About
On September 3, 2002, the doors of 443 Mount Pleasant Road opened to the 72 students of the first Grades 7 and 9 classes of Greenwood College School.
The experiences of those first students, and many more since that time, embody the vision of our founders: Richard Wernham, Julia West, David Latimer, and the late John Latimer. Inspired by Kilcoo Camp, their dream was to offer a values-based education gained from a broad range of experiences, establishing solid foundations for individual achievement and good citizenship.
Greenwood’s founding Principal, David Thompson, formerly Assistant Head of the Upper School at Upper Canada College, was the ideal custodian of the founders’ vision from the school’s inception. His extensive experience in student development in and out of the classroom as a school administrator, camp director and trip leader made him a standard-bearer. Jan Campbell, Vice Principal, Student Life and Allan Hardy, Vice Principal, Teaching & Learning to round out Greenwood’s management group. Together, they recruited a team of faculty and staff who have become torchbearers of the Greenwood spirit. This group, which now exceeds the number of students enrolled at Greenwood in its founding year, has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to delivering the individualized learning, authentic contexts and responsible citizenship that underpin life at Greenwood.
From those early days of classes in a half-renovated office building, Greenwood is now home to a community of 350 students and 75 faculty and staff, with a campus that spans the entire block from Davisville to Balliol. It enjoys full membership in the Conference of Independent Schools (CIS), the Canadian Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the Young Round Square Association. In July 2007 the school opened Greenwood@Acadia, a summer experiential learning programme offered at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Our sports teams have won eight championship banners, our students have built schools in Africa and our graduates are now represented at 37 different institutions in 4 countries. And, to help bring the dream of our founders to life, our parents have contributed more than $20 million in donations and thousands of volunteer hours to Greenwood in our first six years.
In February 2008, after six years as Principal, David Thompson accepted the position of Head of School at Lakefield College School in Peterborough, Ontario. Shortly thereafter, the Board of Directors unanimously approved the appointment of Allan Hardy as the school’s new Principal. As the academic head of school, Mr. Hardy had already been guiding Greenwood’s development as an institution committed to individualized education, recruiting our teachers and constructing an academic program that offers opportunities for success for every Greenwood student.
Mr. Hardy leads a strong team of Vice Principals: Jane Audet, Vice Principal, Student Life (who joined Greenwood this year from Bishop Strachan School); Alison Holt, Vice Principal Advancement; and Kelly Giannoccaro, Vice Principal, Finance & Administration. The school is midway through its second five-year strategic plan, Greenwood Ascending, which lays a path for the Greenwood community into 2011. The plan includes goals for our enhancing our individualized learning model, cultivating good citizenship in our students, and engaging the community in supporting the evolution of Greenwood.