A Magazine for the Alumni of Crescent School
Winter 2019
Good Sports Carrying Crescent’s values and character lessons into professional athletics careers. Page 16
PHOTOGRAPHER: NATION WONG
Page 24
Alex Mihailidis ’92 is making life better for older adults
Designing Technology for Aging Well
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CARTER SMITH
Page 28
Carter Smith ’13 wants everyone to know that cancer is not just a first-world disease
Changing Cancer Care in Tanzania
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 1
Words from the Alumni Chair
Being guided by good character The news today is full of stories of men behaving badly, specifically in the workplace, as well as the overdue acknowledgment that modern society should not tolerate such behaviour. The #MeToo movement is probably the most visible example of society’s condemnation of workplace harassment. This context highlights how important it is for a boys’ school like Crescent, with the full support of the broader school community, to build good character in its students and, by extension, to help each boy and young man make responsible choices and live an honourable life. The articles in this issue of Past & Present all feature alumni who demonstrate how to be a Man of Character in the world today, through their professional careers, family lives and community activities. For example, our feature story focuses on how the character lessons they learned at Crescent are influencing alumni who are involved in professional sports. The “Catching Up With....” column visits with former Headmaster John Tansey, who is part of Crescent’s legacy of good male role models. He is interviewed by Ryan Bell ’98, who is himself influencing a new generation of Crescent boys in his role as Assistant Head of the Lower School. As the father of a Grade 10 Crescent boy, I’m confident that the Crescent values of respect, responsibility, honesty and compassion are being instilled in current students, and I take comfort in knowing that alumni are taking these values with them when they graduate. Let the traits of good character guide your actions. Jamie Coulter ’87, P’21 Chair, Crescent Alumni Executive
Past & Present is published twice a year by Crescent School’s External Relations Department to help all alumni stay connected with the Crescent community. Cover: Nicholas Latifi ’13 by Nation Wong
Editor: Leigh Bowser Editorial Committee: Leigh Bowser, Kathryn Foster, Lynda Torneck Editorial Board: Peter Aceto ’87, P’21, ’23, Jacob Barnes ’05, Philip Lloyd ’09, Myles Slocombe ’92, Tim Watson ’01
Art Direction & Design: Aegis Design Inc. Senior Designer: Sabrina Xiang Writers: Leigh Bowser, Pat Morden, Shelley White. Photographers: Betty-Ann Armstrong, Nation Wong. Illustrators: Wenting Li, Kara Pyle
Comments and suggestions about Past & Present are always welcome. Reach us at: Alumni Relations Office, Crescent School 2365 Bayview Avenue, Toronto ON M2L 1A2 e: alumni@crescentschool.org t: 416.449.2556 ext. 260
Upfront / Experiences From Past to Present
A symbolic journey for Upper School boys As part of the BEAR Week experience in September, students hiked through the green spaces along Toronto’s Taylor Creek and Don River. The experience connected them to Crescent’s history and bonded them as Crescent brothers. The 11km route began at the site of Crescent's former campus, Dentonia Park.
"The walk was very long but it was a good opportunity to make new friends."
It took about two and a half hours to complete the journey, with a lunch stop along the way.
—Matthew Chen, Grade 9
The boys' journey ended at 2365 Bayview Avenue, which has been Crescent's campus since 1970. The pillars in the Formal Garden are from the original Dentonia Park house.
"It was interesting to learn the path Crescent took to get where we are now." —Stefan Sreckovic, Grade 9
ILLUSTRATOR: WENTING LI
“I thought it was an amazing experience because it was a time to meet and learn about people, and for a new student like me it was great to make friends.” —Omid Zade, Grade 9 Crescent School Alumni Magazine 3
Past /1995 Years before he shared his passion for protecting sharks with the world, Rob Stewart ’97 (front row centre in dark shirt) was a keen participant in Crescent’s marine biology trips.
Upfront / Alumni Back on Campus
Life After Graduation: A First-Hand Perspective
Alumni talk to Upper School boys about university life When you’re wondering what university will be like, who better to ask than someone who’s there already? That’s why young alumni studying at Canadian and American universities meet with Upper School boys each year. At informal “lunch and learn” sessions co-hosted by Guidance & University Counselling and the Alumni Relations office, the boys find out from their alumni brothers about what to expect from life after Crescent. Last fall, 12 alumni participated in the sessions, which took place on October 5 and November 23.
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 5
Upfront / Alumni Back on Campus
Paying Tribute to Stuart Cumner
Alumni and Class of ’18 donations create new pond on campus
From left to right: David Sellers ’18, Drew Mehta ’18, Stuart Cumner, Daniel Solomos ’18 and Ethan Luepann ’18
Science teacher Stuart Cumner influenced hundreds of students during his 31-year career at Crescent. (Even after retirement, he still assists students with special projects like last year’s Middle School solar panel construction.) Now there is a new feature on Crescent’s campus that pays tribute to his tremendous impact. The Class of 2018 Grad Gift, along with donations from other alumni, funded the construction of a pond in his honour. Some of his former students were there in October when he gave it his seal of approval.
Addressing A New Generation
Philip Lloyd ’09 speaks to Grade 9s about brotherhood During BEAR Week in September, the Grade 9 boys were welcomed to the Crescent brotherhood. Philip Lloyd ’09 spoke to them about the importance of being there for one another during the fun and the not-so-fun times that will make up their high school experience.
Taking on Coach Michalski
Squash team members return to Crescent’s courts Members of the 1998 squash team tested their skills against their former coach Greg Michalski in October. “All future challenges are heartily welcomed!” says Coach Michalski, who wasn’t daunted by the game pace set by Karn Dev ’98, Jeff Sanderson ’98 (who brought along his baby son Reid) and Puneet Soni ’98.
CRESCENT THEN
In this 1980s photo, young cross-country skiers enjoy snowy conditions at school.
6 Past & Present / Winter 2019
Upfront / Crescent News
Where the Class of 2018 Is Now
Studying at universities across Canada, the U.S. and overseas Crescent School’s newest alumni, the Class of 2018, are embarking on their lives beyond Crescent’s campus. These 85 young men are now enrolled in programs at leading universities across Canada, in the United States and overseas. Their programs of study reflect their diverse strengths, interests and aspirations. Wherever their careers take them, these Men of Character will be global citizens.
Once A Brother, Never Alone
Prefects’ motto celebrates Crescent brotherhood In keeping with tradition, the 2018/2019 Prefects chose a motto to guide their work. Their motto is Once A Brother, Never Alone. As Head Boy Kyle Chang explained it in his Opening Assembly speech, being a brother “means that you are part of a family. Even though everybody in this brotherhood is unique, we will support each other during times of need. Therefore, if any of you ever need somebody to talk to, you can always reach out to any of your brothers, whether or not he is a member of the Prefect Team, a Grad, or a student in your own grade. Nobody is forgotten once they join the brotherhood.”
CRESCENT NOW
There’s no cross-country ski team now, but the boys still found ways to have fun on a snowy day in November 2018.
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 7
Upfront / Crescent News
Crescent Choir Tour Tradition Continues 2018 Tour visited France, Belgium and the Netherlands
In November, 38 Crescent boys from the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools, along with their parents and faculty members, took part in the Crescent School Choir Tour to France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The choir performed at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and at the Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands, at the Menin Gate, and at a special ceremony at the Arras Memorial marking the centenary of the World War I Armistice. Crescent’s November choir tours began in 2004, providing the participants with special insight into Canada’s history as they pay tribute to fallen soldiers.
“Everyone involved comes away with a deeper sense of Canada’s history. It’s also been neat to see how the shared experiences on the tours strengthen the ties of our Crescent family.” —Gord Wotherspoon, Lower School faculty member
Upper School Boys at Freedom Day Learning about justice and human rights
A group of Upper School boys were among hundreds of students from across Greater Toronto at the Freedom Day event in Yonge-Dundas Square on September 18. Hosted by the Canadian Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, the event celebrated the fight for justice and human rights. The boys heard heartfelt messages from event chairs Daryl and Derek Erdman (parents of Matthew ’13, Jake ’17 and Zack ’20) as well as moving stories from Holocaust survivor Dr. Max Eisen and former violent extremist Christian Picciolini.
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Upfront / Crescent News
Crescent Plants A Vimy Oak Tree is a living link to World War I
An important part of Canada’s history is now commemorated on Crescent’s campus. In November, Crescent planted an oak sapling with an exceptional lineage: it grew from a tree that grew from an acorn collected in 1917 by a soldier on the Vimy Ridge battlefield. Crescent’s tree is one of 100 “Vimy Oaks” being planted in Canada. Another 100 oaks are being planted at the Vimy Memorial in France. Christopher Sweeney, father of Grant Sweeney ’18, is the Chair of the Vimy Foundation and donated the oak to Crescent on behalf of the Class of 2018. He spoke about this special memorial at Crescent’s Remembrance Day assembly.
The Crescent Way
Strategic academic plan unveiled at Town Hall What makes a Crescent education unique? And how will Crescent ensure its educational focus stays relevant? The new Strategic Academic Plan provides answers to those questions. Unveiled at Crescent’s Town Hall event in September, the plan is called The Crescent Way. It is a blueprint for advancing the school’s mission and vision, planning academic courses and co-curricular programs, and identifying the requirements for Crescent's future campus. The plan will be implemented over the next five years. You can find it at crescentschool.org/ thecrescentway.
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Upfront / Crescent Report Card
CRESCENT REPORT CARD 2017-2018
PROMISES MADE PROMISES KEPT
Crescent Report Card 2017-2018 Crescent School students regularly receive report cards to measure their progress. Now, for the first time, Crescent has published a report card on its own progress. Released at Crescent’s Town Hall in September, it’s titled Promises Made, Promises Kept and provides a snapshot of major strategic accomplishments and department highlights. “Our journey towards providing the best learning and character development environment for our boys is never over,” says Headmaster Michael Fellin. “We hope this report card demonstrates our commitment to this journey.” “We are carefully moving the school into the future while remaining firmly rooted in our proud past,” says Barry Gordon ’87, P’21, Chair of the Board of Governors. “Crescent School is a special place and we are dedicated to ensuring it stays that way.” The full report card can be found at crescentschool.org.
Here are some highlights:
Strategic Plan Achievements Each year, the school sets specific goals and objectives that reflect our most pressing needs while leveraging the opportunities that support Crescent’s Strategic Plan 2015-2020 vision.
2015 – 2016
2016 – 2017
Launch of the Strategic Plan 2015-2020
2017 – 2018 Deepen community engagement
Launch of Crescent’s Portrait of a Graduate
Expansion of Crescent Student Services
Staff & Faculty core competencies
Establishment of the health & wellbeing platform
Initiation of the strategic academic plan
Complete strategic academic plan
Launch master campus plan
Expansion of alumni engagement initiatives
CAIS accreditation 10 Past & Present / Winter 2019
Implementation of succesion and risk management plans
Challenge Success partnership
Upfront / Crescent Report Card
Curriculum Highlights
Outreach Program Highlights
Crescent’s curriculum is taught with academic rigour within a highly supportive environment. The academic performance of the student body shows that Crescent boys clearly rise to the challenge.
Crescent’s Outreach Program offers boys in Grades 3-12 opportunities for hands-on service activities locally, nationally and internationally. Its mission is to inspire our students to become engaged citizens who make a positive difference in the world.
of Grade 8 students earned a Grade 9 math credit
community service hours were logged by Grade 9 students
46% 132 2,552 45 Crescent AP mean scores (2014-2018) Global Mean
2.93
Ontario Mean
Crescent Mean
4.86
Global Mean
2.85
Ontario Mean
3.36
Advanced Placement exams written
11
Advanced Placement courses offered
Upper School honour roll
Global Mean
3.14
Ontario Mean
Microeconomics
3.41
Crescent Mean
4.50
3.09
Ontario Mean
of all Crescent boys took part in some form of local community service this school year
Over 20 community organizations
100%
Ontario Mean
3.69
Crescent Mean
4.25
Grade 9
Grade 10
3.37
Grade 11
Global Mean
Grade 12
3.91
South Africa
Tanzania
India
3.82
Crescent Mean
Statistics
75%
Ecuador
of Middle School students were involved in local outreach initiatives with local community partners
Global Mean
Computer Science
Launched the 40 in 9 program; 25 Grade 9 boys completed their mandatory 40 service hours required for graduation
students participated in the five outreach service trips to Ecuador, South Africa, Tanzania, India and to the First Nations community of Superior North
partnered with Crescent as part of our local outreach program 84%
4.39
86%
Crescent Mean
86%
Macroeconomics
196 91%
Calculus
3.54
awards of distinction in national math contests
87% total Upper School
More than 100 Crescent students and families came out to support two Crescent community service events
Superior North
Operation Raise a Flag honoured our veterans and Street Connection provided meals for the homeless Crescent School Alumni Magazine 11
Upfront / Faculty Focus
How do you stay inspired in your job? We asked faculty who have been working at Crescent for more than a few years.
1993
Alexandru Pintilie Teacher of Math and Stats Started teaching at Crescent in 1999
“I have the best possible job. I do math and teach math all day long and I am getting paid for doing it. Doing math is like painting or playing a musical instrument – once you learn the language, you let the beauty seep into your being. Teaching is like dancing or acting. You have to get into the zone, and then, use a varied palette to convey message and energy to your audience.”
Ian Fisher Grade 5 Form Teacher Started teaching at Crescent in 1999
“We have amazing students at Crescent and I'm inspired to help them be the best that they can be in the classroom and all other aspects of school life.”
Aldonna Stremecki Art Assistant Started teaching at Crescent in 1980
2000
12 Past & Present / Winter 2019
“I can’t think of many careers which are so beautifully unpredictable, where you are challenged vigorously, every day, to be your best self. It is very humbling, but so enlightening. And it's rewarding, not only when a lesson hits the mark, but as it becomes less about subject mastery and more about human connection. I can’t think of many careers where mind and heart are so beautifully nourished!”
2000
Upfront / Faculty Focus
1992
Martha Miller Director, Innovation & Technology Started teaching at Crescent in 2000
2001
“I have stayed inspired because the two things I love most about what I do here are always changing, evolving and being innovated: people and technology. Change energizes me, and not just a change in the technology or people unto themselves, but change in the way that people can use technology and the change that the technology brings about in people and how we work, play and learn.”
Greg Michalski Upper School Science Teacher Started teaching at Crescent in 1993
Rob Cranston Assistant Head of Middle School Started teaching at Crescent in 1990
“To be inspired you need meaningful work. Teaching provides that every day. Every class and every kid I taught is so uniquely different. They each bring a perspective and personality that no other class or student has had before. It’s the people that matter, not the subject. Teaching gives me the opportunity to have a meaningful impact that begins with connection: connection to oneself, the past, the present and the imagined future and, most importantly, to others.”
2004
“One of my favourite aspects of this job, and one that keeps me inspired, is being able to connect with alumni. Even better when we can catch up through some collective exercise! (I still skate each week with some alumni). One of my thrills is when a Squash Team star from years gone by shows up to 'get a piece of the old coach.' Victories are now measured in being able to crawl off the courts without any new rips, tears or pulls to the body. Mostly, it's all about having some fun, reconnecting and reminiscing about old times.”
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Present / September 2018 The energy of House Day 2018 was captured by a drone camera operated by Baron Alloway ’14 and his brother, Grade 9 student Christian Alloway.
Perspective from the Headmaster
Living Out Crescent’s Mission
O
ne of the greatest benefits of an independent boys’ school education is access to a robust network of alumni around the world. Our alumni care deeply about Crescent School, not just as the place where boys grow their character but also about the people charged with guiding that growth. In fact, our alumni view themselves as partners in the process and live out Crescent’s mission long after graduation. Recently, Crescent minted its academic objectives through the development of our Portrait of a Graduate – the essential knowledge, skills and character strengths each graduate needs for future success, wellbeing and purpose. In doing so, we have stressed that our boys must confront three essential questions: Who am I? How do I lead? What is my legacy? These questions hold the power to guide lifelong pursuits beyond graduation. I am thrilled that answers to those three questions are captured in such vivid ways in this magazine. The stories reflect how our alumni are living daily examples of Crescent’s mission: Men of Character from Boys of Promise. I’m particularly interested in how the feature article tells this story through the lens of sport. As alumni, you have never been more important for the world and for our boys than today. You remain one of Crescent’s most important resources as we chart our school’s future with confidence. Veritate Stamus et Crescimus.
Michael Fellin P’24 Headmaster, Crescent School
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 15
GOOD
Carrying Crescent’s values and character lessons into professional athletics careers By Pat Morden
SPORTS
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 17
PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY DAN MOOR
"I feel very grateful and fortunate to wake up every day and do a job that's really challenging."—Dan Moor ’08 (left)
I
magine this. You’re standing on a muddy field, wearing nothing but shorts and a T-shirt. A tall, muscled opponent is charging toward you, holding tight to a leather ball. It’s a moment, says Dan Moor ’08, that truly builds character. “You see someone bigger and stronger running at you, and you have to commit yourself to making the tackle,” he says. “You have to put your body on the line for the betterment of the team.” Moor plays rugby, a notoriously physical game played with no protective equipment. He is one of several alumni who credit Crescent with providing a strong foundation for the high stress world of professional sport. The School’s core values – respect, responsibility, honesty, and compassion – are lived by Crescent sport teams (see the Code of Sportsmanship, page 23). They also influence athletic careers far beyond the school walls. Moor started playing rugby at Crescent and went on to the varsity team at Queen’s University while completing his degree in commerce and history. After graduation, he worked for a private equity firm in Toronto while pursuing his rugby dream as a member of the Ontario and Canadian teams. He played professionally in Victoria for one year, then enrolled as an MBA candidate at the University of Oxford, which has a strong rugby program. Now he’s playing with the professional Yorkshire Carnegie team, with the goal of playing for Canada at the World Cup in 2019. Moor’s professional life is demanding: he trains and practises every day and plays league games weekly from September to May. “It’s full-on intensive, always working to get better at your craft,” he says. With rugby, injuries are almost inevitable. Still, says Moor, “I feel very grateful and fortunate to wake up every day and do a job that’s really challenging but I love to do.” Knowing that he won’t be able to play forever, Moor plans to return to private equity and eventually operate his own business. David Harlock ’89 has already made the transition to his second career. Harlock played hockey professionally for more than a decade and now works in Detroit for one of the world’s largest insurance brokers, Marsh & McLennan. He started playing at age six but didn’t take it too seriously until Grade 7, when he moved up to competitive AAA and joined Crescent. By his last year of high school, he was playing Junior B hockey with the St. Michael’s Buzzers. Drafted by the Ottawa 67s in the OHL, he opted instead 18 Past & Present / Winter 2019
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01 Moor playing for Canada versus the New Zealand Maori All Blacks in Vancouver in November 2017. 02 Moor (centre) sings O Canada before a game at BC Place. 03 & 04 Moor playing for Yorkshire Carnegie at Headingley Stadium in Leeds.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTYIMAGES
01 Canada’s David Harlock competes at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.
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02 Harlock now works for Marsh & McLennan in Detroit. 03 Harlock and Roger Johansson of Sweden clash during the final of the of the 1994 Winter Olympics. 04 Defenseman Harlock of the New York Islanders looks on during a 1998 game against the Washington Capitals at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.
to accept a scholarship at the University of Michigan, where he was a student-athlete for four years. Upon graduating university in 1993, Harlock trained with Canada’s National Team from August to February, learning that he had made the Olympic team just days before they left for Lillehammer in February 1994. During the Olympics, Canada exceeded expectations, playing Sweden in the gold medal game and, after a sudden-death overtime, lost in a shootout. Two weeks later, Harlock made his NHL debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens. “It was exciting,” he says, “but it paled in comparison to the gold medal game!” After several years back in the minors, Harlock signed with the New York Islanders in 1998 and played his first full year in the NHL. “This was an enjoyable season as I was stepping on the ice and playing against people I’d grown up watching and admiring,” he says. Then it was on to Atlanta for three seasons. Although he loved the sport, there were downsides. “You’re really a human commodity,” he says.
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Crescent School Alumni Magazine 19
“And it’s an extremely public career – fun when things are going well but mentally and physically draining when you are struggling or your team is losing.” Injuries were beginning to catch up with him too: during his last three and a half years of play, he had six surgeries. He retired in 2003 but still enjoys a little healthy competition. “There are certain professions that athletes gravitate to because there is a competitive nature to them,” he says. “As an insurance sales professional, every time my team wins a new account, we must beat another broker or agent to do so.” Matt Buckles ’13 followed a path similar to Harlock’s. He started playing at an even younger age and “was pretty good at it from the get-go.” He was in the Ontario Junior Hockey League by the time he was in Grade 11 at Crescent, scoring 40 regular -season goals and helping the St. Mike’s
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02 01 & 02 Buckles played for Cornell’s Big Red hockey team.
“It was the best decision I ever made. Studying and being an athlete made for a pretty full schedule, but it was great to be able to do both.” – Matt Buckles ’13 20 Past & Present / Winter 2019
Buzzers win the championship in 2014. Drafted by the Florida Panthers, he studied economics and finance at Cornell University while playing on its hockey team. “It was the best decision I ever made,” he says. “Studying and being an athlete made for a pretty full schedule, but it was great to be able to do both.” After he graduated, he played for three years in the American Hockey League. Lingering injuries persuaded him to call it quits. Buckles joined an investment bank in Toronto in 2018. Like Harlock, he sees similarities between his two careers. “My job is competitive and fast-paced, and you work on teams that are oriented to getting results,” says Buckles. “Fast-paced” is something Nicholas Latifi ’13 knows well. He was 12 years old when he had his first experience of go-kart driving, the starting point for most Formula drivers. He liked it and discovered he was “faster than people who were twice my age!” Pretty soon, he was racing go-karts, coached by David Tennyson, a former professional racer. “I really liked the feeling of going fast, the adrenaline rush,” he says. “And then with racing, there’s the added factor of competition – going wheel to wheel with other drivers, wanting to catch them on the track and pull away from them.” At age 16, he advanced from karts to Formula-style cars and started competing in Formula 3 races across Europe. He withdrew from Crescent after Grade 11 to focus on racing, completing the rest of his credits in summer school and online. After three years, he moved up to Formula 2, where he is currently in his third season. He also works with top Formula 1 teams: Renault, Force India and Williams Martini Racing. “I’m a sponge, learning as much as I can in that environment, without the pressure of a race seat.” One of his jobs with Force India is helping calibrate training simulators to more accurately reflect the real experience of driving. He expects to spend one more season in Formula 2 before hopefully getting a “seat” in a Formula 1 car. It’s a physically demanding sport, says Latifi, in part because of the powerful g-forces that drivers experience. They must have strong neck, arm and leg muscles, good cardiovascular endurance and superb coordination and reaction time. They must also accept the danger inherent in racing at high speeds and know that they don’t always control the outcome. “You can do everything right, get a good start, be leading in the race, and then have your engine blow up.”
01 Latifi in 2017 FIA Formula 2 Round 8, Spa, Belgium. 02 Latifi claims dominant sprint race win at 2018 Spa-Francorchamps. 03 Latifi leads Ralph Boschung and the rest of the field at the race in Baku City Circuit, Azerbaijan, April 2018. 04 Pit stop practice with Latifi’s car in Spain. 05 Latifi at 2017 FIA Formula 2 Round 9, Monza, Italy.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: FIA FORMULA 2
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Crescent School Alumni Magazine 21
“It’s a team sport where everyone is involved all the time, both on offense and defense. Strategy is a huge part of it – it’s not just who’s the most athletic, but who can think on the fly.” – Eric Khoury ’06 22 Past & Present / Winter 2019
PHOTOGRAPHER: NATION WONG
The world of professional sport goes beyond what happens on the field, track or rink. Eric Khoury ’07 was a fan of basketball from an early age and played throughout his time at Crescent. “It’s a team sport where everyone is involved all the time, both on offense and defense,” he says, explaining his passion. “Strategy is a huge part of it – it’s not just who’s the most athletic, but who can think on the fly.” With no plans for a career in sport, Khoury completed an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering and went on to a master’s degree in experimental fluid dynamics. His research involved Particle Imaging Velocimetry, a technique in which thousands of images of tiny particles suspended in a fluid are used to study how the fluid is behaving. As he was finishing his thesis, he learned that the NBA was installing cameras in the rafters of every NBA arena and taking thousands of images of the players moving around on the floor below. “I was doing particle tracking, and the NBA was doing player tracking – I saw a big-time overlap, so I reached out to the Raptors.” He contacted the person in charge of analytics at the Raptors and eventually landed a one-year internship. At first Khoury focused on writing computer algorithms to make sense of the “big data” coming from the rafter cameras and elsewhere, but he gradually began working more closely with the coaches. “A lot of people know the numbers better than me, and a lot of people know the basketball better than me,” he says. “I’m trying to find my niche blending the two.” Today, Khoury is Director of Analytics and Assistant Coach with the Raptors. That afforded him the opportunity to help coach Team LeBron at the NBA All-Star game in February 2018, which he described as an “awesome experience.” The toughest part of his job is the constant travel, he says. Given that games are at night and on weekends, the hours can be punishing, too. “You have to be a fan to make it work, but even so, there’s only so much basketball anybody can watch!”
CRESCENT’S CODE OF SPORTSMANSHIP
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As an athlete at Crescent, a student represents the School. His conduct on and off the field projects the image of Crescent School to the community. Membership on a Crescent team is held in high esteem and a code of sportsmanship is followed: Play the game for the game’s sake
01 His work with the Raptors happens off the court, but Khoury still enjoys testing his basketball skills. 02 Khoury and other Team LeBron coaching staff with Toronto Raptors all-stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan in February 2018. 03 Khoury’s career balances his love of basketball with his knowledge of big data.
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03 How did their Crescent experience prepare these men to withstand the rigours of professional sport? Khoury says one of his take-aways was the importance of being well-rounded. “At Crescent, you learn that there’s time for everything, and the more different activities you do, the better you work.” Harlock says Crescent helped him develop discipline, leadership, competitiveness and self-confidence. “There were certain situations at Crescent when I was asked to step outside my comfort zone. Doing that definitely helped me in professional hockey career.” Latifi also says he learned discipline, plus time management, accountability and personal responsibility. “Those are skills that I still use today and will be using for the rest of my life.” Moor points to the example set by teachers, who were “always demanding high levels of integrity, teamwork and responsibility.” He also benefited from the opportunity to create and lead from an early age, and the sense of camaraderie fostered among the students. Buckles sums it up simply: “It’s written on the wall: respect, responsibility, honesty and compassion. Those are the core values you learn at Crescent, and you need them whatever you do.”
Be generous in victory Be graceful in defeat Be fair at all times, no matter what the cost Be obedient to the rules Work for the good of the team Accept gracefully the decision of the officials Believe in the honesty of your opponents Conduct yourself with honour and dignity at all times Recognize and applaud, honestly and wholeheartedly, the efforts of your teammates and opponents
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 23
D e s i g n i n g t e c h n o l o g y a g i n g
24 Past & Present / Winter 2019
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PHOTOGRAPHER: NATION WONG
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hether it’s a robot that prompts people with dementia to perform daily tasks or motion sensors that can predict cognitive impairment, Alex Mihailidis ’92 believes artificial intelligence and robotics can help solve the challenges facing our aging population. “One of the important things for older adults is to get away from a reactive healthcare model,” says Mihailidis, a professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto (U of T). “It’s the predictive component which is really powerful in the support of older adults and their health – understanding that something may change with the person, and then putting that intervention in place right away.” On top of his work as a professor and researcher, Mihailidis is scientific director at AGE-WELL NCE, which stands for Aging Gracefully across Environments using Technology to support Wellness, Engagement and Long Life. AGE-WELL is funded through the federal government’s Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE). Since launching AGE-WELL in 2015, Mihailidis has created a network of 40 universities and research centres, almost 300 researchers and nearly 270 industry and government partners that are developing technological-based solutions to help Canadian seniors remain healthy and well in their own communities. “We want to move these things from the research labs to the hands of the people who need them – the older adults themselves,” he says. In the past four years since it was created, AGE-WELL has been very active in developing startup companies, says Mihailidis. “We have 12 startup companies that have come out of the network itself, and about half of them are starting to get some initial sales and traction, which is great to see.”
Mihailidis says his passion for innovation was first sparked as a student at Crescent School. He enrolled in Grade 9 at Crescent in 1988. “The big thing I learned there was the ability to think independently, think creatively, think out of the box. Don't be afraid to try something, because even failure is a big learning experience,” says Mihailidis. “Those are all things I apply every single day in my job as a professor. I think being given opportunities to do those things even at that young age has stayed with me all along.” Upon graduation from Crescent, Mihailidis earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in biomedical engineering at U of T, then a PhD in bioengineering at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland. Mihailidis’s interest in working with older adults was sparked by a chance conversation with an engineer whose wife had Alzheimer’s disease. “He told me how difficult it was to supervise her, and to always give the prompts that she needed for activities like using the bathroom and getting dressed,” says Mihailidis. “He said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if computers could do all this for us?’ And that idea stuck with me. I ended up doing my master's thesis and my PhD on a smart home system to support people with Alzheimer's.” Much of Mihailidis’s research focuses on using artificial intelligence to predict changes in health conditions. For example, motion sensors in a house can predict who may develop dementia or cognitive impairment with about 90% accuracy by detecting a person’s diminished movement or slower walking speed. Another AGE-WELL project is the development of companion robots for older adults with dementia. These “socially
“The big thing I learned from Crescent was the ability to think independently, think creatively, think out of the box. Don't be afraid to try something, because even failure is a big learning experience. Those are all things I apply every single day in my job as a professor." – Alex Mihailidis ’92 26 Past & Present / Winter 2019
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01 Mihailidis gathers with his graduate students in the HomeLab where they discuss progress on their projects and work together to solve problems. 02 Mihailidis tests the capabilities of Pepper, the Softbank Robotics robot, to see how well it can communicate and collaborate with a human. 03 Dr. Muhammed Alam, a post-doctoral fellow in Mihailidis’ lab, tests their new robot developed to help people regain use of their arms after a stroke. 04 Aaron Yurkewich, a PhD student with Mihailidis, demonstrates a robot glove that helps people with poor hand function to complete common tasks, like grasping a water bottle.
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02
PHOTOGRAPHER: NATION WONG
“My personal goal is to train the future leaders in this area. These folks are so smart and the technologies have come such a long way since my time as a grad student. So I want to support them and allow them to continue to pursue their own goals.” – Alex Mihailidis ’92
04
assistive” robots can guide people via social interactions, such as speech, body language or gestures. The robot doesn’t physically pick up objects or perform tasks; rather, it helps encourage and prompt the older adult to complete the task themselves. Though the project is still very researchbased, says Mihailidis, he’s seen amazing things during testing. “We have seen people with quite severe dementia working alongside one of our robots as they complete basic self-care activities, like making themselves a cup of tea,” he says. “These individuals will listen to the prompts and reminders given by the robot, and even strike up conversations with the robot.” Mihailidis hopes to continue developing a community of researchers and establish Canada as a world leader in technology and aging. “My personal goal is to train the future leaders in this area,” he says, noting that his students are doing work that he couldn’t imagine being able to do. “These folks are so smart and the technologies have come such a long way since my time as a grad student. So I want to support them and allow them to continue to pursue their own goals.” Crescent School Alumni Magazine 27
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CARTER SMITH
28 Past & Present / Winter 2019
Changing Cancer Care In Tanzania Carter Smith ’13 wants everyone to know that cancer is not just a first-world disease. By Shelley White
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Carter Smith ’13 (far right) and Matthew Corolis ’13 (centre) are filming a documentary about the inequality of cancer care in sub-Saharan Africa.
hen people think of pressing health issues in places like sub-Saharan Africa, they likely think of infectious diseases like tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS. But Smith explains that as people in low-income countries are starting to live longer and infectious diseases are better managed, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – such as cancer and cardiovascular disease – are becoming much bigger contributors to death and disability. “We come up against the myth that cancer is only an issue in wealthy countries, and that's just not the case at all,” says Smith. “What you see with cancer or heart attacks in countries like Tanzania or India or other countries in Africa or Southeast Asia – they're incredibly devastating because there are no resources or doctors in that space.” Smith is a global health research associate in the Department of Medicine at Queen’s University in Kingston. He works with Dr. Karen Yeates, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at Queen’s who focuses on developing better ways to deliver healthcare in resource-limited settings. Smith manages Dr. Yeates’ Global Health Research Program, a collection of projects mostly based in Tanzania. Much of his time is spent writing manuscripts and grant applications to raise funding, as well as coordinating with people on the ground in Tanzania and elsewhere.
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 29
One of the health issues Smith is most passionate about is women’s cancers, specifically cervical and breast cancer. As he notes, most women globally do not have the same experience as women with cancer in North America and Europe. Disparities in survival rates between high-income versus low-income countries are shocking. For example, cervical cancer has been nearly eradicated in wealthier countries like Canada because of annual pap tests and the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine, but it kills hundreds of thousands of women annually across the global south. “In Tanzania, they can’t do pap tests because they don’t have what we call the ‘health human resources,’” he says. “There might be one or two pathologists – the people in the hospitals who are looking at cells under the microscope – working in Tanzania on a part-time basis, and it’s a country of almost 60 million people.” Smith notes that the health systems in many low-income countries are not well-equipped to deal with NCDs like women’s cancers. “In countries where people don’t have an address and you don’t have a regular family doctor, figuring out how to keep track of people in a health system is really difficult,” he says. One of the most prominent projects Smith is working on is the Kilimanjaro Cervical Screening Project in Tanzania. Dr. Yeates has developed a smartphone app that allows non-physicians, such as nurses, to screen and identify potentially cancercausing lesions. They’ve also been exploring sending travel vouchers and motivational text messages, including screening dates and locations, to encourage women in rural and urban Tanzania to get screened. “It’s that kind of thinking that we do a lot of,” Smith says. “How can we leverage technology, or how can we change how healthcare is delivered to make it work better?” Smith has been to Tanzania three times since 2016 working on healthcare projects
“I had excellent teachers who convinced me that studying science was a worthwhile pursuit. I had teacher who said, ‘You’ve got this curiosity and you should pursue that.’” – Carter Smith ’13
30 Past & Present / Winter 2019
with an international team. He says his experiences in Tanzania were “incredible” but challenging. “Working on projects hand-in-hand with Tanzanian healthcare providers definitely taught me a lot about the realities of working in a place like Tanzania, where logistics are always complicated, there are limited resources, everything is very bureaucratic,” he says. “It was definitely eye-opening, and motivating as well. Being there makes you realize how much more there is to do.” Smith says his interest in global health was sparked as a student at Crescent (he attended from Grade 3 to Grade 12). He had the opportunity to go on trips to Tanzania and Nepal through Crescent’s International Outreach program and says those experiences made a huge impression on him. “I always knew I would return,” he says of his trip to Tanzania. “I had excellent teachers who convinced me that studying science was a worthwhile pursuit,” says Smith. “I had teachers who said, ‘You’ve got this curiosity and you should pursue that.’ Mr. Mehernosh Pestonji, who was the director of the Outreach program, was hugely influential. And my parents have always been and continue to be very supportive.” The friendships he made at Crescent were lasting as well, says Smith. Every year, he meets with his cross-country team and coach, Paul Craig, for a holiday dinner. “And my best friends are still the people that I met at Crescent,” he says. One of Smith’s latest passions is a documentary he’s working on with a former Crescent classmate, Matthew Corolis ’13, about women’s cancers around the world. Smith and Corolis went to Tanzania in 2018 to put together a short “teaser” for the film in order to pitch the concept to potential financers. Smith says the goal is to change people’s perspectives on what cancer looks like from a global standpoint and help convince governments and private funding bodies that there is a need for funding in this area. “We felt that maybe a documentary film could be a tool to communicate the need,” he says. Between his research with Dr. Yeates and the documentary, Smith hopes his work will “change hearts and minds” about the critical healthcare needs in low-income countries. Though solving global health problems can be challenging, it’s an area he cares deeply about. “They’re fascinating problems, because if you are at all optimistic, there’s always a solution,” he says. “You just have to be a little bit creative.”
BY THE NUMBERS
1 in 6
deaths globally is due to cancer, making it the second leading cause of death
2.5M
women worldwide will be diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer in 2018
900,000+ of women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer in 2018 will die – the vast majority in low- and middleincome countries
90%
of deaths from cervical cancer occurred in lowand middle-income countries as of 2016
Only 5% of global spending on cancer is directed towards the majority of countries (low- and middleincome) where the highest burden of cancer exists
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CARTER SMITH
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 31
Expert Advice
The importance of teaching financial literacy By Keshiv Kaushal ’18 Keshiv Kaushal is studying commerce at Queen’s University. Last summer, he and Ryan Cheng ’18 developed and co-led the financial literacy camp for boys and girls aged 10 to 14 as part of the Crescent Camps program.
O
ur society is undergoing rapid changes with rising real estate prices, the changing dynamics of the workforce, and the rise of the gig economy. All of this is forcing people to come to terms with harsh realities regarding home ownership and retirement. The days of buying a house at age 25 and retiring when you’re 65 are long gone. Canadian household debt has reached an alltime high, and with new changes to the mortgage lending policies in Canada, more and more Canadians are getting turned away from banks and are turning to non-bank lenders with higher interest rates to qualify. This demonstrates how crucial it is to ensure that children are financially literate from a young age. When we teach our kids financial literacy, we give them a toolbox on how to deal with the world around them. When society was cash-based, it was very easy for people to track the inflow and outflow of their money. However, with the extensive use of credit and debit cards as well as mobile payment systems like Apple Pay, it is now deceptively easy to lose track of your spending. Additionally, teaching kids how to budget
and save is crucial to their eventual financial success and freedom. Especially when people are in the early stages of a career, it can be very easy to delay saving, but the sooner you get your money working for you, the better. The most important financial literacy topics are saving, budgeting, spending, investing, borrowing and banking. So, how do we help children learn financial literacy? In my experience, it is all about infusing teachable moments into their lives. Here are three ideas:
#2: Make it real A great way to teach your kids about spending and budgeting is to sit down with them and show them how much they cost. When you lay out all their expenses (tuition, food, housing, clothing, etc.) and compare it to their average expected income, kids gain a real understanding of the value of money.
#1: Make it fun For example, the Game of Life (a board game) is a fantastic way to teach kids concepts like earning power, opportunity cost, saving for retirement, selecting jobs conducive with your lifestyle, etc.
32 Past & Present / Winter 2019
#3: Make it competitive For kids in middle or upper school, a virtual portfolio competition among the family is a great way to stoke the competitive spirit while teaching the kids the fundamentals of stock market investing. I recommend sites like Investopedia or MarketWatch for learning the basics of investing.
Expert Advice
Five ways to start a movement By Fraser Chapman ’93 Fraser Chapman is a keen cyclist. In 2008, he invited another cyclist that he saw regularly on his bike route to join him for a weekly ride. That was the beginning of the Morning Glory Cycling Club, which now hosts group rides, training camps, youth programs and charity events across the Greater Toronto Area.
Passion—The leadership of a community must demonstrate an undying love and passion for its focus. Ours is riding bikes. I could not understand why somebody would not want to ride bikes with us. Your passion for the focus of the community has to be undying and almost blinding. Your passion has to be in every word you speak, every person you meet, and with us, every pedal stroke.
Inclusiveness —A community is not a community unless it has an overwhelming feeling of inclusiveness. All newcomers are welcomed with open arms. Newcomers must be embraced and taught the way to feel the passion for what makes the community so enticing to others. The feeling of intimidation should have no place in the cultural fabric of the community. Questions should always be asked. Knowledge should always be shared. Group hugs are common.
Purpose —A community needs to have a purpose.
I
was asked to write about “five ways to start a movement” but the word “movement” might be misleading. This little column should be titled “five ways to start a community.” A movement makes me think of something that could be short-lived. A community is something that is succeeded by generations of our children. A community lasts beyond just you and me. A community is built on core values that maintain the integral message of what its founders had in mind. That is what the Morning Glory Cycling Club is. It is a community of like-minded individuals who love to see the sun rise while riding their bicycle. The MGCC’s mission statement is to get butts on bikes. It started with just two of us. Now there are 1,200 of us. So what did we do that created this community? How did we grow from just two of us 10 years ago to 1,200 of us now? Here are the five ways to start a community:
Our purpose – which one would think was to ride bikes – was actually to scratch two daily itches: the need for exercise and the need to socialize with like-minded individuals. Lifelong friendships were formed while exercising the mind, body and soul while pedalling the bicycle.
Consistency & Predictability—The growth of a community takes an extremely consistent message. A message that is predictable. If your community has scheduled activities, the scheduling of those activities has to be extremely consistent. Keeping your communication strategy consistent and predictable is key.
Vision—A community needs to have a vision that is long-term in nature. Once that vision is set by the leadership, the vision can be tweaked but the general message needs to remain the same. Lots of little bumps on the road will allow for second-guessing. Groups of naysayers and doubters will emerge within the community asking for change. The vision has to be maintained. Alternatives to the community will come and go. A community that is loyal to its vision will always live on.
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 33
Social Life
Together Again It’s always a good time when Crescent brothers get together. For more photos and upcoming event listings, go to crescentalumni.org.
Hong Kong Toronto
Always a popular event on the alumni calendar, the Downtown Alumni Social brought more than 100 alumni together in Toronto on November 29.
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Alumni enjoyed reconnecting at Crescent Alumni events in Hong Kong in early December.
Social Life
Kitchener-Waterloo
With lots of alumni studying and working in KitchenerWaterloo, the reception on October 24 drew a crowd.
Toronto
“Law in the Digital Age” was the topic of the Alumni Speaker Series event in August. It featured Jeremy Millard ’95, Legal Director at Uber Canada, in conversation with Gerald Chan ’99, Partner at Stockwoods LLP. Watch for more Speaker Series events coming in 2019.
Australia
While attending the International Boys’ School Coalition (IBSC) conference in Australia in July, Headmaster Michael Fellin P’24 and Executive Director of External Relations John Lynch P’16, ’18 hosted dinner for Asher Levinson ’17, Nicholas Wellner ’16 and Adam King ’16. Asher, Nicholas and Adam were working for Peter Lalor ’92 and Chris Galt ’09 at Blue Rock in Australia in summer jobs they acquired through Crescent’s Alumni Internship Program.
Mark Your Calendar Watch for more receptions and networking events coming up this spring. In particular, mark your calendars for:
MAY
10
Dentonia Alumni Luncheon Friday, May 10 Celebrating Crescent’s most venerable Men of Character
11
Alumni Reunion Saturday, May 11 Honouring the classes of 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009 & 2014
25
Crescent Golf Tournament Saturday, May 25 Bringing the entire Crescent community together for a great day of golf
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 35
Life After Crescent
Milestones and Celebrations Have family or career news to share? Send your Life After Crescent updates to alumni@crescentschool.org.
1960s
1980s
Clay Marston ’61 is working with the Westwood One media company, covering military and sports history news. Previously, Clay was on the air at CKOL 93.7 FM in Campbellford, ON. He now lives in Warkworth, ON and Palm Beach, FL.
Robert (Bob) Palmer ’80 recently celebrated his 10th anniversary at WestJet Airlines. After spending nine of those years as manager of public relations, he moved to the government relations and regulatory affairs team as manager of public affairs. Bob, his wife Jennifer and their four grown children live in Calgary.
Brian Saunderson ’80 was elected as Mayor of Collingwood in October. Saunderson previously served as Deputy Mayor. Peter Aceto ’87, P’21, ’23 is the new CEO of Cann-Trust, a federally licensed producer of medical cannabis.
Ruaridh McIntyre ’87 recently opened a bed & breakfast with his partner, Ben, in Alicante, Spain. Ruaridh continues to work in publishing and looks forward to escaping the cold Canadian winters!
1990s
Jeremy Millard ’95 and his wife Alexandra welcomed son Charlie into their family on April 24, 2018.
Myles Slocombe ’92 joined the Sotheby’s International realty team in June 2018 as their new Vice President of Sales.
David Bruser ’95, along with his colleague Jayme Poisson, won the "Achievement in Human Rights Reporting" award from the Journalists For Human Rights organization. The award recognized their work on the Toronto Star story about mercury contamination in Grassy Narrows First Nation.
PHOTO BY JHR
Charlie Mills ’99 released Railroad Town, a four-track recording of original songs, in November. It was produced by Jeff Scott ’94, and Daniel Goldenberg ’98 plays on the song “Gathering Storm.” You can find it on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes and Google Play.
36 Past & Present / Winter 2019
Life After Crescent
2000s Brett Bergmann ’00 recently joined Solar Panda as the Chief Operating Officer. Solar Panda is a Canadian company that supplies solar energy to off-grid homes in sub-saharan Africa. Brett lives in Markham, ON with his wife Beth and their three children, Rose (age 6), Ryan (age 3) and Evelyn (age 1). Ted Livingston ’05 was named one of The Ledger's Top 40 Under 40 by Fortune magazine.
Macgregor Spinks ’01 and his wife Tanja have returned to Toronto from Scotland and opened Spinks Veterinary Clinic in the Yonge and Lawrence area. Macgregor studied veterinary medicine at the University of Edinburgh and lived there for the past few years. Amid the excitement of moving back to Toronto and opening the clinic, Macgregor and Tanja welcomed their daughter, Samantha.
Andrew Norris ’03 and his wife, Jesse Chambers, welcomed their first son, William, on August 26, 2018. William has enjoyed being doted on by his parents and their dog Cali, who quickly became the baby's protector!
Ryan Ballard ’05 and his wife Julie welcomed their daughter, Charlotte Anne, on June 5, 2018.
Griffin Bush ’06 and his wife Sarah welcomed their first son, Wesley James, at midnight on July 14, 2018.
Jake Cassaday ’06 and his wife Amy welcomed their first born, Max Thomas, on May 26, 2018.
Ryan Austin ’04 married Lauren Hanson Xuereb on May 12, 2018. They exchanged vows at Trinity College Chapel in front of their family and friends.
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 37
Life After Crescent
Adam Kagan ’07 married Roya Ilkhtchoui on September 2, 2018 at the Thompson Hotel. A number of Crescent alumni were there to fete the new couple, including Dorian Rolston ’05, Griffin Bush ’06, Eric Khoury ’06, Vitali Bourchtein ’07, Carl Partington ’07, Charles Rolston ’07 and Dmitri Bourchtein ’09.
Mo Gulamhusein ’08 is in the final year of the MBA program at Harvard Business School. Mo completed his undergraduate Commerce degree at Queen's University. He worked at CIBC World Markets and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan before starting his MBA in 2017. He worked at HGGC, a San Franciscobased investment firm, this past summer and will return to work there full-time after he graduates in May. Kevin Carmichael ’07 married Kayla Campbell on October 13, 2018 at Deerhurst Resort.
2010s
Reid Buchanan ’08 married Meagan Hackney (St. Clements ’09) on August 11, 2018 at the Eastbourn Golf Club on Lake Simcoe. A number of Crescent alumni were there, including his best men, Jeffrey Ballard ’08 and AJ Delzotto ’08, his MC George Gleeson ’08, and groomsman John Crossley ’08 along with other Class of 2008 alumni. Reid is a financial analyst at Granite Partners in Toronto.
Spencer Belyea ’13 is studying for his Masters of International Affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. He completed his undergraduate degree at Queen's University in 2017. He'll be in College Station, TX, for the next two years, where he's immersing himself in Aggies football, cultures and traditions. Bert Fielding ’13 is working as the Recreation, Media and Content Manager at Taboo Resort in Muskoka. Bert manages a team of 10, producing photo and video content, managing the website and social media, and working on all internal and external marketing.
38 Past & Present / Winter 2019
Austin Stein ’13 moved to London, U.K. last August to teach Grade 7-10 history and religious studies at Bolingbroke Academy. Austin graduated with his teaching degree from Queen's University last May. Asher Weiss ’14 is working in the Innovation Lab at The Orlando Magic NBA team after graduating with a dual major in Economics and Film from Claremont McKenna College in California. The Innovation Lab is an internal think tank that helps other departments test new ideas. They also partner with local startups to find technologies that could help the team and/or organization. When Asher is not busy at the lab, he is working on his own Brooklyn-based business called Btarts™ (www. eatbtarts.com), which
is the first company to bring iconic Canadian butter tarts to the USA. Dean Perlman ’15 completed a successful summer internship at Deloitte and was offered full-time employment effective June 2019 in the Public Audit Mining Group. Dean is completing his studies at McGill University and will graduate in June with a Commerce degree. Cooper Midroni ’16 launched a student learning group at Queen's University that helps members prepare for careers in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Called QMIND, the group now has more than 80 members and offers a 14-week experiential learning course, workshops, a speakers series and professional development events.
Life After Crescent
In memoriam William “Bill” Scott ’39 one of the original boarders at Crescent School’s Dentonia campus, sadly passed away on May 27, 2018 in Fenelon Falls. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family. Richard Cargill Stockton Wise ’41 On June 26, 2018, in his 91st year, Richard passed away peacefully at Mackenzie Health in Richmond Hill. He was married to Margaret (Maggi) for 43
Former faculty Bill Boyer retired last summer after a successful tenure as Head of School at Neuchâtel Junior College. He was hired as the fourth Head of School of Neuchâtel Junior College (NJC) in 1989, after spending 12 years teaching at Crescent. His career later included
wonderful years and was the loving father of Victoria (Steven) and Janet (Andrew) and proud grandfather of Jessica and Bryan Tschipper and Katie and William Durnford ’25. Richard was born in Canton, Ohio and moved to Toronto at age four. He attended Crescent School, Upper Canada College and then earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree at the University of Toronto. He had a fulfilling career as a Partner at Zeidler Roberts Partnership Architects where he specialized in hospital design. His favourite
pastimes were reading about history and current issues, and entertaining family and friends with Maggi. He always looked forward to attending Crescent’s Dentonia Luncheon and Grandparents’ Day events, and was very proud to see his grandson William attending Crescent. We last saw Richard in June, when he stopped by Crescent to generously donate some of his books to our Middle and Upper School Library. His presence on campus will be greatly missed, and we extend our deepest sympathies to his family.
successful service as Head of School of the Toronto French School and Headmaster of Hillfield-Strathallan College in Hamilton before he became a financial consultant with Investors Group for six years. Then he served as NJC’s Head of School again for nine years. Despite his retirement plans to play more golf and spend time with his granddaughter, he was convinced to go back
to the classroom and is now teaching at an elementary school in Ancaster. If you are interested in reaching out to Bill, please email him at wboyer@cogeco.ca. Ross MacDonald became a grandfather for the first time when his son Jamie and Jamie’s wife Laura welcomed their daughter, Evie, into the world last September. Congratulations, Ross!
David McKinstry, who taught at Crescent for many years, has published a book, Rebel Dad: Triumphing Over Bureaucracy to Adopt Two Orphans Born Worlds Apart. He spoke to Crescent students in November about his experiences advocating for adoption rights for gay couples. McKinstry now operates a country lodge in Peterborough, ON with his husband, Michael Rattenbury, who is also a former Crescent teacher.
Stay Connected Join the Crescent Alumni Network Site. Go to crescentalumni.org to find mentoring opportunities, internship positions, reunions and networking events, news from your former classmates and ways to get involved at Crescent. Find alumni news on our social media: CrescentSchoolAlumni @CrescentAlums @crescent_alumni Crescent School Alumni Group Have questions? Contact alumni@crescentschool.org
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 39
Catching Up With...
John Tansey: Treasuring the Crescent spirit John Tansey was Headmaster of Crescent School for 18 years, from 1982 to 2000. We caught up with him in November to find out what he’s been up to in the 18 years since. RB: It’s great to be back in the Drawing Room with you. Welcome home, sir. JT: It's a pleasure to be here. The school looks so different. It's marvelous, a mini university. RB: As a headmaster, did you teach? JT: Yes, I taught math. Ambitiously, I started with Grade 11 and 12 and realized that they needed tremendous preparation. So I taught Grade 9 – and they’re the most difficult kids in school in some ways. But I love teaching. RB: I want to hear about the last 18 years since you retired. What has John Tansey been up to? JT: Well, I went to the farm. Everyone joked about my going to the farm. I mowed five acres of grass more often than I wanted to and realized that farming wasn’t for me after all. So we moved to Niagara-on-the-Lake. RB: You’ve had some interesting jobs since Crescent. JT: I was working in my wife Janie’s garage. I was a grease monkey. I did oil changes and emission tests. It’s the hardest work I've ever done. Then we moved to Niagara where I took up the wine business and that was fabulous. I gave tastings, tours, dinners. I worked at Inniskillen and Southbrook. Then after six years of that, I felt it was time to retire again. RB: What are some accomplishments that you are proudest of? JT: When I came to Crescent, I was told to come in and change things. They
wanted this school to be respected, to be a place that people wanted to come to and not because they couldn’t get into other places. I think we did that without losing the big thing that made Crescent so strong, that “family” stuff. RB: You met the Rolling Stones at Crescent when they were here in 1994 for rehearsals before their Voodoo Lounge tour. JT: They only invited me down to a rehearsal once. I was knocked out by their rehearsal of “Satisfaction.” How many times have the Rolling Stones recorded “Satisfaction” and yet they rehearsed and re-rehearsed it. They’re real professionals, true musicians. RB: Everyone loved and remembers your dog Rosie. She was a staple in the hallways, wandering into classrooms and having you come and find her. JT: I think Rosie is remembered with more affection than I am. RB: During your tenure, the staff – or “FFATS” – vs. parent soccer game was pretty legendary. JT: It was a lot of fun. The injuries were classic.
By Ryan Bell ’98 kids or do the washing up or whatever. I only wore about five pairs of shoes in 18 years because they never got wet. RB: What do you recommend current faculty and students never take for granted? JT: I think the spirit, that thing that makes Crescent hang together. When you meet with old boys, those guys still talk about what went on at Crescent, how it drew them together. You've got something here that is very precious. Treasure it, because a lot of schools don't have it. RB: If you could be remembered in the hearts and minds of your students and staff for one thing, what would it be? JT: Honestly, I hope that they would respect me for the job that I did. I don't know if that's hokey. RB: Sir, Mr. Tansey, JT, John, thank you for everything over those 18 years.
RB: I'm thinking of the moment where you got bodychecked. JT: I was taking a free kick in front of the goal. [The other player] stole five yards and arrived by the time that I kicked the ball and it stretched my medial collateral. I was on crutches for six weeks. And the other time, [the goaltender] bodychecked me and I broke a rib. My wife threatened to leave me if I played in another FFATS game. RB: You lived upstairs in the top floor of the Manor. JT: The beautiful thing about it was I could appear at things for 10 minutes and then go back to say goodnight to the
Ryan Bell ’98 was Head Boy during John Tansey’s tenure and now is Assistant Head of the Lower School. He says, “John Tansey personified the family spirit at Crescent. He meant the world to me, to my friends and to the school.”
40 Past & Present / Winter 2019
Crescent School 2365 Bayview Avenue Toronto, Ontario M2L 1A2
