Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

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Open House Deconstructed BTI , December 2014 By Brooke Pardy

On October 28th of this year, more than 500 ties were pulled up, 500 blazers buttoned, 1,000 shoes tied and dozens of food trays made - all for what? Near the end of every October, Havergal hosts “Open House,” a day when hundreds of prospective families across Toronto and beyond can visit our school to get a better feel for what Havergal is all about and see what an average morning, as a student, is like. This year was no exception. Over 550 individuals came to Havergal on a warm, Tuesday morning to listen to speeches, be toured around the school by student ambassadors and eat yummy sandwiches and snacks that were made by the Food Services staff Open House is a familiar idea to most of us, due to our past experiences and numerous announcements in Prayers. But, do we real.ly know what happens behind the scenes during Open House? Who are these “student ambassadors” we’re always hearing about? What do they do and how did they get to do that? Why are they so vital to Open House? I recently met with two Student Ambassadors from Grade 10 and they helped me get to the bottom of these questions. First, I met with Kat Yeung, a Boarder from Hong Kong who came to Havergal in Grade 9. Kat’s experience as a Student Ambassador was “all very immediate.” She, along with about 30 other students in Grade 10, attended two meetings together, after receiving invitations from Ms. Rowe to be ambassadors. During these meetings, the Grade 10s who responded to the invitation learned how to be ambassadors by reading a package containing tons of information about Havergal that they could tell the prospective families during a tour. “It was a Jot of information,” Kat told me when I asked her about it. “But everything in the package was manageable.” For the actual touring part, Kat told me that her job was to bring families around the school, answer any of their questions and tell them what it’s like to be a student at Havergal. When I asked Kat what her touring experience was like, she told me that aside from a few uncomfortable moments of silence when no one on her tour said anything, it was a great experience, especially when she was able to give tours in Mandarin to parents who did not speak English.

Katerina Busuttil also came to Havergal in Grade 9 as a new girl. “I remember going on my tour during Open House,” Katerina told me when I asked her why she decided to volunteer as a Student Ambassador. “I remember looking up to the girl who gave the tour and thinking that I wanted to be like her. I also like sharing my love of HC with the world,” she added as an afterthought, laughing. In preparation for Open House, Katerina attended meetings and read through the package as well. What a lot of people might not know about being an ambassador is that there are specific instructions for where the tours should take place, what should be said (or not said, for that matter) and how the ambassadors should communicate with the prospective families. For example, tours should not be longer than 30 minutes, and during the tours the ambassadors should make eye contact with their group and answer their group’s questions directly (using the visitor’s names, of course). Additionally, the package they were given held information that we, as students, don’t always hear about. “Some of the stuff in there was surprising,” Katerina told me, when I asked her about it. Despite only getting to tour one family around the school, Katerina loved her experience “immensely” as a Student Ambassador and she looks forward to touring more people around the school in future years - and maybe even eventually becoming the Admissions Prefect, she told me with a wink. It is clear from Kat and Katerina’s account s of what happened on October 28 that Open House this year was a smashing success. Not only did things run smoothly, but the people behind the scenes, like the Student Ambassadors, also had a great time, which says a lot about the event. If the people “working” are having a good time, then imagine how much more of a good time the people attending must have had. In conclusion, I hope that these interviews have helped you deconstruct one of the aspects of Open House - Student Ambassadors - and given you a better understanding for what the event is all about. If you’re interested in being a Student Ambassador next year, then I would really encourage you to talk to any of the current ambassadors, like Kat and Katerina, about their experiences to learn more. Additionally, if you any other questions about Open House, please feel free to talk to Nicole Leung, the Admissions Prefect, or the Admissions office!

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