“Don’t be content in your life just to do no wrong, be prepared every day to try and do some good.” Sir Nicholas Winton

This week our Senior School students took a break from their regular timetable to participate in our mini-mester program. Mr. Gurr, Principal of Senior School, explains more: “The guiding theme of these three days was a strengthening of our community, with an emphasis on inclusiveness and diversity. We diligently organized a meaningful and enriching schedule framed around this objective. The intent was not merely to focus on one particular topic, but rather to reflect upon and celebrate the immense value and strength of our diverse and mutually respectful community”.

Students took part in a range of activities that encouraged them to develop their critical thinking and communication skills and reflect more thoughtfully on topics. They took part in workshops led by Reece Malone and his team at Diversity Essentials, which focused on various aspects of inclusion and mutual respect within our community. In the week when Holocaust Memorial Day marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, students attended presentations at the Berney Theatre and were privileged to hear Holocaust survivors sharing their stories. In addition, students engaged in a variety of reflective and theme-based academic initiatives.

At SJR, we are fortunate to live and work in a diverse community. We must not take for granted our ability to learn and grow in such a special environment. Our world can at times appear to be increasingly fractured, so we will continue to reinforce the importance of diversity and understanding and encourage students to stand together with others to stop division.

Last weekend I was in Ottawa to attend an alumni reception, which coincided with SJR educators Mrs. Heather Ragot and Mr. Jock Martin ‘90 receiving the Governor General’s history award for excellence in teaching. According to Canada’s History Society, the individuals and organizations being recognized “deepen our understanding of the past by highlighting lesser-known stories, representing the diversity of our experiences, and encouraging meaningful public dialogue around history”.

SJR is proud of these two outstanding educators and their 2017-2018 Grade 11 students. Their award was for an integrated project between English Language Arts and Canadian History classes that examined the history and legacy of colonialism and its impact on the Indigenous peoples of Canada.

In this inventive and meaningful project, Mrs. Ragot and Mr. Martin encouraged students to analyze historical content, artistic expressions, and literacy narratives in relation to one another. Students conducted their own research, which included visits to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and discussions with residential school survivors. Incorporating a model of design thinking, students collaborated online and received feedback from their peers, revised and compiled their research, and ultimately published their work in a book called Reconciling the Past, Finding a New Path, which they launched at McNally Robinson Booksellers. The two-pronged approach to understanding the past and the present through History and English Language Arts allowed students to extend their historical thinking skills and show a bigger understanding of the experiences of Indigenous people in Canada.

Those of us who spend our days fulfilling the role of teacher are lucky. Spending each day nurturing the minds of future leaders, who will one day create new social structures, technologies and medicines, is an uncommon gift.

To finish, I invite you to join your friends at WinterFest, an SJRPA fundraiser that aims to bring together parents, alumni, faculty and staff in celebration of our community. Highlights include a DJ and dancing, outstanding cuisine, silent auction prizes and a 50/50, and live music from SJR's very own Rock Show! It is sure to be a fantastic evening and I hope to see you there.

Jim Keefe
Head of School

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