Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

OVERVIEW

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SYMBOLS

The school flower, the marguerite daisy.

It is serendipitous that “Havergal” in Old English means a rushing stream or gill, the latter a term for a ravine. Given that the school has both a stream and a ravine and that the school is today an eager participant in the Burke Brook revitalization project, the choice of its name now seems inspired. “The Song of a Summer Stream” (Frances Ridley Havergal): Prelude to Havergal’s “Ministry of Song,” 1870 Oh, be my verse a hidden stream, which silently may flow Where drooping leaf and thirsty flower in lonely valleys grow; And often by its shady course to pilgrim hearts be brought The quiet and refreshment of an upward-pointing thought.

The School Flower

The marguerite has been the school flower since the earliest days. As Havergal: Celebrating a Century tells us, it was “chosen because it grew so cheerily wherever its luck found it, and because it looked up so steadily at the light that its heart was pierced with purest gold, its petal the purest white.” 18 The marguerite is still a lovely reminder of the value of resilience, and it adds a fresh and simple beauty to many celebrations in the school. It plays a special role at Graduation, when each student bears the flower as she takes her seat in front of family members and friends come to witness the transition from student to Old Girl.

Marguerites at Graduation

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