Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

Stewardship at Havergal

The delight in nature inherent in Havergal’s first tradition, “school in a tree,” runs through its history. For example, Havergal: Celebrating a Century tells us that: graduates of Havergal-on-the-Hill [which sat on property purchased in 1911 at Yonge and St. Clair] recall the school … with great affection: the picket fence that ran along the front of the house in the winter … and the little woodlot to the east with its bloodroot, violets, trilliums, and hepaticas. There were apple and cherry trees in the orchard and oaks, maples, birches, and ash on the four-acre grounds. 16 In the years following the purchase of the farmland where the school now sits, the spacious grounds with their carefully tilled gardens and lush woodlands seemed to promise an eternity of bounty and beauty. Toward the end of the century, however, after works like Silent Spring by Rachel Carson raised concerns about the toll “progress” was exacting from the natural world, Havergal began to view its stewardship of the land with fresh eyes. The year 1991 saw the creation of a blueprint for the restoration of the woodlands, but attention turned to them in earnest when, in 1992, a Havergal student, Lisa Hardie, died tragically in Costa Rica. Lisa had loved the outdoors and was a staunch advocate of the newly created Environment Club. To honour Lisa, the Hardie family and, in particular, Lisa’s mother, Nell Hardie, worked with the Environment Club to revitalize the ravine running through the campus, and members of the Havergal community— students, staff, Old Girls and parents—were eager to tend to the school’s outdoor spaces. Given that enthusiastic response, it is not surprising that everyone delighted in the results.

A Walk in the Lisa Hardie Trail Kneesocks, 2013 “We went for a walk in the Lisa Hardie trail. I heard all different kinds of birds, chirping so beautifully to each other. It made me want to sing with them. Then I saw leaves falling from the tree. They were twirling around slowly and peacefully as they landed on the ground. All over there were lots of colourful leaves crunching under my feet. The leaves were lots of different colours: red, yellow, orange and brown. Suddenly, I heard the wind rustling the leaves on the tree, blowing them all over the place. The Lisa Hardie Trail is so beautiful.” —Avery Nadalini, Grade 3

“The Lisa Hardie Woodland” Torch , Winter 1997

58  HAVERGAL COLLEGE