Torch - Fall 2012

FACULTY

Understanding the Whole Girl? By Sarah Bruce

I optimistically embraced the school’s Strategic Plan, “A Culture of Capability 2009-2014,” and, in particular, the Whole Girl strategy. To me, the recognition of the Whole Girl means that as a school we purposefully monitor the progress and well-being of each girl’s body, mind and spirit. To fulfill this, we place a strong emphasis on providing a wide variety of opportunities for each girl to explore and discover what it is that brings her personal fulfillment. As well, we provide many opportunities for each girl to reach her full potential in her chosen pursuit. My perception of the term well-rounded also means that we help each student to balance the importance of all components of her well-being without sacrificing one of the other areas. In other words, the term Whole Girl entails helping each girl to feel whole. As the Strategic Plan came to life, I learned that this understanding of Whole Girl is not shared by all of members of our community. Some students interpret Whole Girl to mean that they must be good at everything. We learned from other girls that the Whole Girl strategy placed additional pressure on them to be perfect; to reach one’s potential and be well-rounded implied for them that they had to be the best at everything. With this in mind, this academic year we will be exploring with our students what Whole Girl and well-rounded means to them and what makes them feel whole. To help bring our mission of “preparing young women to make a difference” to life, the Strategic Plan articulates the school’s desire to develop each girl’s global capability

As these terms were not clearly understood by students, the Academic Leadership Team produced two new posters, which can be found around the school, that summarize global capability as “I can be effective anywhere, anytime and with anyone” and self-efficacy as “I believe I can engage, accomplish, contribute.” As we near the end of our current Strategic Plan, we continue to reflect upon our work, to evolve our learning and to celebrate our achievements. I hope parents will share in their daughters’ journey as they build their sense and understanding of wholeness, self-efficacy and global capability.

Sarah Bruce, Head of Upper School

I believe I can... engage. accomplish. contribute.

I can be effective anywhere, anytime and with anyone.

and self-efficacy. These terms also took some exploring before the girls could see what matters—that it is their approach to life that is most important, as well as their belief in their own abilities and capabilities—and that there is neither a checklist for becoming globally capable and self-efficacious nor is there one way of doing something.

6 HAVERGAL COLLEGE