Torch - Spring/Summer 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Principal’s Message

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Our students do not fit into a future world, they create the future world.

—Professor Yong Zhao

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Focusing on the Human Experience How Havergal is Preparing Students for the Future

By Catherine Misson

I often wonder about the need to emphasize preparing young people for the future—by the very definition of their youth, they are growing into their future. As an educator with more than 30 years of experience, it strikes me that we are in an era where the future conjures anxious anticipation, rather than an optimism of opportunity. Wisdom suggests the future must be embraced. For hope to be the defining disposition of our youth, it requires an education that highlights the human capacity to thrive despite ambiguity, uncertainty and challenge. From Aristotle to Einstein, the greatest thinkers have always underscored the unique ability of the human species to creatively navigate their generational context. They have championed the understanding that we define our opportunities, either surrendering our future through complacency and conflict or advancing our future through ingenuity and co-operation. This notion was put to the test during this year’s COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the mass closing of public spaces, and people retreating into physical isolation for the greater good of all. The unprecedented global disruption affirms my belief in nurturing the creative and expansive potential of our students through an optimistic vision. Havergal has provided girls with an education for more than 125 years, with the aspiration of equipping them with the values, skills and dispositions that enable them to confidently jump into their many life contexts. Our liberal arts curriculum provides us with the opportunity to offer a breadth of learning experiences that empower our students to flex toward the future, no matter what we

might anticipate it requires. We look forward with confidence that our heritage provides sound foundations to prepare future-ready graduates. I have been working closely with faculty to imagine the next chapter of strategic leadership. Our north star is the optimal vision for our Havergal graduates. This will be the cornerstone of our Strategic Direction 2020 , which will be published in September 2020. Our vision is a response to the best research on tertiary trends, future careers, wellbeing, cognitive psychology, digital culture and character education. Each of these domains is multi-layered, offering rich provocations for the evolution of Havergal College as the leading school for girls in Canada. Essentially, we will focus on the human experience and not be distracted by narratives about technology, artificial intelligence, redundancies of jobs and the uncertainty of everything. Our graduates will be the influencers whom all versions of the future need: able to connect, confident despite shifting norms, committed to a better future for everyone—with optimistic mindsets. At a time when we strongly need human ingenuity to advance solutions to complex issues, we will also dedicate space and time to relationships and community building. Our Strategic Direction 2020 will illuminate our understanding that no matter the challenge, when humans sincerely connect, build bridges of intentional embrace, accept fragility as a source of growth and dive into complexity, we enlarge our common future, a future we should welcome, a future in which our graduates will be influencers, leaders and trailblazers.

SPRING/SUMMER 2020 • TORCH 3