Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

OVERVIEW

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STRATEGIC PLANS

began with an exploration of the following assertion by Donald Arnstine in his 1995 book, Democracy and the Arts of Schooling : Ideals keep us going when the world seems oppressive and unrewarding. They embody our values, our hopes, our deepest beliefs. Specific enough to aim at, ideals are broad enough to allow some freedom of action. While often personal, ideals can be shared with others because their breadth has room for disagreement about the actions they imply. In this way ideals unite people in common efforts without dictating what their behavior must be. The open- endedness of ideals makes it possible to share them, and thus make possible distinctively human communities. 10 The Curriculum Framework that emerged from the discussions also drew on earlier school documents, including the 1991 Mission Statement and the 1999 Havergal Statement. The framework sets out the college’s values as a set of ideals and key themes “that is a declaration of who we are and what we are striving to become as a school for girls and young women.” As such, it also identifies ways in which we can live those values and highlights the qualities of “responsible leadership.” A significant change in vocabulary also suggested a change in perspective. The word “co-curricular” replaced the commonly used term “extracurricular,” an acknowledgment of the significance of teaching and learning experiences beyond the academic classroom. Given that the ideals and key themes of the Curriculum Framework provided the school as a whole with a lens through which to assess change, it was not long before the document was renamed the Havergal Framework. One other very significant objective outlined in the strategic directions document was a new athletics wing that would be fully operational within five years. The capital campaign Setting the Pace: Healthy Bodies and Healthy Minds realized its goals, and the result was an athletic centre that ensures that Havergal “will

remain on the forefront of excellence in young women’s education.” Strategic Directions 2000–2003 was ambitious in scope, but it reflected a sense of responsibility for the goals it set out, with a method of monitoring the school’s progress. The Strategic Report Card was to provide an annual assessment, both qualitative and quantitative, of the school’s success in realizing its goals.

Curriculum Framework Exceptional schools are guided and fortified by inspiring values. The values included in Havergal’s Curriculum Framework not only give direction to all our work, but also identify us as a community which strives for excellence, a community that incorporates the most promising of the new while building on the richness of the past. The framework articulates our values as a set of ideals and key themes, which constitute a declaration of who we are and what we are striving to become as a school for girls and young women: I magination D iversity E xcellence A ltruism L eadership S piritual Life

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