Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

OVERVIEW

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FACI L I T I ES AND GROUNDS

Havergal Woodlands At the end of the 2008–09 academic year, Havergal thrilled to the publication of Havergal Woodlands . The impressive book measures just over 18 inches by 12 inches, an appropriate size given the majesty of its subject. Containing images created by art students in the Upper School, the book was developed under the guidance of art teacher Trish Osler. As she notes in the preface, the project “began, as seedlings do, with a beautiful day” when, inside the art studio, students and teachers alike felt the pull of the glorious fall weather and: chose a new classroom: in the woodlands and gardens of Havergal. And there young women spent many pleasant hours: breathing in the coming crispness, pondering the passage of time, and the shifting patterns of light, and the certainty with which the seasons are marked by the changing trees. So much of what we touch and see is connected to trees: our buildings, our furnishings, the paper through which we communicate and create, and here, as inspiration for artworks, they become a focal point. When we get right up close, trees gain a different status: the timelessness of an old oak, the majestic reach of a maple, the fragrance of cedar in winter and lilac in spring. And we respond. Through trees we can know those who have gone before us; those who have planted and cared for the forest on Havergal’s property, a legacy we enjoy today. We are using what we have learned to mindfully build on this legacy through initiatives like the Woodlands project (with its replanting of old local species), the Lisa Hardie Trail, and this book …

Havergal Woodlands, a book of the trees of Havergal Illustration by Catherine Wilson 2010.

The trees of Havergal: ancient and new, stalwart and sapling; the guardians of secrets and bonds, of fresh resolve and trusted friendships. They remain our kindly, sheltering sentinels, watching silently as Havergal students come, and grow, and move on into their future . 17

REFLECTIONS OF HAVERGAL  63