Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

over 50 teams in 22 different sports, from basketball to cycling, fitness training, karate and rugby. Our phys ed programs cover a wide range of physical activity to appeal to every girl’s interests—from rock-climbing and rollerblading to cross-country running and field hockey. Our health education encompasses nutrition, [a] healthy lifestyle and the lifelong benefits of physical fitness… At the beginning of the new millennium, however, the school’s athletic facilities, according to “Athletics at Havergal” in the Fall 2002 Torch , were not fully able to accommodate the program: The pool is frequently under repair, and storage space for equipment, change facilities and administrative facilities are woefully inadequate. The single gym does not enable Havergal to host indoor tournaments, and team practices requiring indoor facilities are limited to two per week. The fitness centre is housed in an external portable, an environment that does not support the school’s emphasis on healthy, active living. The challenges arising from limited facilities were addressed by the capital campaign that the school launched in the early years of the new millennium. As Dr. Ditchburn stated in Setting the Pace: Healthy Bodies and Healthy Minds , the brochure for the capital campaign: At Havergal, sports and physical fitness play a critical role in the education that students receive. We encourage each girl to make a lifelong commitment to healthy, active living and learning. Our motto, “preparing young women to make a difference,” describes four areas of development that we feel are critical to a girl’s success as a leader in her chosen pursuits: intellectual, creative, spiritual and physical development. We believe that sports and physical fitness are integral to each student’s Havergal experience.

Capital campaign brochure: Setting the Pace: Healthy Bodies and Healthy Minds .

Setting the Pace: Healthy Bodies and Healthy Minds

The 1999 build was a tremendous undertaking and a tremendous success. It was not long, however, before Havergal was preparing itself for another build. The community was eager to support the school’s strong physical education program with a state-of-the art athletic centre. An article titled “Setting the Pace” that appeared in the 2003 Chronicle outlined the wide-ranging physical education and health program the school offered at the time. Havergal could boast:

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