Leadership
Back at Kilcoo
It was fun to be back at Kilcoo Camp last week. Students, teachers and the Kilcoo staff were in fine form and the weather was perfect. Kilcoo offers our new students and staff a great opportunity to connect with the culture of the school, as well as with each other. It is also a terrific leadership opportunity for our returning students. As I reminded them at the opening night campfire, it is really important for the Greenwood veterans to reach out to the newcomers and make them feel welcome. We like to believe that this kind of openness is characteristic of our school.
As you might expect in any camp setting, meals are an important part of the experience. Students are organized in grade groups and in most cases, there is a teacher or a Grade 12 student at each table. Eating together three times a day affords the group the chance to get to know one another in a setting outside of their cabin or activity groups. Members of each table take turns “hopping” and “scraping,” which helps reinforce collective responsibility within the group. I eat at a different table throughout my time at Kilcoo, as it allows me the opportunity to interact with a variety of students. For the record, Grade 9 boys are the chow champions!
I was reminded of the importance of the Kilcoo meal times when reading an article in the Globe this weekend (“Chewing over the benefits of family meals“). The article described how the bonding and connectedness that develops when a family eats together positively influences the brain development of kids.
Spirit Week
We just wrapped up our annual Spirit Week. Dedicating a week in February to school spirit is a great way to combat the winter blahs as it gives everyone a chance to break away from the school routine. I was impressed by the way the students bought into the events, especially the seniors. Our Grade 12 students provided real enthusiastic leadership–this was most evident at the cheer-off in the gym. The roar in the gym was deafening as each house belted out a cheer that the group had created. Fraser, the winning house, even incorporated some choreographed dance moves into their presentation! Today everyone arrived wearing green and we assembled in the gym for a panoramic picture. All in all, the events of this week allowed everyone to not only build house spirit, but also recognize that they are members of a cohesive community.
On another note, it is great to have Hodgson Public School close by. They were kind enough to let us use their field for the Winter Olympics on Monday. They even put up with DJ Lub and his have event-will travel sound system!
Strategic Leadership
As the school has grown, so too has the number of board of directors who provide Greenwood with its strategic leadership. I was reminded of the importance of their leadership yesteday while reading a Globe and Mail interview with our newest board member, Rupert Duchesne. Among other things, the interview allows Duchesne to elaborate on his interest in green initiatives and how they have been incorporated into Aeroplan’s business model. Having board members with a wide range of interests and experiences has been a real strength at Greenwood. Certainly, as we move forward, we need to think more precisely about how we should embrace a range of environmental initiatives. Board members like Rupert Duchesne will provide the expertise and experience to push us in this direction.