Torch - Fall 2017

School Profile

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“ Havergal has prepared me for everything that’s to come. It’s shaped me into who I am. not always fine, and that’s okay, too,” she says. “I get in my head a lot, but I have amazing friends and teachers here who always make me feel supported.” “The measure of a good life is who you have around you,” Rozenberg says. “And in that way, I’ve been so lucky.” Offering this type of support to the younger students at Havergal seems to come naturally to Rozenberg. “I especially love talking with the Grade 7s,” she says. Now that she’s in Grade 12, she wants to focus on helping students just starting at the Upper School to feel connected and part of the community. Having recently returned from a three-day overnight camp excursion at Kilcoo, where she had the chance to join the Grade 7 class, she says she now feels like they’re all best friends. Connecting older students with younger students is another one of Rozenberg’s mandates as School Captain. She wants to give back some of what Havergal has given to her. After 14 years at the school, she feels like she’s really part of an invaluable community. “I’m scared to grow up, but it’s also really exciting,” she says. “Havergal has prepared me for everything that’s to come. It’s shaped me into who I am.” From teachers who have pushed her thinking and inspired her to be a better writer and communicator, to exchange opportunities that allowed her to spend time in Australia and host an exchange partner here, to extracurricular activities such as a Water Awareness Project in Grade 6 as part of the Forum for Change, Rozenberg’s Havergal experiences have been enriching and life-changing. As she prepares to embark on the next chapter of her life, university and then beyond, Rozenberg has some profound words of wisdom for those who still have years of Havergal ahead of them: “Go into things with as much spirit and openness as possible. Know that it’s not always going to be easy, that you will be challenged and pushed,” she says. “Embrace those challenges, but don’t be afraid to ask for help. Use your voice and be as brave as you can.”

A lex Rozenberg may only be 17, but when she says she wants to change the world, it’s hard not to believe her. Full of passion and obvious inner strength, Havergal’s 2017–18 School Captain is very clear on how she wants to lead the student body this year. “I plan to lead with empathy,” she says. “I want to help create an open and welcoming community, where every student can see a place for herself and everyone feels like her voice is heard.” Over the past few years, Rozenberg has been working on finding her own voice. While she says speaking in public makes her feel a little nervous, she’s found Drama class to be instrumental in helping her overcome these fears. “Drama has helped me a lot as a person,” she says. “I’m pretty shy, but when I’m playing a different character I feel more confident.” Her most memorable drama experience to date was participating in The Laramie Project , which was staged last year in partnership with Crescent School. Based on the true story of a gay student in Laramie, Wyoming, who was murdered in 1998 because of his sexuality, the play had a significant impact on Rozenberg. “During the Upper School Prayers after the play, we discussed the lessons that came from it,” she recalls. In particular, the group referenced an Elie Wiesel quote—“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference,”—and what standing up to hate actually means. “You have to use your voice when you have the chance,” Rozenberg says. “We can’t be indifferent.” When she’s speaking in public as herself, and not as a character in a play, Rozenberg has found power in honesty and transparency. At the start of this school year, she faced her fears head-on when she spoke in Prayers about her own struggles with mental illness. “When you want to see something happen, you sometimes have to be the person to come right out and say it,” she explains. “I want to create a culture of inclusivity, where people can have open conversations and be okay with who they are.” Wise beyond her years, Rozenberg recognizes that we’re all on a journey, and that life isn’t always meant to be easy. “Everything is

TABLE OF CONTENTS | FALL 2017 • TORCH 9