Chronicle 2019

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

LONGEVITY

TONY DICOSMO, CFRE Executive Director, Advancement and Community Relations

Birthdays and anniversaries are typically a time of joy and celebration, a time for reflection and a time for looking forward to what is yet to come. Throughout 2019 – our 125th anniversary year – we have been engaging in these very activities as a school and as a broader community. One of the defining moments of this year of celebration and reflection, from my point of view, was the debut of Past, Present and Future at Roy Thomson Hall on May 3rd. What is remarkable about this piece of music is that it captures the thoughts, feelings and desires of our students as they relate to our school, Havergal College, and how deeply these align with our mission and values. Working with award-winning composer Marie-Claire Saindon, students chose the themes and imagery, generating words and lines for the lyrics and deciding on the musical elements that would create the mood of the various movements and the overall piece. The themes, I believe, speak to why Havergal has enjoyed such longevity and why its value as a school has transcended time.

Each movement captures elements of the school that resonate with our students. Not coincidentally, they link back to the most enduring aspects of Havergal College: our mission to prepare young women to make a difference (“From the Dark”); the strong, far-reaching community linked through our values of courage, integrity, compassion and inquiry (“The Towering Panes”); and the focus on working with each girl to find her unique path (“Wake the Embers”). If you were not able to join us on May 3rd, I encourage you to listen to the debut performance of this wonderfully meaningful piece of music on Facebook. I hope that as Old Girls, these values still guide you. In fact, I know they do. Each time you gather for a reunion or event, your connection to one another and to Havergal is palpable. Your accomplishments, regardless of the path you have chosen, show that you have answered the question Ellen Knox put to her students back in 1894: “What are you going to do?”

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PHOTOS: GRAHAM POWELL