Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

his mother, so he could participate in programs that would help him flourish. Although Havergal’s annual bazaar always yielded a sizeable donation for the United Way, that year’s would be earmarked for that special purpose. The following spring, having raised $22,000, the school presented Shane and his mother with a 1995 Chrysler Plymouth Voyager. The school’s experience with “The Shane-a-thon” confirmed what was already understood: a deep appreciation of our shared humanity can galvanize us into meaningful action. The challenge for the school then was to be even more deliberate as it designed meaningful opportunities for students. In 1997, Havergal submitted its report to Canadian Educational Standards Institute (renamed Canadian Accredited Independent Schools in 2011). That report provided the following update on the community service program: The community service programme is an example of a voluntary programme. A structure has been set up under the auspices of the Community Prefect and a staff advisors which allows the Prefect to keep the students aware of all the events and options in this area. At the beginning of each year, the Community Prefect organizes a Community Service Information Day, which is attended by approximately 25 agencies in the area. Students from grades 9-11 spend forty minutes visiting the agency representatives and signing up as volunteers. Each form also elects a community service representative who attends regular meetings chaired by the Community Prefect to discuss new requests which have come in from agencies. The representatives relay this information to the forms and help to sign up volunteers for different projects. In this way the importance of community service is emphasized, and most students participate, all because they are ready to give generously to others and none because they must meet a requirement. That year was also the year that the Havergal Chair for Teaching and Learning was held by Barb Macintosh, a

“To make a difference in the world, we have to be able to be the first ones to reach out: to reach out in compassion; to reach out with courage; to reach out with expertise; to reach out in any way that we can.”

—BRENDA ROBSON, FORMER DEAN OF STUDENTS AND CURRENT STAFF MEMBER

septicemia, which led to the amputation of his feet, his left hand and the fingers of his right. It was soon obvious to his audience that young Shane was unfazed by the task of speaking to strangers in a packed assembly hall. Those who heard him were deeply touched by his courage, resilience and irrepressible good humour, and students clamoured for the chance to provide meaningful support to Shane and his mother. Soon after his visit, it was announced that Havergal’s fundraising efforts for the 1994–95 school year would have a very specific goal: acquiring a van for Shane and

124  HAVERGAL COLLEGE