Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

Havergal students, a question Mrs. Davy raised in her message in the Spring 2015 Torch : What makes a great school? When we boil down our responses to this question, we are left with an idea of ethos or character. The set of values and principles that guide the aspiration of mission and the grandeur of vision all play their part in moulding character. These elements in turn are shaped by those who work, study and play in our community. Indeed, it is the character of those who cherish the school that models its spirit and beliefs. In a school like Havergal College … the character of those who have gone before lights the way for the present. Drawing on her experience with both strategic and master plans, Mrs. Davy has overseen the development of both in her short time at Havergal, each of which has generated great excitement. Havergal College: Our Vision is Limitless takes as its point of departure the core values of integrity, inquiry, compassion and courage. The Limitless capital campaign reflects the plan’s vision, with its focus on environmental sustainability and the arts and STEM programs. As Mrs. Davy explains on the Limitless Campaign website, “As Havergal College approaches its 125th anniversary, we have set out on a strategic journey that aims to give our girls the confidence to forge greater connections with their environment, their community, one another and their own true selves.” Mrs. Davy has every reason to be very satisfied with what the school has accomplished since she arrived, and members of the school community have every reason to greet the coming years with pride and confidence. As she wrote in her “Message from the Principal” in the Spring 2015 Torch , Building character’ is an old-fashioned phrase for something that Havergal College has always cherished and achieved. We talk today of the need for resilience; however, courage has always been a Havergalian attribute, and students have long realized that, to quote Sir Edmund Hillary, “It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.

“[O]ne … element that is particular to Havergal attracts attention: the ability to use humour in order to preserve a sense of perspective.”

—HELEN-KAY DAVY, TORCH, SPRING 2015

She next became the Headmistress of Cobham Hall, an independent girls’ day and boarding school in Kent and, in 2008, was appointed Headmistress of Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls in Wales. When interviewed for the BTI article that appears in the April 2014 issue, Mrs. Davy was asked about her very early impressions of the school: It was really lovely to visit Havergal. It is very difficult to single out a highlight as everyone was so welcoming, but here goes! The assemblies in both the Upper and Junior Schools take the prize: inclusive, fun, vivacious, serious, gracious and reverential. The music in both was memorable, and the community’s love of the school just shone. That sense of community struck a chord in Mrs. Davy because she sees meaningful relationships as crucial to the development of young hearts and minds. As she noted in her message in the 2015 Chronicle , “Sometimes friendships spring through empathy and familiarity, sometimes through teamwork and collaboration. But always—always—they come through sharing: sharing of time, likes and dislikes, possessions, experience and reciprocity.” These values are central to Mrs. Davy’s philosophy of education and they inform each decision she makes. Her focus on values also makes possible a straightforward response to the question never far from the minds of those charged with the welfare of

38  HAVERGAL COLLEGE