Pickering College Pillars
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PICKERING COLLEGE SUMMER 2012 thePILLARS CONNECTIONS 2 table of contents Head Shots 4 Art and Creativity: Isabelle Payne 6 Excerpts John Meisel’s Tale 8 A Forty-year Friendship: Shully and Lee 12 Student Life 14 Athletics 20 Residence Life 22 Rise to the Challenge: PC’s Strategic Plan 24 Catching Up with Rosie Ma 28 A special gift from Charles Boyd 29 Reunion Weekend 30 Alumni Reunions 33 Alumni News 34 Passings 35 PCA News 36 Staff Appreciation Week 38 Three Cheers for Our Talented PC Volunteers 40 Upcoming Events 42 Annual Fund 43 "Dangerous Light", oil on canvas by Shannon Cumiskey, Grade 12 Winner in the Town of Newmarket Arts Awards 3 Head Shots 4 Early in my career as Headmaster I came across a little printed booklet that had been left behind in my office entitled “Pickering Lore”. In it were poems and readings and stories, some with which I was already famil- iar; others that obviously had a long history and deep meaning for previous generations of Pickering College students and staff but that had been silent for many years. From time to time I like to re-introduce them into my Morning Meeting talks, because I believe the message they carry is eternal. One of them is attributed to an anonymous author and it is called either “My Joy In Life” or “The Turning of the Road.” It is my joy in life to find And since I have no gold to give, At every turning of the road, And love alone must make amends The strong arm of a comrade kind My only prayer is, while I live, To help me onward with my load. God, make me worthy of my friends. This issue of The Pillars is entitled “Connections” and what makes the poem above “eternal” to me is that it addresses the importance of the connections that we make at Pickering College. For it speaks to our aspirations as a school to build character and how that character is formed by the relationships we have with the people who make up our school community. Let us make no mistake about it: school is a social endeavour. In education we seek, ultimately, understanding. For with understanding comes acceptance, tolerance, compassion, empathy and kindness – all those qualities that help us to build a better world. Although we live in the “information age”, it is useless (and at times quite dangerous) to have access to so much information without transforming it to understanding. That is what hap- pens through connections. That is what happens in school when we have people with different perspectives and insights who can open our eyes and hearts to understanding. We each encounter special people in our lives, people from whom we take a little something – some wisdom, some encouragement, some inspiration, some strength. Teachers, students, friends come into our lives for a short time, enlighten us and then, all too quickly, leave to pursue their hopes and ambitions. If we are really lucky, that which they have shared with us becomes a part of us. If we are truly worthy of them, it lives within us and gives greater meaning to all that we are and do. Thus, our lives are filled with the comings and goings of friends, acquaintances, relatives, significant others, strangers. Whatever we do, we do better by being in the presence of those around us who can inspire us or challenge us or question us or acknowledge us or lift our spirits. That is what defines the Pickering College experience. Perhaps, more than anything, taking all of this in, learning from it and becoming a better person is the lesson we can learn at school. Although it may only be a short time in our lives, the connections we make - the relationships we build – while at Pickering College can become the foundation on which we build our lives successfully. Peter C. Sturrup, Headmaster 5 ARTAND CREATIVITY INTERTWINED IN GRADUATE’S LIFE ISABELLE PAYNE’S PATH SINCE graduat- overwhelming,” compared with her previ- impact that teacher George Keltika had on ing from PC in 1998 has taken her half ous Christian day school. Almost 15 years her future direction. way round the world. She has studied in later, her reflections reveal a different reac- Kingston, Ontario, Glasgow, Scotland and tion. “Pickering College opened my eyes Isabelle describes herself as someone who Vancouver, British Columbia, and lived to the world. It exposed me to different is creative, rather than artistic. Mr. Keltika and worked in Ontario’s Simcoe County. cultures, different ideas and different ways recognized this and “met me where I was Along the way, she “learned and earned” of being.” at,” she says. “Like many of the teachers a university degree in history, a teaching at Pickering, I felt he was really invested in degree, an honours bachelor of social wanting me to succeed.” work and an art therapy diploma. “Pickering College opened my eyes to Moreover, succeed she has. After gradu- For this Newmarket native, that is a lot ating from PC, she studied history at of travel and adventure, exploring and the world. ” Queen’s University. History was actually exploiting (in the best way possible) her her second choice, with social work being talents. Meeting people from around the world her first. Nevertheless, she did well at and forming close friendships with stu- Queen’s. With her BA completed, she was In some sense, the adventure began with dents Tomoko Onish ’98, Emily Measures not sure what she wanted to do. “I didn’t Isabelle’s first Grade 9 class at Pickering. ’98 and Melissa Skinner (née Winstanley) have any actual working experience. But She quickly discovered she was one of ’98, provided the glue that made attend- I knew I liked interacting with kids and only three girls in a class of 30. Initially, ing PC so integral to her life view. Another youth from being a summer camp coun- she found the school’s atmosphere “really key ingredient was art and the significant selor.” 6 Enrolling in teachers’ college made sense through Lakehead University’s campus in emotions.” As an art therapist, she likes to to her. Even though she knew the odds Orillia. This academic milestone brought let members of her group make messes. might not be in her favour (with an appli- her closer to the realization of what she “I love a mess. When there’s a mess in cant pool of 400), she applied for teacher truly feels is her calling: art and helping the studio, I know people are letting go. training at the University of Glasgow. others. Letting go is good.” Success was hers once again. “Only 10 applicants were interviewed here in “Everything just clicked for me,” is how Art therapists provide the space and the Toronto and I was one of only six chosen.” Isabelle describes her 15-month studies materials—everything from finger-paints According to Isabelle, landing the spot at the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute. to plasticine to clay pots—to engage peo- was based less on academics and more She excelled academically in the fulltime ple into expressing emotions. In some sit- on the impression she created during the diploma program and particularly enjoyed uations, the inhibited express themselves interview. her practicum at Coast Mental Health, a eloquently through a painting because non-profit organization, where she cur- they cannot put into words what they She loved Glasgow and many aspects of rently works. While her primary role is as are feeling. Or, a distraught person calms her teacher training, particularly curricu- an employment counselor, she leads an art down by sketching their emotions in a lum development. “I was a good fit for therapy group on Friday afternoons. series of images. To encourage this result, “Art therapy is a dream job for me. ” Isabelle avoids taking an overly direc- tive approach. She normally follows the mantra of “let’s make some art” and the conversation, listening and therapy natu- teaching. I liked watching kids run with Described as a powerful alternative to talk rally follow. an idea. In my own learning, I like the therapy, the link between the unconscious problem-solution method and developing and the imagination is palpable in an art In her spare time, she expresses her feel- learning outcomes and seeing my kids therapy group. “...creativity’s importance ings through what she calls “art with achieve them was really satisfying.” to psychic balance is through metaphor. found objects.” She likes to gather drift- Imagine that creativity keeps the psyche wood in the shape of bird’s heads and Making her way back to Canada in 2003, moving. If the water gets damned up, or paint it, or take old windows, sand them she completed a year of occasional teach- goes unused, it loses its capacity to flow down and paint them. She has even cre- ing. Then, she secured a position with freely, and then its vital energy gets stag- ated a useful container for her earrings by a small private Simcoe County school nant and swampy. Over time, the unused sanding down and painting an old muffin located on 100-acre farm. One aspect water sinks deeper into the unconscious. tin robin’s egg blue. of the job she found most gratifying was When artists work, they draw on this counseling students. However, she just underground water through the creative For now, her life’s journey finds her in a could not imagine herself teaching for act.” So writes Daria Halprin in Expressing comfortable, comforting place.