THE SAINTFROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD > THE MAGAZINE OF ST. GEORGE’S SCHOOL | FALL 2015 1 THE FUTUREAFFIRMATION FOR “ONE BOY AT A TIME,” ST. GEORGE’S STRATEGIC PLAN 2011-2021 FALL 2015 > THE SAINT THE MAGAZINE OF ST. GEORGE’S SCHOOL MANAGING EDITOR SENIOR COPY EDITOR PHOTOGRAPHERS Jason Fearon Nancy Kudryk Richelle Akimow Photography 04 FROM THE HEADMASTER Head of Communications Chris Blackman PRESIDENT OF THE Marc Crompton GEORGIANS EDITOR GEORGIANS AND Bruce Elbeblawy FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD Chris Blackman THE ST. GEORGE’S 05 Bob Frid Head of Georgian Relations OLD BOYS’ ASSOCIATION J. Alistair Palmer ’71 Bruce Jackson '78 GRAPHIC DESIGNER > SAINTS’ life Bruce Elbeblawy 06 2015 IBSC CONFERENCE 10 SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM > CONTENTS 16 INVESTMENT CLUB 20 ONE CAMPAIGN UPDATE > COVER STory 26 STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE > THE GEORGIANS 32 THE PRESIDENT 33 GEORGIAN RELATIONS SAINTS’ LIFE COVER STORY 34 RUGBY WORLD CUP 06 2015 IBSC Conference 26 Strategic Plan Update 38 IN MEMORIUM: DOUGAL FRASER 42 GEORGIANS’ PHOTO ALBUM 48 SAINTS’ NOTES INVESTMENT CLUB GEORGIANS’ PHOTO ALBUM 16 Learn, Invest, Give 42 All the Events! THE SAINT is published twice per year, expressly for Georgians, parents, and friends of St. George’s School. It is also distributed to other Canadian independent schools and selected public or private institutions. Comments about any of the articles are always welcome. Address all correspondence to: Jason Fearon, Managing Editor, THE SAINT | St. George’s School | 3851 West 29th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6S 1T6 CANADA Phone: 604-221-3891 Fax: 604-224-7066 Email: [email protected] THE SAINT is copyright © 2015 St. George’s School, Vancouver BC Canada. Reproduction rights: We encourage you to circulate or copy this material unmodified for your own private use. You may quote any article or portion of article with attribution. Quotation of any article or portion of article without attribution is prohibited. THE SAINT, its contents, or material may not be sold, intact or modified, nor included in any package or product offered for sale. Please contact our office to be added to the mailing list. ST. GEORGE’S SCHOOL IS PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH: Publications mail agreement no. 40580507. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: St. George’s School Society | 3851 West 29th Avenue, Vancouver BC V6S 1T6 Preparations for the annual St. George’s School Hamper Drive have already begun! Donations of perishable and non- perishable food items and toys will be collected over the next several weeks, until volunteers gather on the first Saturday of the Winter Break (December 19, 2015) to finish THE SPIRIT packing and then deliver the hampers. We will gratefully accept all offers, no matter what quantity. If you are able to support this worthy cause, please contact Ms. Betty Lo by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 604-221-3889 (direct line). We are able to accept donations beginning the week of December 8 OF GIVING for non-perishable goods, and as close to December 19 as possible for any perishable items. If you wish to contribute financially, please forward your donation (in the form of a cheque payable to St. George’s School – Hamper Drive) to the attention of Ms. Adrienne HAMPER DELIVERY DAY THIS YEAR IS Davidson, Director of Advancement at St. George’s School, TH or visit the School’s website to donate online. We will issue SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19 , 2015 a tax receipt for all gifts in excess of $25. THANK YOU FOR HELPING US TO BRING HOLIDAY CHEER TO 250 FAMILIES IN THE VANCOUVER AREA THIS YEAR. > FROM THE HEADMASTER UNDERSTANDING THE 21ST CENTURY LEARNER In mid-October, I travelled to Halifax to participate in the annual Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) Heads and Chairs Conference. Focusing on the changing educational landscape, the Conference’s overarching theme was “Understanding the 21st Century Learner: What They Need from Us.” In addition to several outstanding keynote speakers, including a skyped-in Howard Gardner from Harvard’s Project Zero, the Conference featured a variety of engaging and informative workshops and presentations. As I made my way back to Vancouver, two sessions, in particular, resonated with me. The first was a panel consisting of four university presidents who emphasized the importance of preparing young people for a complex and rapidly changing world that is all but impossible to envisage. Another workshop focused on CAIS’s “2051 Project: The Future of Education Incubator.” Along with emphasizing the importance of sustainable economic and business models, the session compelled us to think about academic innovation and how best to prepare our students to become tomorrow’s leaders. This issue of The Saint highlights a number of exciting new initiatives that align with the ideas explored at the CAIS Conference. A recalibrated Strategic Plan and Mission statement are presented within the context of ongoing school renewal. Additional information is provided on the ONE Campaign, highlighting the link between new facilities and our boy-centred approach to teaching and learning. Our new Director of Learning, Sam Johnston, elaborates on a wide range of initiatives, ranging from the integration of technology in order to leverage student learning through to our more 4 strategic approach to professional development. An update is also provided on the International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC) Conference that we are hosting in late June of 2016. Underlying all of these undertakings is our commitment to boy-centred, 21st century learning. Our target is to ensure that every St. George’s boy is known and loved, is actively engaged, both inside and outside of the classroom, and is achieving to his fullest potential. That requires engaging programs and approaches that are founded on a solid understanding of boys and the needs of the 21st century learner. It’s an ongoing process, breathing life into our Mission of “Building Fine Young Men. One Boy at a Time” and advancing our Vison of becoming “Canada’s World School for Boys.” In my view, to do anything less would be to let down our students, as well as the promise of this great School. DR. TOM MATTHEWS HEADMASTER > THE SAINT FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD > A FINAL REFLECTION AND PARTING WORDS This will be my final missive as Chair of the Board of the St. George’s School Society, and I am very proud of what we have accomplished over the past three years. We are in the middle years of our 10-year Strategic Plan, and much progress has been made. The “one boy at a time” part of our Mission is now embedded in our school culture, with concentrated efforts to meet each student’s needs through differentiated learning plans and new programs like Connect 10 and the revamped Grade 8 cohort. While holding on to the best of our traditions, our faculty really has improved, and continues to improve, the educational experience for our boys. This exciting educational growth highlighted the need to renew our teaching spaces, and while progress may seem slow, I believe the final product will be all the better for our careful deliberation over what physical plant we will build for the next century. Some might think that dreaming of a 100-year building is pie in the sky; we here at Saints know it is a real possibility since we already have a 100-year-old building which, with some alterations, we believe to be good for yet another hundred! We have also seen real progress as we’ve brought the ONE Campaign into its public phase. Now halfway to our first $40 million goal, I continue to be so grateful to everyone who has caught the vision, loves the School, and is willing to participate by donating. We know the very best schools in the world have great leadership, great faculty, great students, 5 great facilities, and a great culture of giving back. It is these final two pieces we are working on now. I thank Dr. Matthews for his leadership. I am extremely grateful to him for his wisdom and vision in leading the School in a process of constant improvement. I’d also like to thank our exceptional faculty. Their modeling of a mindset of reflection, curiosity, and continual growth provides a wonderful example for our boys throughout their lives. I also thank my colleagues on the Board; it has been a privilege to serve with you. Your work on the Board and its various committees, retreats, and other sessions is remarkable. Together, we take our job of oversight very seriously, and I am deeply grateful to you for your time, wisdom, common sense, and all-encompassing support of the School. I am proud to have been a part of the modernizing of the Board structure—it has been a long and thorough discussion, and I believe the more contemporary, leaner structure will promote more engaged governance of the School going forward. While I leave this position and this Board I’m not gone yet! I renew my commitment to you that I will meet with every family in the School to seek support for the ONE Campaign. I truly believe this is the most important effort we are undertaking now, and I will continue to work to raise the funds until it is done. MRS. LESLEY BENTLEY CHAIR, BOARD OF DIRECTORS FALL 2015 > AROUND THE SCHOOL SAINTS’ LIFE NEWS, EVENTS, AND STORIES. In June 2016, St. George’s School will host the annual IBSC Conference and welcome approximately 800 delegates representing leading boys’ schools in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States to our campus and our city.