Graduation
Remarks to the Class of 2009
Some of the grads may not remember this, but a few of us together started at Greenwood six years ago. You were beginning Grade 7, and I was the school’s first ever Director of Academics. We got to know each other during that first week at Kilcoo, where I sat in some of your classes and activities.
One moment from that week that I recall fairly well was the Grade 7 visit to a farm in the local Minden community. It was a perfect fall morning—the sun was shining, a mist rose in the fields. At some point, we divided up into small groups to perform farm chores. I can’t remember everyone who was in the group, but I definitely recall Sonam Shah, Sam, Gerry, Alexis, and Nik were in the group. Our group’s task was to remove pumpkins from the field and stack them onto an old wooden wagon. With a bit of a whoop, some of the group charged into the field, and started to carry or roll pumpkins to the wagon.
Then someone came up with the idea of forming a line between the field and the wagon so that the pumpkins could be passed from person to person. Good strategy, provided people stayed in line and did their part. I recall that we dropped a few pumpkins that morning, but all in all, with encouragement and positive redirection, the work was completed and we took some satisfaction in seeing the wagon piled high with pumpkins, knowing that, in some small way, we had helped that local farmer with his harvest.
Obviously, you have grown a great deal since then. You are a larger cohort than you were six years ago, as new members of the class have entered since that time. Physically, you have moved from adolescence to adulthood. But, some of the same characteristics you exhibited on that fall morning in 2003 remain. I thought I might take a moment and describe a few of the traits that distinguish the Class of 2009.
This is definitely a group that likes to have a bit of fun. This trait was evident on many occasions this year. The Halloween haunted room, your enthusiasm for the House cheer-off during Spirit Week, your Friday morning dance energy, the clever skits of the Assembly committee and the disco-themed athletic banquet are just a few examples of this. I hope you never lose this willingness to laugh or make others laugh. I believe it was the wise philosopher Rod Stewart who advised us to make the best of a bad joke and laugh if off. Something to remember as life gets a bit more serious.
Though you like to have some fun, you also have learned that eventually the pumpkins need to get on the wagon. This characteristic has been most evident this year, although I say that with some reservation after having read Dan Martin’s article on the addiction to Bubble Shooter. All this time walking by the Reading Room, I thought you were engrossed in math or science or classical civilizations’ work. In all seriousness, you have put a great deal of time and effort into the fulfillment of your postsecondary goals. The percentage of Ontario Scholars in the Class of 2009 was our best ever.
You have also worked hard to support other areas of school life. A good number of you maintained your ongoing commitment to community service on Thursday mornings—the group that made crafts for children at Sick Kids Hospital are a great example of this. Others have exhibited leadership on one of our school teams, in the Senior Play, or in Arts Week or in Model UN. In every instance you served as positive role models for the younger students involved in these activities. I hope you hold on to the desire to work hard and continue to savour the satisfaction that comes with the achievement of a goal fulfilled.
You are also a group that doesn’t do things in the conventional way, as I learned on that fall morning a few years ago. Though this approach is not without its challenges, it also holds significant rewards. History has taught us that there will always be a need for people to think differently or go against the grain. The story of human progress bears this out. When I look upon some of the original touches that you have brought to our school culture this year, I can’t help but imagine that there are some wonderful creative ideas percolating within each of you. I hope they one day manifest themselves in business, in the arts, in education, in philanthropy, and possibly, in public service.
One of the oft-quoted lines from Shakespeare comes from the play Hamlet, in which Polonius at the end of a long speech to his son, Laertes who is about to leave home, advises his son: “This above all else—to thine own self be true.” If I had one wish for you, this would be it. In a few short months, you will leave home in search of new opportunities. This departure from the world of your parents brings new challenges. I hope that we have equipped you with the strength of character to face these challenges so that you never lose sight of your essential selves.
Greenwood Celebration Day Remarks
Good morning…
Seeing as this is our last Friday of the year, and we are in the theatre made famous by Canadian Idol, I thought we could have one last music quiz. Listen closely as there are some final house points on the line. Mr. Shorter, if you will…That’s right. The song was “Golden Years: by David Bowie…
I chose “Golden Years” as the first Friday Dance Party song for this year in the hope that our year together would bring out the best in all of us, both collectively and individually. Looking back on the past year, I do feel we have fulfilled my wish. It gives me great pride to share a few golden moments with you, moments that I believe capture the spirit and character of our unique Greenwood culture.
One of my favourite moments of this year came during our first fire drill in September. Rather than simply return to classes, I thought we might do something special to welcome our new Vice-Principal, Jane Audet. Some of you may know that Jane has a deep, dark secret…an addiction to ice cream. So, my plan was to serve students ice cream in the Lodge as they returned from outside the building. We assumed that the wooden sticks needed to eat the ice cream came with the ice cream cups. Wrong assumption. Not to worry—we ate the ice cream using coffee stir sticks. Initially, the students were puzzled by the whole affair. What did this have to do with a school fire drill? But as our students do on so many occasions, they rolled with it and enjoyed the moment. They found a space in the Lodge, chatted with friends and teachers and enjoyed their ice cream and the break from class. I can’t think of too many high school cultures that would tolerate this type of unscripted moment, especially in the first week of school.
I enjoyed their willingness to look on the lighter side on many other occasions as well. Our annual Halloween celebration was a good example of this. This year, every student and staff member, as well as our parent volunteers who judged the house costume competition, came in costume. And some pretty amazing costumes they were. This year’s Halloween festivities gave our Grade 12’s a chance to demonstrate their spirit of adventure. They transformed the Media Arts room into a haunted house. In what was the ultimate test of leadership this year, I crawled through the darkened maze hoping the Grade 12’s would go easy on their dear old principal. This same sense of joy and laughter echoed throughout our Winter Olympics and Spirit Day. It will be pretty hard to top this year’s tire roll, but I am sure Lub, Ms. Hall and the house leaders will come up with some new twist next year.
Some recollections are more sombre. For the first time in our school’s short history, we dealt with the death of a staff member. Gary Hood’s terminal illness in November took us all by surprise. Your cards, letters, e-mails, phone calls, and posters meant so much to Gary, Charlotte and their extended family. I will always remember Gary’s return to school at an assembly in December and your warm welcome for him, as well as the memorial assembly that took place after Gary’s death. Hearing staff and students share their recollections of Gary with us emphasized to me the quiet network that runs throughout our community and the impact we have on one another. Gary’s positive approach to life, encapsulated in his favourite saying, “always good,” is his lasting gift to us.
I believe the generosity of spirit we extend to one another enables us to reach out and offer a similar degree of support to others outside our community. As Lub often reminds us, this quality is one of Greenwood’s distinguishing characteristics. Aside from Lub, our teachers, and in particular, the Education Interns played an integral role in supporting our community service program. One memorable moment was hearing that some of our Grade 9 students who had volunteered at Claremont Retirement Residence when they were in Grade 8 continued to visit the seniors after school on a weekly basis. They decided to do this without any prompting from anyone here at the school. This empathetic response says a great deal about the resonance of the school’s community service program on our students.
Academically, there was much to celebrate. Today over 200 students will receive the Principal’s Award, which acknowledges a consistent application of effort and level of achievement throughout the year. Over 100 students received the designation of academic excellence throughout this year. What I love about this award is that it celebrates high levels of engagement and passion in a particular assignment or project. The range of projects that received this designation was commendable. Thanks to the persistence of Ms. Walcott, the range of published writers who came to inspire our students was as vast as it has ever been. The session with Meg Tilly was certainly one to remember. My most memorable learning moment would have to be this year’s co-operative education fair. Hearing our Grade 11 students speak so confidently and passionately about the many things they had learned through their job placements in construction or fashion or public relations firms, to name but a few, was a real testament to the value of authentic learning.
Two areas of school life where the desire to persevere was evident was in arts and athletics. Both programs made impressive strides forward this year. Teasing out one memorable moment from this year in the arts is not an easy task. I loved hearing the wide range of musical performers in our assemblies. Nick Toyne and Raleigh Seldon’s duet from the movie “Once” and the senior rock band’s note-perfect rendition of Lighthouse’s “One Fine Morning” were truly memorable. The lively multimedia adaption of James and the Giant Peach was also a treat, as was the buoyant energy displayed in our first-ever fashion show. Students and staff took to the runway this year to model original creations by students in our Fashion Design class. Clearly, some of our staff has doing some moonlighting! Walking into to Trinity College in February and seeing the degree of professionalism that surrounded our production of 7 Stories was a real thrill. Everything about the production, from the staging to the performances of our cast, was first-rate. This collaboration of staff and students was united by a common vision to take our drama program to a higher level of excellence. Solid gold!
The same spirit of collaboration and desire for excellence permeated our athletic program. 38 Greenwood teams competed in CIS this year. All told, we won six championships in five different sports, our best showing yet. We continued to produce one of the highest student participation rates in athletics of any CIS school. We also had more athletes representing Greenwood at OFSAA than in any previous year. Much of this success is due to the dedication of our coaches, who put in countless hours ensuring that our student athletes develop their individual skills and more importantly, learn to work as a team. One memorable extended moment in this year’s athletic program took place on March 7 and 8. Over this 24-hour period, we had 3 boys’ basketball teams and 2 girls’ volleyball teams in the championships. Both volleyball teams exhibited grace under pressure and emerged as champions. Though only one of the basketball teams won the championship—a three-peat no less, I marvelled at the way our U-14 and U-16 teams played hard against teams that were considerably bigger and more experienced. Unfazed, they supported one another, maintained their composure and gave it their best. This is the Greenwood character we are all so proud of. So much true learning happens outside the classroom—our arts and athletics program are evidence of this.
I could ramble on interminably about what a great year it has been, but I think we have a few more awards to hand out. In closing, I would like to extend a number of thank you’s:
Firstly, to the school’s Board of Directors, and in particular, Richard Wernham: Your direction, advice and support have been so important in my first year as Principal.
To our Vice-Principals, Jane Audet, Alison Holt and Kelly Giannoccaro: Your wise counsel and unwavering support throughout this year has been invaluable. The school is fortunate to have such a hard-working leadership team.
To the teachers and non-teaching staff: Your commitment to Greenwood’s mission is the core of the school’s success. Quite simply, you are the spinners of gold.
To the parents: Your ongoing support of your children and of our staff throughout the school year has been remarkable. We are fortunate to have such engaged partners in the education of your children.
To the students: I have been so impressed with the level of initiative you have taken throughout this year in creating projects that enrich the lives others. Art for Aids, a book drive for students in Regent Park, various Me to We fundraisers, backpacks for inner city kids attending Mooredale Summer Camp, and a clothing drive for Oasis. These are just a few of the beneficiaries of your efforts.
And finally, to the Class of 2009: Your leadership has pushed enthusiasm for our school’s house competition to new heights. You have also worked hard to achieve an impressive array of postsecondary destinations. On behalf of the school, we wish you all the best on the next leg of your journey and look forward to seeing you return next fall as Greenwood alumni.
I look forward to another golden year in what will be Year 8 of the Greenwood story. I hope that everyone has a wonderful summer.