Past & Present Spring 2013

Crescent school • spring 2013

and future...

Upcoming Events MAY

Friday 3

Dentonia Luncheon

Saturday 4

Junior Science Olympics

Thursday 9

Volunteer Reception

Friday 10

Centennial Friday Night Lights

Monday 13

Grandparents’ Day

Wednesday 15

Alumni Branch Reception: London, UK

Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 Lower School production of Alex in Wonderland

JUNE

Tuesday 28-Friday, June 7

Middle School and Upper School exams

Thursday 30

Lower School Arts Night

Wednesday 5

Grad Parent Cocktail Party

Friday 7

Lower School House Day

Saturday 8

Crescent School Golf Tournament

Monday 10

Welcome to Alumni BBQ and Crescent Alumni Executive Annual General Meeting

Tuesday 11

Athletic BBQ and Awards

Wednesday 12

Retirement Party for Mr. Craig

Thursday 13

Prize Day

Friday 14

Graduation

*White events are of most interest to current families *Grey events are exclusive to alumni *Green events are of most interest to the entire Crescent community

Past and Present is published for the entire Crescent community twice a year by Crescent School’s: COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING DEPARTMENT

Clayton Browne Director of Communications & Marketing Betty-Ann Armstrong Webmaster/Photographer Laura Pink Communications Coordinator

ADVANCEMENT OFFICE

John Lynch Chief Advancement Officer Jill Palmer Director of Advancement Kathryn Rutherford Alumni Relations Officer Valerie Morrison Advancement Officer Lizz Armstrong Advancement Services Coordinator Sue Iwan Advancement Coordinator

Table of Contents CRESCENT SCHOOL 2365 Bayview Avenue Toronto, ON M2L 1A2 416-449-2556 info@crescentschool.org crescentschool.org

Headmaster's Message ...........................2

News From Advancement .....................24

Tooting Our Horn....................................4

Another Piece of Massey History Comes to Crescent................................25

Staff/Faculty News...................................8 The New Reading..................................10

Alumni Profile ........................................26

Crescent Reads......................................12

Alumni Profile ........................................28

Athletic Awards .....................................13

Events ....................................................30

Athletic Achievements...........................14

Branch and University Visits ..................32

The Science of Libraries ........................16

Life After Crescent.................................34

Annual Parent Luncheon .......................18

Chris Simeon September Creative Communications

The Uniform...........................................20

The Crescent Alumni Executive Update ..................................38

My Generation ......................................22

Lowndes’ Last Word ..............................40

PRINTER

From the Archives .................................23

Crescent by the Numbers .....................41

DESIGN

Harmony Printing Ltd. Past and Present

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Oh how libraries have changed!

Message from the Headmaster

“It is my responsibility as an educator to point out that fast forward is not the only choice on the remote, and to entice our students to cross a bridge to the past, and to show it the respect it deserves.”

until she lost patience—which was a very short rope, in my adolescent opinion— and we would skulk out of the “resource centre” and then disperse like dandelion seeds blown in the wind to our various destinations around the school. The library was a social place where the congregation I belonged to worshipped sports and entertainment idols, and gleefully excoriated our teachers, both welcome and rare respites from the relentless drone and drill that characterized much of my education.

I

have a confession. I love libraries. I always have. But the reason might not be what you think. Yes, I like books. I like the texture, the weight, the smell, the design on the front cover, and the print on the pages. I like the progression inherent in turning the pages, buoyed in knowing that I’m ever closer to the finish and yet fearing that I’ll be sad when it’s over. But that’s not why I love libraries. For me, libraries have been a strange blend of the social and

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the selfish. In high school, it was the place my friends and I all congregated before class to a) complain about the Leafs, Argos or whatever sport was in season, or b) to replay entire skits of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. (Yes, I’m that old to have watched these when they first came out.) Truth be told, we got kicked out of the library with some regularity. Miss Montgomery, the bespectacled librarian from someplace where no one ever laughs, would shush us

But libraries, especially in university, also became a deliciously selfish place for me to enjoy. Whatever I wanted, I seemed to be able to get. Descartes? Check.

Shakespeare’s sources? No problem.

Conversational Burmese? Up a few floors in the stacks on the right. I was a kid in a candy store, except this was brain candy, and the only thing decaying was my selfimportance. In my self-imposed solitary confinement in the carrels (which were cozily barricaded in by more books than I ever thought existed!), I devoured ideas rapaciously. I realized that there was so much to sample, never mind to know.

For me, the library became the repository of what is and might be. It was also the place where I became aware, possibly for the first time, what I might be.

But our boys are devouring ideas faster and with much more ease than I ever did.

Access to information is absolutely not the problem with the much ballyhooed digital Crescent School

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natives. So what the library was for me should not be what it should be for the Crescent students. It needs to be something similar but distinctly different. It also can’t be strictly a social place either. We’ve been creating social gathering spaces in all our architectural innovations in the last decade or so. The Lau Family Wing houses the Middle School and university-styled seminar rooms for our senior English classes, but it also has a lot of non-structured, comfortable seating space for the boys. Social connectedness, especially for our students in today’s digital universe, has never been as necessary and pervasive—with all the good and bad that accompanies this new reality.

But what strikes me with our students, and to a certain extent with our younger teachers as well, is their relentless compulsion to move forward, almost like young puppies tripping over their own feet, in their hurry to reach a desired destination.

That, of course, is the wonderful energy of each emerging generation. It is my responsibility as an educator, however, to point out that fast forward is not the only choice on the remote. It’s my responsibility to entice our students to cross a bridge to the past and show it the respect it deserves.

and judged to be fit for consumption, which is quite different from some of the offerings available in today’s blogosphere so accessible to our students.

The librarian has changed as well. Gone is the shushing enforcer of silence.

Replacing this is the new enabler: social, nimble, engaging and smiling. Laughter can happily co-exist with investigation, research and creativity in the new library.

I want our boys at Crescent to experience the same wonder and joy of libraries as me. Our new library has to be social.

Check. It has to allow for those who wish quiet contemplation of new ideas in some level of privacy. Check. It has to bridge the non-digital worlds that I grew up in with books and paper and card catalogues with the digital world that our boys revel in and expect. It should be the repository of universal truths—or as close as we fallible

humans can come as we contemplate our world and our own selves. Finally, it must be a safe place in which to explore the world of ideas—and a place in which new ideas can be germinated.

We are preparing our boys for university, and they deserve a library that anticipates the magnificent libraries that they will seek out when they crave a quiet place to work or a resource they can’t get online.

But even more, at Crescent we need to create a space that supports and extends learning in and outside of the classroom.

Our lofty goal is to create a modest museum of the human imagination, or to use the more erudite words of Northrop Frye, to create a space that develops a discerning educated imagination, and by doing so bring wonderment and intellectual humility to our boys’ lives.

—Geoff Roberts, Headmaster

Our boys are hungry, omnivorous consumers of facts, but grazing indiscriminately has its dangers as there are—to extend the metaphor a tad— poisonous mushrooms in the garden. A library, unlike the unfiltered Internet, has actual books that have undergone a great deal of scrutiny and “purification” before arriving in the stacks. The author had to do a lot of agonizing research to write the book, and no small amount of time. The publisher first had to think the subject matter interesting and novel enough to invest his or her time and energy. The editors—the bane of many great writers and the salvation of the good ones— diligently checked not only the facts but suggested stylistic changes to make the book more readable and viable. The book, once published, had to do the rounds of the subject-specific critics; only the books with the stamp of approval from the informed would move down the assembly line to the Miss Montgomerys of the world who would be the final arbiter of what treasure would be discovered in the stacks.

The quality of the book information in any library, therefore, is quite high. It has been refined, tested, re-examined Past and Present

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Tooting Our Horn Our centennial year celebrations also included a visit from Stephen Lewis, our Centennial Speaker, as well as Brian Lang ’87, this year’s Centennial Stransman Speaker. The goal of the annual Stransman Speaker is to have a presenter speak to students about how character and leadership is built through sport. And Brian did just that, as he spoke of his various experiences of character development—as a Crescent student and Head Boy, as a successful businessman living in Dubai, and as an ultra-marathoner who trained for and completed the Gobi March.

While many of the Lower School boys had no idea who the groom was prior to performing at his wedding at the AGO on 12/12/12, the majority of their parents did. This former Blue Jay, who wore number 12 during the Jays’ two World Series wins and who played second base, was a spectacular player whom many Torontonians will never forget.

of Coldplay’s Viva la Vida and a Spanish version of Amazing Grace. That was all it took to seal the deal, and in the end, 43 boys from Grade 5 and Grade 6 performed at the ceremony in blue bowties, after many long hours of practice, and a serious commitment to the project that landed them on the front page of the Toronto Sun and in Hello! Canada magazine.

Crescent School was fortunate to be on Roberto Alomar’s fiancée’s wedding planner’s radar, as she contacted the School inquiring into whether we were interested in the gig. Dr. Boyes and her Lower School choir auditioned with a choral version

In happenstance, one of the boys who performed, Grade 5 student Logan Hersen, saw Alomar and his new wife in Chicago and approached the couple, letting them know he had sung at their wedding only days before.

Chris Luedecke ’94 made a visit to Crescent as part of the Middle School Speaker Series, organized annually by the Advancement Office. Each year the School tries to have three alums speak to students about the career choices they have made, and the paths that have led them there.

Those whose journeys are a little off the beaten path are the ones who appeal most to this audience of Middle School boys, who at this point in their young lives are on a journey of self-discovery themselves. Chris was the perfect guest—musically talented and a great story teller, he wove both into his performance. Look for the Crescent property/school grounds in Chris’ next video, in support of his latest album Tender is the Night; they did a little filming while on site.

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This year, guest speakers and visits were focused on the theme of masculinity.

In September, Grade 12s made a commitment to the School to put an end to homophobic slurs, with a broader theme of improving relationships and to prevent bullying. The concept that understanding the situations in which people find themselves leads to greater empathy, and the topic of gender relations, was explained during the week of the White Ribbon campaign when Miss Canada, Jaclyn Mills came to speak to students, along with Shae Invidiata, the founder of Free Them, a NFP that

advocates against human trafficking. Brian Burke (former GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs) also visited the School with a clear message to students: Don’t marginalize anyone. Discussions continue on a regular basis at Crescent during Mentor Group, within the GSA, within Upper School peer-led discussions, and at lunch hours when the Student Union is in session with counsellor Andrea Kaye. Most recently, Joe Erhmann was at the School and spoke to Upper School students in a special assembly, and then with faculty, on meshing concepts of masculinity into their mentoring practices.

In the November 2012 issue of The Hockey News magazine, the regular feature article Prospect Report lists Grade 12 student and Mackenzie House Prefect Matt Buckles as this year’s top prospect from the OJHL—Matt plays for the St. Michael’s Buzzers. Matt is a Cornell University recruit who will join the NCAA’s Big Red next season. In the article, Dan Marr, head of NHL Central Scouting says he likes what he sees in the 6-foot-1 204 lb Buckles. “Matt has the potential in him to be a power forward. He’s a great skater with puck sense.”

Then in a February issue of Hockey Now, Matt appears again on the cover with the headline “Buckle UP OJHL St. Michael’s Buzzers’ Matt Buckles on NHL Draft Radar,” and goes on to say that the “sky could be the limit for the OJHL’s 6-foot-2 210 lb Matt Buckles.” [notice the height and weight change] Matt is ranked 55th among all skaters for the NHL Draft by ISS Hockey.

According to his head coach Rich Ricci, “He certainly has the skill set and the toolbox to play in the NHL.”

The Drama Department agreed that, during our centennial year, it would be fitting to have a series of classics performed. The Upper School chose Death of a Salesman, the Middle School presented Julius Caesar, and the Lower School mounts a take on a classic, Alex in Wonderland.

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Crescent’s “ties that bind” are well displayed in this image (right) sent to us by past parent Andrew Moor. The Queen’s rugby team, with five alumni on the squad (James Dent ’10, George Gleeson ’08, Dan Moor ’08, Matt Wolfe ’08 and Dave Merrithew ’11) faced Western in the OUA championship rugby final in November. It was a great afternoon for a match with sunny skies and a large boisterous crowd packed with the Crescent community. When the final whistle blew, Queen’s came out deserving winners by a score of 29-18 to win the OUA Championship—a victory some would say was founded on Crescent’s Innes Field. Just compare the two images: Pictured are Matt Wolfe, George Gleeson, Dan Moor and Matt Barnes (who was in the crowd at the Queen’s game) when they won the CISAA Championship in 2008, and, Dan Moor, Matt Wolfe, George Gleeson and James Dent with the OUA Championship banner.

A hugely successful and flawless VEX Robotics tournament was hosted at Crescent, which we won—and scooped the award for excellence to boot. In a subsequent VEX tournament, of the five Crescent teams sent, three reached the finals of one of the most competitive arenas in the world, with the boys walking away collectively with the following awards: Programming Award, Team Spirit Award, Tournament Finalists, and as Tournament Champions.

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Crescent was a part of POST City Magazine’s private school mascot challenge, where voters weighed in online to declare a winner. As a result, Crescent won a visit from Carlton the Bear and The Raptor.

The white polar bear and red dinosaur arrived full of tips and tricks to share with that crazy cat Wiley Coyote, and to inspire him to greatness in the gym, in the rink and in the field!

A team of Grade 5 to Grade 8 basketball players hosted a team from the Brighton School for Brighton’s first-ever basketball game! The Brighton School is a school for students with learning challenges; who learn best in small groups, have an uneven academic profile, have an LD (Learning Disability) diagnosis, or have difficulty with attention, anxiety, motivation, memory, language, reasoning, spatial or sequential ordering or graphomotor functions. Some basketball is offered to their students, but they do not have any hoops at which to shoot, or teams with which to play.

Lower School art assistant Sandra Whittaker appeared in a January edition of Leaside Life News. She was featured as the coordinator of Leaside Reads: an alternative to the traditional book club that currently has 49 Leaside residents participating. The program began 12 years ago, and Sandra has been organizing the popular book trade for the last seven. The program runs October to summer, and offers nearly a year’s worth of reading for the cost of one hardcover book. By studying newspaper reviews, literary prize shortlists, and online discussion groups, extensive research and consideration into the books selected is Sandra’s mission.

This committed reader even takes the time to consult with bookstore owner and literary expert Ben McNally.

As part of Crescent’s character development program, coupled with local Outreach initiatives, Crescent hosted a fun exhibition game. Special guests included Toronto Raptors’ sportscaster Matt Devlin who was onsite to call the game, and The Raptor himself was at Crescent for a second time this year. Director of Character and Leadership, Steve Dubrick says, “It was one of the best sporting events Crescent has ever seen. For one hour on a Thursday, the Lower Gym was transformed from a sporting venue to a stage where the goodness of childhood innocence and the best of the human spirit were on display.”

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Staff/Faculty News Vince Volpe started teaching for the TCDSB in 1988, and is celebrating his 25th year as an educator. As an itinerant instrumental music teacher he was responsible for the music programs at five schools, but over time found that traveling from school to school became a challenge, as no school could be called home.

However, after 16 years of persevering in the TCDSB, Mr. Volpe became a member of the Crescent School Music Department in 2004. "It has changed my life," says Volpe, "I finally have a home."

Upper School faculty member James Mason and After Care Coordinator Barb Warren will be married at Crescent in the Formal Garden on June 15. Greg Warren ’11 and Blair Warren ’12 will be giving the bride away.

Lower School art teacher Jo-Anne Kuchmak married Matt Steele near her family cottage last fall. The September 29 wedding was held on Lake Rosseau at the Muskoka Lakes Golf and Country Club.

Head of Libraries and Information Literacy, Trish Cislak was appointed as a team advisor for the 2013/2014 IBSC (International Boys' School Coalition) Action Research Project on Boys and Character Education, and will be part of a team presenting at the world conference in Nashville in 2014. Director of Character and Leadership Steve Dubrick is also a researcher on this project, not surprisingly!

In November, on a sunset cruise around the Gulf of Mexico, Lower School faculty member Nicole Whale was engaged to Adam Whitlam.

They will be married in August at St. George's Golf Club.

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Upper School art teacher Gillian Shim gave birth to a beautiful daughter, Zoe Abigail Shim on January 2. Gillian says, “She's pretty beautiful and we are enjoying every moment with her.”

Sylvia Duckworth was selected to attend Google’s Teacher Academy; a free professional development experience designed to help K-12 educational leaders get the most from innovative technologies. Each Academy is an intensive, twoday event where participants get hands-on experience with Google's products and technologies, learn about innovative instructional strategies, and receive resources to share with colleagues. Upon completion, Academy participants become Google Certified Teachers who share what they learn with other K-12 educators in their local regions and beyond. Sylvia is now Crescent’s first Google Certified Teacher.

Upper School faculty member Shawn Lim kept friends and family guessing for six years, but finally on July 6, Shawn and Lihn Tran will be married, following a two year engagement. After a lot of hard work, patience, and plenty of help and support, the couple is finally in the same country and in the same city, ready to begin their lives together. In the meantime, Shawn may be gathering a few new fans, other than those in the Crescent community and Lihn, as this robotocist appeared in the Jan/ Feb issue of Owl Magazine, and explains a life-changing moment from Grade 10.

Upper School faculty member Jeff Lee is currently an invited guest researcher for an interstellar space project called Icarus Interstellar; contributing to the project as theoretical physicist. This opportunity came about after he was spotted presenting at the 100 Year Star Symposium on theoretical propulsion schemes. Icarus Interstellar is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to achieving interstellar flight by 2100. What is interstellar flight? Think Star Trek.

Past and Present

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Two of Crescent's French language teachers, Upper School faculty member Sébastien Bigaignon and Middle School's Andrea Schrauwers, became engaged over the summer, and will tie the knot this July.

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The New Reading W

hen The Globe and Mail published my essay Turning the Page in their Facts and Arguments column, I received a number of mixed responses about the article. I was called a barbarian, and a Philistine, by at least two rabid traditionalists who contributed to the National Post blog/web discussion/ conversation to publically chastise my ignorance, curse my naïveté and lament my association with the practice of education. I have heard of at least one professor who, after photocopying and distributing my essay to his philosophy class, vilified me as a man who was openly eroding the state of literacy in Canada. An Under Armour-clad professor from York`s Glendon campus even jogged across the South Don Bridge to Crescent School to discuss the essay with me, a folded, sweaty copy of the article in her hand.

Even in my own faculty room I did not escape the derision of some colleagues as I poured my coffee under the gaze of furrowed brows and pursed lips. Indeed, the essay raised enough attention for CBC to contact me for a radio appearance on Q with Jian Ghomeshi.

I couldn’t make it for the interview, but think it would have gone something like this: “Let’s all listen to the global village idiot on national radio who thinks you can improve literacy by not reading.”

Regardless, the aim of my essay was simple: to convey the truth; that the nature of reading is changing.

I used to think that teaching English meant teaching literature. It still is. More than ever, though, teaching English means being open to new avenues of inquiry—for our boys this means using the Internet almost constantly. Overall, rapid digitization has accelerated the process of inquiry. For our boys, that means Google and the Internet. For anyone who still does not fancy the search engine, I recommend that they Google, ahem, research Jack Andraka, a teenager in the States who researched and developed a $5 test to diagnose pancreatic cancer using nothing more than the popular

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search engine. I believe that boys are more open to the enterprise of reading and writing because these activities, more than ever, make up such a large part of the adolescent social experience. I still expect that the boys in my class to read their texts thoroughly, but all of a sudden, the digital world is expecting much more.

TURNING THE PAGE (as it appeared October 24, 2013)

While quietly minding my business in a bathroom stall at school, I overheard two of my students who did not know, or perhaps did not care that I was there.

“Yo, dude, did you finish reading the novel for the English test today?”

Me, naw, skimmed through it.”

“Dude, you’re screwed.”

“Nope, I read summaries and analysis online, I haven’t finished a book in two years.”

Naturally, I was horrified; my horror turned to shock when peeking through the crack I saw that the book skimmer was one of my top students!

For the last decade I’ve joined many of my brother and sister English teachers lamenting the supposed decline of reading among young people. Using all my creative powers and motivated by genuine pedagogical paranoia, I’ve sought clever ways to bring my pupils back to their books, reading thoroughly to the last page. Surely, the world will descend into the seventh circle of Dante’s Inferno if they don’t.

Yet despite good intentions and varied approaches, every year seems to bring greater apathy among students toward spending quiet hours engrossed in a book. Kids don’t seem to be reading as much for pleasure; kids don’t seem to be reading as much from their required texts; kids don’t seem to be reading as much period. The cause, frustrated teachers agree, is the growing distraction of electronic media. We could include other modern distractions and compile a sobering list of factors that drive a wedge between children and the kind of close reading that we identify as central to the educational experience.

Some argue that kids are reading more, they are just reading less more often, and from an increasing spectrum of Past and Present

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interest. Aren’t they reading blogs, texts, tweets, and Facebook pages, after all?

Though this is certainly the case, the concern teachers have is quality over quantity—they are reading, but they are reading crap. But are we ready for what some would regard as a disturbing reality, that the traditional style of deep, prolonged reading is losing relevance, and maybe gone forever? Students in our classrooms today are surviving in English by sampling, scanning and browsing; precisely the same kind of reading they do on the Internet.

Staggering overstimulation has required young people to become excellent multitaskers. This pattern is not only seen with young people; a glance in the direction of a modern office reveals work stations with two or three monitors, desktop computer, laptop and a mobile device balanced by employees required not to do more with less, but more with more.

On the information highway, it’s not what a person knows that is important anymore, it is where a person looks for it. Where does this put English teachers who desperately want their students to pore over the novels of Conrad, Austen and Dickens the same way they did when moustache-beards were in? The answer may lie in allowing them to do what they do best: browse and sample.

As soon as my students are assigned a piece of reading, they begin searching for web-based shortcuts. They read biographies on authors, commentaries on style and context, explanations of themes and conflicts. Just the sort of thing I want to be doing with them, but they beat me to it. They don’t know it, but this has enriched discussions and layered their writing. Students may only read part of the text, but by nature, they are driven to read around it too. Despite all my concern, they don’t seem to be suffering; in fact, their writing and speaking is as good as or better as it was previously. In other words, kids are actually becoming more intelligent by sheer exposure to vast cross sections of information and detail. Perhaps it is time to meet students where the new reality finds them—that is, reading shorter pieces, more often. Traditionalists may glare at this suggestion with furrowed brows, but steady improvements in provincial testing reveals students haven’t quite reverted to cave-dwelling yet.

Populations in all English speaking countries are becoming strikingly ethnically diverse. With so many reading and writing English as a second or third language, is it reasonable for us to expect reading to be the same as it was in Victorian times? Despite the changing nature of the language, English teachers have held on to the 19th and 20th century novel with grasping, wrenching fingers. I’ve been one of these teachers, and truthfully, I’m not sure why. The novel is a distinctly western convention and a new one at that—arriving two centuries after the printing press. The industrial revolution increased leisure time so that longer pieces became more attractive while writers benefitted by being paid by the word. The practice of reading and writing long pieces of literature was born out of spending winter hours by the fireside while largely rural societies waited for spring. While the reading material available to a teen 100 years ago might have been as narrow as a few books on a bedroom shelf, to a student in my classroom today, the range of reading possibilities is endless.

Lately, in my own classroom, we have integrated sampling text into the curriculum. Instead of reading one novel thoroughly, we may read the first eight pages of several different novels and examine the varying style, content and perspective of each. We will then sample from deeper within the texts, and compare the style of endings. Students are free to read in depth from the works that truly interest them, and they often do. This rapid change of literary fabric is compelling for students, energizing for me, and most closely resembles the way people are navigating through an increasingly digital world. This may mean that pupils of the future will be reading fewer novels from cover to cover, but they may be reading more, better.

—Robert Costanzo, Upper School faculty

A version of Rob’s essay was also published in the November/ December issue of Canadian Teacher magazine and will appear in the September 2013 edition of Nelson’s Elements of English 10, a national textbook for Grade 10 English.

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Crescent Reads As an English teacher I am frequently challenged to answer an impossible question by identifying my favourite book. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe is not that book. It is a story written by a son about his mother and the books they read together as she lived her final years dying from pancreatic cancer.

Although Schwalbe’s style did not ever completely pull me into the novel, he did create a lovely tribute to his mother. The way Schwalbe weaves together stories of his mother’s life, the development of her illness and the novels they are reading was engaging. They even became the source of conversation with my own mother!

The most interesting aspect of this novel was to read how Mary Anne [Schwalbe] dealt with such a devastating diagnosis and how determined she was to maximize her limited time, not by crossing items from an extreme bucket list but by investing time in her most prized priorities: her family, her charity work and reading. The End of Your Life Book Club may not make it onto my list of favourite books of all time, but inspired great conversation when asked, “What are you reading these days?”

—lIsa weldon, mIddle sCHool faCUlty

A chance download of the eBook version of Cutting for Stone by Dr. Abraham Verghese one wintery February day had me enthralled from beginning to end. This novel is an epic saga of twin boys Marion and Shiva Stone; the extraordinary circumstances of how they were orphaned at birth, adopted by doctor parents and the tumultuous paths their lives took. From America to Italy to Ethiopia, the intense story unfolds with a mixture of cultures, religion, values and complex family relationships and bonds.

Lastly, the author’s graphic attention to detail superbly brings to life the medical world around which his eclectic cast of characters revolve. The next time Mother Nature wreaks havoc, I would definitely recommend reading Cutting for Stone and you too, will be swept away.

—domenICa GanGUlI, bIRtHday book pRoGRam CooRdInatoR

There are books that cannot sometimes be easily described; they are definitely not happy stories, but are certainly not brutal, murder stories either. End of Days by Eric Walters is one of those books.

It starts in a dystopian world, where it has been discovered that an asteroid is on a collision course with earth; the specific timing of the impact is also known. Although this may seem dark, the book does not dwell too much on dread, and instead focuses largely on the state of the world and specifically the state of anarchy reigning supreme.

I am not a fan of this genre, however this story was different. Although the plot was rather morbid, and the story itself was not particularly fantastic, I found that the lessons that the author seeks to teach—about humanity and morality—are truly captivating, and that overall, the book is a masterpiece. For anyone who is prepared to read in between the lines, I would definitely recommend this book.

—CHRIstIan mÉtIvIeR, GRade 8

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In a time where media presence is paramount and the word “private” carries little weight, one could think that we know everything about society’s leaders: who they are, what they believe in, and how they have succeeded. The President’s Club, written

by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duff, Time editors and presidential historians, demonstrates that this is far from the truth. As they go inside “the world’s most exclusive fraternity,” the authors take a critical look at the presidency. They compare the professional and personal relationship of multiple presidents, ranging from the rather cordial one between Herbert Hoover and Harry Truman to the more hostile one between Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon.

Through extensive research and a keen eye for detail, Gibbs and Duff convincingly argue that the relationship between American presidents, both past and present, undoubtedly shapes the course of history. This book is a fascinating account of how this has happened… and how it will continue to happen.

—pHIlIp lloyd ’09 (CURRently at QUeen’s)

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Athletic Awards Fall Term SPORT TEAM DISTINCTIONS Soccer

U10 Green MVP: Jonathan Voutsas Coaches Choice Award: Will Matthews U10 White MVP: Jack Wallace Most Exciting Player: Keval Ghai U10 Grey MVP: Ben Osborne Coaches Choice Award: Caden Lee U11 MIP: Adam Berry Cheetah Award: Spencer Coke U12 D1 MVP: Troy Pinkney MIP: Cory Gill U12 D2 MIP: John Kachura Coaches Choice Award: Matthew Lampard U13 MVP: Jared Horwood, Taylor Eccleston Leadership Award: Alex Malone U14 D1 MVP: Andrew Youngson, Duncan Henry MIP: Ryan Fowlie U14 D2 MVP: Mitchell Buck, Cameron Howard Team Spirit Award: Avram Kachura Mr. Hustle Award: Harry Raftus Leadership Award: Daniel Solomos Junior D1 MVP: Ryley Henderson MIP: Wilbert Guo Junior D3 MVP: Joseph Kachura The Flying Winger: Jason Jang Senior D2 MVP: Alex Hutcheon MIP: Griffin Baker Senior D1 MVP: Henry Mackie, Giorge Voutsas MIP: Chris Grant

X-Country U10 MVP: Stephen Woollcombe U12 MVP: Mathieu Schneider U14 MVP: Miles Di Prata

Midget MVP: Ryley Mehta, Abhinav Dhar Junior MVP: Matthew Allion MIP: Andrew Murphy

Senior MVP: Jack Hayward, Toms Black

Winter Term SPORT TEAM DISTINCTIONS Hockey Senior MVP: Troy Crema

Lady Byng – Most Sportsmanlike: Stefan Losberg

Junior MVP: Jack Hutton MIP: Alex Johnston Coaches Choice Award: Emmanuel Vella

U14 MVP: Erik Rimer Line of the Year: Liam Haggarty, Alex Malone, Max Montgomery

U12 MVP: Mathieu Schneider Heart & Hustle Award: Will Webster Rookie of the Year: Jack Wallace Basketball

Volleyball

U14 D1 MVP: Andrew Cook Coaches Choice Award: Ricky Mason

U14 D2 MVP: Davis Maxwell The Linchpin Award: Jonah Mandel Junior MVP: Deen Choudhury MIP: Keith McRae Senior MVP: Geoffrey Sculthorpe MIP: Caleb Williams

Senior D1 MVP: Michael Peterkin Coaches Commitment Award: Adam Brooks, Matthew Corolis, Philip Fournier, Alex Gerlings, Jack Hayward, Michael Peterkin, Michael Simonetta, Caleb Williams Senior D3 MVP: Liam Caven Leadership & Commitment: Nick Holland Junior MVP: Deen Choudhury MIP: Jack Naylor U14 D1 MIP: Davis Maxwell Best Teammate Award: Jonah Mandel U14 D3 MVP: Andrew Cook High Scorer: Adam Kelly U13 MVP: Cameron Howard Leadership Award: Jackson Bere U12 D1 MVP: Logan Centner MIP: Cory Gill U12 D2 MVP: Manvis Xia Ultimate Warrior: Matthew Bissett U11 MVP: Rhys Holman MIP: Adam Berry U10 White MVP: Oscar Gordon Coaches Choice Award: Ryan Rakusin U10 Green MVP: Connor Colfer Coaches Choice Award: Jonathan Voutsas

Squash Senior MIP: Ian Donaldson, Asher Weiss

Junior MVP: Samuel Goh MIP: Andrew Kung

U14 MVP: Alex Spafford MIP: Christopher Overvelde Alpine Skiing Level 2 MVP: Colin Williams, Cole Rosenberg

Level 1 MVP: Toms Black Coaches Choice Award: Will Higgs

U14 A MVP: Devan Hunter

U14 B MVP: Taylor Eccleston

U14 Outstanding Contribution: Duncan Henry Swimming MS MVP: Justin Chan Outstanding Sportsmanship & Role Model: Matthew Borg

LS MVP: Christian Eng Most Improved Swimmer: Christopher Hughes

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Athletic Achievements Fall Term The CISAA championship teams were: Grade 3 Soccer U10 Grey Soccer U11 Soccer

The CISAA silver medalist teams were: U12 D1 Soccer U13 Soccer U14 D2 Volleyball (East) Junior Volleyball

The CISAA bronze medalist teams were: U10 Green Soccer U10 White Soccer

Other Noteworthy Accomplishments:

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U13 Soccer were semi-finalists in the CAIS Nationals

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In Midget Cross-Country: the team was third in CISAA with Ryley Mehta placing fifth and qualifying for OFSAA, and Abhinav Dhar placing 14th and also qualifing for OFSAA

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In Senior Cross-Country: the team was second in CISAA with Jack Hayward placing fourth, Toms Black in 13th, Taylor Keeting in 15th, Nicholas Mehta in 16th and Matthew Corolis 23rd. This tight-knit team of runners qualified for the OFSAA provincial finals for the fourth straight year with the indomitable Mr. Craig as coach. This is Mr. Craig’s final season coaching after 28 years, and guiding numerous teams and runners to CISAA championships and OFSAA berths.

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Athletic Achievements Winter Term The CISAA championship teams were: U11 Basketball U12 D2 Basketball Senior D2 Hockey (East) U14 Squash U14 Level A Alpine Ski Team U14 Level B Alpine Ski Team

The CISAA silver medalist teams were: Senior Level 1 A Alpine Ski Team U13 Swim Team

The CISAA bronze medalist teams were: U13 Basketball U14 D3 Basketball Junior Squash U14 Level B Alpine Ski Team The CISAA semi-finalists: U12 D1 Basketball Senior D3 Basketball

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Other Noteworthy Accomplishments: 8

Grade 3 basketball teams were U9 Tournament Champions

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U14 D1 Basketball won the silver medal at the Ashbury Tournament

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The Senior D1 Basketball Team was the CAIS National Tournament Champion, and quarter finalists in CISAA and at OFSAA

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U14 Level A Alpine Ski Team finishes at CISAA include Devan Hunter in second, Cam Lomax in third, Duncan Henry in fourth, Richard Robinson in fifth, Stephane Leblanc-Smith in seventh

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U14 Level B Alpine Ski Team finishes at CISAA include Taylor Eccleston in first, Aidan Foote in third, Carter Brown in fifth and Sam Charlton in fifth

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Senior Level 1 A Alpine Ski Team finishes at CISAA include Toms Black in second, Michael Jaunkalns in sixth, and Will Higgs in seventh

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OFSAA wins include: Senior Level 2 Alpine Ski Team placing third in slalom and fourth in giant slalom

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In U13 swimming, Justin Chan placed fourth in butterfly, first in breaststroke, second in 100m IM and first in the 200m relay

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In U14 swimming, Charles Cheng was first in breaststroke and Ethan Gill was fourth in butterfly

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The Science of Libraries at Crescent, the libraries represent thoughtful planning, flexibility and a thriving learning environment that can meet the needs of all of our students. I feel very fortunate that as a former classroom teacher I now have the pleasure of interacting with and impacting on all of the students at Crescent School in a meaningful way. Needless to say, I truly believe I understand—because I have witnessed— the power that the libraries have in the lives of our boys.

I am very purposeful in my choices of what happens each day in the library.

I recognize its value with all facets of the School represented. Here are some examples: We had a wonderful experience with the senior rugby team last spring when we created an exhibit about the sport, and encouraged the team to use the space as their gathering spot before each game. We had 25 boys gathered around the Rover (shortthrow projection board) to get the latest details when Leafs GM Brian Burke was suddenly fired this year, and the Kids’ Lit Quiz team from the Middle School found a haven in which to train and prepare here each week. The boys know that this is their space, and we understand that if they are comfortable, they are more apt to seek help, and to ask good questions.

T

he world of libraries is referred to as a science with the Dewey Decimal System organizing all of the knowledge in the world into categories. In fact, there is a science to approaching and managing information in a strategic way 16

similarly. There is a science on how to appreciate literature in its many forms, and there is a science to being able to acknowledge the organic nature of change—and mindfully responding to that change in an effective way. Here

As we embark on creating a new library for the Middle School and Upper School boys, we recognize that libraries are traditionally known for offering different reading situations, and we have responded by offering audio books, e-readers and our latest acquisition, Overdrive—a virtual library that allows the boys to download books onto any device.

The culture of reading is alive and well at Crescent, nonetheless, there has been a considerable shift in the role of libraries in the last few years, namely, in what function libraries now additionally serve.

The digital age has created challenges, but also opportunities, for libraries and more importantly, schools, to embrace change and to acknowledge that different kinds of literacies Crescent School

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must be infused into all areas of the curriculum. My title Head of Libraries and Information Literacy is deliberate in that a leader must oversee and direct the field of information literacy within the realm of research and education. What is information literacy? The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) definition states: Information literacy is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner.

My role has shifted to become a facilitator for the management of information, and from content to process.

Here, I have already adopted the phrases “gather, manipulate and communicate” as the key steps involved when processing information. This common

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language will support the boys in all curriculum areas and it is the role of the library to instruct, support and develop this language. Essentially, it is the newest literacy at present.

The boys in Grade 9 are the first to experience this approach. Our interactions and a re-framing of their perspective of what libraries can offer (in terms of enhancing their educational experience) is our first step in allowing the boys of Crescent to be pioneering students. The new space is being designed to meet the needs of Generation Z students— these students are the most digitally savvy, and have all the answers… but don’t necessarily know all the questions to ask. The new library will function as a classroom to be complemented by a skill set that needs to be taught.

Today’s library is a classroom, a social hub, an idea-generating space (via collaboration), a sanctuary, and in many ways, often considered a teacher in the lives of students. This sort of 21st century learning environment positively affects students, and the new Crescent library for Middle School and Upper School students takes all of this into account as we finalize design plans.

Along with my team, Elizabeth Ford, Michael Tamburro and Lisa Elchuk, we truly represent a wealth of knowledge for what we can offer the boys of Crescent, and are passionate about ensuring that they are well-prepared for higher education as proficient readers, and informed researchers. ­— Trish Cislak, Head of Libraries and Information Literacy

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Annual Parent Luncheon T

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he CPA hosted its Annual Parent Luncheon at the Granite Club in February. A record number of parents were in attendance as guest and Globe and Mail columnist Margaret Wente presented her thoughts on boys being boys, and why society won’t let them.

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The Uniform – A Work In Progress H

ave you walked down the hallways lately? Have you noticed a subtle change in the appearance and demeanour of the Upper School boys as they walk by? They are confident, self-assured, and, yes… fashionable! You will still see the handsome green blazer (blue for the graduating class), grey flannels and oxford shirts on many days of the week when Number One dress is expected, but when it is a day of the week when Number Two dress is worn, there is something new in the wardrobes

of these young men—a stylish new green and white cardigan.

In case you might assume that this move to a more relaxed and comfortable uniform choice on Number Two dress days was a hasty decision, think again.

It was not! Blazer, flannels, white shirt, have been the traditional garb since Crescent School began, and adding a more casual option did not make one and all comfortable—and yet, The Times They Are a-Changin’ as the song says.

With society’s gradual decrease in the level of formality in general, including within the business world, fashionforward staff and students expressed a desire to include less formal uniform choices for the Upper School. The goal was to encourage students to wear both uniforms (Number One and Number Two) with confidence and pride. Today when watching Upper School students, as they gather in classrooms and hallways, it is safe to say that goal has been achieved with the introduction of the cardigan. But, something else was gained along the way.

One of the remarkable aspects of the introduction of the new cardigan was the unprecedented collaboration between students and staff in its design.

Once there was faculty agreement for the casual dress idea—including a commitment to enforce proper dress at all times—an informal committee was struck to consider what clothing would be appropriate, stylish and would appeal to a broad base.

Designs were drawn by students, commented upon by staff, and students also, then revised and refined. Suppliers were sourced by the School, sample cardigans were produced and presented to the group, further refinements were made, and approval for the final design was given by the Headmaster.

After over a year of planning and discussion, the new cardigans arrived in early January to the delight of the boys and staff alike. Unsuspecting volunteers arrived for duty in the School shop (Coyote’s Den) one January morning to find an enormous lineup, each boy wanting to be the first to sport this new uniform item. That day close to 90 cardigans were sold in just a few hours.

Yes, Crescent boys are wearing both the formal and informal versions of the School uniform proudly and understandably so—their uniforms are even more fashionable today, while continuing to be inspired by a century of dapper young men!

— Cathy Macdonald, Coyote’s Den Manager

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Crescent School

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Grade 12 students and cardigan designers Jeff Carlin and Ben Ger.

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My Generation R

eading and writing have always interested me. I’ve loved to read for as long as I can remember, and that hasn’t changed as I’ve grown older; I read 40 books in 2012.

I also like to write. Classmates complain when we are assigned essays; I actually kind of enjoy them. Not surprisingly then, I am the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Voice, Crescent’s student newspaper. This has allowed me to further engage in my own writing, but also to spearhead the main student writing initiative at the School. In this position, I have seen the interest and passion that students have for writing. I never have a shortage of willing writers, and the shortest issue has been a not-so-short eight pages. It’s true, writing isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but Crescent houses many fine writers whose work appears in the pages of The Voice, and who learn in the classrooms.

Ah, yes, the classrooms. Where learning takes place, thoughtful discussions occur, and Facebook is visited. While Facebook is a very prominent distractor of students, it does have its educational uses.

Many classes create Facebook pages to aid them in their work; if you’re away, you can easily catch up, and it’s a great way to get help if you’re stuck on a concept.

Through this and other means, it’s obvious that learning has changed, from 30 to 10, to even five years ago. This is true for all subjects, but especially English where before you were pretty much forced to read the book or fail the unit. Now, there are a multitude of resources at our fingertips. Various Internet sites, such as Sparknotes, or even more scholarly sources, are routinely used to aid—or replace—the reading of a novel. Accessing many resources is a vital part of learning these days. Being able to glean information from places other than the text itself 22

makes a difference; it broadens the class discussions we have, and brings up ideas of which we may have otherwise never thought. However, there is an obvious downside, too—some students choose to use these resources instead of, not in addition to, the assigned book.

Nevertheless, the positives outweigh the negatives, and the way we read and learn has changed because of it.

And this brings me to the new library on which construction will soon start. It

has been presented as a revolutionary new learning space, however I have my doubts as to just how revolutionary any learning space can be. Regardless, if I wasn’t graduating this year, I would be very excited to explore the much larger, cool-looking library. At the very least, this modern library promises to be a newer, updated version of what is already a very useful space; a place to work, meet, and, yes… read.

—Spencer Belyea, Grade 12

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How Digitization is Changing Archives From the Archives

L

ibraries in Canada are undergoing an increasing shift towards digital collections, and Crescent is no exception.

Crescent libraries boast online databases, e-books as well as lendable computers and e-readers. Archival libraries are not different at all, and modernization and change is happening there as well. Riding the crest of the technology wave is the driver, but another and more important reason to move towards digitizing collections is to serve the needs of the patron.

Archival libraries represent a unique challenge as the material in their care is often rare, fragile and not generally accessible to the public. Digital modernization includes restoring and transferring items such as photos, documents, video and audio, into a digital format that can be viewed on a variety of media, and is accessible online. Another facet is using software to describe the item making it searchable and retrievable in its new digital format.

While the process itself may sound like technobabble, it is actually fairly

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straightforward according to digital media specialist Maria Phipps of Phipps and Associates. “It’s all about scanning that first photo or document. Once you begin the process the hardest part is done,” says Phipps.

Although the technology is something new, the goals of archiving are the same as they were 20 or 100 years ago; to conserve the material, and at the same time make it accessible to the public. For a school archives such as Crescent’s, the goal is to preserve the School’s history in order to share this invaluable resource with the School community. The intent of digitization is to supplement the physical collection, and make the collection more accessible— hence the online database component.

Phipps has worked with numerous institutions to digitize their archival collections, including TCS (Trinity College School) in Port Hope. TCS has an extensive archive, stretching back to 1865, and have been actively digitizing their collection for several years, and are still in the process. Currently, the school

has an impressive publicly searchable database containing photos, letters, documents and school publications such as newsletters and yearbooks.

The wow moment is when Phipps’ clients see they have all of their information in one place. “While searching and retrieving is second nature to library staff, it is not so for the public.” Phipps says current and future students learn to appreciate the past, when they can easily access this valuable and fascinating information.

Crescent School’s archives are currently beginning the process of digitization, and examining innovative new cataloguing and preservation methods. A specially designed archival quality room is planned as part of the exciting, new Middle School/Upper School Library space. The newly digitized collection will include all of the historical photos, documents, letters, books and video/audio that tell the 100 year story of Crescent School.

— Michael Tamburro, Library/Archives Technician

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News From Advancement A

t its meeting of April 8, the Board of Governors of Crescent School passed a motion to commence construction of the new Library and Commons. In June this year, following Prize Day and Graduation, Crescent will once again make way for cranes and dump trucks, bringing on the demolition of Hyland Hall to make way for the new Library. The Commons will then rise in place of the current Middle School and Upper School Library. Building will be complete by September, 2014. This highly-anticipated project will bring significant transformation to the Crescent campus, and an enhanced academic offering.

The Library and Commons project marks the third and final phase of the Great Boys campaign. Phase One included the addition of Innes Field, which has provided abundant opportunities for year-round athletics and recreation to all students. The campaign’s second

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phase provided new and renovated classrooms which now afford smaller class sizes. It also brought additional support in numeracy and literacy, the Margaret Donnelly Library for the Lower School, a larger Robotics lab, a Lower School art area, renovated music rooms, and the magnificent Lau Family Wing.

Enhanced programs in International Outreach, Robotics and Technology, Crescent Student Services/R&D in Boys’ Education, and a stronger Student Financial Aid program render the Crescent campus and student experience better than ever before.

The $13 million Library and Commons will round out Crescent’s facilities and program for the Middle School and Upper School students. The School has secured more than $6.8 million in pledges for this project, thanks to the generous response of the Crescent community—parents, alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents, friends, staff and

students alike. With broad support, the campaign now stands at $23 million, on its way to $30 million. More than 90 families have provided gifts of $50,000 or more, with 55 of these families at the $100,000+ level. A major source of support is Parent Annual Giving, providing over $1.1 million to the campaign each year throughout the life of the campaign. Many families have chosen to double or triple the requested amount of annual giving per student during the campaign. Support has also been provided by way of one-time cash gifts or five year pledges, gifts of securities, and donations from family trusts. With continued generosity and commitment from across the Crescent community, we will reach the $30 million mark—the most ambitious campaign goal in the 100 year history of Crescent School. Crescent boys today, and in generations to come, will enjoy an even better educational experience as a result.

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Another Piece of Massey History Comes to Crescent

N

estled beside the fireplace in the Drawing Room in Crescent’s Manor House sits a small, exquisite wooden wheelbarrow. A beautifully crafted antique, it brings with it a wealth of history from Crescent’s past. Walter Massey, one of Crescent’s oldest alums and grandson of Crescent benefactor Susan Denton Massey, visited the School with his wife, Sharman, for the Centennial Remembrance Day Service and garden planting in November 2012, and presented the wheelbarrow as a gift to Crescent. He provided the story of the wheelbarrow’s creation and purpose, and how it came back to rest at Crescent.

“Specially created by artisans and silversmiths in the city of Warrington, in Cheshire, England at the end of

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the Second World War, this beautifully crafted wheelbarrow was presented to the Commander of the RCAF Rehabilitation Centre stationed there, as a heartfelt thanks and remembrance for his leadership of the men he commanded and the citizens of the city and its governance,” Mr. Massey explained. “This gift was given at the closing of the Centre in 1946, by the mayor of Warrington, representing its citizens, and the officers and men of the RCAF serving under the Commander.”

The Commander referred to here is Group Captain Denton Massey, Member of Parliament until 1942, and Leader of the York Bible Class, known nationally, and, most importantly for the Crescent community, the son of Susan Denton

Massey, who is the sole benefactor of Crescent School’s Dentonia Park campus.

Denton Massey’s mother was profoundly influential in the development of Crescent School. Seeing a need for the growing all-boys school, Susan Massey, a generous philanthropist, donated her private home to Crescent, and enrolled her six grandsons, including Walter Edward Hart Massey II ’39, the only son of Denton Massey.

Walter is one of two surviving grandsons of Susan Massey. He believed that, “as Susan Denton, patron and benefactor of the earlier residence and lands of Crescent School, had so much impact on the growth and welfare of Crescent, it seems only appropriate that the wheelbarrow should come to Crescent.”

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Jason Beck ’89 J

ason “Chilly Gonzales” Beck ’89 is one of Crescent School’s most talented alumni musicians. Classically trained, he is a Grammy-nominated pianist, producer and songwriter who has made a name for himself living and playing in Europe.

Much like his brother, Christophe Beck ’87, a television and film score composer, Jason knew at a young age that music would play a leading role in his life. He credits Crescent School as the place that nurtured his musical interests at an early age. “The music department, under Denny Ringler, began bringing in professional jazz musicians to give private lessons to students,” states Jason. “One of the musicians was a guitarist named Geoff Young, who took an interest in my musical development. Another musician, David James, was a drummer, but also taught me harmony and performance.

In each case, the focus was on music, not on instrumental virtuosity. All of this inspired me at an early age to see music holistically, not only as an “athletic” technical pursuit.”

Alumni

Profile

project and persona were born then and there, over a few months.”

the transaction. Composing is fantasy, performance is reality. Both are essential.”

Living a life that is not subject to routine, Jason feels lucky to have the opportunity to move with the ebb and flow of the job; travelling for weeks at a time contrasted with quiet times when he can be creative. When asked what aspect of his work moves him most, Jason says, “composing is a solitary activity and gives me satisfaction of having made something. It also allows me to project and fantasize about the eventual life of the work I’m doing. Performing is public activity, so it gives me back the energy of the audience, but something is lost in

Jason’s career has afforded him many opportunities. Apple Inc.’s ad for the iPad featured Jason’s piece, Neverstop. He’s worked with Feist for many years and performed alongside Canadian rapper Drake at the 2011 Juno Awards. But it’s working with his brother, Chris that he attributes to being “one of life’s great pleasures.” Despite his worldly success, and his extensive musical score, Jason still fondly recalls his first performances as a young musician in Crescent’s Hyland Hall, the theatre where he “learned to entertain an audience and create a taste for music.”

While Mr. Ringler was influential in Jason’s musical development, Bill Pedoe, Geoff Roberts and then-Headmaster John Tansey were key players in encouraging Jason to be an individual creative and different. “Mr. Tansy shared with me that it was because I marched to the beat of my own drum that I was awarded the position of prefect in Grade 12.” For Jason, Crescent School was a place he felt safe to be himself.

The advice he would provide to current students would be, “Dare to incorporate your passion into whatever you do.”

After graduating from Crescent in 1989, Jason trained at McGill University as a classical pianist, but it was not until his move to Berlin, Germany in 1998 that his career began to take off. “When I moved to Berlin, I forced myself into the position of learning everything anew. Something about escaping my comfort zone brought out the best in me. The stakes seemed higher. I would say it enabled me to think outside the box when it came to my music career, and the Chilly Gonzales 26

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© 2012-13 Alexandre Isard Gentle Threat All rights reserved

Remembering Jeremy Storie ’81 (October 1962 – February 2013)

“ Live for the day, and stand up for what you believe in.”

A loyal friend and a leader among his peers, Jeremy was a Prefect in his final year at Crescent. He had the gift of making friends, many of whom were drawn to his wicked sense of humour and keen sense of mischief. Today, many stories of his classroom exploits are interrupted by a big smile, and the statement: “I can’t tell you any more for fear of self-incrimination.” This gift later revealed itself in Vancouver, where Jeremy displayed a significant talent for race announcing, something he did with great gusto, personality, and flair, often to the advantage of his own junior racers as he provided coaching advice between commentary.

W

hen thinking of Jeremy Storie ’81, the words “cycling”, “competitive”, “youth”, and “a crazy sense of humour” come immediately to mind. Jeremy was instrumental in introducing development programs for both youth and women’s cycling in British Columbia and nationally.

He loved cycling and working with young people, a trajectory that began when he worked in the British Columbia school system with at-risk youth, and culminated in competitive cycling and a coaching career.

As a student at Crescent, Jeremy was academically solid, and did well in the

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classes he enjoyed. While his marks earned him admission to Queen’s University, he is remembered more for his heart than his grades. When it came to sports, his competitiveness is legendary among his peers. He was a team player who gave his all to his team, either in the game, or while cheering in the stands. Faculty member Steve Davies remembers Jeremy as “simply a great kid. He had a wonderful sense of humour and was loved by everyone in his class.

He was an important member of the school team ... a bit of a prankster... he was always laughing and smiling.”

He was famous for creating nicknames, something that began in his Crescent years, and carried over to cycling. For some riders, those nicknames created a level playing field, for others, a sense of belonging, and the confidence of knowing they were not anonymous. As one racer noted, Jeremy “had such a great way of bursting everyone’s balloon with his goofy nicknames and phrases... even in comparatively serious events with world-class pros riding, he would make it all seem like some silly fun. I loved that.”

Fitness was one of Jeremy’s passions.

He started cycling while at Queen’s, and suddenly placed an indoor bike trainer in his room, which made so much noise it drove his neighbours crazy. After university, he started doing triathlons, Crescent School

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Alumni

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and in 1986 he completed the Ironman in Hawaii. Cycling was by far his favourite of the three events, and he turned to competitive cycling, where he loved the team pursuit and the Madison (a conventional race with riders in each team riding part of the distance, handing over to the other member, resting, and returning to the race).

“Given a fork in the road,” friend and classmate Michael Fricker ’81 says, “he’d more often opt for the road less traveled.” He was adventurous, and he had an edge. He returned from competition one year in Australia with Past and Present

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dreadlocks. Three to be exact, as his hair was already headed in a direction that would result in his signature shaved head.

Jeremy was not afraid to stand up for what he believed in. While he often challenged officials at cycling events, his challenges were made in the “spirit of sportsmanship.” He was a strategist who knew what parts of a race counted.

His greatest points of pride were his involvement in youth and women’s cycling. Jeremy was a key player in the early stages of the Canadian women’s team pursuit and success, and

instrumental in helping the Women’s Track Cycling team win their bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympics.

One of the many legacies he leaves behind is the dEVo cycling program he helped found in 1999. Many dEVo alumni describe him as a pillar in their development as riders, and as people.

The positive influence he made to their lives continues to this day.

Jeremy was and is a positive difference maker—in many ways and in many lives.

Crescent remembers him as a true man of character, and we are honoured to count him among our alum.

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Events The Alumni Reunion The Alumni Reunion was hosted on Saturday, September 29, in the CCL Lobby at Crescent School. The reunion, celebrating the classes of ’76, ’82, ’87, ’92, ’96, ’02 and ’07, welcomed back over 150 alumni to campus for the event. This year, the class of ’87 celebrated their 25th reunion with over 30 members of their class returning for the festivities.

The Bidiak Basketball Challenge The Bidiak Basketball Challenge, held in honour of Mr. Terry Bidiak, was held on December 20, 2012 prior to the Alumni Holiday Reception. Approximately 50 alumni and current students played in the basketball tournament with the hopes of winning the Bidiak Challenge. This year’s tournament was cited as the best one to date.

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Crescent School

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Centennial Hockey Day Annual Giving Spring Appeal —it is never too late to give.

To donate, visit www.crescentschool.org/donate.

Your support will enhance the student experience at Crescent School, and assist in funding Student Financial Aid, the new Library and Commons, and other initiatives.

Thank you for your support!

Downtown Networking Event The annual Downtown Networking Event was held on November 22, 2012 at Jump! Restaurant. Over 70 alumni dropped by after work to catch up with friends and fellow alumni.

Holiday Reception Always proving to be a highlight of the season, the annual Holiday Reception, hosted in the CCL Lobby, on December 20, 2012, welcomed over 100 alumni. With exams completed, reports finished, and a New Year on the horizon, alumni and faculty alike were thrilled to have an opportunity to share memories and catch up during the busy holiday season.

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Branch and University Visits International Branch Visits Each year, Headmaster Geoff Roberts boards a plane and travels to visit alumni who are living elsewhere around the world. Over the fall and winter term, Geoff visited alumni in Hong Kong and New York City and he is planning on making a trip to London, England in mid-May to see alumni living in the United Kingdom.

Hong Kong

New York

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Crescent School

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University Visits Each year, Crescent faculty members pile into a car to drive down to various universities throughout Ontario to visit Crescent alumni.

This year we visited alumni at Western University, University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier, and Queen’s University.

Queen’s University

The University of Western Ontario

University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier

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Life After Crescent

s On January 23, 2013, Bruce Boyle ’61 was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions as Board President at Herizon House, a 30-bed shelter that supports abused women and children. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal recognizes Canadians who have made significant contributions to their community and to Canada. This prestigious medal was bestowed by Chris Alexander, Member of Parliament and former Canadian Ambassador to Afghanistan.

Bruce is well known in the Ajax community for the endless amount of work he does in the community and is the past recipient of the 1998 Ajax Civic Award, which is given to a single individual in recognition of outstanding contributions to the well-being of the Town of Ajax. His work includes serving as Campaign Chair of the local United Way and as Vice Chair of the Durham Police Services Board, where he had the opportunity to choose two Deputy Chiefs of Police, one being the first woman for that position, as well the current Chief.

Bruce is the longest serving member of the Ajax Public Library Board, where he is involved in a large fundraising campaign for a new main branch library as well as the selection of a new Chief Librarian.

Dentonia alum Malcom (Mac) Shaw ’66 continues to lead an amazing life of learning! After graduating from Crescent in Grade 8, he completed his secondary 34

education at Meistershaft and Cantab Colleges before going to work for George Shaw Construction, his father’s construction company. He left the construction business at 24 to become a commercial pilot, learning to fly fixed wing planes and helicopters while working at Toronto International Airport refueling commercial jet airliners. A bad fall while refueling a Boeing 747 dashed Mac’s dreams of becoming a commercial pilot, and along with a group of associates, he launched Lan Skateboards. Located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Lan Skateboards became an international manufacturer of private branded skateboards, including Olin and K2 Ski’s skateboards. Mac travelled a great deal for Lan Skateboards, and eventually went to work in the travel industry operating a wholesale tour company. He was hired by the Canadian Travel School to grow their

business, and then by Air Canada, where he helped expand the En Route and Credit Card divisions from a $500 million business to a $1.2 billion business before moving to Galileo Canada Distribution Systems Inc., a subsidiary of Air Canada that provided computer travel booking for agents.

Mac left Galileo Canada when it was sold, and took some well-deserved time off skiing and golfing, while dabbling in real estate with Intrawest. He then moved to agriculture, representing Jay Lor and other agricultural companies until he retired in 2011. Today, he runs his own business creating unique works

with wood, as well as reclamation, refinishing, and re-upholstery.

In February, urban beekeeper Oliver Couto ’81 was welcomed back to Crescent as part of Environmental Week, where he spoke to students, faculty and staff about both the environmental significance of bees, and their importance to human survival. Oliver is a member of the Ontario Beekeeping Association, the Toronto District Beekeepers Association, and the Toronto Beekeepers Co-operative, where helps to keep beehives at Downsview Park and on top of the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

Brit Osler ’81 and his wife, Arani, welcomed a baby girl on March 1, 2013.

Cyra Jesi Osler arrived at 6 lbs 7oz, 18.5 inches long. Cyra is a sister for big brother, Jaitham.

s Generations of Crescent alum!

Michael Mahovlich ’82 and his sons Eric Mahovlich ’09 and Colin Mahovlich ’12 enjoyed the Alumni Holiday Reception in December 2012 at Crescent.

Patrick Blott ’87 and his wife Seema welcomed Addison Sampson Rajendra Blott at 3:06pm on January 7th 2013, weighing 7lbs 11oz.

After 20 years in teaching, including seven years on staff at Crescent and 11 years as Director of Senior School at The Country Day School, Warren Lang ’88 is leaving education to pursue a career Crescent School

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as a freelance writer. He and a colleague are starting a freelance writing company called Sumner and Lang which will focus on writing for businesses, schools and organizations. You can reach him at www.sumnerandlang.com.

Since leaving Crescent, George Gimeyn ’92 has been busy. He graduated with an MBA from Clarkson University in 1999, and took a project management position with Bank Austria. In 2000, he moved to the Analyst Investment Banking Division of Goldmans Sachs International in London, UK, then to the Associate Investment Banking Division of Bank of America. Since 2004, George has been Managing Director in CIS for Theysohn Extrusionstechnick Austria in Moscow, Russia.

Brett Hayhurst ’93 was appointed Associate Partner at Four Corners Group, Inc., a leading Canadian professional services firm specializing in retained executive search and recruitment.

Chris Luedecke ’94 visited Crescent last November to share his story with the Middle School boys as part of the Middle School Speaker Series, and to do a video shoot at the old cottage. Since his visit to Crescent, Chris has been busy. His latest album, Tender is the Night, was recently nominated for a Juno Award, and he is touring the Eastern United States and the United Kingdom this spring, returning in time for the summer festival season. For more information on Chris “Old Man” Luedecke, visit http://oldmanluedecke.ca.

Dr. Jonathan Bablad ‘95 is living and working in Regina, Saskatchewan as a doctor of naturopathic medicine. Jon works out of his own clinic, Head to Heal Wellness Centre, with his life partner and best friend, Vanessa. Together they have two beautiful children. To learn more, visit www.reginanaturopathicdoctor.com.

s Dave Hudson ’96 married Lindsay s Jeff Adams ’94, his wife, Anita Hooper, and their three year old daughter, Ella, welcomed the newest addition to the family, Peter on November 27, 2012. Jeff is currently teaching in the Middle School at Crescent.

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Mills at the Rosedale Golf Club last summer. Guests included a number of coyotes, among them: Pat Osler, Dr. Michael Warner, Mark Pooley, Aleem Janmohamed, Dr. Tighe Crombie, Karim Nensi, Alex Nicholson and John Quinn (all from the class of ’96).

s Alex Quinn ’96 has been living in England and splitting his time as a Research Fellow between the University of Oxford and Imperial College London, where he has been investigating the effects of the heart’s mechanical environment on its electrical activity. His time in England has come to a close. Alex was recently

appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Dalhousie University. Alex, his wife Renae, and their two-and-a-half year old daughter, Freida, relocated to Halifax in March, where Alex is excited to introduce them to the Canadian way of life!

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Ryan Bell ’98 returned to Crescent School in January 2011 after five years as Director of Camp Maple Leaf, a nonprofit residential camp for financially under privileged and at-risk children/ youth. In September 2012, Ryan took on a full-time teaching position at Crescent as a grade 6 Form Teacher. He is teaching all grade six students Language Arts and Social Studies. Ryan continues to live in Cabbagetown where he has resided for the past seven years Long preferring to attempt to subvert mores rather than to further entrench them, David Heti ’00 left the Department of Justice for the world of comedy. David has entertained audiences in Toronto, New York and London. For a list of upcoming dates, please visit his website www.davidheti.com.

Jeff Larcina ’03 recently joined Bentall Kennedy as an Asset Manager for the firm’s investment team. Bentall Kennedy is a major North American real estate fund manager for institutional investors. Prior to joining the firm, Jeff spent five years with the real estate corporate finance group of Ernst & Young in Toronto. Jeff received his CFA designation in September 2012.

Peter Polydor ’05 has taken a leave of absence from SAIL to lead the tech investments at ERGO Capital Partners, a private merchant bank backed by several family offices.

Arif Mamdani ’05 is living in Boston, where he is in his third year at the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine.

BufferBox, a parcel pick-up kiosk founded

by Jay Shah ’06 and two other University of Waterloo students, was recently sold to Google Inc. for $17 million.

John Racioppo ’07 is a recent graduate of Brown University with a degree in Theatre Arts. He now splits his time between Toronto and New York City working both as an actor and as co-founder of the independent film collective Good Baby Films.

Tim Usher-Jones ’01 has been with Chubb Insurance since his graduation from Queen’s Commerce in 2005. He currently holds the position of Assistant Vice President. Tim married Jess Shain in April at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Included in his wedding party were fellow class of ’01 alum Steve Hull and Will Nelson.

s Willy Chyr ’05 recently spent

s Ben Sokolowski ‘02 was married on June 3, 2012, to Aviva Shedletzky in Toronto. Ben and his wife are now living in Los Angeles where he is working as a writer on the TV series, Arrow.

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six months in 2012 on a farm in Wisconsin for an artist residency.

In January, Will was commissioned to design and create the entrance for the Interior Design Show at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

His installation As Luck Would Have It, earned him a feature piece on the front page of Entertainment Section of the Toronto Star, Sunday edition. He has been invited to be an artist-in-residence for six months at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai; he leaves in April to take up this exciting post.

Matt Barrett ’05 has moved from Loblaw Companies Limited to the J.M. Smucker Company, where he has taken a position in category management.

Doug Reeves ’07 recently completed a Double Degree Masters of International Business, between Queen’s University in Canada and Universiteit Maastricht in Holland. He spent the last year and a half learning and traveling throughout Europe, while completing an internship with the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), based in Amsterdam.

James Tennant ’07 is in the middle of completing his law degree at Dalhousie University.

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worked with Scotiabank for the past two summers, first on the launch of a chequing account, and then on the analysis of the bank’s cheque program.

During his second summer at Scotiabank, Jonathan also co-wrote a business case.

Jonathan is enjoying the challenge of the HBA program, and especially his coursework in Corporate Finance. In May, he will start work as a Summer Investment Banking Analyst with CIBC World Markets in Toronto, a job that he secured with the help of the strong Crescent Alumni Network and Alumni Internship Program Jonathan lives with fellow Crescent alumni Alex Mitchell ’10 and Crew Sisley ’10 and plans to travel after he graduates in 2014.

After accepting an offer to Brown University, past Head Boy, Graham Rotenberg ’12, took a year off from school before pursuing his post-secondary degree. Graham worked closely with fellow alum, Jay Mansoor ’92, Chair of the Alumni Internship Program, in order to obtain a job for the fall at the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Community (CJPAC). Since he left CJPAC, Graham has been living in Galway, Ireland, playing rugby for the U-21 Corinthians. Graham will be attending Brown in September 2013.

s Michael Goldstein ’08 left Crescent for UBC’s Sauder School of Business and was later accepted into the BFA Film Production program. After an unexpected turn of events, Michael left UBC and started a carpentry apprenticeship in Whistler. It was during this time that he realized film was his true passion. He successfully re-applied to UBC, and is now in his third year of the BFA Film Program.

Along with his studies, Michael runs his own film production company, catering to the advertising and marketing needs of clients such as Whistler Blackcomb. His work includes a fivepart video marketing feature that he did for Whistler Blackcomb’s 2012 summer marketing campaign, which focuses on mountain biking on the trails at Whistler.

You can learn more about Michael’s work at www.goldsteinproductions.ca.

Riley Shaw ’09 can be credited with helping to design the newest “must-have” cellphone app. Hired last summer to work for the Queen’s Summer Innovator Institute; Riley spent four months working on a new app, “LISTN,” which makes it easy to connect with your friends through music. With LISTN, you can (i) check what your friends have been listening to, (ii) make suggestions, and (iii) listen to songs your friends have shared with you. As the summer ended, Riley’s team (comprised of five people) recognized that they were gaining significant headway on their project. They applied Past and Present

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to FounderFuel, a “top tier mentor-driven accelerator program that provides $50K of seed capital and access to veteran entrepreneurs and investors” for funding to continue advancing this new development.

Upon his team’s acceptance, Riley deferred one semester at Queen’s and pursued this incredible opportunity in Montreal where he worked with high profile individuals within Google, Facebook, and other record companies. Now back at Queen’s, Riley says that he has definitely caught the “entrepreneurial bug” and expects to pursue this passion after graduation.

To learn more about Riley’s project, visit http://getlistn.com.

Patrick Rancourt ’10 is currently on a university study exchange in Lyon, France.

After Crescent, Jonathan Szwec ’10 pursued the Ivey AEO Program at the University of Western Ontario, studying Arts & Humanities for his initial two years pre-Ivey. He is involved with Investors of Tomorrow (a student-run charity that seeks to promote financial literacy among university students), The Western Investment Club, and the Arts & Humanities Student Council. He has

Mathieu Wong ’12 volunteered with Projects Abroad in Mongolia this past summer. He is now living in Fredericton and studying the philosophy of Leadership and Interdisciplinary Studies (a program focused on critical thinking and problemsolving) at the University of New Brunswick.

In May, Mathieu will be traveling and studying in France for three weeks, earning French and History credits. When he returns from France, he takes up his summer internship with Patient, Health and Risk Management at Sunnybrook Hospital.

Do you want to be included in Life After Crescent?

Send us an update, and tell us your news!

Kathryn Rutherford at krutherford@crescentschool.org.

And please keep in touch!

Update your contact information at alumni.crescentschool.org.

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From The Boardroom An Update From The Crescent Alumni Executive

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ith centennial celebrations and a full calendar of alumni events, it has been a busy few months for Crescent alumni. We continue to work diligently to forge meaningful connections between our alumni and the greater Crescent community. Crescent alumni were front and centre at the official launch of the centennial year in September, and at the planting of the centennial garden in November. The November Downtown Networking Reception was a tremendous success. Branch receptions and university visits enjoyed record attendance, and several alumni had the opportunity to visit the School and participate as panelists and guest speakers. Certainly a highlight of the Fall Term was welcoming back Brian Lang ’87 as this year’s Stransman Speaker, the first alumnus invited to fill that role.

To continue to strengthen the bond among Crescent alumni, the Alumni Executive continues to expand current programs, and to develop new initiatives that appeal to the dynamic needs of our growing alumni. This winter, we launched

the University Mentoring Program, designed to connect students applying to university with alum who are currently at university. With alumni mentorship, Crescent students will find it much easier to learn about the programs and opportunities available at universities, and to make informed decisions about their future. Our Alumni Internship Program, now in its second year, has extended its reach and scope as it continues to help alumni find internship opportunities through Crescent’s extensive network.

In addition, we recently completed an alumni survey, which went out to all of our alumni. Your feedback is critical to the success of our alumni association, and the results will help ensure we remain relevant to our alumni.

Alumni are integral to the strength of the Crescent community, and we look forward to welcoming you at our upcoming events. On May 3, we celebrate our Dentonia alumni at the annual Dentonia Luncheon. Friday Night Lights on May 10, will see alumni and friends wearing green in support of

the senior rugby team as we host TCS. And on June 8, we will be joining the entire Crescent School community in the centennial day celebration—a landmark day for both the history and future of Crescent School. The annual Crescent School Golf Tournament is always a highlight on the alumni event calendar, and this year we have moved the tournament to allow alumni to participate fully in the centennial celebrations.

The centennial day of celebration will begin with the tournament, and end with an alumni reception and the much anticipated Centennial Party.

The centennial is an ideal opportunity to re-connect and strengthen existing bonds and create new ones with our great School. As the centennial year continues to unfold, we hope all alumni will take time to reflect on the impact Crescent School has had on their lives, and to come and be a part of the legacy we are creating for Crescent students today, and tomorrow. As alumni, we are an integral part of Crescent’s history, and an important part of its future.

Alumni Reunion

Saturday, September 28, 2013 at Crescent School Celebrating the classes of ’78, ’83, ’88, ’93, ’98, ’03, ’08 38

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Lowndes’ Last Word One of many interesting observations about the skills on this list is that, while articulated by the educational avantgarde, they are profoundly conservative ideas: they would have been familiar to the students of Socrates. Similarly, the ways in which these skills are developed have not fundamentally changed.

One develops critical thinking capability through the close reading of a text— engaging with and interrogating that text. And, of course, these skills are interdependent; one further hones critical thinking by sharing one’s ideas about that text in a group—through collaboration. The energy resulting from the collision of all these ideas produces new ideas, in one’s own imagination and within the group—innovation.

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here is a vigorous discussion among educators about learning in and for the 21st century. We all know that the world has grown more compact and complex. We anticipate that the problems will become more intractable.

We expect the rate of change to continue to accelerate. How can we best prepare young people to thrive in that world?

From this noisy debate consensus is emerging around a core of key skills for success. Educators at all levels and across a broad spectrum, philosophically, politically and geographically, come together on this short fundamental list of skills: critical thinking and problemsolving; collaboration and leadership; creativity and innovation; effective oral and written communication. Around this core there are other skills that provoke more debate, such as entrepreneurial spirit, global perspective, digital fluency, environmental responsibility, and a number of others depending on whose list you happen to be reading. However, people are unanimously agreed on the four core assets for future success.

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Leadership skills develop through increasing facility in constructively managing group processes. And all of this can only be successful if those ideas can be clearly and accurately communicated at each step of the journey; in essence, precise communication is all about getting an idea out of one’s own head and depositing it in someone else’s while doing it with as little violence as possible.

The most dramatic difference between Socrates’ students and ours is the variety of forms that the text may take, together with the text’s utility. A text may be print, but it might well be digital; it could be an image, video, or sound file. It could be a sculpture or building; it could be a mathematical construction or an element of the natural world, a plant, a cell, a strand of DNA, or a philosophical or scientific hypothesis.

And texts have lost their authority as repositories of information. Information is now easy and ubiquitous. It has become a regular occurrence at the dinner parties I attend for a fact to be checked or a quotation corrected by someone with their smartphone. It’s now easy to determine who was the MVP in the 1993 Stanley Cup finals, what the capital is of Tajikistan, in what year

the Progressive Conservatives and the Reform party merged, or to confirm that yes, indeed, Shakespeare and Galileo share a birthdate. Texts have lost their role as archives of facts; however, they remain urgently relevant as repositories of wisdom: as examples of compelling argument, elegant reasoning, vivid illustration, breathtaking insight.

All of this begins with the ability to pay close attention to a text, in whatever form. There may be no more effective lesson in critical thinking, no greater spark to the imagination, than a comparison of the Petrarchan and Shakespearian sonnet forms; or a close reading of a short story by Chekhov, Melville, Kafka or Alice Munro (I am an English teacher); or a detailed examination of a painting by Francis Bacon, a photograph by Fran Liebowitz, or an inquiry into a building designed

by Le Corbusier or Mies van der Rohe.

Furthermore, if we understand text to include mathematical constructions: problems and solutions, as well as elements of the natural world, we understand how all disciplines have at their core the individual examination of text, the sharing and discussion of findings, and the recording of results. And it helps immeasurably to be engaged in this inquiry within a community similarly engaged; there is a positive energy created by shared intellectual endeavour that can make the task exhilarating and infectious.

The skills our students most urgently require, if we are to rely on the best current educational thinking, are best developed through close examination, vigorous discussion and disciplined reflection, based on texts, broadly understood. It is for this compelling reason that these communities of people examining texts together—that is schools—will continue to place gathering spaces that are the repositories of all manner of texts—that is libraries—at their core. ­— Colin Lowndes, Head of Upper School/ Deputy Headmaster

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Crescent by the Numbers

Crescent consumes a lot! How much? We asked Chef Lawrence for some numbers. apart from consuming 5,000 plates of food and 15,000 l of wash/rinse water since the beginning of the year, here are some more numbers to chew on:

Since the beginning of the year:

Daily:

Broccoli

Carrots

Potatoes

Cheese

Fresh fruit

50 kg

50 kg

1,000 kg

1,200 kg

70 lbs

Beef

Chicken

Chocolate chip cookies

Whole wheat dinner rolls

Chocolate milk

3,000 kg

3,000 kg

10,000

37,500

140 L

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Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Crescent School 2365 Bayview Avenue Toronto, ON M2L 1A2

40018682