Torch - Spring/Summer 2020

Message from the Heads of Schools

This year’s Forum for Change Prefect speaks at Prayers about what motivates her to get involved in positive change in the world.

Voice and Choice From our youngest learners through to our graduating year girls, we encourage students to share their perspectives and develop self- direction. We always want our girls to say what’s on their mind— even (or especially) when their thoughts may be uncomfortable to themselves or others. As a result, girls learn that what they think and say have the potential to shape their world. What does it look like when girls use their voices? It looks like student-directed initiatives, like when two Grade 4 girls expressed concern about garbage in the Kindergarten yard and then launched into problem-solving mode with the younger girls to find a solution. Or when a group of Grade 5 girls designed a new system to ensure all equipment used at recess is put away properly. Or when the Junior Dons in Boarding created social opportunities or promoted wellness workshops with the help of their peers. In all cases, these girls understand that agency begins with their voice. On the school side, it is our responsibility to be agile and responsive to their desire to make good things happen. Respecting students’ perspectives also means allowing for choice in their learning and development. In order for girls to become skilled

at influencing the world, they must first be able to influence their own lives. This begins as early as Kindergarten, when girls are asked to choose from one of five learning areas at the beginning of their day. With their teachers as guides when needed, these children learn how to make good decisions through practice. In the Middle School, girls have more freedom before school, during lunch and after school, which means more opportunities to practise good judgment and understand responsible decision making. Our Boarders learn how to make good choices during their evening study period, which is self-directed, and also later in the evening and on weekends, when they have the freedom to decide how to use their time. Throughout the whole school, girls make increasingly independent choices about their co-curricular clubs and activities, deciding what to pursue and how to balance their commitments. By Grade 11 and 12, their education plan is also largely self-directed, as students customize their course options to meet their personal goals. If interested, these senior girls may also complete the AP Capstone program, comprising one year of AP Seminar and one year of AP Research focused on a real-world issue of their choosing. Making responsible decisions is an agency booster and an important part of a Havergal education.

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