Hall of Wonders – McLaughlin Hall Renovation

Grade 11 Computer Engineering student, David Ezeude, deep in thought in the new Dunin Family Engineering Centre.

By Nicolette Fleming

Construction fencing was covered with science-themed banners.

For 18 months, a project hidden behind plastic tarps and construction tape was finally revealed in February to faculty and students. While it wasn’t a grand opening of typical fanfare, it couldn’t have come at a better time as students returned to in-person learning following the second lockdown in Ontario.

With audible excitement and joy, students and staff toured the new building finding bright, spacious, and flexible classrooms and laboratories filled with leading-edge technology and high-tech equipment. The main floor, with six breakout rooms, is a place of collaboration, learning, and sharing; and in the spirit of “doing,” the two-storey maker space allows students to bring their ideas to life. “It was like being on a movie set, but everything seemed curiously familiar,” says Henry Paluch, Grade 11, when he first walked into the new space.

While he notes the science labs and maker space are like a candy shop for science and technology, the glass breakout rooms are his new favourite spot.

“We have spent a lot of time in virtual breakout rooms on Zoom, so to be in these new rooms, with the light pouring in, a TV display, and friends who are there beside you redefines what a ‘breakout’ room is,” Henry says.

“When McLaughlin Hall opened in 1971, it housed stateof-the-art classrooms and laboratories, a large lecture theatre, and a dark room, all of which revolved around the teacher,” says Kevin McHenry, Head of School. “Since then, our understanding of how boys learn and how to facilitate that learning has evolved.”

Over the past several years, the School has implemented constructivist and constructionist teaching methods across all disciplines, with science, robotics, and engineering courses finding this approach most fruitful. A student’s natural curiosity is nurtured under these models, and our new facilities allow teachers to enrich educational offerings and ensure the future success of our graduates.

Jamie Inglis ’91, Coordinator of Student Life and physics teacher, was no stranger to the orange tables and lecturestyle seating of the old McLaughlin classrooms where he sat as a student. He is thrilled that the new facilities put student learning rather than teacher lectures at the core of curriculum structure.

“The students feel as though they are an integral part of open discussions rather than simply a receiver of information passed along from the teacher,” Jamie says. “Taking an active role in the process of learning is far more meaningful for them and helps them better understand and develop connections between the concepts that we study.”

Until now, some advanced labs could only be demonstrated by the teacher or a lab technician or not done due to the limitation of our facilities. This is no longer the case. As Jamie explains, “So much of science is about testing and refining ideas through experimentation and critically analyzing the results. You cannot effectively learn science without having the opportunity to do science.”

Amanda Thorne, Coordinator of Academic Support and science teacher, couldn’t agree more. “Science is all about doing and creating,” she explains. “The new labs are allowing us to provide a much more hands-on program than we were able to achieve in our old lab spaces.”

And that’s precisely what’s been happening. There has been no lag in getting started on more advanced and integrated lab exercises in such areas as organics and molecular biology.

Aaron Chan, the School’s Lab Technician, believes that working in these new lab facilities and having the opportunity to perform university-level experiments will >>

The first floor hallway of the Wu Family Collaborative Learning Space with glass-walled meeting rooms; the Dunin Family Engineering Centre; the Zou Family Science Lab; the two-storey maker space.

open many doors for our students as they navigate through their post-secondary education and beyond.

“The hands-on skills will help them land extra work opportunities such as internships, placements, or co-op positions,” he says. “And being familiar with the concepts, equipment, and techniques used in this field will allow them to make connections with professors or instructors, which can lead them into the world of academic science.”

Marke Jones, Head of Science, compares the new space to a Bugatti – a beautiful piece of machinery that cries to be driven. “Like with a new car (and complete with that new car smell!), we are still learning what all the switches and levers do. We have not tapped the brake, only floored the gas pedal. We have big plans that we look forward to rolling out over the next year.”

Chemistry teacher, Joel Morrissey, can’t stop talking about the new fume hoods. “Having the fume hoods in the chemistry labs is amazing. This allows for more freedom in labs we can perform and provides an extra layer of safety. The fact that they have glass on all sides makes teaching and observing significantly easier.”

Whether their interest lies in physics, chemistry, computer engineering, or any of the other science and tech courses offered at SAC, students agree the new facilities are “amazing,” “comfortable,” and “inspiring.”

Most are excited to use the maker space and all the machinery, including 3D printers, laser cutters, woodworking tools, and the abundance of materials. Students are taking their ideas and moving them through to assembly and testing in a controlled space.

As we continue moving toward active participation, the maker space will allow students to turn theory into reality, transform an idea on paper into a product, and solve a realworld problem.

The late Robert Samuel McLaughlin, for whom McLaughlin Hall is named, would undoubtedly be proud of the innovation and creativity these spaces are sure to inspire.

Mr. McLaughlin founded McLaughlin Motor Car Company in 1907, which evolved into today’s General Motors Canada. At the time of his $800,000 lead gift in the late 1960s, he was nearly 100 years old. Throughout his life, Mr. McLaughlin held an interest in science and technology and donated hundreds of millions of dollars to educational institutions across Ontario, such as the University of Toronto, Queen’s University, and York University, and presented the lead donation for Toronto’s Planetarium.

Bringing the new $12.5-million McLaughlin Hall remodel to fruition required the support of numerous generous donors.

“It’s really something that people would give this much to support the improvement of education, and not just for us, but for the Middle School students who are coming up and new students coming in. Their experience in science is going to be in this huge, wonderful facility that will greatly improve their educational experience,” says Zain Salman, Grade 11, who hopes to complete a double major in math and computer science when he graduates from St. Andrew’s.

XA grand opening event will be held when it is safe to do so.

Physics teacher, Jamie Inglis ’91, reviewing a formula on the second floor hallway whiteboards; Grade 12 student Ben Villamere watching an impending chemical reaction; a student measuring fluids in one of the new vented workstations; Lab Technician, Aaron Chan; Upper School students in one of the new chemistry labs.