WINTER 2015/16 • ST. MICHAELS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL School Hands-On Learning Stories of experiential education Higher Learning and LIFE Caitlin Farquharson ’10 reflects on the experiential pilot program Plugged In Dr. Curran Crawford ’96 on renewable energy and cutting-edge engineering 2015 Distinguished Alumnus The Honourable Michael Code ’67 discusses real-world problem solving How many different articles can you spot in this display created by archivist Brenda Waksel? CONTENTS 7 Indelible Lessons Bob Snowden on the incredible benefits of experiential learning. 8 School News Visual updates from Higher Learning and LIFE our bustling campus. School Ties takes a close look at the new cutting edge experiential program for all Grade 10 students . P . 18 16 To Learn, To Lead, To Serve A story of one of the seminal events in school history from Ian Mugridge’s newly published history of the school. 31 The Hyde-Lay/ Ibell Scholarship A remarkable gift pays tribute to a remarkable mentor. 42 Alumni Updates Alumni news from around the world. Alumni Weekend 2016 Field Guide Your guide to experiencing the best of our largest alumni event . P . 26 4 CREDITS School Ties is distributed to more than 5,000 members of the St. Michaels University School community, including current families, friends, and current and past staff and students. The goal of the publication is to communicate current activities and initiatives and provide articles and reports on the alumni community. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding this publication, please email [email protected] Published by the Advancement Office St. Michaels University School 3400 Richmond Road Victoria, British Columbia Canada V8P 4P5 Telephone: 250-592-2411 Admissions: 1-800-661-5199 Email: [email protected] School Ties magazine and archive In Conversation copies can be found at smus.ca/alumni/school_ties From his inspiration to his toughest challenge, Dr . Curran Crawford ’96 talks with If you are interested in attending Head Boy Jasper Johnston ’16 about the future of transportation . P . 24 alumni events, visit the online Calendar of Events at smus.ca/alumni Editorial Team: Laura Authier, Gillian Donald ’85, Peter Gardiner, Kyle Slavin, Kelly Sodtka Managing Editor: Darin Steinkey Art Directors: Sandy Reber and Jordan Clarke Contributors: Laura Authier, Jennifer Bateman, Nicole Edgar ’10, Sarah Hudson ’00, Ian Hyde-Lay, Jasper Johnston ’16, Kyle Slavin, Bob Snowden, Darin Steinkey, Brenda Waksel, Rob Wilson, and SMUS community members. We apologize for any omissions. Photos: Keith Allison, Gordon Chan, Brady Doland, Kent Leahy-Trill, Kyle Slavin, SMUS Archives, Darin Steinkey Design and Layout: Reber Creative Printed in Canada W by Hemlock Printers, Burnaby, BC This issue of School Ties was printed on Opus 30% post- consumer recycled fibre paper. By selecting this paper, the following resources have been saved: 9 fully grown trees, 15,871 litres of water, 4 million BTUs of energy, 127 kg of solid waste and 351 kg of greenhouse gases. On the Cover: Sisters Emma (left) and Sarah (right) Loughton ‘15 show off their scientific knowledge during an AP The Honourable Michael Code ‘67 Chemistry science experiment showcase. Lawyer Sarah Hudson ’00 sets up the case for our 2015 Distinguished Alumnus . P . 36 5 SMUS_9142_SMUS0003_X1a.pdf 1 2015-12-11 10:51 AM BIG ACCOMPLISHMENTS START WITH DREAMS. A St. Michaels University School education is a dream education — and making that dream a reality always includes you, our valued alumni. By supporting our annual fund, you help SMUS put the ‘icing on the cake’, supporting unique projects, scholarships, programs and learning experiences that push the boundaries of what our students can achieve. Please join us in helping our students do big things in school and in life. Support our Dream Big Fund. Visit smus.ca/dreambig to make an online donation or for further information. 6 SMUS_9142_SMUS0003_X1a.pdf 1 2015-12-11 10:51 AM LESSONS WRITTEN BY LIFE ARE INDELIBLE BIG ACCOMPLISHMENTS by Bob Snowden “ Never let schooling interfere with an education ”. These words is simple: students should have a direct experience (rather than START WITH DREAMS. of Mark Twain began the article in which I last wrote about a theoretical, textbook experience), upon which they reflect in a experiential education, in School Ties in 2007 . The fact that this structured way, which then motivates some intentional action on was seven years ago and that the words are more than 100 years their part . They then bring the consequent personal and intellectual A St. Michaels University School education is a dream old conveys that experiential education is far from the novelty it is growth to their next experience, when the cycle begins again . education — and making that dream a reality always includes often made out to be . Experience has always taught deep lessons, you, our valued alumni. By supporting our annual fund, you help usually by accident . How do we SMUS put the ‘icing on the cake’, supporting unique projects, replicate the lessons of experience scholarships, programs and learning experiences that push the in deliberate ways, so that mathematics, biology or history are boundaries of what our students can achieve. Please join us in also the domain of deep lessons? helping our students do big things in school and in life. When I speak to alumni at gatherings (most recently in Support our Dream Big Fund. Toronto, Calgary, London and Hong Kong), I usually provide the predictable updates on athletics, academics and notable retirements . Unpredictably, I have also begun to talk about the most prominent themes driving our pursuit of excellence at SMUS . These days, experiential education is one of these . Since 2007, our exploration of experiential education has developed substantially . The best example is our Grade 10 program . Visit blogs.smus.ca/head For the past eight years, we have implemented and tweaked an “experiential pilot,” which allowed students to sign up for a different approach in the spring term . It is possible to remain true to this pattern with any academic It meant they were free to follow a timetable of academic work in subject . This year, every single Grade 10 course must include a the morning and a diverse menu of service, life skills and outdoor meaningful experiential component . Teachers have been provided activities in the afternoon . The term was capped off with an professional support in developing these components; in every extended outdoor expedition on the West Coast – an expedition discipline, a “champion” of experiential learning has been identified founded on the notion that lessons reinforced by the consequences to support the work of colleagues . The timetable has been of real life are indelible . overhauled to allow students to pursue academic areas of passion The response to the pilot program was consistently positive . and interest outside the classroom . There are two extended sessions These students also performed as well as or better than expected in out of school, one of which is an outdoor experience . the compulsory, external provincial exams in English, Mathematics As you can expect with something that works, teachers in and Science at the end of Grade 10 . So we asked ourselves the the rest of the School are jumping in: the project-based learning question: Why wouldn’t we extend these benefits to the entire we see in the Middle School, and the Reggio-inspired approach Grade 10 class? in the Junior School are entirely consistent with experiential Two years of discussion and planning culminated in the work . Before long, if any of our students go back to former, more adoption this year of a comprehensive implementation of “textbook” styles of teaching, they will find it frustrating, limited experiential education across the entire Grade 10 curriculum . The and unexciting . In fact, the impact of experiential education, which Visit smus.ca/dreambig to make an concept is based on the notion that students will learn better if their is being recognized throughout the educational world, will be such learning is reinforced by the impact of life and the world outside that in 10 years’ time it won’t be described as “experiential” – a online donation or for further information. the classroom . The fundamental pattern of experiential education novel experiment – it will be mainstream . It will just be “education ”. 7 School News Meanwhile, back on campus… The following pages are highlights from The SMUS Review, the St . Michaels University School official blog page where we capture the energy that is our school and give voice to the community . Hundreds of posts, videos, photos and social media streams are all just a click away at smus .ca/join-in . Bree lends a helping hand during a pop-up apothecary at the Middle School. Dr. John Lee from Camosun College led the science experiments as part of SMUS Reads week.9 SCHOOL NEWS 01 02 05 01 Rower extraordinaire Liz Fenje ‘09 05 (From left) Ben Edwards, Jamison (left) returns to campus in the fall Schulz-Franco and Amrit Saini with her Pan Am Games gold medal, represented BC at this summer’s to speak with this year’s SMUS Crew National U16 Cricket Championships. and to catch up with coach and friend All three performed exceptionally Susanne Walker Curry (right). well, with Jamison being named team captain and leading Team 02 Puroshini Pather ‘15 conducts her BC scoring through the entire classmates in a performance of her tournament. 06 piece, “Quicksilver,” which she wrote as an homage to her time at SMUS. 06 Swiss boarder Dennis Siegrist She and the 60-piece string orchestra celebrates a goal in the annual performed the piece at the spring pumpkin shootout at the boarding Concerto Concert. Thanksgiving dinner. 03 Garry Gu and his fellow Bolton 07 Retired astronaut Col.