Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

SCHOOL LIFE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DAI LY L I FE

She also readily conceded that “[w]hile we do a thorough and caring evaluation, admissions is not an exact science … That is one of the beauties and challenges of education—and admissions—to trust and use not only the facts and test results, but also our own intuitive and practical experience to make decisions.”

Created almost 20 years ago, the Welcome Committee, as the school’s website explains, “is an active volunteer group of Grade 11 and 12 students who take prospective students on tours of the school, greet special guests, speak about the Havergal experience and the school community and serve as ambassadors for school functions.” The busiest day for members of the Welcome Committee is the annual Open House. Held every October, the Admission event gives prospective students and their family an opportunity to experience daily life at Havergal and interact with faculty, staff and students. However, as is often the case, it is a Havergal student who explains it best: After acceptance letters are mailed in February, each girl is invited back to experience more of student life. For older girls, there is “Behind the Ivy,” which offers them a chance to participate in a class while their parents or guardians learn more about the school. Later in the year, there is also a new girl lunch in the Upper School and “Coffee and Conversation” for Junior School parents and their daughters.

“Welcome In to Havergal” Torch , Winter 1998

The article titled “Welcome In to Havergal” in the Winter 1998 issue of Torch , sets out the details of the application process. In recent years, an extra step has been added: a “pre-interview.” The time spent with a girl at the very beginning of the process allows the director to engage in a conversation that will help the applicant better understand the school’s philosophy and program, so that she has a clearer sense of whether the school would be a good fit. As Havergal’s Executive Director of Strategic Enrolment Management, Maggie Houston-White is tasked with explaining to those who apply to the school all that it has to offer. Her words, quoted in Torch  in fall 2014, suggest that it is an easy case to make:  Havergal is more than a school. It’s a community where relationships are formed—between classmates, teachers, Old Girls and parents—that last a lifetime. As a world- class school for girls, we nurture, support and challenge each student to be her best self. At Havergal, it’s the extraordinary moments that happen every day that make our school such a special place. 

Making a Lasting Impression, the Havergal Way Torch , Spring 2014 “The most important part of our job in the Office of Admission is to ensure that every family feels respected and valued during the admission process, from initial contact through to an offer of admission.” —Maggie Houston-White, Executive Director of Strategic Enrolment Management

Admissions at Havergal Maggie Houston-White, Executive Director of Strategic Enrolment Management

“Open House Deconstructed” BTI , December 2014

Admission Events

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