opening of a new chapter of discovery and growth. At St. Clement’s School, we cherish these days amongst our favourites and look forward to sharing the entire year with our SCS community.
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Table of Contents
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Life at SCS Head Girl’s Message ......................................................................... 4 Principal’s Perspective ..................................................................... 5 Highlights ............................................................................................... 6 At Issue (Q&A) ..................................................................................... 8 Day in the Life ...................................................................................... 9
Features Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Learning ....................... 10 Leadership Program ....................................................................... 14
Graduating Class Class of 2018 ...................................................................................... 18
From the Desk Sports .................................................................................................... 22 Arts ......................................................................................................... 24 AP Capstone ...................................................................................... 26 Advancement ..................................................................................... 28 Women in Philanthropy ................................................................. 30
“St. Clement’s School let me express myself. I wrote poetry and co-wrote a play. I had the space to be an artist.” — Claudia Dey ’91 on how SCS helped her to develop
32-35 36 38-44 45-52
Experiential Education Out There ............................................................................................ 32
Community Making Connections ....................................................................... 34
Feature Future Ready Teens ........................................................................ 36
Next Chapter Alumnae Profiles ............................................................................... 38 Alumnae Connection ...................................................................... 40 Alumnae Week in the Life ............................................................. 44
Bulletin Board Class Notes ......................................................................................... 46 Staff News ........................................................................................... 50 Tempus Fugit ..................................................................................... 52
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Life at SCS Head Girl’s Message
Did you know... When a penguin repeatedly breaks the surface of the water while swimming, the movement is called porpoising.
It all starts here. Jenna Seguin ’19
The first day of School is one of my favourite
I’m continually surprised, impressed, and inspired by the enthusiasm, grit, and kindness that seem to be exuded by every Clementine.
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days of the year. I know that may sound odd, but really, the excitement of getting the newest agenda, seeing your new schedule and all your friends again, and anticipating all that is to come in the months that follow is a feeling unlike any other. Appropriately, St. Clement’s is a school unlike any other, and I truly believe the possibilities here for the upcoming year are infinite. Amongst all this talk of new beginnings, when I reflect back, I see that I actually set a lot of my goals for this upcoming school year in the final moments of our previous one. I know it may seem like a lifetime away now, but each St. Clement’s Closing highlights a new group of passionate, curious and courageous Clementines who inspire me. Although we won’t recognize the newest group of students to walk that stage until the end of this school year,
I urge you all to find inspiration in the idea of it or, if not from Closing, from anywhere in your life. I’m continually surprised, impressed, and inspired by the enthusiasm, grit, and kindness that seem to be exuded by every Clementine who walks these halls, and I really believe that it is the students who attend SCS that make our School so wonderful. To you, ladies: I’m excited to remind you that the beginning of a school year is the perfect chance to start fresh in being the best you can be. I cannot wait to see all that we can do! There is so much to look forward to. Life can become stressful when you’re a Clementine, but I hope that by inspiring that open-minded culture of kindness toward each other and enthusiasm toward trying new things, every SCS student will be able to look back fondly on this year and take inspiration from it into the next! I had better not get ahead of myself, though: we still have lots of time to enjoy living the Clem life this year. I’ll be working hard in hopes to help you all to have a happy year, and to represent the diverse, interesting, and amazing minds that make up our School this year. I’m rooting for you! See you around SCS!
Life at SCS Principal’s Perspective
Did you know? St. Clement is the patron saint of sailors as well as tanners, marble workers, metalworkers, felt makers, hatters, and blacksmiths.
The future is bright. Martha Perry ’85
I have never been shy in articulating that
the St. Clement’s experience is as much about guiding our girls in how to learn as it is about what they learn. Of course, that learning doesn’t stop when the girls leave our halls but instead continues academically, emotionally, and personally throughout their lives. Everyone at St. Clement’s wishes for our girls to know themselves as learners. We want them to be aware of their strengths, to embrace them, to have the ability to recognize the areas in which they grow as individuals, and to identify the environments in which they best learn. While our girls follow a prescribed curriculum, St. Clement’s School enhances it with enriched content, instruction, experiences, and exceptional teachers. It is this approach that provides our girls with the skills and traits that stand them in good stead for the future, a future that is fast-paced and exciting and in
which our girls will be able to lead change in an ethical and productive way. The first year of our 2017–2020 Strategic Plan is coming to a close, and we are proud of all that we have accomplished. Some items of note are below: ·· The adaptation of our school day structure to optimize our girls’ learning, well-being and programming ·· The ongoing refinement of our academic program and integration of technology, including new SCS Summer School initiatives: our STEAM Camp and Future Ready Teens T.O. programs ·· The establishment and leveraging of platforms through which we can continue to increase our community’s understanding of LINCWell and our academic programs; e.g., Inside21 podcast, SCS Parents’ Association visits, and specific parent presentations ·· The launch of SCSConnect, a new platform for Alumnae that affords opportunities for networking, mentoring, and leveraging their expertise with the School and our current students ·· The ongoing and exciting work on our campus master plan ·· The revision of our School’s diversity statement and staff training Make no mistake: each and every choice we make is rooted in our desire to ensure that our girls leave St. Clement’s as ethical change-makers. Our work is in service of our mission to develop outstanding women who are intellectually curious, courageous, and compassionate. Our girls are, indeed, well prepared for the future.
I see our Clementines at the forefront of leadership, having acquired the confidence, resilience, and perseverance to approach the world in a manner that reflects compassion both for others and themselves.
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Highlights
Life at SCS Highlights
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1 Golden Legacy The Gold Belt Assembly is about more than just tradition, it is about leadership, responsibility, and example. 2
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Life at SCS Highlights
Images from top left: 1 Gold Belt Assembly 2 P.A. Welcome Coffee Morning 3 May Day 4 Spirit Day 5 Spirit Day 6 May Day 7 May Day 8 Gold Belt Assembly 9 Gold Belt Assembly 10 May Day 11 Closing Ceremonies 12 Closing Ceremonies 13 Closing Ceremonies
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IN NUMBERS 9
64
May Day There were clear skies, sunshine, and lots of fun as all of St. Clement’s celebrated our spring May Day event.
The number of Clementines in the Class of 2018.
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70 The number of clubs and co-curricular activities in which our students can choose to participate.
18 The number of AP (TM) courses offered.
7:1 Our student-teacher ratio. 11 Stepping up The Grade 1s took centre stage at the Closing Ceremonies at Massey Hall as they moved up to Grade 2.
460 Our student enrolment from Grades 1 to 12 12
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Life at SCS At Issue
Q&A
What do you hope will spark your curiosity this school year?
KAREN ZHUANG,
SYDNEY QUACH,
Grade 9
Participating in more aspects of school life, like co-curricular programs that are linked to subjects I am passionate about and want to learn more about. This year, I will try to participate in activities around technology, such as LEGO Robotics.
CHIARA CARGNELLI,
Grade 11
Discovering new personal interests and hobbies with the help of the various clubs that the School offers.
EUGÉNIE GOMES,
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I have a lot to look forward to as I enter my final year at SCS. In particular, I am excited to see where my new leadership role will take me and how I can use this role to create change in my community.
CORRIE SPETTER,
Grade 7
This school year is very exciting. From being in the Middle School to Spirit Week, there are many new things to try. What I am hoping will spark my curiosity is the new teachers. We will all be getting different teachers who will challenge us, and who will always push us to the limit. I can’t wait for the rest of the year!
Grade 7
This year there are new freedoms and pros to being in the Upper School such as going out for lunch, more new girls, and new teachers for almost every subject. I am looking forward to doing new things this year that I wasn’t able to do last year, like lip syncs and different House events.
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Grade 12
CAROLINE SMERDON,
Grade 10
I hope to learn about the new girls in my class and what they did before coming to SCS. I think the overnight field trips will be a great time to make friends with them all.
Life at SCS A Day in the Life
A Day in the Life Victoria Rickard ’23
8:10 A.M. I talk for a few minutes with my friends as I get ready for class. I gather my binders, pencil case and any textbooks I might need and bring them to Homeform, which starts at 8:15 a.m.
6:30 A.M. My alarm clock sounds. I eat a bowl of cereal, pack my lunch, and put on my uniform. Sometimes I have an early rehearsal or practice. I often carpool with a friend, and we talk and listen to music!
Favourite sport: Tennis
7:15 A.M. I am part of the senior choir, which has rehearsals every Wednesday morning. We prepare for the church services that we sing at. I really enjoy it.
House: York
8:50 A.M. In Integrated Studies, we have been learning about the War of 1812 and the 1837 Rebellion. We were assigned roles and had a debate in character. We have also been practising essays on these topics. It is very interesting!
1:15 P.M. In French class, we have been making our dream houses. Today we will present them. It has been a really great project! My dream house has a pool and a big yard.
Hobbies: Reading, bike riding, playing hockey
4:00 P.M. After School I often have extracurricular activities such as trumpet lessons, stage crew for the Grade 7/8 play, badminton or tennis. I enjoy cheering on teammates and playing tennis and badminton against other schools.
12:25 P.M. At lunch time I sit and eat with my friends in the classroom. Then I meet with one of the lunchtime clubs I’m in, such as Book Club, Debate Club, and the Indigenous Affairs Circle.
5:00 P.M. I am picked up and driven home. I work on my homework and have a snack. I also have to practise the piano and my trumpet. When I am done, I relax by reading after dinner.
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There are few things in life that fit neatly into a single category, so why should education? Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary learning not only provide a varied approach to education, but can also help prepare students for the realities of future employment. Illustration by Antonio Uve Text by Simon Vaughan
The days of jobs having clearly defined
responsibilities with employees strictly confined to their subject-specific silos are very much a thing of the past. Regardless of the field or the profession, in an age of technological advancement and job consolidation, job descriptions are often more encompassing and far wider-ranging than they were just a few decades ago. Thus, they require a wider skillset and perhaps even a broader range of professional experience. With such professional multi-tasking prevalent in many industries, the necessity of
introducing the concept as early as possible to future work forces is more important than ever. For many schools, that means, in part, the implementation of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary learning. Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary learning involve the integration of multiple subjects or disciplines, the use of varied ways of teaching, and the integration of more dynamic and often problem-based learning. Not only does this approach provide students with a more comprehensive understanding of a broader subject area, but it also develops Red Blazer Fall 2018 | 11
Transdisciplinary thinking forces one to think across, beyond, and through the academic disciplines to encompass all types of knowledge about an idea, issue, or subject. — A. Ertas, T. Maxwell, V.P. Rainey and M. Tanik; “Transformation of Higher Education: The transdisciplinary approach in engineering.”
multiple skills and real-world capabilities that can be put to greater use at university or in the work sector. Although interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary learning are not new concepts, the proliferation of such courses in mainstream academics is relatively new. As early as the 1980s, alternative schools in the then Toronto Board of Education introduced interdisciplinary courses to their curriculum. The courses were often school wide, incorporated all grades, and spanned multiple disciplines. Detailed analyses of these first courses were presented to the Board at the conclusion of the year for use in the development of future interdisciplinary programs in other schools. Because these programs were initially created for smaller schools with alternativelystructured learning systems, their adaptation for entire school boards and more traditionally-structured institutions took longer to finalize. Today, both forms of teaching are recognized as key parts of successful learning. 12 | Red Blazer Fall 2018
One of the main benefits of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary learning is that they can offer a new form of learning that is learner-driven rather than subject-driven. Students not only explore the subject matter at the core of the course, but they also learn about themselves and develop their own capabilities — particularly in research, presentation and analysis — and also their ability to collaborate and work with others. In addition to the integration of multiple disciplines and learning techniques, multidisciplinary learning is often broken down into six themes: · · · · · ·
Who we are Where we are in place and time How we express ourselves How the world works How we organize ourselves Sharing the planet
Exploring subjects from these six perspectives provides students with a greater appreciation of not just the topic at hand, but also how that subject relates to their own lives. A discovery of who the individual, their family,
and their beliefs and values are also provides the foundation for the rest of the course. That presence is then integrated into an exploration of the world around them, including their orientation in time and place. The role that language and the arts play in society to propagate the expression of thoughts, ideas, feelings, and beliefs is examined, as is an exploration of the physical world from a scientific and technological perspective. The subject matter can also be investigated from the perspective of our systems, structures and communities and, finally, the impact that we as residents of planet Earth have on the topic. An example of this could be the study of rivers using Language Arts, Science, and Social Sciences. Such an interdisciplinary program could see river systems studied through the language that surrounds them and the completion of research reports. Rivers may be investigated in Science through the exploration of the organisms that they support or through the study of the life cycle of a waterway, while Social Studies may examine the topic from the perspective of the local history and people who
INTERDISCIPLINARY AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY LEARNING AT ST. CLEMENT’S SCHOOL
“Using an interdisciplinary approach is part of the fabric of learning in the Junior School at St Clement’s,” explains Heather Henricks, Vice Principal, Learning, Research, and Innovation. “But traditionally as students move up through the grades, learning has become more siloed into traditional academic disciplines.”
depended upon the system for food, water, transportation or travel. Discovering a subject from multiple angles ensures a more well-rounded and comprehensive exploration and a better learning opportunity. It can also provide students with familiarization with the concept of working in a multidisciplinary environment. St. Clement’s School’s commitment to providing excellence in learning has always necessitated its looking ahead, not just to changes in the complicated world in which we find ourselves, but also in search of innovations in education. Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary learning have proven a valuable cornerstone to SCS’s approach to education and one that the School plans to continue to develop to ensure that all of our girls are best prepared for the future.
This differentiation is due in part to students’ requirement for more depth and specificity in content as they grow older; therefore, Senior School teachers tend to be experts in their subject areas. To create an interdisciplinary environment it is necessary for schools to make a dedicated effort to break down academic silos. As part of this ongoing effort, St. Clement’s has introduced a number of new examples of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary learning for the 2018–2019 school year. “In the Junior School, we have a new program called Curious Kids,” Heather explains. “This is a project-based learning model that encourages our girls to investigate a topic they’re passionate about and draw from a variety of different disciplines in that investigation. Every Junior School girl from Grade 1 to 6 now does that weekly.” For the Middle School, St. Clement’s has presented a new integrated arts and technology program in Grade 8. “Students will be combining approaches from a variety of different arts: dramatic, visual, musical, and technological arts,” Heather says. “The creative process transcends all those disciplines, and it’s nice for the students to be able to recognize the connections and the different ways they can apply them. At the same time, they will have an opportunity to choose which one of those disciplines they want to go into more deeply.”
For Grade 11, when science learning often divides into the fields of chemistry, biology, and physics, SCS has developed a new STEM project. “We’re going to take students in all those courses — plus computer sciences — and have them design a solution to a problem, drawing from all those sciences,” Heather explains. In Grades 11 and 12, St. Clement’s has its AP Capstone course. “AP Capstone has a real social science lens but social science itself is multidisciplinary,” Heather says. “When students are studying issues through the Capstone Seminar course, they’re frequently combining sociology, history, politics, economics, and geo-politics.” “Issues in the world aren’t siloed into disciplines,” she adds, “so if you really want to learn about what’s happening in the world and why it’s happening and how we deal with it and how we might deal with it moving forward, you’ve got to apply learning from a variety of disciplines.” The movement towards increased interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary learning at SCS is an important one for the School. “It’s what being successful, contributing members to current society requires,” Heather adds, “and that’s what our girls deserve.” It’s also more than just a new way of learning. “I think interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary learning are better ways to face the world,” Heather says with passion. “I think they’re a necessary way to face the world. Therefore, this kind of learning is essential.”
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Leading Defying the claim that leaders are born, not made, St. Clement’s School begins the process of nurturing and developing leadership in the Junior School. Photography by Karri North Text by Simon Vaughan
by Example “If your actions inspire others to dream more,
learn more, do more, and become more,” U.S. President John Quincy Adams once declared, “You are a leader.” Since its establishment in 1901, St. Clement’s School has maintained that every student has
the capability to be a leader, and the School has always made the encouragement and development of leadership qualities a key priority. Beginning in the Junior School — and utilizing SCS’s Student Leadership Framework as a foundation — St. Clement’s provides
opportunities and instruction for students to develop their leadership skills and attributes at every grade level. Some years ago, St. Clement’s created its Student Leadership Framework. The outline recognizes that leadership development is Red Blazer Fall 2018 | 15
Today a reader, tomorrow a leader. — Margaret Fuller (writer and women’s rights activist)
an incremental process comprised of four contexts in which students practise and develop their leadership skills. Each context presents unique challenges to Student Leaders, and the skills they learn in one context help students to effectively meet the challenges of the next. These contexts are not distinct, however, and Student Leaders are taught to recognize that any given situation can be a blend of contexts that require a blend of skills. These are the four contexts within SCS’s Student Leadership Framework: Leading the Self
Successful leaders demonstrate authenticity in all they do. Student Leaders are encouraged to recognize what their values are so that their decision making and actions are informed by, and consistent with, what they believe. Acting from a place of self-knowledge increases a leader’s authenticity, and strengthens their ability to be a role model. Collaborating with Others
Leaders accurately assess the strengths and weaknesses of others to determine the best way to contribute to the team’s success as an equal member of the team. Recognizing when one should take the lead and when one should get out of the team’s way reminds Student Leaders that they are but one factor contributing to a team’s overall success. Leading within your Community
Formal leadership roles serve a “community,” whether that be a club, committee, council, grade or the entire school. The responsibilities 16 | Red Blazer Fall 2018
of a formal leadership role help to determine what a leader’s “community” is. Formal roles provide Student Leaders with first-hand experience leading, and taking responsibility for, a defined group. Leading beyond your Community
Reaching out to inspire individuals outside a Student Leader’s community, and inspiring members of her community to establish connections with other communities are results of exceptional, visionary leadership. Student Leaders may choose to explore the opportunity to connect with other communities at SCS, in Toronto, across Canada, or internationally. Although St. Clement’s encourages its students and Student Leaders to take risks and seek out opportunities in each of these contexts, they may do so at different stages and in different ways. While Student Leaders will lead within their community, some may wish to make connections beyond the walls of the School, and SCS Staff Advisors are available, willing, and able to assist them to achieve such a goal. The leadership education component of the SCS Leadership Framework is based on research conducted by premier leadership experts Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, authors of The Student Leadership Challenge. Kouzes and Posner contend that leadership is an observable set of skills and abilities that are useful in all aspects of life. As with any skill, leadership can be strengthened, honed, and enhanced. After more than 30 years
SOME PRACTICES OFFERED DURING THE 2017–2018 SCHOOL YEAR
Model the Way
· The Grade 6 students ran a School-wide morning boot camp to get everyone going. · The Grade 2s turned to the Senior girls for assistance to start an Animal Rights Club.
Inspire a Shared Vision
The Grade 3s led an awareness and fundraising campaign for Camp Oochigeas — a summer camp for children with cancer — with their “Cards for Compassion.”
Challenge the Process
· After asking relevant questions of the SCS staff, the Grade 6s developed solutions to issues of concern surrounding recess. · The Grade 1s used Earth Week to challenge the whole School to understand why caring for the Earth is so important.
Encourage the Heart
The Junior School was involved in the School charity, which included students in Grades 1–6 writing Kindness Cards.
Enable Others to Act
Grade 5s learned how to provide leadership to the Grade 2s as they joined forces to explore global water issues and devise solutions.
Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It’s about impact, influence and inspiration. — Robin S. Sharma (writer and motivational speaker)
of research and study, the pair have identified Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership that are common when leaders make extraordinary things happen:
that all team members are encouraged when the going gets hard, and praised when things go well. “In every winning team, the members need to share in the rewards of their efforts, so leaders celebrate accomplishments.”
Model the Way
Lead by example by demonstrating personal credibility, a quality that is the foundation of leadership. “Titles may be granted, but leadership is earned.” Inspire a Shared Vision
True leaders believe they can make a difference. They envision a better future and then enlist others in their dreams. They “breathe life into their visions and get people to see exciting possibilities for the future.” Challenge the Process
Leaders are willing to step out into the unknown. They are change-makers who always look for opportunities to innovate, grow, and improve. They are prepared to make mistakes, but when they do, they constantly ask “What can we learn from this?” Enable Others to Act
Real leaders know that they can’t do things alone, that leadership is a team effort and that they are required to foster collaboration. The work of leaders is to make “people feel strong, capable, informed, and connected.” Encourage the Heart
Achieving anything extraordinary requires great effort and is often marked by difficulties and sometimes even failure. Leaders make sure
In St. Clement’s School’s Junior School, the curriculum provides a significant introduction to the elements of leadership, their meaning, and what those attributes can look like and feel like. This includes the all-School assemblies, which, when hosted by Junior School classes, often focus on the School and on character traits. However, the promotion of leadership skills in the curriculum is just the beginning for Junior School students. There are many co-curricular and extra-curricular program opportunities to further this development and align with the SCS framework and Kouzes and Posner’s five practices. St. Clement’s School recognizes that while not everyone may want to strive to become a formal leader of others, the characteristics and attributes of great leaders are also often the cornerstones of success, both in their chosen careers and their personal lives. Developing those skills from a young age and providing formal and informal opportunities to apply them help Clementines to excel, whatever direction their lives may later take.
JUNIOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
With 2.1 billion people lacking access to safe water and more than half a million others unable to access improved water sources, SCS took an in-depth look at global water issues last year. In the summer of 2017, teachers Hillary Armstrong ’05 and Courtney Pratt, and Junior School Curriculum Leader AnnMarie Zigrossi attended the first annual PBL Canada Institute, designed to assist educators to develop Project-Based Learning opportunities that are student-centred, process-oriented, inquiry-based instructional models that involve collaboration, research, problem solving, and real-world investigation. For SCS, it seemed the ideal opportunity to address the issues surrounding water. At the Grade 2 level, SCS students studied the properties of liquids and solids, air and water in the environment, and the impact of their uses on society and the environment. Meanwhile, the Grade 5s looked at the properties of and changes in matter, and at conservation efforts. When brought together, the two grades utilized these studies as the starting point for not just a PBL exercise, but also an opportunity for cross-grade learning. The mixed grades went on a “water walk”, created a Driving Question, brainstormed solutions, and just generally worked together. During this process, the Grade 5s modelled processes for the Grade 2s to follow and helped them to reach workable public products. The process was such a success that this school year the Junior School teachers will facilitate further Project-Based Learning around student interests. These will then provide an opportunity for mixed-age groupings and the continuing development of leadership skills throughout the Junior School.
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Graduating Class Class of 2018
Graduating Class Head Girl Michaela Hill ’18 reflects on her class’s past and her classmates’ futures at the 117th Annual Closing Ceremonies and Graduation on June 20, 2018.
When I began to write this address, I was
nervous, as I realized that my role is to represent 64 unique girls within a diverse grade. It is truly challenging to summarize the thoughts and opinions of a class that considered making our grad sweater quote, “Our grade doesn’t agree,” although we eventually chose “Turn of the Century.” The St. Clement’s student body is one that exudes unparalleled spirit and fosters community. How many Grade 12s can say that they know students in the grade above and below them well, not to mention students ten or eleven years younger than they? Given our school size, SCS presents us with the opportunity to engage in a collective school community, as well as many other communities that stem from our individual interests. It’s interesting to me that, despite our connection to our external community, stepping into our small school building is like entering a world that is miles away from the rest of North Toronto. This SCS world is a place where it’s “cool” to be fully involved and not uncommon to hear a PA announcement that “House Quidditch is taking place in the East Gym.” I know that SCS is a school unlike any other because I’ve tried to explain what goes on within our walls to countless people, and it’s simply inexplicable. The only people 18 | Red Blazer Fall 2018
Did you know... The Class of 2018 is the first group of high school graduates to have been born in the 21st century.
who understand the life of a Clementine are Clementines, and the 63 girls behind me are proudly united by the spirit and community of our unforgettable school. In my opinion, the Sisterhood of 2018 truly came together in our graduating year. We are women with a deep sense of caring for each other, for others, and for our community. I believe it is caring so much about what goes on around us that motivated the thoughts and actions of the Class of 2018. As a grade, we pulled together when we needed to because we cared about each other, we spoke up for our peers because we cared about others, and we voiced our opinions loudly, courageously, and proudly because we cared about our passions and wanted to improve our school environment. In my opinion, the legacy of the Graduating Class of 2018 is our fierce passion for positive change and our genuine compassion for one another. It is our strength, our kindness, and our desire to be change-makers that will be carried forth as we leave SCS and enter the world, a world that I know we will change for the better, and a journey we will take in stride, despite not venturing there together. As I think about the Class of 2018 and the promise of each of these amazing women, I believe wholeheartedly that we will have a positive impact on our local, Canadian, and global society. Each of us has important individual strengths, and I cannot wait to see how we will use them to initiate change. Together, we are an incredible Graduating Class that I am extremely proud to represent. It has been an honour to be your Head Girl. Thank you to everyone who has made my graduating year so memorable, but especially to the intelligent, creative and successful Class of 2018, who have always shown me, and one another, acceptance and support. I wish each of you good luck in all that is to come, and I know that I will see you again soon, because after all, it is impossible to truly leave a place as special as St. Clement’s School.
I believe wholeheartedly that we will have a positive impact on our local, Canadian, and global society.
Graduating Class Class of 2018
238,080
The population of Toronto in 1901 when St. Clement’s School was founded.
GRAD CLASS GIFT
$34,115 For the fourth year in a row, the graduating class has endowed a gift. This commitment by the Class of 2018 and their families is a testament to the bond between today’s graduates and the future of St. Clement’s. This remarkable and generous commitment is a legacy that will last for years to come, and investment income from the endowment will help deserving girls whose families would not otherwise have the means to receive an SCS education.
Class of 2018 On June 20, 2018, SCS came together for Closing Ceremonies at Massey Hall for the last time until the historic building’s renovations have been completed.
A special thank you to the Grad Class Annual Fund Rep, Heather Saranpaa, for her role in helping this class reach the endowment level and beyond.
GIVING TO THE 2018–2019 GRAD CLASS GIFT
The Class of 2019 is hoping to endow a gift by the end of the 2018–2019 school year. The Grad Class Annual Fund Reps will be working with the Grads and their families to do just that. Please look for more information from Anna Rigby and Judie Thom on how you can participate in this important tradition.
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Graduating Class Class of 2018
Graduating Class
Our graduates are an accomplished group of young women. Congratulations to the Class of 2018!
$1.1M+ 100% Pursuing post-secondary education
Awarded in post-secondary scholarships
25 Legacy Clementines*
64 Graduates
9
Career Clementines**
Life, Health Science, and Biomedicine
11 Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, English and Classics
Architecture
1 2
Music and Fine Arts
3
Hours of community service contributed over their collective SCS career. That’s an average of 155.75 hours/student, exceeding the required 50 hours/student to graduate.
International
Top Choices • Queen’s University • McMaster University • University of Toronto • Western University • McGill University
Top Choices • University of Oxford • University of St Andrews • New York University • Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
11 Engineering
9,968
Canada
8
1
Nursing
Where are they studying?
AP Awards received • 11 AP Scholars • 6 AP Scholars with Honors • 14 AP Scholars with Distinction • 4 AP National Scholars • 2 AP Capstone Diploma • 1 AP International Diploma
* Clementines who are related to an alumna
** Clementines who have attended SCS from Grades 1–12
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Our grads are studying
Media, Information, and Communications
1 7
Systems Design and Computer Engineering
5
Kinesiology
Business and Commerce
3
2 3
International Relations and Development
Direct Entry Medicine and Dentistry
Arts and Sciences
1 Mathematics and Business
5
Integrated, Physical, and Mathematical Science
From the Desk Fall 2018
From the Desk
The academic program at St. Clement’s supports our mission to develop outstanding women who are intellectually curious, courageous, and compassionate. We do this by ensuring that excellence is not just a word — it’s our commitment and our passion.
Sports Yet again, SCS shone on the track, the court, the field and the diamond. pg. 22
Arts Whether on the runway, in the footlights or at the lockers, SCS oozed with creativity! pg. 24 AP Capstone Providing our girls with an in-depth look at real world issues. pg. 26
Advancement Celebrating the generosity of our School community. pg. 28
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Sports From the Desk Sports
Once again, athletes from St. Clement’s School shone on the track, the court, the field, and the diamond. Competing in CISAA, the Metro Championships, and OFSAA last spring, our athletes showed the city and the province just how sure-footed and speedy they truly are.
Serving up success
Our U13 Tennis Team improved dramatically over the season to finish in third place, while our U14 Tennis Team had a great season and finished second. Despite being rained out for many of their morning practices, the Junior Tennis Team managed to impress, while the Senior Tennis Team was deprived of a playoff spot only when bad weather foiled their advancement. Despite that natural obstacle, two SCS members reached OFSAA: Hannah Bacon ’19 in the High School Girls’ division, and Tilly Rigby ’19, who won bronze in Open Girls. Diamonds are forever (for St. Clement’s!)
The switch to slow pitch in all softball competitions this season didn’t slow down our SCS athletes with the U13 Softball Team having a great season and the U14 Team improving dramatically. The Junior Softball Team had fun learning the new game, while our Senior Softball Team had some very close contests before ending in third place on the final day. On the right track
Our Senior Track and Field Team had another outstanding season with a number of Clementines running faster and jumping higher than the competition and advancing from the CISAA to the Metro Championships. In CISAA, Kate Botha ’21 was victorious in the Midget Girls 800m and the Midget Girls 22 | Red Blazer Fall 2018
1500m; Yoyo Benchetrit ’21, in the Midget Girls 3000; Emma Dale ’20, in the Junior Girls High Jump; Meghan Gipson ’18, in the Senior Girls High Jump; and SCS’s team of Kay Goffinberg ’20, Nicole Boyd ’20, Emma Dale ’20, and Yoyo Benchetrit ’21, in the 4x100 relay. Second place finishes were achieved by Georgia Parshuram ’18 in Senior Girls 100m and 200m, and Lauren Chisholm ’18 in Senior Girls High Jump, while third place was won by Anna Turner ’18 in Senior Girls 3000m, Devynn Garrow ’19 in the Senior Girls 100m hurdles, and Kailin Chu ’20 in the Junior Girls 3000m. Fourth place finishes were recorded by Nicole Boyd ’20 in the Junior Girls 80m hurdles (with a cast on her arm, no less!), Kailin Chu ‘20 in the Junior Girls 1500m, Eileen Haydarian ’20 in the Junior Girls Shot Put, and by the Senior Girls 4x100m relay team of Devynn Garrow ’19, Georgia Parshuram ’18, Julia Kneis ’18, and Meghan Gipson ’18. At the 2018 OFSAA Track and Field Championships, five SCS athletes did the School proud against the top track and field athletes from all of Ontario. Kate Botha ’21 placed sixth in Midget Girls 800m and 1500m; Yoyo Benchetrit ’21 finished 14th in Midget Girls 3000m; Emma Dale ’20 was the silver medalist in Junior Girls High Jump with a jump of 1.63m; Lauren Chisholm ’18 was 21st in Senior Girls High Jump with a jump of 1.45m; and Meghan Gipson ’18 finished 23rd in Senior Girls High Jump with a jump of 1.45m.
From the Desk Sports
Heroes in our mitts St. Clement’s once again proved to be tough opponents in softball, making the whole School proud.
ST. CLEMENT’S SCOREBOARD
4 The number of centimetres by which Emma Dale ’20’s OFSAA Silver Medal jump surpassed the first-ever women’s Olympic gold medal jump (1.59m by Ethel Catherwood of Canada in the 1928 Summer Olympics).
5 The number of Clementines who competed in the 2018 OFSAA Track and Field Championships.
13 The number of Clementines who finished in the Top 4 in CISAA in 2018.
114 The number of runs scored by SCS in CISAA Girls Slow Pitch Softball this spring.
33 The number of games won by Tilly Rigby ’19 on the way to her bronze medal at the 2018 OFSAA Open Girls Singles Tennis final.
A well deserved rest After tearing up the track and the field, the athletes of SCS took a well deserved break before preparing for the next competition.
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Arts From the Desk Arts
From award-winning productions to runway extravaganzas, musical masterpieces to Red Blazer cover designs, the halls of St. Clement’s were once again pulsating with creativity!
These girls are on fire
In April 2018, sixteen St. Clement’s students really got dramatic. The girls in the Senior ADA4M drama class, with crew members from the ADA3M class, competed at the Regional level of the National Theatre School of Canada Drama Festival. Formerly the Sears Ontario Drama Festival, the competition provides a showcase for drama students to demonstrate their unique work. Our girls performed an original piece entitled Wildfire, which had already won Outstanding Production at the District level. As a result, SCS had been selected as one of only three schools to perform at the Regionals at Hart House Theatre at the University of Toronto. Their performance netted Wildfire two Awards of Merit, one for Directing and one for Ensemble Acting! Cultivating Creativity
Lumina 2018, SCS’s student-led fashion design show, now in its eleventh year, went with the theme of “Cultivate Creativity” as a nod to the student designers, choreographers, founders, producers, and models who have infused Lumina with their imagination and originality since the production began. This year, Lumina showcased 54 original designs made by 23 students, with 78 students involved in the show. Margaret Wilkins and Yu-Lin Yee, both ’18, produced the 11-scene show, which included a tribute to Andy Warhol 24 | Red Blazer Fall 2018
and pop art’s many recognizable patterns and brands; the reimagining of elements of nature as elements of fashion; and “Denim from your Grandma”, which put a new spin on old denim clothing. The show raised more than $11,000 in support of the John R. Delaney Youth Centre in Moose Factory! The sweet sounds of spring
Sights and Sounds of Spring, our celebration of the Arts, put a spring in everyone’s step as our girls in Grades 1 to 12 shared their musical, dance, and artistic talents. Powell Hall was the site of two performances, which showcased a mix of musical genres. The Grade 7 Band and the Primary Choir kicked things off by getting toes tapping, and from there the performances included the Junior Choir’s catchy rendition of Toto’s 1982 classic “Africa”, the flute octet playing Heidi Hon ’21’s arrangement of “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay, and the Grade 10s in the AMU3M music class getting closer to the audience to sing Bruno Mars’ “Count on Me” with ukulele accompaniment. Of course, this annual springtime celebration isn’t just about music; three members of the Grade 7–8 Dance Club performed a beautiful lyrical dance they helped to choreograph, and the amazing art produced by students in the Junior, Middle, and Senior Schools was on display.
From the Desk Arts
BY THE NUMBERS
1st Both the Grade 4 –5 Choir and the Grade 6 Choir received Gold at Kiwanis in 2018.
7 The number of musicians who participated in the Conference of Independent Schools Music Festival (CISMF) at Roy Thomson Hall.
Cultivating creativity SCS’s student designers, choreographers, producers, and models made the School’s fashion design show Lumina 2018 yet another huge success.
7 The number of Grade 11 and 12 students who attended a darkroom workshop, in order to process their own film (which they had been compiling for months!).
192 The number of artworks submitted for grading for AP Visual arts, with 8 girls completing 24 works each for their portfolios.
ON THE COVER
Chalk Art Grade 5s created original chalk pastel compositions in Visual Arts class that featured their own clay pots and other shapes!
Grade 6s learned about magazine cover artwork and were tasked with creating their own cover designs for Red Blazer! They discussed effective layout and colour choices in class, then used iPads to take photos around SCS for images that might make the perfect cover shot. Next, they had to design a composition considering layout — including headlines, tag lines, and font selection. The medium: design markers on marker paper.
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From the Desk AP Capstone
AP Capstone In an attempt to provide high school students with the opportunity to take college-level courses, the U.S. College Board created the Advanced Placement program in 1955. Not only do many colleges and universities look favourably on the presence of AP courses on students’ transcripts, but they may also grant students credit, placement, or both for qualifying AP Exam scores.
26 | Red Blazer Fall 2018
AP was brought to St. Clement’s School
in the 1990s by then-Principal Pat Parisi. By 2013, the College Board introduced the Advanced Placement (AP) Capstone Program. This new program was created as a way for students to develop their skills of research, analysis, argument, writing, collaboration and presentation in a seminar-like setting, rather than learning subject-specific content. The idea was to help to develop critical thinking skills through the exploration of real-world issues and to better prepare students for university. AP Capstone is comprised of two courses: AP Seminar, which is offered in Grade 11, and AP Research, taken in Grade 12. St. Clement’s School introduced the AP Capstone program in the fall of 2014 and today is one of just 27 institutions in Canada in which it is offered. SCS chose to combine the first Capstone course, AP Seminar, with the Ontario provincial Social Sciences course HSE4M “Equity and Social Justice: From Theory to Practice.” “When the AP Capstone program was first introduced at SCS in 2014,” Dr. Jaime Malic explains, “I applied to teach the course and, after being selected, I attended a week-long mandatory training session run by the College Board. Every year, I complete extensive online scoring training, as required by the College Board.” Not only did Dr. Malic teach St. Clement’s School’s very first HSE4M-AP Seminar course, but she has taught it every year since and has
become involved with AP at the provincial and international levels. In 2016, she served as a Reader at the annual AP Reading in Salt Lake City, Utah, and she has also addressed the Ontario Advanced Placement Administration Conference and the Ontario Advanced Placement Annual Conference. “The things I most love about AP Seminar,” Dr. Malic says, “are its rigour and its real-world relevance.” The focus of the course at SCS is how best to address the most pressing issues of equity and social justice, such as food insecurity and inequitable education. During the first half of the year, Clementines study important terms, individuals, events, organizations, and opportunities at the local, national and global levels, using a wide variety of texts. From there, they explore current and urgent issues from multiple perspectives. The College Board requires that all AP Seminar students be assessed three times during the course of the school year. The first is the Team Project and Presentation, then the Individual Research-Based Essay and Presentation, and finally the AP End-ofCourse Exam, a standardized college-level assessment. All are scored by the College Board. In addition, the students complete several other assessments in order to meet the provincial course requirements. Both AP Seminar and AP Research use QUEST as their Curriculum Framework. Standing for
From the Desk AP Capstone
BY THE NUMBERS
57 The total number of SCS students who have taken the HSE4M-AP Capstone Seminar since its inception in 2014
AP CAPSTONE SEMINAR MEAN SCORES FOR SCS (5-POINT SCALE)
2014–2015
3.857 Student Conferences are an integral part of AP Capstone with St. Clement’s regularly hosting and attending such events.
2015–2016
3.875 2016–2017
3.850 2017–2018
3.857 Question and Explore; Understand and Analyze Arguments; Evaluate Multiple Perspectives; Synthesize Ideas; and Team, Transform, and Transmit, the framework challenges students to explore the topics in multiple ways. St. Clement’s AP Seminar program draws on a wide variety of texts, ranging from poetry and short stories to novels and song lyrics, as well as speeches, reports, policy documents, and even legislation. The authors behind these sources have ranged from Margaret Atwood, Anton Chekhov, and Eleanor Roosevelt, to Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman, and Malala Yousafzai. Just as wide-ranging can be the topics that are explored. These have included suicide in Indigenous communities, the opioid crisis, equitable education for the Canadian deaf community, age discrimination in the workplace, voluntourism, and much more. Students have researched individuals and groups in Canada that have fought for greater equity and social justice in these and other fields; they’ve analyzed the lyrics of popular songs; engaged in small-group discussions; presented 30-50-minute seminars and produced 3-4-page action reports.
In December 2015, St. Clement’s hosted a Capstone Collaborative Camp with Royal St. George’s College, which then reciprocated in December 2016. There have been Capstone Seminar Student Conferences, co-hosted with RSGC, that have included Appleby College, The Bishop Strachan School, and St. Andrew’s College; and a visit to Victoria College at the University of Toronto for AP students to learn more about the College’s interdisciplinary seminar-based Vic One program. “As I work with each student to help her develop her skills, it is very exciting to see the progress,” Dr. Malic explains. “Through research tasks about current issues of equity and social justice, guest speaker visits, special events such as the annual Capstone Student Conference, and the End-of-Year Action Report, I have tried to ensure that students see the real-world relevance and importance of the knowledge and skills they are acquiring in this course.” “As an educator, it is extremely rewarding to see students gain confidence, find their passions, and realize that they can make a difference in their local, national, and global communities.”
SCS GUEST SPEAKERS FOR AP SEMINAR
· Morgan Wienberg, co-founder Little Footprints, Big Steps, on her social justice work with children in Haiti. · Caitlin Boros, Raising the Roof – on the topic of homelessness. · Michele Likely (nee Donne) ’09 – on her experiences studying Global Affairs. · Laura Hendren ’09 – on a career in nursing and the social determinants of health. · Sarah Hillyer (mother of Carys Hillyer ’19), Community Food Centres – on the topic of Food Insecurity.
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From the Desk Advancement
Your gift has an impact
Bridging the gap
The power of the 2017–2018 Annual Fund
Annual Fund giving at an all-time high
Tuition covers 83.5% of St. Clement’s School’s operating expenses. We rely on other revenue, including donations from our community, to augment each girl’s learning experience, our faculty resources, and our Financial Assistance program.
$600,432
Strength in numbers • 100% Board participation • 68% of all parents gave • 62% of new parents participated • 49% of staff participated
Amount contributed in 2017– 2018 — a 22% increase over five years 2013–2014 2014–2015 2015–2016 2016–2017
$492,000 $532,571 $547,321 $551,586
Gifts of every size have significance
Alumnae support is essential
660 8% $648,425 Number of gifts less than $1,500 received, totalling $160,508
The Annual Fund enriches the SCS experience
The percentage of SCS alumnae who contributed
Top Three Classes
Top 3 classes with the highest participation rates (from parents) Grade 1
Leadership gifts are our foundation • 172 Circle members this year • Circle members contribute 74% of the Annual Fund’s proceeds • 127 Principal’s Circle members contributed 37.5% of the total amount
Principal’s Circle ($1,500 – $4,999)
Founders’ Circle ($5,000 – $9,999)
Pilgrim’s Circle ($10,000 – $24,999)
The 1901 Circle ($25,000+)
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Total dollar value of scholarships awarded to 27 students based on their level of financial need, ensuring that we admit the best and brightest applicants. Of this, 25% was contributed through the Annual Fund
Graduating Class
$34,115
Grade 2
Grade 3 The amount raised for the Class of 2018 Scholarship Fund
90% 86% 83% *2017–2018 figures are unaudited and subject to confirmation
From the Desk Advancement
Did you know? The Emperor is the tallest penguin at 1.1 metres while the shortest is the Fairy at barely 30 centimetres.
Donor highlight The Babber Family “I was trying to get the same sort of vibe that
I had had growing up in England,” Kin Babber explains of the quest for a school for daughters Karina ’24 and Avani ’30. Kin’s recollections of her own schooling are of a nurturing and caring environment. When the time came for her to seek a place for her daughters, she was looking for a similar atmosphere. “I was looking for the warm fuzzies,” she says. “You kind of know when you walk in and feel good and know that your daughters will be happy and safe. We immediately had that feeling at St. Clement’s.” The first school to which they had sent Karina had been close to their home and well regarded academically. However, beyond ensuring that their daughters would be challenged and motivated, Raj and Kin were concerned about the girls’ development as people. “I wanted the girls to focus on what really is important,” Kin says. “That is character, your core being. I didn’t want them focusing on things that are trivial and don’t really matter. I saw reflected in St. Clement’s the values that I wanted in my girls: that sense of sisterhood, that women are not your competition, we should work together. Those are the things I was looking for as well.” Since moving to SCS, Karina has excelled in class and has grown personally. Raj and Kin
have noticed greater self confidence and a sense of belonging. “The sense of sisterhood is important to us,” Kin says. “Coming out of her shell, being outgoing, even her conversation style. I love it!” Raj and Kin were eager for their youngest daughter, Avani, to have the same opportunity as Karina, and this year she started SCS in Grade 1. With both daughters now at the School, giving back to St. Clement’s is very important for the Babber family. “We’re buying in,” Kin says. “We’re buying in to it all. The vision. The strategy. Even the scholarships. I want to support the School in any way that I can because I believe in what they are doing.” Raj and Kin chose to make their contribution to the Annual Fund for SCS to use as needed, aware that their gifts help not only their daughters, but the entire School. “The funds could be used for something as simple as the shirts they use when they play badminton,” Kin explains. “It’s little things like that that kind of bind the girls together and make that sense of sisterhood. It could be the art club that Karina likes, or the French extra help. If you want a child to be well rounded, you have to give more.” The Babber family knows that it’s expensive to provide a quality education and are willing to help wherever possible — not just for the benefit of others, but also as a life lesson for their daughters. “If there’s a mom whose kid needs a scholarship or financial help, if I can do it, I have no issues doing it,” Kin says. “I have no issues helping someone if I can help them. It’s the idea of giving back. I want my kids to see this is how life works. It’s a circle. You give, you receive in a good way. And it’s not getting presents, it’s getting consideration and caring, and you never know when you’ll be the one who needs the world.”
I want to support the School in any way that I can because I believe in what they are doing.
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From the Desk Advancement
Women and Philanthropy
The increase in women’s wealth has caused a shift not just in the direction of philanthropic donations, but also in the way the charitable community has responded to that change.
By the end of 2026, industry research
estimates that women will control 48% of all financial wealth in Canada, up from 35% in 2016. That all-time high amounts to approximately $3.3 trillion and signals a need for a reevaluation of the way women in Canada have long been addressed by some sectors of the philanthropic community. For many years, charitable organizations have tended to follow a traditional model of regarding males as donors and females as volunteers. The result was that campaigns to raise money were often specifically targeted at men while efforts to recruit help were aimed primarily at women. However, as the role of women in managing household wealth has increased, so has the part they play in the allocation of charitable dollars — and that has led to a re-think in philanthropic circles. There are a number of reasons for this increase in the financial influence of women. In part, it has been attributable to the fact that women are earning more money than ever before and partly because of the general transfer of wealth occurring in Canadian society. 30 | Red Blazer Fall 2018
$3.3 Trillion By 2015, 35.1% of Canadian women held university degrees as compared to 28.6% of Canadian men. While women continue to struggle to overcome wage disparity in the workplace, higher education does help to increase earning power in general and therefore contributes to the overall wealth of women in Canada. In addition, analysts estimate that over the next decade, more than $900 billion will be transferred into the bank accounts of Canadian women. These assets will not only flow vertically between generations as inheritances, but also horizontally from spouses, partners, and, in some cases, siblings. In 2015, 2.6 million female tax filers reported having made a charitable donation, and 47.3% of all people who included donations on their tax returns were women. In fact, of the $20.3 billion donated to charitable organizations in Canada that same year, women in their 50s were found to be the demographic most likely to have made a contribution. Not only has the charitable community had to adjust to this change, but they have also had to react to a difference in giving between male and female donors. When the non-profit initiative Women Moving Millions — co-founded in 2006 by U.S. sisters Helen LaKelly Hunt and Swanee Hunt — succeeded in persuading women to donate at least $1 million each to charity, the causes that benefitted were those that targeted the advancement of women and girls. These addressed inequalities in the workplace, furthered women in politics, tackled sex trafficking and violence against women, and promoted education for girls and women. Whereas once it was seen as unbecoming for women to discuss wealth or finance, organizations like Women Moving Millions and individuals such as the Hunt sisters have
The amount of financial wealth estimated to be controlled by Canadian women by 2026.
helped to break down that incorrect view and have not only encouraged women to openly discuss those topics but also to vocally support more causes of benefit to women. With the unprecedented increase in assets controlled by women, more women than ever are also seeking the services of financial advisors and estate planners. This advice has been of immediate benefit to many; moreover, it has assisted in the long-term with recommendations on charitable bequests as a way of better managing estate taxes. In the case of Women Moving Millions, not only have they succeeded in getting more than 290 women (and men) all over the world to give more than $1 million each to organizations focused on the advancement of women and girls, but more than $600 million has been pledged in gift commitments and future support including legacy gifts of bequests, gifts of life insurance, or charitable trusts. While women have long been more likely to make a legacy gift than men, today approximately 60% of people who have made at least one charitable bequest are older women. Within that group, 80-90% of all planned gifts were made through a will, providing women with an opportunity to give back to causes they care deeply about. As many women today are discovering, there is no incorrect way to be generous whether motivated entirely by a sense of philanthropy, as a necessary part of financial planning, or as a way to contribute to a longheld personal cause or interest. With the continued increase in wealth of women in Canada, it is hoped that more women will come together to fulfill their philanthropic desires, thereby having a positive impact on organizations they care about, while realizing the financial and personal benefits that accompany such generosity.
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Experiential Education Out There
Out There Our girls embrace their curiosity at home and farther afield. Here’s a look at a few of the places they’ve traveled to learn and to be of service.
BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA April 2018
Safia Adair ’23, Amaris Terner
’23, and Sophia Hutchison ’22 made their first-ever trips to South America to join students from all over the world at the Young Round Square Conference at the Colegio Los Nogales school in Bogotá, Colombia. Accompanied by Ms Singhal, the girls stayed with local families during the 10-day trip and also visited Cartagena, Baru, and Guatavita. Although all three admitted to some initial apprehension, the SCS ambassadors soon found their stride and lived up to the conference’s theme of “Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers” by planting trees, repairing and re-painting a playground, interacting with local children, and sampling many of Colombia’s favourite dishes. 32 | Red Blazer Fall 2018
SCS visited Colombia during the Young Round Square Conference and discovered a country of warmth, hospitality, and tremendous beauty.
Experiential Education Out There
ITALY AND GREECE March 2018
Thirteen Clementines embarked on a voyage into antiquity and watched their Classics lessons come to life.
Thirteen SCS students travelled
across the world and into ancient history on a 10-day discovery of Italy and Greece. The group took in Greece’s Acropolis and Parthenon, sailed the Saronic Gulf and dined in a typical taverna before continuing to Italy. Treading Rome’s Spanish Steps, gazing at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and exploring the treasures of Florence and Venice, the Clementines were immersed in art, architecture, archaeology, and living history at every step of their own personal odyssey. BANGKOK, THAILAND April 2018
As Toronto shrugged off the
The SCS contingent’s visit to Thailand coincided with the country’s Songkran Festival and provided the Clementines with an unforgettable experience of Thai culture.
final vestiges of winter, Natalie Lo ’21 and Hannah Shapiro, Jaiden Terner and Emma Farag (all ’20) ventured to Chiang Mai and Bangkok, Thailand. Accompanied by Ms Westerhof and Ms Dickson, the group assisted at a kindergarten for refugee children and attended the Round Square Global Conference. The conference theme was “Discover More” and participants worked with local charities that assist refugees and orphans and participated in environmental stewardship while engaging in character-building activities. Red Blazer Fall 2018 | 33
Community Making Connections
Making Connections Our School community is always looking for ways to deepen our connections with the wider community. Here’s a look at how our girls and our staff are doing just that.
INDIGENOUS ISSUES SYMPOSIUM
Issues facing Canada’s
Indigenous peoples have long been a focus at SCS. In addition to our Native Studies course and a long-term partnership with the Moose Cree First Nation in Moose Factory, Ontario, in May, the Indigenous Affairs Circle led by Carys Hillyer and Victoria Brown (both ’19) organized our first ever Indigenous Issues Symposium. The event included cultural teachers Paige Restoule and Brennan Govender providing instruction on smudging and a song, a screening of renowned filmmaker Andree Casabon’s Third World Canada and Ojibway Tacos from Anishnawbe Stratfordtrained chef Shawn Adler. 34 | Red Blazer Fall 2018
SCS’s first-ever Indigenous Issues Symposium featured cultural lessons, music, and food and ended with commitments to reconciliation.
Community Making Connections
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY
Having become an integral part of the local community over the course of our 117 year history, SCS is always seeking opportunities to give back to the larger community whether, fundraising, aiding, or educating.
To mark SCS Community Week,
Community Heads Claudia Cargnelli and Alejandra Featherstone-Rajcic (both ’18) and the Community Committee organized a series of events to highlight how we can all be involved in local initiatives. Guest speaker Martha McClew ’85 shared her 35 years of experiences with the Terry Fox Foundation; the Eco Team sold Ontario flower seeds; Period Purse founder Jana Girdauskas visited; the Athletic Committee ran a communitythemed school-wide scavenger hunt; the Wellness Committee sold Maddie Project merchandise and there was a freezie sale, face painting, and a Dance-a-thon. GIVING BACK WITH SPIRIT
It was all hands on deck as the SCS community of students, teachers, and staff took over Eglinton Park for the annual Terry Fox Run, just one of many causes the School commits to during the course of the year.
St. Clement’s School students, teachers, and staff wound their way to Eglinton Park one sunny Friday afternoon in September for the annual Terry Fox Run. Despite the intense late-summer heat and humidity, there was no lack of energy on display. The entire community, resplendent in House colors and flying House flags, enthusiastically helped raise funds for the Terry Fox Foundation for cancer research by running laps of the sports field and buying pizza slices. Red Blazer Fall 2018 | 35
Future Ready Teens St. Clement’s School has long been committed to preparing our girls for the future. This summer, one of the world’s leading authorities on the future of work — and an SCS Alumna! — returned to the School to shine a light on what may well lie ahead.
When Dr Kate Raynes-Goldie ’00 finished
her studies in Semiotics and Philosophy at the University of Toronto, she had to travel all the way to Perth in Western Australia to pursue her desired PhD in Internet Studies at Curtin University. Once achieved however, she found she had to continue to blaze her own trail in building a career that didn’t yet exist — a problem now faced by many young people. Today, Kate is an award-winning game designer, educational consultant, and thought leader who firmly believes games and playfulness are key to a bright future and instrumental in supporting innovation and creativity. She helps organizations authentically and effectively engage with their stakeholders through games and play and also helps people better understand and prepare for their future employment. Regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities on the future of work, Kate is the founder of Future Human Academy and an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at Curtin. In June, Kate returned to SCS to run the pilot program of Future Human Academy: “Future Ready Teens T.O.” for a group of fortunate Clementines. The five-day course — the first of its kind in Canada — was an immersive program that provided SCS students in Grades 10, 11, and 36 | Red Blazer Fall 2018
12 with the knowledge, habits, and networks they will need to thrive in a future where 40% of current jobs may be lost due to automation and in which work is increasingly location independent, entrepreneurial, gig/portfolio based and which will require hard and soft skills (i.e.: people and technology) and lifelong learning. Although Kate’s knowledge and firsthand experience formed the cornerstone of the curriculum, she also called on some of Toronto’s top entrepreneurs, change makers, and innovators — including St. Clement’s Alumnae Christina Kostoff ’00 and Alex Leitch ’01 — to enhance the students’ learning. Christina is the owner of the Yellow House Gallery which operates as a hybrid community art space, gallery, and professional framer. An artist herself, she inspired the SCS girls by showing them how to turn their passion into a viable business. Meanwhile Alex, an entrepreneur and co-founder of the Site3 Collab, a makerspace that provides its members with expensive or otherwise hard to access equipment, led the girls on a tour of her unique environment. The participants also spent half a day at the double Emmy-award winning Evan Jones’ games studio, Stitch Media, where they had the opportunity to do speed networking with each of the studio’s 15 employees. The visit
provided the girls with the chance to see what it’s really like to work in one of the jobs of the future — game design. The week-long program included an investigation of a variety of practical and useful topics that ranged from a re-think of the term “work” and the concept of being a life-long learner, to mastering personal entrepreneurial skills such as LinkedIn, the secrets of networking, how to be comfortable taking risks, and turning failure into a learning opportunity. In keeping with St. Clement’s mandate to best prepare our girls for the future, whatever form that may eventually take, Kate maintains that her passion has also always been not only to help people prepare for the future, but to ensure that they thrive in it. “We are at a critical time for young people right now,” she explains. “It is vital that we evolve our thinking about how we prepare them for the world. The pathways and opportunities have changed. It’s cliché, but it’s a whole new world.” The course not only provided a wonderful learning opportunity for St. Clement’s, but also helped ensure that those Clementines started their summer as Future Ready Teens. Kate is working to expand the program to Australia, and there is already talk of running the program again next year at St. Clement’s, so stay tuned!
The Future Ready Teens program enabled St. Clement’s students to meet some of the city’s top entrepreneurs, change makers, and innovators including SCS Alumnae.
Not only did the Clementines hear about the future of work, but they visited a number of diverse workspaces throughout Toronto.
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Next Chapter Alumnae Profiles
Did you know? The Arabic word ‘Mufti’ was first used by the British Army in 1816 for wearing civilian — or non-uniform — clothes.
Renaissance Woman Claudia Dey ’91
It is often said that the best path forward is
rarely a straight line, and for Claudia Dey ’91, that has certainly been true. Horror film actress, lumber camp cook, playwright, columnist, novelist, and costume designer: Claudia’s path from St. Clement’s School to acclaimed writer and fashion designer has been a varied one. “Writing was forever,” Claudia explains of her life journey. “I made my first book — illustrated and stapled together — when I was five, about two flowers going to a flower hospital.” “Getting dressed was always a creative act,” she adds. “When I got to theatre school, I finally had a chance to do some costume design alongside the playwriting. It was at this point that my two passions came together — and it felt like an accumulation of my entire life.” In August, Claudia’s latest novel, Heartbreaker, was published by HarperCollins to wide acclaim, although such accolades are nothing new for someone who has previously been nominated for both the Governor 38 | Red Blazer Fall 2018
General’s Award and the Trillium Book Award. “At St. Clement’s, I remember getting both glorious and biting feedback to my writing,” Claudia recalls. “Arguing until I was in tears about the nature of love, and then being told that my writing was as lyrical as Leonard Cohen’s. It was extreme. Because the School was so rigorous and the standards set so high, we too operated at the highest level, expected the most from ourselves.” Claudia also believes that SCS gave her the intellectual curiosity and the courage to pursue the multiple interests that have come to define her life. “The School let me express myself,” she says. “I wrote essays about Leonard Cohen, Jim Morrison, Dylan Thomas. I wrote poetry and co-wrote a play. I had the space to be an artist.” In 2012, Claudia co-founded design studio Horses Atelier with the philosophy of making pieces based on the values she holds in everyday life: utility, beauty, wildness, and endurance. While it may come as a surprise to learn that someone who spent her most formative years restrained by a school uniform would become a fashion designer, Claudia admits that she perhaps didn’t conform quite as much as others might have thought. “I wore oversized men’s shirts under my tunic,” she confesses. “Some were tattered at the collar to indicate my artist soul, and that my truest friends were Baudelaire, Flaubert, and Patti Smith.” The Horses label has been profiled in Vogue, featured on HBO’s Girls and worn by Feist, Jerry Hall, and Georgia May Jagger. For Claudia, there is a parallel between writing and fashion design. “Fashion can be moving and profound,” she explains. “There is a lot of technical craft and countless decisions and tireless drafting that goes into the finished garment. A book, though, will always be closer to my heart.”
I made my first book — illustrated and stapled together — when I was five, about two flowers going to a flower hospital.
After SCS: McGill University, National Theatre School of Canada Small world: Claudia Dey was fellow writer Sheila Heti ’95’s Grade 7 prefect. They were reunited at the National Theatre School of Canada, and their novels had concurrent publication dates. “Her Grade 7 self, the genius poet with the crooked bangs and the shining eyes,” Claudia says of Sheila, “told me that was where she was heading.” On St. Clement’s School: “At SCS, we always had the feeling that we were small but mighty. We were so bonded to each other.”
Next Chapter Alumnae Profiles
Bestseller Sheila Heti ’95
TIME magazine described her novel
How Should a Person Be? as “one of the most talked-about books of the year” while The Guardian hailed her as a “literary sensation.” Yet not so long ago New York Times bestselling author Sheila Heti ’95 was walking the halls of St. Clement’s School. “When I was at St. Clement’s, I had a wonderful English teacher named Mrs. Clark,” Sheila recalls. “I would hand in writing assignments to her and — I think this was Grade 5 — she once expressed disappointment in me, saying that she knew I could do a better job.” That reaction was a revelation for Sheila; it demonstrated to her that writing well was important to other people. “Someone thought I could do better, and that I should,” she explains. “I remember feeling transported quite far away from myself, into a wonderful place, whenever I wrote, even at that age, but I didn’t know that meant that I should, or would, grow up to be a writer.” Sheila’s first book — The Middle Stories — was published in 2001, while other writing has
$14.3M appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s and The London Review of Books. St. Clement’s was Sheila’s home from Grade 4 until the end of Grade 9. “Our class was very creative and artistic,” she recalls. “Many of the friends I made in school continued in creative fields.” Although Sheila may not have always aspired to be a writer, she did know that a creative path lay ahead. “I remember wanting to be an actress,” she says. “And to put on plays with my friends, and to have fun, and to make things — and that is the way I still am.” In Grade 10, Sheila headed to a public high school. “I often think that going to an all-girl’s school insulated me from a lot of the selfconsciousness that can develop when girls are educated with boys,” she reflects. “When I left SCS and went to a “normal” high school with boys and girls, I felt very alienated from the girls for the first year or two; most of them seemed preoccupied with how they looked to an extent that I had not encountered at SCS .” Sheila has lectured at Columbia University, Brown University, MoMA, and The New Yorker Festival, and whenever anyone — and especially young people — asks her what they should do to become a writer, her answer remains the same. “Write as much as you can,” she advises, “and show it to people who are sympathetic to you and your writing. Write as a gift to other people, as well as a way of disappearing from other people. If your parents say you can’t make a living as a writer (which is what mine told me) don’t believe them. Enjoy even the bad things about your life, because as a writer, you can always write about them, and make them worth having happened.” Sheila’s most recent work, Motherhood, was published by Knopf Canada in May 2018.
Did you know? The most expensive book sold at auction is the 8th century St. Cuthbert Gospel, which sold for $14.3m in 2012.
After SCS: University of Toronto, National Theatre School of Canada Playwriting: Her play, All Our Happy Days are Stupid, had sold-out runs in New York and Toronto. On the influence of St. Clement’s School: “I don’t know if I’m courageous, or more compassionate than the ordinary person. I do think I’m intellectually curious.”
Write as much as you can, and show it to people who are sympathetic to you and your writing.
Red Blazer Fall 2018 | 39
Next Chapter Alumnae Connection
Alumnae Connection
2 Familiar faces Reunion Weekend was a big hit as always, with hundreds of Alumnae returning for the events. 1
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Next Chapter Alumnae Connection
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6 With thanks! We are most grateful to the Class of ’68 who are very close to the $25,000 goal to establish a Class Endowment Fund in support of Financial Assistance.
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Images from top left:
Reunion Weekend 1 Back Row: Elizabeth (Mollard) McCready ’48, Shirley McIntyre ’48, Joan Woodland ’48, Alison (Smith) Perkin ’48, Jane (Reddick) Schofield ’48
Front Row: Isobel Ganton ’48, Mary Ellinor (Smith) Partridge ’48, Virginia (McCartney) Nicolaides ’48 2 Elizabeth (Mollard) McCready ’48, Deidre (McCready) Barker ’74 3 Pat (Millar) Goodyear ’53, Beth (Gerry) Smith ’53, Patricia (Pyne) Lane ’53, Margaret (Ketchum) Catto ’53,
Joan (Boyce) Greig ’53, Muriel Richardson ’53 4 Anne (McDonald) Adams ’53, Florence (Emerson) Newman ’53, Lorna Rogers ’53, Margaret (Ketchum) Catto ’53 5 Lauren (Ball) Bishop ’58, Diana (Coles) Payton ’58, Ruth (Chambers) Gilbert ’58 6 Mary (Power) Calvert ’64, Fiona (MacLaren) Maycock ’64, Marsha (Park) Cox ’64, Jane (Prichard) Gaskell ’64, Blair (Hilton) McLorie ’64, Sandra (MacIver) Garcia ’64, Trudy (Peck) Grantham ’64
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Back Row: Jennifer (Lobb) Ingram ’68, Margaret (Bingham) Smith ’68, Catharine (Stephens) Henderson ’68, Myra (McAlonen) Douglas ’68, Judy (Clappison) Riepma ’68, Wendy (Gray) Cook ’68, Catherine Merritt ’68, Janet (Horne) Sidey ’68, Gayle (Urquhart) Whitehead ’68, Margaret Barr ’68, Sheri (Urquhart) Clark ’68, Pamela (Shelley) West ’68, Barbara (Gray) Coyle ’68, Sharon (Mitchell) McFadzean ’68
Sheila (MacPherson) Humphrey ’68, Jane (Osborne) Stephen ’68, Nancy (Dickie) Iutzi ’68, Gail Noble-Deacon ’68 Catherine Merritt ’68, Katharine (Smith) O’Flynn ’58, Jennifer (Lobb) Ingram ’68 9 Margot (Beech) Kennedy ’81, Sandra (Shephard) Beech ’58, Bryn Kennedy ’13 8
Front Row: Nancy Carr ’68,
Red Blazer Fall 2018 | 41
Next Chapter Alumnae Connection
Alumnae Connection
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Next Chapter Alumnae Connection
17 Hugs and smiles With Alumnae on hand spanning almost 70 years of St. Clement’s, there was no shortage of reminiscing and tale-swapping. 16
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Images from top left:
Reunion Weekend 10 Back Row: Helen Angus ’78, Janet (Belch) Culliton ’78, Karen Wilk ’78, Margaret McIntosh ’78, Ruth Stoddart ’78, Sue Wrigley ’78, Sue McDonald ’78, Marguerite Thomson ’78, Christine Peringer ’78, Joanne (Spence) Brown ’78, Lesley Morris ’78, Tracey Moore-Harrison ’78, Meredith (Wilson) Agius ’78
Front Row: Yasmeen Majid ’78, Lesley (Gough) Heysel ’78, Mairi (Campbell) Payne ’78
University Transition Chat 11 Barry Kelterborn ’17, Kayley Woodman ’14, Joanne Whyte ’14, Sydney Milrad ’17
Reunion Weekend 12 Elizabeth Harvey ’93, Indy Butany-DeSouza ’92, Julia (Tworkowski) Driedger ’93, Shannon Davidson ’93
Reunion Weekend 15 Jill (Crawford) Nelson ’79, Catherine (Fricker) DesBrisay ’79, Averil (Smith) King ’79, Susan (Patrick) Cesari ’79, and Yasmeen Majid ’78
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Julia Martin ’13, Dileas MacGowan ’13, Jessica Kim ’13, Mackenzie Domazet ’13, Meredith Omstead ’13, Chloé Church ’13, Natalie Doyle ’13, Laura Di Monte ’13
Montreal Reunion 13 Liv Alvaer ’65, Martha Perry ’85, Principal, Jennifer Gray, Staff, Kaitlyn Law ’16, Elena Holeton ’94, Staff, Grace Sarabia ’17, Katharine Kocik ’17
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Back Row: Lauren Hauswirth ’08, Robyn Cardy ’08, Heather Tory ’08, Meagan Webb ’08
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Middle Row: Carolyn Sawicki ’08, Sarah Hampson ’08, Selena Ng ’08, Devon Montemurro ’08, Claire DesBrisay ’08, Sara Windrim ’08
Courtney Edwards ’13, Bryn Kennedy ’13, Margaret Irwin ’13, Allison Braithwaite ’13, Madeleine Fox ’13
Front Row: Lauren Chan ’08, Sophie Bertram ’08, Jenna Reed-Cote ’08
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Carol Kaifosh ’08, Shaylyn Harper ’08, Niamh ByrneRodgers ’08
NCGS Reception in Washington 14 Amy Chapman, Staff, Mark Will, Staff, Kelsey Edmunds, Staff, Barb Macintosh, Staff, Alexi Drucker ’97, Meredith Wotten ’01, Patricia Westerhof, Staff
Red Blazer Fall 2018 | 43
Next Chapter Alumnae Connection
A Week in the Life of an Alumna Kadey Schultz ’92 Co-founding Partner, Schultz Frost LLP www.schultzfrost.com
Monday Morning
Monday Evening
Strategy planning meeting with Special Investigations Team at client’s office to design a new anti-fraud campaign.
Work with Emery to finish postcard of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab Hospital for Music Heals fundraiser.
Tuesday Evening
Tuesday Afternoon
Receive the Lexpert Zenith Mid-Career Excellence Award for Commercial Insurance Law in Canada.
Deliver keynote speech to a full house at the Metro Convention Centre for the Women in Insurance Conference.
Notable Awards Tiger Hunt Prize, St. Clement’s School, 1992
Wednesday Morning
Wednesday Evening
Join with fellow Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, suitably attired for Capes for Kids for board meeting extraordinaire!
Host Music Heals 7 in support of Muscular Dystrophy research for Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab Hospital, watch Lily ’23 sing “You Can Count on Me” in front of 400 guests! Raise $33,000 in one night!
Thursday Afternoon
Thursday Evening Women In Insurance Cancer Crusade Disco Glam Gala — lucky enough to give out the “best costume prize” and help raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of cancer research.
Notable Awards Rising Stars, Top 40 under 40 Lawyers in Canada, 2015
Lunch with the League of Extraordinary Insurance Women at the National Club raising over $25,000 for Capes for Kids.
Friday Morning Join with my team to reflect on an important and challenging week, practice gratitude, celebrate Jason Frost’s birthday and get file work done!
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Friday Evening Family Dinner with Granny, Barbara Symmons ’65.
Notable Awards Best lawyers in Canada: Insurance Law (2018–2019)
Bulletin Board Fall 2018
Bulletin Board
St. Clement’s School community is close-knit, supportive, and welcoming. Clementines, their families, staff and faculty always have a place here.
Class Notes See what your classmates are up to pg. 46
Staff News The team dedicated to developing outstanding women pg. 50
Tempus Fugit Keeping 117 years of history alive pg. 52
Upcoming Events Don’t miss these 2018-2019 school events pg. 53
Red Blazer Fall 2018 | 45
Bulletin Board Class Notes
Class Notes
1950s
Congratulations to Isabel (Macdonald) Bassett ’57 who received an honorary Doctor of Laws LLD from Queen’s University in May, 2018, for her contributions to the local community and Canadian society. 1960s
St. Clement’s Church on June 3 to raise funds for Indspire, a charity that invests in the education of Indigenous people. 1980s
Nancy Evans ’82 has started a new role as Executive Director, Marketing & Communications at Smith School of Business, Queen’s University. Nancy and her partner Trish and their greyhound Guinness are enjoying living in Kingston. 2000s
Congratulations to Cecilia Livingston ’03 on winning the Canadian Music Centre’s 2018 Toronto Emerging Composer Award. Cecilia is a Canadian composer specializing in music for voice.
Congratulations to Helen Notzl ’63 on the publication of her book Long Journey Home: A Prague Love Story.
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Nuria Varela, Faculty, caught up with Sarah Archibald ’07 over lunch in March and heard about Sarah’s work in Costa Rica as a researcher at the University of Toronto’s Integrative Agroecology Lab. Nuria taught Sarah Spanish in Grade 10 and 11!
Congratulations to Tamara Jewett ’08 for being the first woman to cross the line of the Sporting Life 10K in May!
Stephanie Gossage ’06 spoke to the Upper School girls at Career Day in April. Stephanie is the Manager, People and Culture, at Unata Inc.
Eleanor Gooday ’65 sang in A Potpourri of Song, a concert at
2010s
Elle Bulger ’09 once again visited the Grade 7 Media classes in May and spoke about how social media is changing the advertising world. She also spoke about the negative impacts it can have on one’s social esteem and mental health. Elle is the Director, Client Success, at Pinch Social.
Congratulations to Alex Boersma ’11 whose whale illustrations were featured in the recently published Spying on Whales by Nick Pyenson. Alex is a freelance science illustrator in New York City.
Madeleine De Welles ’14 visited the AP Capstone Seminar class in May to share her passion for disability studies in connection with their study of equity and social justice. Madeleine recently completed her undergraduate degree in Sociology, Equity Studies and Education at the University of Toronto and began her Masters of Arts in Social Justice Studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education this September.
Bulletin Board Class Notes
Love
Lauren Chu ’12, Lauren Ferraro ’16 and Emily Cooper ’16 attended the 44th annual Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race hosted by the University of Waterloo in February to cheer on Natalie Chu ’16 and Emilie Morin ’16 who were representing Engineering at the University of British Columbia.
Megan Newman ’17 visited the Senior Economics class in February to talk about the Leadership in Business Conference (LIBC) at Wilfrid Laurier University, where she is working on a dual degree in Business Administration and Financial Math.
Melissa Cortes ’00 married Cliff Roscow in Montreal, QC, on July 28, 2018. There were many SCS alumnae in attendance, including Ashleigh Rains ’00, Farah Meghji ’00, Amanda Chin ’00, Ashleigh Cranston ’00, Yunnie Luk Balders ’00, Nadine Kronfli ’00 and Monica Kronfli ’02.
Melissa L. Arruda ’03 married Michael J. Eldridge at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club on July 1, 2016. Sonya Bikhit ’03, Kate Domina ’03, and Laura Mustard ’03 were bridesmaids, and Meghan Cowan ’03, Pat Parisi, Past Principal, and Lindsay Young ’03 attended.
Mimi (Maeve) Paterson ’07 married Christopher Byers on July 14 at her grandparents’ home in Knowlton, Quebec. Mimi was thrilled to have so many of her close friends from her St. Clement’s days attend including four of her bridesmaids: Madison White ’07, Vivian Cheung ’07, Sarah Archibald ’07 and Samantha Alexander ’07 and her two sisters Jean Paterson ’06 and Ellie Paterson ’09.
Katie Alexopoulos ’08 married Alex Burnett on September 30, 2017 at St. George’s Church in Toronto, followed by a reception at The Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District. SCS alumnae in attendance were bridesmaid Carolyn Sawicki ’08 and guest Stephanie Lapinsky ’08.
Shaine Currie ’08 married Thomas Grace at the Toronto Hunt Club on May 12, 2018. It was a wonderful celebration. Alexandra Currie ’05 was Maid of Honor and Kelly Quinn ’08 and Kathryn Estey ’08 were bridesmaids. Lisa Callaghan ’08, Zoe Band ’08 and Maeve Paterson ’07 attended.
Michelle Lam ’09 married Mathieu Nicolaizeau in his hometown of Saint-VincentSterlanges, Pays de la Loire in France on June 23, 2018. The weekend of festivities began with celebrations at the town hall and church, followed by the vin d’honneur celebration and reception. The party continued into the late hours with the traditional Danse de la brioche, Danse du Parapluie and ending the night with French onion soup! Red Blazer Fall 2018 | 47
Bulletin Board Class Notes
Class Notes
A lovely brunch followed the next day, and all in all, it was an incredible celebration, filled with love and traditions. Allison Tse ’09 was a temoin, and other Clementines will be attending Michelle’s Canadian wedding celebrations later this year. Joy
have been spoiled with gifts and messages from around the world, including from generous SCS friends and classmates Lindsay Isaac ’00 and Francesca Baldry ’00. Miro continues to delight with his animated chatter, perhaps inherited from his mother, two-time winner of the SCS oratory cup.
PEACE
Mary (Babcock) Dale ’40 August 26, 2018 Predeceased by husband Robert Dale ’38 and sister Barbara (Babcock) Poulson ’43 Sister of Janet (Babcock) Gouinlock ’47 Jane (Glenny) Pooler ’44 September 10, 2018
Zarin Machanda ’97 and her husband Darren were excited to have Nicholas Miller Rand join their family on January 2, 2018. Zarin has spent most of her time with Nicholas comparing him to the baby chimpanzees that she studies!
Meredith Giuliani ’02 welcomed her daughter Inesa Mary on April 3, 2018. Inesa is a happy baby and brings great joy to her family.
Joan (Twose) Randall ’44 February 13, 2018 Nancy (Benjamin) Cooper ’45 October 12, 2018 Predeceased by sister Dorothy (Benjamin) Orr ’41 Mother of Robin Brooke ’68 Bessie (Medland) Willcocks ’45 August 1, 2018
Pemma Muzumdar ’00 and her husband Mathieu Sirois welcomed their first child, Miro Sundar Sirois, into the world on April 27, 2018. Pemma and family
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Jessica (Davidge) Sterling ’04 and her husband Grahame welcomed Rose Emily Sterling to their family on January 13, 2018. They can’t stop smiling when Rosie smiles — she makes them so happy!
Barbara Berner ’48 April 6, 2018 Joan (Densem) Moes ’49 August 21, 2018 Norah (Lamb) Pearson ’49 July 16, 2018
Cheryl (Sharpe) McGeachie ’50 March 29, 2018 Norma (Higgins) Loader ’52 February 17, 2018 Carole (Taylor) Noble ’52 April 3, 2018 Christine (Clark) Featherstone ’67 October 15, 2018 Lynne (Baskett) Boddy ’70 June 19, 2018 Carol (Gunn) Weir ’71 September 9, 2018 Beth Will ’96 August 17, 2018 Sister of Rosalie (Will) Naworynski ’96 Brianna Hersey ’00 March 31, 2018 Sister of Kristin ’99 and Olive ’05 Hersey Step-sister of Sara Lebensold ’01
Bulletin Board Staff News
Staff News
Welcome New Staff
Farewells
Hannah Abner, English Teacher (part-time) Sheryl Faith, Grade 6 Teacher Louie Fan, Science Teacher Jason Fearon, Associate Director of Communications (Maternity leave contract) Owain Jones, Computer Science and Technology
Jannilyn Caoile, Computer Science Teacher, has accepted the position of Director, Robotics and STEM at St. Mildred’s Lightbourne School in Oakville.
Lana Fisher, LINCWell Curriculum and Department Leader, and Grades 9 and 10 Counsellor, has chosen not to return from sabbatical.
Cindy Leech, Visual Arts Teacher, is leaving SCS after her maternity leave contract.
Erin Lamont, Junior School Teacher Janice Meaghan, Senior Development Officer, Leadership & Legacy Gifts Niki Mehta, Computer Science and Technology Marci Morgans ’99, Director of Human Resources
Dan Chen, Mandarin Teacher and instructor for after-school Mandarin Program and Mandarin Club, is leaving SCS.
Lex Gallagher, Health and Physical Education Teacher, is taking a sabbatical for the 2018–2019 year.
Shawn Lim, Computer Science Teacher, hired last year in a one-year contract position, is leaving to focus on Bot Camp, an organization founded by Shawn and his wife.
Janeesh Mylvaganam, IT Helpdesk Technician Edmee Nataprawira, Junior School Music Teacher Kayla Ramirez, Special Events and Community Engagement Co-ordinator Simon Vaughan, Communications Manager
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Andrea Dinsmore, Junior School Teacher, is taking a sabbatical for the 2018–2019 year.
Jennifer Gray, Director of Recruitment and Community Engagement, has accepted the position of Director of Admissions at Villanova School in King City.
David Mizener, Social Sciences Curriculum Department Leader, has accepted the position of History Teacher at The Bishop Strachan School.
Bulletin Board Staff News
Staff News
Love
Maggie Thompson, Instrumental Music Teacher, has made the decision to leave St. Clement’s School.
Mary Whish ’75, Director of Human Resources, is retiring after 7 years at SCS. Mary is an Alumna and was the first person to hold the position of HR Director at the School.
Christina McCourt, Dramatic Arts Teacher, married Jason Hawkins in Berkeley, Ontario on July 14, 2018.
Kristin Mills, Associate Director of Communications, and her husband Troy welcomed daughter Brooke Joan Irene Danniels who was born on July 16, 2018.
Joy
Liz Watt, Grade 6 Teacher, has accepted the position of Assistant Head of the Junior School at Havergal College. Retirements
Dominic Yeung, Help Desk Manager and Technician, is retiring after 22 years at SCS. In addition to the unyielding technical support he has provided, Dominic has been a great trouble-shooter, photographer, videographer, international trip leader, and robotics coach.
Peter McGrath, Science Teacher, and his wife Robyn welcomed a baby brother for their son Desmond and daughter Josephine. Sullivan Maxwell Clifford McGrath was born on April 30, 2018.
Christine Vendor, past Math Teacher, and her husband Marc welcomed a baby brother for their daughter Rachel. Zachary Lawrence Vendor was born on May 29, 2018. Peace
Judith Mills December 18, 2017
Heather Newsome, Junior School Music Teacher, is retiring after 15 years at SCS. Our remarkable success at Kiwanis and our presence at the CIS Music Festival testify to the wonderful contributions Heather has made to our School. Red Blazer Fall 2018 | 51
Bulletin Board Tempus Fugit
The St. Clement’s School Archive keeps 117 years of history alive.
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In acid-free folders and archival boxes in
a dedicated room on St. Clement’s School’s second floor rests a selection of material as old as the School itself. From uniforms and trophies to yellowed yearbooks and curled photographs; from report cards and newspaper articles to otherwise-forgotten correspondence, this treasure trove is the domain of Head of Library and Information Services, Laura Mustard ’03. However, Laura is the first to admit that the credit for this invaluable collection lies not with her, but with those who have contributed to it over the years. “What may seem unimportant or insignificant to some are amongst the SCS
Archive’s greatest treasures,” Laura explains, as she holds a collection of items recently donated by Florence Newman ’53. Amongst Florence’s gifts were an invitation from the Board of Governors to attend a reception in celebration of the final payment of the School’s mortgage in 1975, a sepia-hued 1967 letter from The St. Clement’s School Foundation, and a carefully-preserved Toronto Star clipping from March 19, 1976. “These wonderful items are what keeps the history of St. Clement’s alive,” Laura says. “We always welcome any contributions as they help to connect us with our past and provide a direct link to our Alumnae and everyone associated with the School.”
2018–2019 UPCOMING EVENTS
November
February
May
Admissions Open House
Spirit Week
Alumnae Reunion Weekend
Friday, November 16, 2018
Tuesday, February 26 to Friday, March 1, 2019
Friday, May 3 to Sunday, May 5, 2019
U.S. and U.K. University Information Evening for Grade 9 – 11 Parents and Students
New Parent Information Evening
Thursday, February 28, 2019
May Day Festivities
Middle School Drama Production: Anne of Green Gables Friday, November 23, 2018
St. Clement’s School Application Deadline Friday, November 30, 2018
December
Jingle Mingle Monday, December 3, 2018
Junior School Christmas Program Friday, December 14, 2018
Carol Service and Alumnae Christmas Party Thursday, December 20, 2018
January
Recital Evening Thursday, January 24, 2019
LINCWell Speaker Series: Dr. Leonard Sax
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Friday, May 17, 2019 March
Senior School Drama Production: The Sound of Music Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2, 2019
April
Lenten Service
June
Grade 6 Graduation Assembly Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Closing Ceremonies Thursday, June 13, 2019
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Gala Fundraiser Saturday, April 6, 2019
Lumina Fashion and Design Show Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13, 2019
Sights and Sounds of Spring Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Admissions Open House Tuesday, April 30, 2019
*Dates may be subject to change. Visit scs.on.ca for more details
St. Clement’s School Open House Friday, November 16, 2018 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 30, 2019 9:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Pre-register for our Open House at scs.on.ca/open-house