Chronicle 2018

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

REBELS & REFORMERS HELEN-KAY DAVY Principal, Havergal College

When you think about the theme of this edition of the Chronicle – Rebels and Reformers – words such as disruptors, iconoclasts, pathfinders or trailblazers instantly come to mind. Inherent in all of those words is the common desire and decision to take action. The motivation may come from a sense of social justice, of righteous indignation, or a determination to live the better life (usually an outcome of being unusually bold and ingenious) or because of a belief in new ways of thinking, learning and doing. Motivation is varied but, often as not, requires a battle of some kind, whether that struggle is against others, against the establishment or with the self. Havergal’s relationship with reform and even with rebellious behaviour can be viewed at many levels and rule-breaking is, after all, part of a learning community. When we look back at the history of women since Havergal’s foundation in 1894, we can uncover many examples of rebels and reformers in the field of politics and women’s rights, from the suffragette movement to #MeToo. Very often, lone rebels have a hard time of it and their sacrifices shine out like beacons. In our own community, Old Girls have led the charge not only in overt areas of lifestyles and accepted mores, but also in fields of research, creativity and ideas. I like to think that Havergal’s ethos imbues our students with a sense of pride in their struggles for equity, fairness and integrity which value diversity and inclusiveness, striving for the better, exploring boundaries and never being complacent.

In the three major educational strands of the strategic plan, Our Vision is Limitless , we can discern the idea that challenges and ripostes to the norm or accepted viewpoints are key to understanding the workings of democracy and consensus, and key to moving us forward in our critical thinking. In Breaking the Marble Spell (Grades JK to 4), curiosity is unleashed to set girls on a path of exploration and self-discovery; in Minds Set Free (Grades 5 to 8), students consider the interconnectedness of things and learn how to challenge concepts with a healthy skepticism, before making up their own minds. In Exploring the Brink of the Known (Grades 9 to 12), students probe the theory of knowledge and examine the brink of what is known, accepted or understood. Havergal as an institution has a place in this release of curiosity. It shapes its students to go further and farther; explorers and pioneers were the precursors of disruptors and innovators. It is pleasing to consider that the school remains a cradle of experimentation and engagement.

We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.

– T. S. Eliot, Little Gidding

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PHOTO: GRAHAM POWELL