Torch - Spring 2016

Heads’ Message

Start from Here: Navigating the World with Havergal Values Leslie Anne Dexter and Michael Simmonds

C onsider these scenes: a referee misses a call in the last minute of a championship game and the opposition scores the winning goal; a group of students disagrees about how to proceed with an upcoming presentation; a student speaks at Prayers and “comes out” in front of her peers in the Upper School; a girl shares a secret with a friend who then tells another girl. Every day, Havergal students make decisions about how they will, or will not, act in relation to the events that inform their day. Those decisions are a product of their values—the moral compass students use to find their way when faced with upset, confusion or uncertainty. And while instilling values in young people is primarily the work of parents, developing our girls’ capacity to make good decisions is also a core responsibility of Havergal. No one can provide a foolproof formula for making the right choice every time, but we can offer each girl a foundation on which she can build her personal value system in moments of ambiguity that present for every student at every grade. With our new strategic plan, Havergal 2020: Our Vision is Limitless , the core values that have driven the school for more than 120 years found their clearest expression to date: integrity, inquiry, compassion and courage. Developed through extensive consultation, these four qualities provide our community with a constant frame of reference. Attend any public event or meeting and you will hear us refer to these values because Havergal is committed to making them front and centre. But how exactly do we ensure that these four points of the compass actually direct the daily life of the school and are not just listed in the strategic plan or in an issue of the Torch ? We practise them by living them. At Havergal, actions speak louder than words. Gone are the days when school leaders dictate values from podiums and leave students to sort out the details. This is the era of engagement, and our role in the lives of children is complex, nuanced and ongoing. More than ever, adults are actively involved and reach out across the great technological divide that makes the education of today’s generation so different from our own.

10  HAVERGAL COLLEGE