Torch - Spring/Summer 2019

Havergal 125

A Year of Celebrations for Havergal’s 125th Anniversary

By Catharine Heddle 1989

Mother-daughter duo 2019 Class Rep Catherine Thomas and Old Girl Pauline Chan 1983 at Legacy Prayers.

mothers (24 families in all), were invited to breakfast in the Ellen Knox Library before Prayers, making it a memorable morning for these legacy families. “Many in the room were surprised to learn that Celebration Saturday wasn’t always on a Saturday and had relatively humble beginnings,” says Senior Alumnae Officer Helena Follows. “But more importantly, this 125th anniversary Legacy Prayers connected the events of today back to a tradition that started long ago. The school community truly appreciates the effort that the 2019 Class Reps put into organizing this special morning.” Though the official Havergal 125 kickoff was in January, preparations began long before that. For several years, former teacher and parent Jean Sheppard—Old Girls from the classes of 1986 to 2012 will remember her English and Drama classes—has been researching material to write an e-book addendum to Mary Byers’ beautiful Havergal: Celebrating a Century , published in 1994. The e-book traces the last 25 years of Havergal’s history and is written in a way that will spark fond memories for those who were part of it. “The book traces the development of an institution,” says Sheppard. “It explores the web of relationships and the pedagogical principles that guide the teachers, impact the students and make the school what it is.” The book’s electronic format will have linked audio and text files of student and teacher voices and writing. One section asks former teachers to recall their favourite lessons, while other sections explore the facilities and grounds, school culture and the nature of teaching and learning at the school. Watch for its release this coming fall.

Roy Thomson Hall was bursting with Havergal spirit a few weeks ago, as more than 2,000 members of the school community gathered for an evening of music, dance and drama. It was a special celebration to mark the school’s 125th milestone anniversary. The Havergal 125 celebrations kicked off on January 18, 2019, with a special Legacy Prayers, an event that connects current students with the school’s history and our Old Girls. The 2019 Class Reps Catherine Thomas, Ana Langford and Quinn Danniels planned, prepared and presented a history of Celebration Saturday for Legacy Prayers. Research in preparation for their presentation led our 2019 Class Reps to the Resource Centre, the Havergal Archives and their own kitchen tables; two of the three girls have mothers who are Old Girls. The trio discovered that Celebration Saturday originated in the 1930s as the Havergal Bazaar, a modest sale that took place on a school-day afternoon in what’s now known as Brenda Robson Hall. The bazaar sold items made by parents and teachers to raise money for the United Way. Cookiegrams were then, and remain, a highlight of the event. In recent decades, Celebration Saturday has grown into a fundraising extravaganza that takes over the entire school and features everything from bouncy castles to puppy petting. Each year, it raises nearly $60,000 for local charitable organizations such as ArtCity, Best Buddies, jack.org, New Circles and others. It was an unusual twist at Legacy Prayers: the whole school was given special permission to bring their phones, so that they could participate in an interactive live poll. Thomas and her mother, Old Girl Pauline Chan 1983, performed a family favourite, Here Comes the Sun . The pair, along with other students and their Old Girl

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