Past & Present Spring 2014

Crescent School U Spring 2014

Upcoming Events MAY

JUNE

Friday 9

Dentonia Luncheon

Friday 9

Friday Night Lights

Monday 12

Grandparents’ Day

Wednesday 15

Alumni Branch Reception: London, UK

Wednesday 4

Grad Parent Cocktail Party

Thursday 5

Volunteer Reception

Saturday 7

Crescent School Golf Tournament & Retirement Reception for Mr. Roberts

Monday 9

Welcome to Alumni Grad BBQ & Alumni Executive Annual GM

Wednesday 11

Retirement Party for Mr. Nicolucci & Mr. Steele

Thursday 12

Prize Day

Friday 13

Graduation

Friday 20

TEDxCrescentSchool

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

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E N O Y R E V E FUN FOR More information to follow . . .

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 Cannon Director of Advancement Kathryn Rutherford Alumni Relations Officer Valerie Morrison Advancement Officer Lizz Armstrong Advancement Services and Database Coordinator Sue Iwan Advancement Coordinator

CRESCENT SCHOOL

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

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Table of Contents Message from the Headmaster ...............2 Tooting Our Horn ....................................4 Staff & Faculty News ...............................6 We Reap What We Sow: Reflections on the Middle School Outreach Program ....8 Advice for Mr. Roberts from Recently Retired Colleagues .................10 The Death of the Pen— Ink’s Labour Lost ....................................12 Annual Parent Luncheon .......................14 The Making of the Student Utility .........16 Athletic Awards .....................................18 Athletic Achievements...........................19

DESIGN Chris Simeon September Creative Communications PRINTER • Spring Printing Ltd. 2014 PastHarmony and Present

Geoff Roberts: A Celebration of Character ...................24 News from Advancement ......................26 From the Alumni Executive ...................27 Alumni Survey Results ...........................28 Alumni Profile ........................................30 Alumni Profile ........................................32 Mentoring Alumni Internship Program ................................34 Branch and University Visits ..................35 Events ....................................................36 Life After Crescent.................................38

From the Archives .................................21

A Friend We Have Lost: Neil Campbell .......................................42

Thank You & Farewell, Mr. Roberts .......22

Lowndes’ Last Word ..............................44

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Message from the Headmaster

W

riting this article in Past and Present for the very last time is a distinctly odd experience. In the past I’ve looked forward to exercising my narrative chops via P&P biannually, even though it’s always a daunting prospect.

This magazine, which has evolved beautifully over the years, reaches an audience that is far more diverse than most other communication vehicles I customarily use. For some time, every half-year I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on what’s happened and what’s going to happen at Crescent School, and I think about what—and how—I’d like to express in it quite carefully.

This particular composition, however, has a significantly different sensation.

I feel a tremendous pressure to write the very best thing I’ve ever written.

This feels less like a last essay than a last chance.

It would be trite to say that the last 36 years have gone by in a flash, and it would be patently untrue. Three point six decades is a lot of early mornings, late evenings, lessons crafted and lessons learned. There were many occasions when the span of an entire term felt only a few, scant days long, but there were hours some days, I have to admit, that seemed to last for weeks.

Such is one’s perception of how time elapses. We don’t measure our time, really, by the hands of the clock.

I have been granted the gift of mentors, coaches, kind guidance and harsh criticism. As I reflect on the many years I have spent at Crescent, it’s not the events that emerge in sharp relief from the fogginess of recollection, it’s the people whose heads peep above that low mist. My most vivid memories have been shaped by the people that I have been blessed to have had surround me along the journey.

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I remember Chris Gordon giving me his tennis racquet on his final day at Crescent. It was a wooden MaxPly, so you can imagine how old that memory is. I will be forever thankful that he had the courage to hire this inexperienced newbie fresh out of Teachers’ College.

That first September, I remember being terrified of just about everyone on staff when I first arrived. I remember James Wright quite vividly. He was always kind and could light up his room with his smile. His enormously hearty laugh would shake the teacups in the staffroom. Everyone seemed so selfassured, and I was just a stammering

Board Chairs who have all had something to teach me. They have been generously forgiving, and all have had a tremendous impact on my own learning about leadership. I owe them much.

Along the journey I have been inspired, humbled and profoundly influenced by the extraordinary professionalism and care of the Crescent School staff. There are far, far too many individuals to mention in this short piece. They have shaped me, however, and have prompted me to look at my personal and professional worlds through different lenses. I will be forever in their debt. The face of

But more than anything else, even more than the important rhythm and structure of getting up each morning to engage body and soul in meaningful work, I will miss the staff—people that I have come to know as good friends and have been the finest and most noble of professionals. We were bound together in a grand endeavour— the education of fine young men at Crescent School. That strong, emotional bond, I fear, will be irreplaceable.

Quite soon and appropriately I will fade into the past, and a new present (and new Headmaster) will assume his rightful place in my current office and take this school forward to places I had never

My most vivid memories have been shaped by the people that I have been blessed to have had surround me along the journey. imposter who wondered, daily, just how I managed to fool everyone.

The first couple of years was hell on wheels: frantic, edge-of-the-seat stuff, barely pages—and a couple of chronological years—ahead of the boys.

I still remember each and every boy I taught in those early years quite vividly.

Some of them could already grow beards thicker and faster than me. It’s probably appropriate that I apologize now, publicly, for the misinformation I foisted upon them during that combined red-hot and blue-funk time.

these luminaries shine brightly from

imagined possible. This school will be

the gauzy past.

eternally green; I’ve had my share of the

I know that I will miss the boys, and their energy and enthusiasm, their naivety, their burgeoning understanding of their worlds and their places in it.

rub of it over the course of my career.

Thank you, Crescent School. It has been truly memorable. I believe I am ready to graduate.

—GEOFF ROBERTS, HEADMASTER

I recall John Tansey’s elegant professionalism. I was in awe of his command of the language and the ease with which he could speak in public as if it was something he was born to do.

I learned much about leading a school from his strong example.

I have been favoured, while Headmaster at Crescent, with a series of dedicated Past and Present

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Tooting Our Horn Crescent participates annually in the Canadian Math League, and this year’s results are something of which the Math Department and School are very proud.

With the exception of UTS, Crescent has outperformed all other independent schools in Ontario, and ranks 13th in Canada. Two students, Ian Lo and Max Liu, are on the list of high-scoring students, both standing at 23rd among all participants.

Grade 12 student Jake Fisher scored 94.5 per cent in the AMC 12 (American Math Contest) where out of 61,097 students, only five per cent scored over 93 per cent.

As a result of Jake’s high score (in the top one per cent) he has been invited to represent Crescent and write the American Invitational Mathematics Examination. The exam is three hours and comprises 15 questions. Its aim is to identify outstanding pre-collegiate math students. No calculators allowed!

Lower School French teacher Sylvia Duckworth has been chosen as the 2014 recipient of the Helen B. St. John Award by the Ontario Modern Language Teachers’ Association. This award recognizes Madame Duckworth as an outstanding teacher of Modern Languages, and acknowledges her invaluable support as well as the inspiration she consistently provides to the cause of Modern Language education. Félicitations Madame Duckworth. Bravo!

The Crescent School Boys’ Choir has been awarded the Kiwanis Club of Toronto Foundation Scholarship for its talent, hard work, and choral excellence, advancing to the provincial level of competition to face off against other children’s choirs for the Florine Despres Plaque and Award. In addition, the choir has been chosen to represent the Kiwanis Music Festival of Greater Toronto in the recorded portion of the Provincial Music Festival in Choir Class 108.

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New to Crescent this year, Grade 6 student Terence Chung was quickly recognized by his teacher Mr. Cranston as having a considerable gift for mathematics and an aptitude for problem solving. Wanting to keep Terence challenged, Mr. Cranston helped this young math whiz sharpen his skills in the classroom, but also directed Terence upstairs to the Upper School Math Club. Under the guidance of Upper School faculty member Mr. Pintilie, Terence worked on a number of Grade 9 math questions quickly and accurately.

But more importantly, Terence was enthusiastic. It only seemed fitting then that the young student challenge himself further by participating in the University of Waterloo’s math contests that the School participates in annually each February. Suitable for Terence’s participation was the Grade 9 Pascal Math Contest. Terence is Crescent’s first Grade 6 student to enter a Grade 9 contest, and not only did he hold his own, but Terence obtained a certificate of distinction. Now that is a record that will stand for a very long time! In March, Terence competed in the Canadian National Mathematics League Contest for Grade 6 students and placed second in Canada with a score of 34/35.

Upper School faculty member Jeff Lee continues to contribute to the field of astrophysics. He was recently made a member (Adjunct Theoretical Physicist) of the Early Universe Cosmology and Strings Research Group at Baylor University in Waco, Texas and has two speaking engagements coming up. Jeff has been invited to speak at the National Space Society’s 33rd International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles this month, and in Houston at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in August at its Innovation Lecture Series.

On the last weekend of February Crescent hosted FIRST’s Greater Toronto West Regional Robotics Competition in Crescent’s Field House. The competition was unique for two reasons—it was the first time a high school had hosted, and it was the first time a world champion team had hosted. Thirty schools competed over three days in this year’s Aerial Assist challenge. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for Crescent School… and our Team 610 didn’t “go home” disappointed. With alliance partners 1310 (Runnymede CI) and 5076 (J Clarke Richardson CI from Ajax), Crescent’s Team 610 won the competition! Our Robotics Engineer Rob Stehlik was awarded the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award for Mentoring (won by Crescent faculty member Don Morrison last year). In addition, Team 610 also won the FIRST Robotics Competition Quality Award.

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Grade 10 student and Junior Hockey Team goalie Emanuel Vella was drafted by the London Knights to OHL in the third round. He was 47th overall.

The co-production of Cole Porter’s 1934 musical hit Anything Goes was by all accounts a resounding success! The show ran for four nights in February to a full house each night in our Centre for Creative Learning. The cast was outstanding with performances and voices that definitely impressed the crowd. The musicians in the pit band kept the audience’s toes tapping too. Congratulations to Crescent and Havergal students and staff for all of their hard work, talent and dedication to mounting such an impressive show!

Staff & Faculty News

Lower School faculty member Jerry Hesse and his wife Courtney welcomed son Mark Randall on the 27th of February.

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Upper School faculty member Christina Braid and her husband David are delighted to announce that Amelia-Grace Faustina was born on December 2.

Mr. Wright became a grandfather on March 25, when his daughter Ainsley and son-in-law Jordan Blain welcomed Oscar James into the world.

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Twenty nine years ago, Stuart Cumner escaped from warm beer, cold toast and British comedy: He immigrated to Canada. And the rest is history—except this: On March 26, Mr. Cumner became a Canadian citizen. Congratulations, Mr. Cumner, and welcome.

The Air Band competition has become a favourite Middle School event, established by faculty member and previous Canadian ’07 Air Guitar champion, Tim Evans. It is no surprise then that Tim is leading a new event and resurrecting Air Guitar Canada on July 31 at the MOD Club, in order to bring air guitar back to the Great White North. This time he is rocking out for more than just international stardom and glory—all proceeds will go to one of Crescent’s Outreach partners, Right To Play.

Webmaster BettyAnn Armstrong, a key member of the Communications and Marketing team, was featured in the March issue of Leaside Life News. In an article entitled ”#10 and women’s hockey in Leaside,“ Betty-Ann is profiled as one of the first team members (captain) of the Leaside Lancerettes— the first all-girls team started in 1974. She explains how women’s hockey was a tough sell to almost everyone, yet in the end, was established by a great deal of perseverance and love for the sport.

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Advancement team member Sue Iwan succeeds in the role of Advancement Coordinator but is also an accomplished equestrian. Almost all of Sue’s free time is spent at the stables, riding. She is involved in horse rescue as well and is shown here with her horse, Dayo. Dayo is a horse Sue rescued a year ago and has lovingly returned to health. Once weighing a mere 863 lbs., Dayo has been trained, is learning to jump, and now comes in at a healthy 1150 lbs. Sue is preparing Dayo for her first competition this month. Good luck!

On December 20, Lower School faculty member Alli Birtwhistle married Kyle Jenkin at the historic John St. Roundhouse, home of Steam Whistle Brewing, in an intimate ceremony attended by her closest Crescent School colleagues.

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We Reap What We Sow: Reflections on the Middle School Outreach Program M

agic happens within the walls of Crescent School—our unique culture makes it possible to honestly promise parents that we will guide their sons to become men of character. We offer opportunities for those athletically and artistically inclined, but we also offer a foundation of other opportunities that allow for the creation and development of character, as well as empathy.

Reaching out to those in need, or those less privileged, has become second nature at Crescent, and whether it is an impromptu bake sale to raise funds for the victims of the Philippines disaster, or weekly meetings connecting with veterans at Sunnybrook, we are always getting involved. As we move into another phase in our development as a community, I would like to reflect on Outreach in the Middle School.

A few years ago, it became very apparent that many of our young men in the Upper School (who were regarded as leaders by both their peers and teachers) had already demonstrated leadership ability at some point in the Middle School. One area that had a very clear linear relationship was that of Outreach. I believe that the tiny steps taken in Lower School and Middle School are creating opportunities for boys to bloom in Upper School.

A variety of Outreach models have been experimented with in the Middle School, with the aim of having students commit to something other than themselves. We have tried the large group approach, where boys choose a volunteer activity and travel in groups of 10 or more to give of their time and energy to the benefit of others. We have also tried the small group approach, where boys interested in learning about Outreach or wanting to make a difference would creatively make the time to get involved.

Outreach activities are invaluable as they give students an opportunity to reflect on their circumstances and place in society. Outreach has been linked to the

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development of character, empathy and leadership in many of our young men.

Below are testimonials from students, explaining how Outreach experiences have helped to shape their perspective on all three. Parents attest to this too.

“My son’s Outreach experience taught him time management. Ryan had to balance his co-curricular involvement with his normal school duties,” says Mrs. Catherine Newman. “Leadership and confidence were two other side benefits that I saw develop through this program.

I am a fan of Outreach and think it teaches the boys many skills to guide them down the road.”

Currently, Middle School Outreach lives primarily in the Science and Geography curriculum for Grade 8 students, where the annual food drive (started by Philip Lloyd ’09) has become embedded into the curriculum. The battle for the scarce commodity of time makes it increasingly difficult to carve out opportunities for students to get involved without upsetting timetables, preplanned athletic commitments, and after school practices and promises.

As we journey towards our next 100 years as a school community, I would like to challenge us to think about deepening the roots of Outreach, as we can only reap what we sow.

—SHERYL MURRAY, MIDDLE SCHOOL FACULTY MEMBER

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Students comment on the impact Outreach activities have had on their lives: Outreach is not just any co-curricular activity it’s a life changing opportunity filled with lots of learning and experiences.

— PETR SCHUMACHER ’17

Crescent’s Outreach program taught me that “through education and active participation, our commitment to improving the lives of others has the potential to be long-lasting.” And the lessons I learned by organizing the Middle School food drive, working at the Amani Children’s Home in Tanzania, or serving as Outreach Prefect have undoubtedly shaped how I view issues, analyze consequences, and evaluate outcomes. Through the various leadership positions I’ve held at Queen’s, I’ve learned that every decision you make must be placed in a larger context. How do my actions affect the environment, different groups on campus, or the possibility for future success? Essentially, Crescent Outreach taught me that nothing happens in isolation.

— PHILIP LLOYD ’09

Middle School Outreach was probably my first real exposure to the outside world, and of how things are really different from our Western way of life. Realizing that first-world problems aren’t really problems at all when compared to not having a cow (for example) to provide for your family. I developed transferrable skills through Outreach when I worked on a project called Cookies for Cow. This included learning organizational skills

such as managing a team of 30 volunteers, coordinating with the kitchen staff when baking the cookies, as well as synching efforts with the Business Office to deposit the money raised.

— HENSON TAM ’11

Last year, I was able to go to Variety Village, and see how much of an opportunity mentally and physically disabled people can have. It comforted me to know that there are places like Variety Village to support them. It really changed my mindset, as this is one of the places where people go out of their way to make the lives of others better.

I would love to volunteer at Variety Village in the future, and will wear their pin as a reminder of how the world is a great place when others help others.

— ANDREW YOUNGSON, GRADE 9

Middle School Outreach was a test on your skills, collaboration, teamwork, accountability, etc. The way Outreach worked was everyone played an important role in the success of it.

Even simple things like meeting at recess showed how important it was for everyone to show up, otherwise things or events couldn’t get done. I also learned how even the slightest thing can make an impact or change. I feel like I made better friendships with some guys I would not have really spoken to, because it was something we would always have to work together at, and had in common.

— ANDREW COOK, GRADE 9

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Advice for Mr. Roberts from Recently Retired Colleagues On a recent visit to the School, I ran into soon-to-beretiring, Upper School faculty member John Nicolucci, and he asked me about retirement. I responded, “I highly recommend it!” He chuckled, and then shared an anecdote he had heard from a recently retired friend, “In retirement... every day is like Sunday!”

Think about it! You can sleep in, read the paper or the novel that you have wanted to read for a while, ignore the phone or call the friend you haven’t talked to in ages, sip your coffee, tea or whatever, fortify your coffee, tea or whatever with a favourite fortifier, tend your garden, walk, sit, visit, travel and see the world that is not focused on “school-running.”

In other words, and to quote the Bard from his The Merry Wives of Windsor, “Why then the world’s mine oyster, Which I with sword will open.” Open the oyster shell of retirement, and enjoy the pearls that you will find inside!

—ROSS MACDONALD, 1978-2011

Imagine this… The vehicle rolled to a stop in the early morning mist and the two occupants emerged, peering ahead, hoping to catch a glimpse of their next challenge. As they looked ahead the mist cleared slightly and the flagstick appeared on the green 150 yards ahead. “Time to send a text to Don Haag and ask him how he is enjoying his morning,” quipped Dave. Smitty was quick to concur, adding with a broad grin, “Let’s send one to Donny Mo as well.”

How lucky are we to have had the privilege of working at Crescent, and now the pleasure of maintaining contact with past colleagues while enjoying travel, volunteer work, leisure sports, gardening, reading, quality time with family and the occasional (!) glass of wine.

I expect that the most stressful aspect of Geoff’s retirement will be dealing with the ups and downs of Liverpool FC. Remember, we are always looking for a fourth on the first tee!

—DAVE BUDDEN, 1976-2011

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It has been six years since my retirement from Crescent School and the best thing about “the pasture” is the freedom to do what one wants, when one wants, and mostly where one wants; one may do as much or as little as one wishes.

So far, out of season travel has been high on our “much” list, while we have our health.

Eileen and I heartily recommend cruises. Rome to Rio has been our most interesting trip, but New Zealand, the South Pacific Islands and Eastern Australia was a close second. Although the Mediterranean (Barcelona to Venice), with our kids and their spouses, was a special time for all of us, we can’t leave out Alaska, with brothers and sister. We have two more cruises booked this year, plus a land tour of Germany and Austria in early June. We get away TO it all!

If travel doesn’t do it for you, there’s always golf. Stouffville is in the heartland of fabulous golf courses. The Granite Golf Club is pitching iron distance from my home, and there is always Dave Budden, Richard Nakatsu and Ross MacDonald to make up a foursome. Or Eileen and I go out to Spring Creek for a fast nine “early in the morning,” around 11. We just got back from a couple weeks of golf in Florida.

Under the heading of doing little, we both love to read. I still love to research my history and conspiracy theories. We are also blessed with family, and our five grandkids—ranging in age from 21 to three—who are always trying to teach us something.

Honestly though, the most difficult aspect of retirement is trying to figure out what day of the week it is…

May the Good Lord bless you both throughout the years to come.

—DOUG SMITH, 1985-2008

In retirement you will have: • Less time away from home and more time to re-paint the bathroom.

• Less stress in your life and more time to help your wife shovel the driveway.

• Less money to worry about and more time to do physiotherapy on the part of your body that needs it the most.

• Less intensity on a daily basis and more time to relax at the cottage.

• And remember, when you are retired you will be able to: • Take a six-month vacation—twice a year.

• Enjoy waking up and not having to go to work. In fact, you can do it several times a day.

• Go grocery shopping on Thursday morning when no one else is there.

• Go to the movies on a Tuesday afternoon.

• Go camping in September.

• Cut the lawn when you want to, not when you can fit it in.

• Do a proper warm up before you work out.

• Do nothing all day and not have to worry about getting caught.

And please remember, most importantly of all, don’t regret growing older. It is a privilege that has been denied to a lot of people.

—PAUL CRAIG, 1990-2013

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The Death of the Pen—Ink’s Labour Lost Canadian Teacher Magazine, April 2014

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he recent Toronto flood caused me to crack open long sealed boxes in my basement that contained articles about which I feel particularly nostalgic and my wife feels particularly indifferent. In one of the damp, musty boxes I came across a collection of papers from my first year of teaching. As I turned the dank pages of my teacher’s

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journal, I was beamed back through time to a private high school for boys in downtown Boston in the early 1990s.

What I found jarred me more that I could have predicted. Though the passage of time represents barely two decades, what the pages revealed was a quantum leap in other aspects of education, and especially in the practice of handwriting.

I paid special attention to a personal information page that I had circulated to the class. On this single piece of paper, mullet-clad boys wrote their name, address and phone numbers—no area codes indicated, of course. My first class of sophomores was a list of 36 boys—a ponderous class size that, today, seems inconceivable. Each boy wrote his name Crescent School

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beautifully in a loopy cursive hand likely taught to him in the 1980s by aged nuns in Boston’s parochial schools. Every entry was written, clearly and legibly, in blue or black ink. Not a single email address was offered. Not a single trace of pencil, not one entry printed or in block letters.

Now reader, let’s leave the Pearl Jampostered lockers and beepers of the 90s and fast forward to the classroom of today. Of the 65 or so boys I currently teach in 5 classes, only two write cursively, virtually all of the students print and very few write in ink. Indeed, in this

museum exhibit. Students who were once accustomed to the permanence and vivid brilliance of ink have now become used to the corrective genius of the backspace key. For fickle writers more afraid than ever of making an error, the pencil is a far safer choice. I took an impromptu survey of 78 boys writing a grade 9 English examination in the gym. Of the 78 writers, 73 wrote with a pencil while only 5 used a pen—and 2 of those were the new erasable ink models. I was also amazed that 75 boys printed their responses while only two used cursive writing.

our communication with loved ones and helped us perform emergency tracheotomies on each other.

This handy device was not the sole investment of humanity either.

Shakespeare, it is said, kept a servile flock of geese at his back door waiting to sacrifice their plumes for Romeo and Juliet, Shylock, and for the taming of shrews. Their naps assisted in the recording of 884,647 words in 38 plays. Thousands of octopuses and squids have laid down their lives so that we could write scripture, poems, histories, epics, and love letters.

In this computer-suffused age, even bringing a pen or a pencil to a class is, for most, an afterthought. computer-suffused age, even bringing a pen or a pencil to a class is, for most, an afterthought. What’s more is that their handwriting, especially compared to their mulleted predessors, is ghastly.

Pride in one’s hand is virtually dead. The following statement is seldom heard in a modern English class: “Yo, dude, your writing is dope. How’d you learn to write so neat? Wish I could bust out script like that!” Such a pronouncement wouldn’t even cause students to raise their gaze from above the edge of their laptop screens.

What happened to cursive writing? What happened to the pen? Didn’t someone once say that the pen is mightier than the sword? How did conventions in writing change so drastically in so short a time?

The simple fact is that the flower of the written communication now occurs digitally. More and more, handwriting is reserved for personal communication, in other words, writing for one’s self.

Classrooms starting at the high school level are quickly becoming digitized, and for every school that takes on computers, the pen takes one step closer to a spot in a Past and Present

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The pen is disappearing from any number of daily functions. Handy chip technology has made signing one’s name in ink at retailers a thing of the past, and many restaurants have stopped handing out sticky ball points in favour of a digital stylus on a hand-held credit machine carried by wait staff. Where young people once dreamed of pen-pals in far off locales, they now text and email at dizzying rates—often to friends just a few feet away!

Trying to convert teenagers to dropping the pencil in favour of a pen has, in my experience, been akin to asking them to drop their smart phones in favour of a more bucolic pastime like churning butter. Canada has phased out the penny, perhaps the pen is not far behind. How times have changed! As the urban myth has it, in the pen’s glory years NASA spent 240 trillion dollars or so developing an ink-based personal encryption device that could be used in space just so they could one-up the Russians who preferred using a pencil.

Humanity’s love affair with the pen is well-founded. For centuries, the pen has given us stories, furnished us with laws, lodged our complaints, facilitated

Laptops and tablets and pencils aside, perhaps nothing is sounding the death knell of the pen louder, ironically, than the increase in sales of the fountain pen. In 2012, BBC News Magazine reported an increase of 10 percent in fountain pen sales from major vendors.

I, myself, use a fountain pen—an Esterbrook with an italic nib and a handy little lever pump for sucking up chic green ink that I buy from a supplier in France. This pen was manufactured in the 1940s. On eBay, it was considered “new old stock” and sat around in its box for decades in a New England warehouse until a friend scooped it up. Why do I use antiquated pen when other sleeker, more modern encryption devices exist? For the same reason the other people flocking to buy fountain pens have—writing with a pen has become more of a novelty than a necessity.

The pen was once said to be mightier than the sword. One thing is for certain: it is not mightier than the pencil, and sadly, computers are all but ready to administer the pen’s coup de grace.

— ROBERT COSTANZO, ASSISTANT HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL

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Annual Parent Luncheon O

n February 11, the CPA hosted its Annual Parent Luncheon as 150 Crescent parents gathered at the Granite Club to share a meal and hear an awe-inspiring guest speaker, Spencer West. Spencer spoke about “redefining the possible” in our everyday lives. He is a motivational speaker, and spoke about some of his adventures, including climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro on his hands. The CPA was thrilled to welcome Spencer; his courage and willingness to overcome the obstacles in his life were inspiring to everyone.

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The Making of the Student Utility

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t the beginning of last year, a friend of ours showed us a little script he had hacked together, which pulled his class schedule off of the School website each day, and displayed it on a web page which he then left open on his smartphone. That was really the spark that ultimately led us on the great journey of development we have come to know as the Student Utility. While there was an app out there (the Crescent School mobile app), it wasn’t designed for students, nor did it cater to their needs. That was really how it all started.

When we first thought of developing the app for students, we posed a question to ourselves: How could we make a mobile app designed and developed specifically to suit the needs of our classmates? How could students get important information at the touch of a button? Being students, 16

we could answer those questions ourselves.

Wright has said, “A boys’ school runs on its stomach.”

The app, in its current version (Version 2) provides students with a quick and easy way of getting their marks, class schedules, and the lunch menu on their smart phones. One of the things that’s made the app so popular is the obsession Upper School students have with their marks. Accessing marks is like watching points accumulate in a videogame; checking them all the time can serve as either encouragement, or a stark reminder of the work that needs to done.

We are proud of what we have done.

We’ve actually developed something that the commercial manufacturer of the software that the School uses to manage student schedules, has yet to do, and won’t do for some time. With the help of the IT Department, we were able to offer the student body a secure system of access to information, in a format students use more than any other.

The class schedule is an obvious necessity—it gives students a way of knowing where they’re going at any given time throughout the day. The lunch menu is understandably appealing in a student body of adolescent males. As Mr.

Mr. Lowndes heard about the idea after we approached Mr. Wildman, and the news travelled fast. Before we knew it, Mr. Roberts had invited us to the next board meeting. We showed up at the meeting with fifteen minutes to present.

Within five, we had the Board on-board.

They loved the idea of an initiative from Crescent School

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students, designed by students, for students.

An avid web/app developer, I have worked to teach myself everything I know, and had the skills and know-how to build the app and seamless system from the ground up, as well as creating the cutting-edge platform. Co-founder, Matthew Cheung put together numerous design wireframes, and spent time studying how people interact with mobile user interfaces so we could streamline the design and improve the user experience. Matthew is also the Editor-InChief of the STAC (Student Technology Assistants Council) Newsletter, and the Chairman of the EAC (Environmental Action Committee).

responsive, not to mention the app is now infinitely more reliable. One of the biggest improvements is the all-new design, which is clean, modern, and easy to use.

Get your schedule, keep an eye on your grades, access the lunch menu—the Student Utility does it all. The best thing about it is that it’s built and maintained by students. After all, we’re the only ones who know what we want. When we

come together to build something for ourselves, the result is revolutionary.

As for the future, we have grand plans for the Student Utility. Right now it’s all about the students getting information from their teachers, but if we were able to turn the Student Utility into a tool for teachers to gather information about their classes—the sky’s the limit.

—JONATHAN LIBBY, GRADE 10 AND MATTHEW CHEUNG, GRADE 11

Matthew came up with the name Student Utility after sitting down with Ian Lo, the original developer of the “little script” which sparked the whole idea. They thought the name reflected the functionality of the idea—not to mention utilities being one of the staple categories of the iOS App Store playing an important role in the life of the modern student… and the name stuck.

When we released Version 1, we didn’t do a great job, in all honesty. The app was sluggish, inefficient, and often didn’t work properly. It was put together in a rush, and included components which interacted with Crescent’s web services in an inefficient manner. The design was reminiscent of a website from 2005. We learned a lot from our mistakes, and it helped us build the current version, which is now seamlessly and elegantly integrated with Crescent’s services, providing data in a faster and far more reliable manner. It was a necessary part of the learning experience, and led us to where we are today—now we know exactly what not to do.

We worked hard over the past year to completely rebuild and redesign the app from the ground up. Version 2 was released in early March, and it’s been a great success. Within the first three days of its release, Upper School students logged in over 10,000 times—that’s a lot!

The Student Utility has been taken to the next level. Because we rebuilt the app from scratch, we were able to make all kinds of performance and design improvements. It’s now faster and more Past and Present

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Spring 2014

17

Athletic Awards Fall Term SPORT

TEAM

DISTINCTIONS

Soccer

U10 Green U10 White U11 U12 D1 U12 D2 U13 U14 D1

X-Country

U10 U12 U14 Midget Junior Senior

MVP: RJ Levitt MSR: Oscar Aylward MVP: Matthew Lampard MSR: Matthew Bisset MVP: Cole Barclay MIP: Matt Parmar MVP: Matthew Kasperavicius MIP: Matt Wolff MVP: Ryley Mehta MIP: Spencer Dale MVP: Sam Dobbin, Myles Hollenberg

Volleyball

U14 D1 U14 D2 Junior Senior

MVP: Jackson Bere, Cole Turner MIP: Ethan Luepann MVP: Cole Hardy Coaches Choice Award: Nick Turnbull Coaches Choice Award: Andrew Cook, CJ Yoannou MVP: Alex Karayannopoulos MIP: Keith McRae Rookie of the Year: Deen Choudhury

MVP: Jordan Corbett MIP: Evan Sharp MIP: Aidan Walters The Wall: Hugo Hu MIP: Jack Martell Leadership Award: Will Matthews MVP: Rhys Holman Top Scorer: Spencer Coke Spirit of Leadership Award: Matthew Carl, Charlie Newall MVP: Christopher Stride Coaches Choice Award: Brian Keddie MVP: Max Montgomery Leadership Award: Andy Mavroudis, Peter Youngson U14 D2 MVP: Harry Raftus, Justin Zhang Team Spirit Award: Jeff Liebovitz Junior D1 MVP: Evan Ravindran MIP: Vlas Chekhovtsov Coaches Choice Award: Devan Hunter Senior D3 MVP: David Ferris, Thomas Freund Senior D1 MVP: James Osborne MIP: Taran Ravindran Coaches Choice Award: Alex Mayne

Winter Term SPORT

TEAM

Hockey

Senior Junior

DISTINCTIONS

Norris Trophy: Ryan McCabe Art Ross Trophy: Jack Hutton MVP: Brett Balcom MIP: Griffin Owen Coaches Choice Award: Erik Rimer U14 MVP: Max Montgomery MIP: Liam Lynch U12 MVP: Jack Bunker MIP: Noah Maunder Charlie Hustle Award: Ryan Paiken Basketball Senior D1 MVP: Philip Fournier Coaches Choice Award: Andrew Allen Heart Award: Trevor Noskiewicz Senior D3 Leadership and Commitment Award: James Osborne Competitive Spirit Award: Anthony Palma Junior MVP: William Coburn Leadership Award: Andrew Youngson U14 D1 Mr. Consistency: Jackson Bere Heart Award: Cameron Howard Sixth Man of the Year: Matthew Jenkins U14 D3 MVP: Manvis Xia MIP: David Sellers U13 MVP: Rives Reucassel Coaches Choice Award: Logan Centner Leadership Award: Charlie Knapp Dick U12 D1 MVP: Rhys Holman MIP: Charlie Newall U12 D2 Green Leadership Award: Ted Ferris Spirit Award: Simon Wills U12 D2 White Leadership Award: Cameron Overvelde Spirit Award: Ryan Rakusin U11 MVP: Connor Colfer Coaches Choice Award: Jonathan Voutsas, Thomas Bellamy U10 White MIP: Connor Grant, Tristan Li U10 Green MVP: Blake Moness MIP: Will Newall Squash Senior MVP: Taran Ravindran Coaches Dream Award: Jonathan Pearce Junior MVP: Miles Di Prata Sportsmanship Award: Spencer Dale U14 MVP: Edward Morneau Dedication Award: Charlie Fisher Alpine Skiing Senior MVP: Cole Rosenberg MIP: Devan Hunter U14 MVP: Michael Jaques MIP: Micah Jonker Swimming MS Leadership Award: Matthew Borg Determination Award: Dylan Lu LS Most Dedicated: Christopher Hughes MIP: Oliver Simpson

18

Crescent School

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Since 1913

Athletic Achievements Fall Term The CISAA silver medalist teams were: Grade 3 Soccer U12 D1 Soccer U13 Soccer

Other Noteworthy Accomplishments: 8

The U13 Soccer Team was a semi-finalist at the CAIS Nationals.

8

The Senior D1 Soccer Team placed second at CAIS Nationals Silver Division.

8

Matthew Lampard was the CISAA champion in U12 cross-country.

The CISAA bronze medalist teams were: U10 White Soccer 10 Green Soccer U11 Soccer U14 D1 Soccer

The CISAA semi-finalists: U14 D1 Volleyball Sr Volleyball

Past and Present

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Athletic Achievements Winter Term The CISAA championship teams were: Grade 3 Basketball U12 D1 Basketball Jr Hockey U14 Squash Jr Squash

The CISAA silver medalist teams were: U12 D2 Green Basketball Sr D3 Basketball U14 D1 Basketball U14 Level A Alpine Ski Team U14 Level B Alpine Ski Team Sr Level 2 A Alpine Ski Team

The CISAA bronze medalist teams were: U10 Green Basketball U14 Swimming

The CISAA semi-finalists: U11 Basketball U12 Hockey

Other Noteworthy Accomplishments: 8

8

8

8

20

U14 Swim Team: Justin Chan placed first in 50m backstroke and first in 100m freestyle, as well as winning a second place finish in 50m butterfly. Jayson Tong placed second in 50m backstroke and third in 100m freestyle.

The U13 Basketball Team was national champion in Division II of the CAIS, and third in the CISAA regular season.

In Senior D1 Basketball, the team capped off a victory season of 31 wins with an honourable mention as one of the top teams in the city, after winning a silver medal at the CAIS tournament, that almost gained them an OFSAA berth for the second straight year.

The Senior Alpine Ski Team brought home a bronze medal in Slalom from OFSAA, and Cole Rosenberg placed third in OFSAA Senior Level 2 Giant Slalom. In CISAA Senior Level 2, Cole also won first place in the Giant Slalom and second in his Slalom races.

8

Campbell Hunter placed second in CISAA U14 Level B alpine skiing, and Stuart Lillico placed third in CISAA Senior Level 2 B alpine skiing.

8

U12 D1 Basketball: Coach Hesse helped the team deliver a CISAA championship by finally beating UCC this season in the final game, after four attempts this season.

8

U14 Squash: The team capped off a great season with a perfect CISAA final tournament (no losses out of 35 games and 70/70 points) to win a third straight U14 Squash plaque.

8

Junior Squash: Three points separated first, second and third at the CISAA finals in a very close tournament as Crescent emerged champions for the first time in eight years.

8

Junior Hockey: The team’s run started with an OT win in the quarter finals, and they rode the momentum through wins over UCC and Villanova to capture the CISAA Junior D2 championship.

Crescent School

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Since 1913

From the Archives

Looking Forward on the Past Everything that is old is new again.

Truer words could not be written as the Crescent School Archives prepares to move to its spacious home in the new library this fall, displaying the best of the past to inform Crescent’s future. The new location will feature a highlighted and modern archives gallery celebrating the 100 years and beyond of Crescent. At double the size of our previous location, the Archives is set to be an inviting space, open to the School community and visitors.

Along with visibility in both the new library itself, and the new general use corridor along the north end of the building, the Archives also plans on having a number of displays throughout the School. These displays will make use Past and Present

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Spring 2014

of our current collection, and tell the story of the School throughout every part of the physical building. This is all part of a plan to bring the Archives into the School in the effort to further integrate the Archives into the broader School environment.

We are looking to “archive best practices” for guidance and ideas, as our Archives now has a permanent home and display. Look for more exciting announcements early next year as this department is permanently established in an exciting and intentionally designed space, and our history is displayed with purpose within the School.

—MICHAEL TAMBURRO, LIBRARY/ARCHIVES TECHNICIAN

The Archives is looking for your Crescent memorabilia!

This could include anything from uniforms to artwork, photos, documents, and anything in between.

Donating your items will ensure that your memories will be passed on to future Crescent students.

Please contact Archives Technician Mike Tamburro at mtamburro@crescentschool.org on how you can donate.

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On Tuesday, April 15, 2014, 28 alumni dads, and their Crescent School sons gathere Mr. Roberts’ time at Crescent School touched each person in this photo as a teacher, ment We are so proud to have 32 alumni dads with

22

Derek Chalmers ’79*, Andrew Chalmers ’10*, Ryan Chalmers ’13*, Brett Chalmers ’19* John Chesney ’84, Grant Chesney ’18 Jamie Coulter ’87, Owen Coulter ’21 Jim Eplett ’85, Sam Eplett ’17 Robert French ’82, Jasper French ’15, Rupert French ’17 Jonathan Geisler ’80, Matthew Geisler ’12, Barrett Geisler ’14, Jeremy Geisler ’16 Barry Gordon ’87, Oscar Gordon ’21 Chris Gratias ’90, Matthew Gratias ’23 Michael Gundy ’63, Samuel Gundy ’15 Geoffrey Hull ’79, Cody Hull ’10, Tyler Hull ’16 Jonathan Hunter ’87, Campbell Hunter ’19 Bill Leak ’78, Will Leak ’15 Charlie Lehoczky ’87, Nicholas Lechoczky ’17, Alex Lechoczky ’19 Daniel Logan ’84*, Alex Logan ’17* Bob Macdonald ’85, Jacob Macdonald ’13*, Charlie Macdonald ’17 Alistair Maxwell ’83, Davis Maxwell ’17

Crescent School

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Since 1913

d around Mr. Roberts in the Upper Gym for a photo destined for the history books! or, coach or Headmaster and is a further testament to the impact he has had on the School. at least one son currently attending the School.

Past and Present

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Gavin McOuat ’87, Malcolm McOuat ’19 Paul Medline ’83*, Eli Medline ’14* Jason Melbourne ’90, Clayton Melbourne ’23 Greg Mezo ’87*, Oliver Mezo ’18*, Dominic Mezo ’21* Duncan Osborne ’90, Ben Osborne ’21 David Pitfield ’78, Graham Pitfield ’12, Ben Pitfield ’14 Sean Regan ’83, Jackson Regan ’17, Wyatt Regan ’18* John Reucassel ’87, Rives Reucassel ’19 Ken Reucassel ’83, Duncan Reucassel ’19 James Sellers ’82, David Sellers ’18 Jordan Solomon ’85, Jeremie Solomon ’19 Paul Toyne ’74, Tyler Toyne ’14 Jonathan Turnbull ’86, Nick Turnbull ’19, Ryan Turnbull ’19 Rob Watt ’85, Jack Watt ’14 Paul Webster ’85, Will Webster ’19, Cameron Webster ’21 Tim Wiggan ’90, Coulson Wiggan ’19, Sean Wiggan ’21

Spring 2014

* Not in photo

23

Geoff Roberts: A Celebration of Character

Christopher McGrail ’84: (Vancouver, B.C.) “I would simply like to send my heartfelt thanks to a teacher whose influence on my ‘Educated Imagination’ still resonates. And to return a favour from thirty years ago— Geoff, get writing. Cheers!”

Ron Bertram ’81: (Vancouver, B.C.) “Geoff Roberts was my Grade 12 and 13 English teacher. I learned from him that the perfect medley of spoken or written words was the most powerful force on earth.”

Dustin Ashley ’11: (GTA) “Mr. Roberts has left his indelible mark on the School by impassioning me and my fellow classmates to achieve our fullest potential, while enhancing the nurturing milieu of the Crescent community.”

Doug Palm ’86: (Surrey, BC.) “Geoff Roberts sparked my love of reading, and taught me to read deeply to gain meaning. He challenged me to push myself. Today, as a school administrator myself, Geoff has been a mentor both with advice and in example.“

Patrick Blott ’87: (New York, NY) “It’s hard to capture Geoff’s enormous influence in 3 lines. Geoff taught us that imagining ‘what we might be’ is far more interesting than focusing on self-importance. He did it ‘in a voice too quiet for panic to hear’. We are his legacy and proud of it.”

Peter Brown ’87: (GTA) “Geoff Roberts taught me the importance of learning, participation and working with others, traits that are integral to my personal and professional success. ”

24

Graham Rotenberg ’12: (Providence, RI) “Geoff Roberts taught me about leadership. His conviction that one must have a clarity of purpose in order to achieve specific, attainable goals has given me the framework by which I live my life, and it has helped make me a better man.”

Benjamin Lau ’97: (Pacific Rim) “Geoff Roberts greatly influenced the way I view obstacles and taught me strategies to address and overcome them. He developed in me a capacity to deal with life.”

David Rogan ’87 (GTA): “I have many fond memories of Geoff Roberts’ classes.

In particular, I remember the magical way in which he brought the characters of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey to life. Geoff’s example to students: be positive, be friendly, be engaged, be passionate, and stand for something. Thank you Geoff!”

Henry Fowlds ’85: (Sydney, Australia) “Mr. Roberts’ English classes were always enjoyable. He always encouraged me to challenge myself, and his ability to put issues into ‘big picture context’ whilst encouraging me to explore alternative ideas/concepts stuck and continues to drive me. My visits to Crescent won’t be quite the same.”

Crescent School

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Since 1913

Jonathan Hunter ’87, P’19: (GTA) “Geoff was a central figure in my experience at Crescent, and his guidance was always consistent, balanced and personal, and on reflection, bang on! Our son Cam Hunter ’19 has been equally fortunate to have had the benefit of Geoff’s wisdom over the past five years.”

John McCleery ’76: (Barbados) “I had the pleasure to work with Geoff on the Alumni Executive, as a Board member, and on the Foundation. When I think of Geoff, I think of an inclusive style of leadership. He is committed to excellence, both personally and in his craft, and he is one of the reasons that Crescent School is one of the finest schools in the country.”

Stuart Mercier ’00: (Hong Kong) “Geoff is an educator and administrator of the highest calibre and I stand amongst a crowded field of former students whose very character was shaped by the values that Geoff espoused.“

Brian Lang ’87: (Dubai, UAE) “From the pages of Northrop Frye's metaphysical The Educated Imagination to Bergman’s intellectually engaging film The Seventh Seal, Geoff challenged us to step well beyond personal boundaries and creatively adventure into the unknown. Let me know when your next short stories novel is out—I’ll be the first in line!“

Bobby Koutsaris ’03: (GTA) “Geoff Roberts helped shape who I am personally and professionally. He taught me the values and ethics that I have applied to university, my career and life.”

Robert (Bodie) Gagnon ’89: (Providence, RI) “Mr. Roberts was a key influence on my turning from youth to man and in preparing me not only for academic challenges, but more importantly for the life challenges that would lie ahead.”

Michael Comisarow ‘93: (Calgary, Alberta) “Geoff possesses that rare combination of attributes that inspired both fear and admiration in a Crescent lad. He wears his passion for the School and the students on his sleeve, and he encouraged every student to do the same. The School, under his leadership, was in great hands.“

Andrew Rathbun ’88: (Brooklyn, NY) “The class I took with Geoff Roberts in Grade 10 was both enlightening and inspiring, as Geoff’s enthusiasm and energy was infectious. The conceptual idea of ‘nothing is new’ is something I grapple with every day as an artist, and all of Northrop Frye’s insights had an influence on my creative process (even though I had no idea this was the case at the time). “

Past and Present

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Spring 2014

Brit Osler ’81: (New York) “I continue to have an immense respect for Geoff Roberts. As an English teacher he was very good—as a Headmaster, I believe he is one of Crescent’s best. He has done an exceptional job increasing communications with alumni and driving the School’s platform of growth while maintaining the sense of family that sets Crescent apart.”

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News from Advancement The Latifi Family Commons Impact on Crescent School’s Counselling and Support Functions

M

uch has been written about the new Library and its anticipated impact upon Middle and Upper School students. Indeed, when it opens in September 2014, the new Library will offer dramatically enhanced space and services to students in Grades 7-12.

However, the Latifi Family Commons— which is also set to open in fall of 2014—will reside in the current Library space at the front of the School and will make a tremendous difference for two key support departments of the Upper School: Crescent Student Services (CSS) and University Counselling.

Crescent Student Services provides a place for boys to come for academic and socialemotional support. The program has grown significantly in the past 10 years, and led by Anjelien Slater, Head of Student Services, CSS staff assist students with a variety of academic functions to better prepare them throughout their academic career. The development of critical learning skills and understanding of learning styles provides students with the skills and insight needed for academic success through Crescent and beyond. In addition, CSS provides a safe place for boys to come when confronted with social/emotional issues. In tandem, the University Counselling department guides students through the oftentimes confusing and angst-ridden post-secondary selection and application process to find the university that best suits their interests 26

and learningLatifi styles. Family Together,Commons these two departmentsExterior form Crescent’s ViewUpper School guidance function, which is essential to any leading school.

Currently, the Upper School CSS offices are tucked away on the north side of the existing Library, far from visible prominence or students’ usual foot traffic. The same can be said for University Counselling, which occupies space next to the Business Office on the second floor of Crescent Manor.

Enter the Latifi Family Commons: a prominent, one-stop support area where students and their parents can access essential services that enhance and complete their Crescent education. As the new primary thoroughfare from which students will enter the School, these two departments will receive significantly more foot traffic and be much more accessible to our community. The project carries a cost of $3 million and is the final capital piece of the $30 million Great Boys campaign, which will be fully funded through charitable donations from current and past parents, alumni, grandparents, faculty and staff, and friends. The facility will be named in honour of Michael and Marilena Latifi, parents of Nicholas ’13 and Matthew ’21, for their landmark commitment of $1.5 million.

As Head of Student Services, Anjelien sees her department’s role as one of preparation not just for Crescent’s academic courses, but also for university and beyond. According to

Anjelien, “The new space in the Latifi Family Commons will provide an opportunity for our boys to easily access the support services available to them. Much of the work CSS does is integrated into classrooms. This space will allow us to connect more with the boys outside of the classroom on a oneto-one basis and offer additional space for academic success workshops, study groups, and one-on-one counselling. Sharing the space with University Counselling means CSS will more fluidly coordinate to provide the best counselling for our students and their families. “ Don Haag ’86, Director of University Counselling, and Kathy Porteous, Associate Director of University Counselling, echo their colleague’s excitement for a facility in which, as Don notes, “the two halves of Crescent’s guidance program will be united.”

They envision better coordination with CSS, more drop-in meetings from increased foot traffic to their offices, and an elevated level of prominence for University Counselling. Don and Kathy’s new headquarters will now be on “Main Street” at Crescent, which is fitting given the increasing number of students who are considering their university plans earlier and earlier. A decision that used to be relegated to Grade 12, university selection now has much greater importance for students in Grades 10 and 11, which is positive progress thanks to the University Counselling office’s efforts.

Anjelien encapsulates the Latifi Family Commons’ advantages in saying, “We value the individuality of each student, and we want to ensure that his pathway through Crescent gives him the best academic program to be successful in his learning, academic skills and selection of a post-secondary program.” The Latifi Family Commons will be a keystone in Crescent’s enduring commitment to all Boys of Promise.

To learn more about ways to support Crescent and the Great Boys campaign, please contact John Lynch, Chief Advancement Officer at jlynch@crescentschool.org.

Crescent School

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Since 1913

From the Alumni Executive I

n March 2013, the School hired a consultant to conduct an extensive alumni survey. For six months, we collected, analyzed, reviewed and deconstructed a substantial amount of data from our alumni. The results, in the two page infographic in this issue of Past and Present, show our alumni are thriving and we are doing our best to celebrate, support and connect them to one another and the School. A highlight for us is that the question ‘what is your level of satisfaction with the Crescent student experience’ was rated at 4.5 out of 5 and that interaction with faculty was rated at 4.5 out of 5—ratings our surveyor assured us were the highest he has ever seen in numerous independent school surveys conducted in Canada and the US. And, while the majority of our results were very positive, the survey definitely helped to identify some areas where we can grow and improve what we are currently doing. Fortunately, we have the right people and tools in place

Past and Present

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to address the areas that were identified by our alumni constituency as requiring additional attention.

As the Chair of the Alumni Executive, I have the pleasure of working alongside 11 exceptionally dedicated volunteer alumni who work tirelessly to provide unique and necessary networking, mentoring and career opportunities for our alumni to the forefront. This reason alone gives me the confidence in knowing our alumni’s overall experience will be a positive and resourceful one.

In June, our son, Jack, will be graduating and will join me as a Crescent alumnus. A Crescent student since Grade 4, Jack’s graduation day will be bittersweet for my wife, Lea Anne and me. It’s hard to believe this chapter of our life is coming to a close, but I am comfortable and confident that Jack and his classmates will continue to thrive because of the exceptional resources that are available to them.

It’s a year of lasts for my family but also for the greater Crescent community.

After 36 years of service to the School, 14 of those as Headmaster, Geoff Roberts will be retiring, leaving behind a legacy that will forever be imprinted in the School’s history. I never imagined when I graduated from the School 29 years ago that a teacher of mine would be my son’s Headmaster, a legacy for sure. While I am confident in the capabilities of our Headmaster-elect Mike Fellin and look forward to his vision for Crescent, I do want to take this moment to give Mr. Roberts a very heartfelt ‘thank you’ for everything that he has done for me, my family and the Crescent alumni community. On behalf of all of us, I wish you the best of luck, Geoff, on your future endeavours and thank you for all you’ve done for Crescent School.

— ROB WATT ’85, P’14, CHAIR, ALUMNI EXECUTIVE

27

ALUMNI SURVEY RESULTS

✗

473 alumni 4.5/5 280

Level of satisfaction with the

Crescent

student experience was rated at

responded to the survey.

ssssssssssss ssssssssssss ssssss ssssss ssssss

93.4%

Interaction with faculty during time at the School was rated as

4.5/5

OR

[this is the highest rating our surveyor has ever seen at an independent school!]

Of alumni who answered the survey

66% 11% 7% live in the GTA

live in the US

live outside of Canada and the USA

of these respondents also participated in the last survey conducted in 2008.

100

93%

80

60

said there were faculty, staff, coaches or administrators who had

40

a strong and favourable

20

influence on them

0

91.7%

strongly agree AND agree with the statement that they are

proud to be a Crescent graduate 28

89%

said they were enthusiastically involved in

extracurricular activities

85.1%

16% strongly agree AND agree live elsewhere in Canada

that Crescent played a significant role in the

development of their character and values Crescent School

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Since 1913

In March 2013, Crescent School hired a consultant to conduct an alumni survey. The purpose of the survey was to bring a better understanding of the alumni market that we are serving. Below are some key results that we felt were imperative to share with the Crescent community.

Academic programming was rated at

Preparedness for university was rated at

4.5/5

4.2/5

Calibre of Crescent School faculty was rated at

Satisfaction in the relationship with Crescent School as an alumnus

46.5%

47.6% 3.5/5

was rated as

This has increased since the 2008 survey, but it’s definitely something the Alumni Executive is aware of and wants to increase over the next few years.

of alumni are interested in

28.1%

25.8%

career mentor

university mentor

said they would like to be a

said they would like to be a

57.1% of alumni are interested in

education when it comes to philanthropic priorities Past and Present

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Spring 2014

of alumni are

interested in lectures & seminars

mentoring

Should an alumni want to volunteer

4.5/5

95% 8% AND

of alumni who completed the survey

graduated from the School

attended the

Dentonia campus

44.4% of alumni believe that

financial assistance/needs based bursaries are priority uses for gifts to the School 29

Struan Robertson ’91

C

rescent School prides itself on being an institution that provides the space, culture, environment and tools necessary for our students to pursue any career path they want. Our alumni fill roles in a vast array of professions including financiers, artists, lawyers, educators, doctors and engineers among others. It was not until recently, however, that we had an alum take on the role of Head of School at a peer independent school in Canada.

It would be unfair to say Struan Robertson’s experience at Crescent School led him to the world of academics, but it did provide him with the foundation 30

he needed. Upon graduation from Crescent School in 1991, his life plan was to pursue a degree in medicine; however, after spending a gap-year working at Lakefield College School (LCS), a co-ed independent school in Peterborough, Ontario as a resident don in 1996, he revaluated his plan and enrolled in teachers’ college at the University of Windsor. Struan’s experience at LCS that year was evolutionary for him. He loved the campus, the boarding component, the people and the connections he made with students in the classroom, and through this experience, he realized

teaching was his true calling. In 1999, with his Bachelor of Education in hand, he travelled to Bangkok, Thailand, with his wife, Jen, to begin his teaching career at the International School Bangkok (IBS), one of the top international schools in the world.

Early on in his career, Struan set his sights on exploring the administrative side of academics. He worked towards this goal and in 2006, after seven years in the classroom, he was promoted to Vice Principal at IBS and then to Principal of Elementary in 1999. During his career growth at IBS, Struan’s connection to Crescent School

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Since 1913

Alumni

Profile

Lakefield College School remained strong and held true. During meetings with his mentor at IBS, Struan was always clear that a primary career goal was to become the Head of School at LCS. Eventually, this opportunity presented itself when a headhunter approached and encouraged him to apply to his dream job. After an extensive process that involved five rounds of interviews and competing with applicants from around the world, Struan was named Lakefield College’s Head of School in March 2012 at the age of 37.

largely focused on building programs of distinction unique to LCS. Because of its location, LCS has the opportunity and privilege to run extensive outdoor educational programs that peer city schools are not in the position to run in the same capacity. These programs are as much about education as they are about character development, building and defining. Struan’s responsibilities leave no time for teaching, but as an educator first and foremost, he keeps his finger on the pulse on what is happening in the classroom by occasionally

Wright and asked him to give Struan another chance. Struan went on and not only made the team, but helped to lead his team to victory at the championships.

It was character-defining moments like this, along with the compassion and support he received from staff members including Bill Pedoe, Geoff Roberts, Steve Davies and Margaret Donnelly, that Struan remembers most from his time at Crescent School.

Lakefield College School is a familyorientated school with 11 families,

Those who know, do.

Those who understand, teach.

— Aristotle The role of Head of School has been challenging, but Struan loves it. It has been a ‘vertical learning’ experience where new challenges and learning opportunities are presented every day.

Not unlike most Heads of School in today’s independent school landscape, the role of ‘Head’ has shifted drastically.

Many are finding their attention has moved away from internal relations and is now heavily focused on those that are external. LCS is in its second year of a 10-year $100 million campaign, and Struan’s focus since assuming the role of Head has been primarily on this. More than half of the student body at LCS are boarders, representing countries around the world. Therefore, Struan is required to travel at least once a month, building and maintaining relationships with the alumni and LCS families in places including Montreal, Vancouver, Germany, Spain and England.

Lakefield College School’s current campaign is raising money for capital projects, including an enhanced dining room and residential facilities, but it is Past and Present

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Spring 2014

dropping in on classes, coaching and leading a mentor group.

Character development is an important part of Struan’s vision for LCS students and is a core reason why Crescent’s mission statement, Men of Character from Boys of Promise, resonates so deeply with him. Struan has encouraged the faculty to focus on ‘character teaching,’ and spends at least one hour a week working with the Students in Charge (or Prefects, as they are known at Crescent) at character building exercises and mentoring.

Crescent gave Struan the support that he needed to help him become the person that he is today. He fondly remembers his time as a Crescent student between Grades 7 and 12 and remains close with a number of people from the Class of ’91. A favourite memory is when he was cut from the U-16 hockey team. A die-hard hockey fan and player, he was devastated when he didn’t make the team. His classmates, recognizing how crestfallen he was, approached Mr. James

including the Robertsons, living on campus. And with 252 boarders who represent 28 different countries around the world, it is not usual to see the children of faculty and staff members playing together after classes and on the weekend. After spending 13 years in Bangkok, Struan and Jennifer were apprehensive but ready for their move back to Canada and were confident that the LCS community would welcome and support them during the transition.

During their time overseas, Struan and Jen welcomed their children, Jack (12), Molly (10) and Aidan (7) into the world.

Having the opportunity to move his children back to Canada to be closer to their Canadian roots has been, according to Struan, one of the most rewarding things about assuming the role of Head of School. Being the Head of School has brought forth a number of positive experiences for the Robertson family, none more defining then giving Struan the opportunity to bring his family back to the place where his love for teaching began.

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Sevag Yeghoyan ’92

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natural leader who honed his skills at Crescent School, Sevag Yeghoyan ‘92 is best described as a man of conviction with the ability to take control of his own destiny, celebrate his passions, and in so doing, make the world a better place. While forever devoted to the sport of rugby (“the game they play in Heaven”), Sevag’s true passions lie in helping the underdog and in the arts. Many of his memories as a Crescent student revolve around school plays, events, and musicals, where his talents leant themselves more to work away from the spotlight.

taught important life lessons, Geoff Roberts will always epitomize leadership and standing up for one’s convictions,” says Sevag. “Whether it was through the classics we reviewed in English class or simply by examples set, it was constantly impressed upon me as a student to stand up for what I believed in, to hold myself accountable, and to help the underdog.”

And so, as a Crescent alum with a Bachelor’s degree from McGill University and a law degree from Osgoode Hall, Sevag chose to pursue a career helping others, hanging out his own shingle and starting a private law practice.

He attributes his leadership abilities, passions, and resiliency to his Crescent days. “While there were so many teachers who made an impression and

Sevag has continued his involvement with the arts, where those same leadership skills, talent for organization, and entrepreneurial spirit connected

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with strong roots in his own ArmenianCanadian community. In 2006, he co-founded The Pomegranate Film Festival, the largest festival on the planet to represent films by and about people of Armenian descent.

“The Pomegranate Film Festival came together gradually. It started with film nights every three to four months with friends, and as word spread, more and more people came,” says Sevag. The increasing popularity of these film nights led to the suggestion of an outdoor/ drive-in type of screening, which in turn sparked discussion and generated the idea of a film festival. “I was part of a group of four colleagues who launched The Pomegranate Film Festival in 2006,” says Sevag, who has served as the Crescent School

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Festival’s Executive Director since 2010.

“In our first year, we received 15 entries for The Festival, presented 11 films and sold approximately 800 tickets. “ The Festival initially began screening films at the Hamazkayin Theatre of Toronto’s Armenian Youth Centre, and has since expanded to include screenings at other venues such as the Regent Theatre on Mount Pleasant Road, not far from Crescent School. Each year, submissions increased incrementally, and since 2011, the committee considers more than 100 submissions each year. In 2013, the Festival set a new record with over 3,000 attendees viewing 37 films submitted from 16 different countries. Sold out films at the 2013 Festival included Devil’s Knot, starring Reese Witherspoon and directed by Academy Award-nominated Canadian Director Adam Egoyan, and Paradjanov, directed by Cannes Film Festival Palme D’Or awardwinning French director Serge Avedikian.

Looking back over his time at Crescent, Sevag is quick to recognize that the

skills he brings to help drive the success of The Festival can be attributed to his days wearing the green blazer at Crescent School. “Crescent taught me to dissect a story and think critically, and to apply this to a book, an article, a column, or a film,” says Sevag. While the overarching criteria for eligibility at The Festival is that a film must be directed, produced, written, or filmed by someone of Armenian descent, or involve subject matter relevant to those of Armenian ancestry, “selection is a delicate balance of selecting the most entertaining films while also considering the right mix of genre, originality, and box office draw,” says Sevag. “The skills I learned in English classes years ago have certainly proven invaluable in helping drive the success of The Festival today.”

The Pomegranate Film Festival has given Sevag the opportunity to get involved with the artistic community locally in Toronto, and it serves another of his underlying passions, allowing him to ensure stories

of importance to the Armenian Diaspora have the opportunity to be told. “In 1915, the majority of survivors from the Armenian Genocide were dispersed throughout the world,” says Sevag. “Even today, some countries do not officially recognize the Genocide where more than 1.5 million people were killed. Through The Festival, we can help stories like this one stay relevant, and be told.”

Sevag remains closely tied to the School and to his classmates. “One of the social highlights on my calendar is the reunions we have and the times we spend together,” says Sevag. “It’s been more than 20 years since we graduated, and my closest friends remain Myles [Slocombe], Jay [Mansoor], and the members of the Class of ’92.” He and his wife Roubina have a three-year-old daughter, Josephine, and are expecting their second child this summer.

Alumni

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Alumni Mentoring Through The Alumni Internship Program

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t was an email sent from the Crescent School Alumni Office that caused third year Duke University student, Dustin Ashley ’11, to stop and take a closer look. The email was about the Alumni Internship Program (AIP), an alumni-driven program that provides meaningful summer employment opportunities to young alumni, and there was a particular opportunity that jumped out at him. The posting was made available by alumnus Jonathan Hunter ’87, P’19, at RBC Capital Markets in the New York City office. A highly coveted position, he knew it was one that he wanted.

Following the directions in the email, Dustin contacted Jay Mansoor ’92, Co-Chair of the AIP, to learn more and see what he needed to do to apply. “I couldn’t believe the attention that was paid to me so early on in the process,” said Dustin. “I was, and still am, overwhelmed with the amount of oneon-one support I received.” Jay assisted Dustin during the application process and when it was confirmed that he was successful in securing an interview, Jay strongly suggested that Dustin seek some mentoring from Jay’s AIP Co-Chair, Jamie Coulter ’87, P’21.

The Alumni Internship Program is now in its fourth year; however, it has

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only been during this past year that a mentoring component has been added.

“We realized that our young alumni had resumés that rivaled everyone else’s. They were outstanding and demonstrated that our applicants have a tremendous amount of experience— much of it facilitated through their Crescent School education. However, when it came to the interview, they were not nearly as prepared as we hoped they would be and, therefore, not as successful in obtaining the jobs,” explains Jay. “We added the mentoring component with the hope that it would not only lead to a successful application process, but a successful interview process.”

Jamie, General Manager, Equity Capital Markets at Raymond James Financial, mentored Dustin in advance of his interview at RBC. “Having had the role of interviewer in the past, I had the knowledge of what types of questions Dustin would be asked,” Jamie explained. He was also quite happy to work with Dustin because, as he explains, “it is a really great way to remain connected with young alumni and it is an easy way to give back to Crescent School and the broader Crescent community.

I am happy to be able to share

experiences from my career and tidbits of wisdom picked up along the way.”

Jamie and Dustin spoke on the phone leading up to the interview and as Dustin explains, “Jamie really helped to zero in on specific areas with his industry expertise.” The mentoring made a difference because soon after his interview, Dustin was offered an internship position for this summer. This news was not only a coup for Dustin, but also for Jamie: “to see that Dustin won the job is a nice feeling of accomplishment for me too.” For Dustin, the entire experience was gratifying and reinforced his confidence in the alumni community: “the alumni give you an opportunity to access a number of resources that are out there. Crescent graduates need to know that the Crescent experience does not end after Grade 12; the family outside the Crescent walls is strong and they are there to help.”

The Alumni Internship Program and the Mentoring Program, led by Jason Steel ’93, are alumni-driven programs supported by the Alumni Office offered to all Crescent alumni. If you’re interested in learning more and getting involved, please visit the alumni website at alumni.crescentschool.org.

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Branch and University Visits 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

University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier

Hong Kong Branch Reception Retiring Headmaster Geoff Roberts, Headmaster-elect Mike Fellin, and Chief Advancement Officer John Lynch travelled to Hong Kong in February 2014 to host our annual Hong Kong Branch reception at the American Club Hong Kong. This year, for the first time the event hosted by Ming Wai Lau ’97, welcomed 17 alumni, including keynote speaker Dr. Gabriel Leung ’90, Dean of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine at Hong Kong University, who addressed the guests.

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Events Alumni Holiday Reception The Alumni Holiday Reception is always well attended, and this year’s event was no exception! Held immediately after the Bidiak Basketball Challenge, this year’s reception welcomed 88 alumni and faculty members in the CCL lobby for some well-deserved holiday cheer before the break!

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Downtown Networking Event The Downtown Networking Event was held on Thursday, November 21 at the Beer Academy on Victoria Street in Toronto – a new venue for this event. Over 110 alumni and faculty members gathered at the Beer Academy for this always popular event!

Bidiak Basketball Challenge On Thursday, December 19, Crescent welcomed alumni basketball players for the annual Bidiak Basketball Challenge, an exciting round-robin tournament that sees alumni, faculty and the Senior D1 Team compete for the Bidiak trophy! This year, more than 50 alumni rose to the challenge. Congratulations to Team Cam Eby ’03, who once again took home the title!

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Life After Crescent Fraser McKee ’38, one of Canada’s most famous naval writers, has just had his first fictional novel (and eighth book) published. “The fictional novel,” he says, “was much harder to write.” Based on Fraser’s personal experiences as a sailor and commander of a gate vessel (a type of training vessel used by the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Armed Forces), the story takes place during the Cold War and involves current conditions, such as open ice-free areas, Law-of-the-Sea restrictions, nuclear submarines and radio intercepts, as a small Naval Reserve gate vessel is on a search-and-rescue mission for a crashed Russian spy aircraft in the high Arctic.

Fraser’s novel is published by Seawaves Publishing in B.C. and is available from him as well at fmmck22@rogers.com.

s Bruce Boyle ’61 continues to serve as Chair of the Board of Directors for Herizon House, a shelter for abused women and children in Durham County. Over the holidays, Bruce, along with Chris Alexander, The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, worked together to receive gifts for the families living at Herizon House.

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s Ian Fleming ’79 was awarded the Wallenberg Professorship in Stockholm, Sweden in January 2014 by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. This Professorship has been established by the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry (KSLA) and the Wallenberg Family to foster ties with prominent foreign scientists who can contribute towards the renewal of Swedish science in the green sector, and to universities and academic institutions. Ian is the first winner of the KSLA Wallenberg Professorship. The award ceremony was followed by a white tie banquet with the King and Queen of Sweden in the Stockholm City Hall (Stadshus) – the same location as Nobel laureate ceremonies.

Ian is a professor in the Department of Ocean Sciences at Memorial University of Newfoundland. The Wallenberg Professorship will begin in January 2015.

Ian’s wife, Lori (St. Clement’s School ‘79), accompanied him to this very special event and called it an once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Myles Slocombe ‘92 was recently awarded the 2013 Diamond Award for his work in residential real estate with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd, Johnston & Daniel Division. This is the second highest award category that an agent can achieve at Johnston & Daniel.

Myles is currently living in Toronto and is an active member of the Crescent Alumni Executive and a member on the Marketing & Branding Committee.

s Jason Steel ’93, wife Sarah and big sister Clark welcomed twin boys on December 17, 2013. Future Crescent alumni, Marshall Barron and Warner Duke are joyful additions to the Steel family and everyone continues to work on getting into a new routine with the twins!

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Paul Joliat ’94 is now AVP, Philanthropy & Integrated Sponsorships, Corporate Marketing and Communications at Sun Life Financial, a position that he assumed a few months ago. In the past couple of years, Paul has become an avid runner and has run in four marathons in the past year and a half, including marathons in Toronto, Iceland, Chicago, and in last year’s Boston marathon.

Paul’s connection to Crescent School continues to remain strong. His wife, Amy, is a teacher in Crescent’s Lower School, and their son Cole, will be joining the Crescent family in September 2014 as a Grade 3 student! Cole will represent the third generation of Joliats at the School. Paul’s dad, Marc Joliat, is a Dentonia alumni from the Class of 1952.

Paris, Florida, Toronto and Turkey with various family and friends during the year. In July 2013, Chris accepted a new position as Director of Strategy & Insights for Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg). This excellent career opportunity landed him a spot on the Leadership Team of a $2 billion+ Business Unit, but consequently turned his home life upside down as he now works four days a week in Belgium and the Netherlands. Despite the challenging work and travel schedule, their daughter, Taylor continues to thrive and started walking in early August.

Calvin Choi ’96 is now the Managing Director of UBS Investment Bank, focusing on Hong Kong IPOs, M&A’s and other capital market activities of Chinese and Hong Kong based companies.

Chris ‘Old Man’ Luedecke ’94 won Album of the Year and Folk Recording of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards for his album, Tender is the Night. This win is in conjunction with five Nova Scotian Music Awards, Polaris Prize List and a Juno Nomination. To learn more about Old Man Luedecke, visit his website at http://oldmanluedecke.ca.

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Andrew Hallisey ’00 graduated with a M.A. in Economics from Queen’s University in 2005, where he met his wife, Katherine. They now have two boys, William (age 2) and Edward (7 weeks). Andrew worked as the Trading Technology Liaison at GMP Securities LP from 2006 to 2009 and now works as Managing Director of Hallisey Capital Partners Inc., which focuses on research and investment in the Canadian equity markets. Outside of work, he pursues more creative ventures such as music production and recently provided some of the soundtrack to the first season of the TV show Descending; a scubadiving production that travelled across the world, and created by the team behind the internationally successful travel show Departures.

s Patrick Osler ‘96 and his wife Erin, s

Chris Fearn ’95, his wife Astrid and their one and a half year old, Taylor, continue to live and work abroad in London, England. With young daughter in tow, the Fearn family is still keeping their active travel schedule, flying to Past and Present

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welcomed their first son, Burke Campbell Osler on, October 31, 2013 at 12:09 a.m.

Mom and baby are doing great, and Dad is doing an admirable job of pretending to know what he’s doing! Patrick has been working with Foyston, Gordon & Payne Inc. in Toronto for the past 11 years, currently as Vice President, Client Services.

s Tim Watson ’01 and his wife, Caitlin, welcomed their first child, Turner, to their family on February 9, 2014. Turner is much doted upon by his uncles Scott Watson and Michael Martin Evans (both ’04).

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Matthew Budman ’04 was an Executive Producer of the 2013 blockbuster hit, American Hustle. Matthew has also co-produced the 2012 films, Zero Dark Thirty, Killing Them Softly and Lawless.

Blake Parsons ’07 recently finished a work transfer through Bain & Company in Johannesburg, South Africa. Blake was in South Africa for seven months working with local mining, telecom, and private equity clients. He has since moved back to Toronto and will be headed to Cambridge University in the fall to pursue a master’s of engineering in energy technologies.

s Philip Lloyd ’09 and Team WRL, which stands for Williams, Reekie, Lloyd (President: Allison Williams; Vice President of Operations: Justin Reekie; and, Philip Lloyd) were successfully elected as the 2014/15 Alma Mater Society (AMS) Executive at Queen’s University. On May 1, Philip officially assumed the role as Vice President of University Affairs.

Philip started his journey at Queen’s University in September 2009, when he enrolled in the Concurrent Education Program. During his time at Queen’s, he became heavily involved in student life and held various positions within the Concurrent Education Students’ Association (CESA). As the CESA President last year, Philip spent a lot of time working with the AMS by engaging in campus-wide discussions and drafting policy for the Assembly. The AMS is Canada’s oldest undergraduate student government and in the role as Vice President of University Affairs, Philip will be responsible for all things political and educational in nature. He will oversee six commissions, including Academic Affairs, Municipal Affairs, and Campus Activities.

He will also sit as a Steering Committee member for the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance.

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After Philip’s term ends in April 2015, he will spend the following year attaining his Bachelor of Education at Queen’s.

Philip continues to be an active member of the Crescent alumni community and is a Class of ’09 Representative.

s Jonathan Brickman ‘12 was offered an opportunity through the Crescent School Alumni Internship Program to work for Dave Thom ’92 at The LeFrak Organization in Manhattan this summer as a design intern. Jonathan is currently in his second year at Queen’s University studying Civil Engineering.

s Tarun Koshy ’10 just finished his last semester at McGill University. He spent Reading Week in Mongolia and South Korea as part of a course to study growing markets from various angles. While on the trip, Tarun visited Ulaanbatar’s ger districts, where more than half the city’s residents live without access to water, sewage systems or central heating, surviving temperatures of more than -30. This has had a profound impact on Tarun, who is trying to raise funds to help build a communal shower at a nearby school.

Scott Macdonald ’11 has just completed his third year at Queen’s University, focusing on a specialization in Astrophysics. He will be working in Kingston, Ontario for the summer researching and imaging spiral galaxy outflows. He was also recently elected as Men’s Captain of the Queen’s Rowing Team, of which he has been a member of for the past 3 years.

Henson Tam ‘11 will be participating in an internship at Deloitte this summer.

Currently in his third year at the Ivey Business School at Western University, Henson’s studies have focused on accounting and he is looking forward to getting some real-world experience this summer.

Tanvir Deol ‘12 is currently in his second year at the London School of Economics and Political Science enrolled in the Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method program. He was the winner of the TEDxLSE 2014 student speaker competition in February, and was subsequently asked to deliver the talk at the official TEDxLSE 2014 conference.

His talk narrows in on the power and importance of present moment awareness, and is titled “Embrace the Now. Empower The Self.”

George Mavroidis ‘12 is enjoying his second year at the University of Guelph studying Software Engineering. He is taking full advantage of what university has to offer and took first place (and prize) in a 24-hour “hackathon” to devise practical computer applications. He created an iPhone app to help riders easily navigate municipal bus schedules while on the go. George has also stayed involved in the FIRST Robotics Program, qualifying for a spot to compete in St. Louis!

Jack Hayward ’13 was recently elected as Analyst, Energy and Utilities at Queen’s University Investment Counsel.

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Past Faculty & Staff Updates At 72 years of age this year, past faculty member Nick Florain is now fully retired and has totally immersed himself into his passion, martial arts. Nick practices daily from early morning until 2 p.m. and sometimes with his grandson! Nick and his wife have been spending their summers in Cartagena, Colombia.

Since his retirement from Crescent, past faculty member Pat Mills P’99 has been busy. He has worked in Business Development for Hazell and Associates, acted as Ombudsman at Atlantis Aerospace, and worked again in Business Development for Alliance Hospice, Living Assistance Services, and Better Living Community Services. Currently, he is a Manufacturer’s Representative at Sprung Instant Structures, a 125-year-old building company. Pat lives in Cabbagetown with his wife of 36 years, Margot, and is actively involved in supporting the Kiwanis Boys and Girls Club Cabbagetown and Emily’s House Toronto.

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Ross tells everyone that he is currently a “haus mann”! This has left him with the free time to try to master the challenges of the German language. So far, he has been lucky enough to travel to and enjoy London, Rome, Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast, Budapest, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Bali, Provence. Ross and Gregg are excited to be meeting family in October to walk part of the pilgrims’ walk, the Camino de Compostella, in northern Portugal and Spain. Ross sends a big hug to all his Crescent friends!

s Past faculty member Ross Turvey and his partner Gregg Ernst are living life and loving it outside Zurich, Switzerland, where Gregg is on contract for his company. They love the fact that they live in a village right on Lake Zurich and wake up each day to see the Alps.

Do you want to be included in Life After Crescent?

Send us an update, and tell us your news!

Email Kathryn Rutherford at krutherford@crescentschool.org.

And please keep in touch!

Update your contact information at alumni.crescentschool.org.

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A Friend We Have Neil Campbell February, 15 1944—December 13, 2013

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first met Neil Campbell a little over 20 years ago when I arrived at Crescent School. Neil was already an iconic figure here, arriving himself on the scene some 20 years previously, in 1973.

I was therefore quite happy and thankful to have a seasoned brain to pick, as Neil would dole out pearls of occasional wisdom or snippets of Crescent history and protocol. I thought of him as perhaps a “br-ather” for lack of a better term—a cross between an older brother and a fatherly figure of sorts.

Despite being a science teacher, I was always secretly thrilled to be asked along to help chaperone Neil’s annual Grade 9 History trip to Ottawa. Neil knew his audience well—he would arrange for the boys to visit one museum or cultural centre after another, at a pace that was intended to keep them hopping along, learning something new and not allowing

time for any boredom or mischief to set in. In fact, I would often find myself trailing close behind Neil and leaning in as he would spout off one historical anecdote after another, often adding more detail and flavour than any of the tour guides he hired.

In his time at Crescent, Neil did it all. At various times, he was the head of several departments, with his role as head of history being the most prominent. He was extremely well-read in this subject and had an inspirational passion for the material.

Many emails have poured in with the notice of Neil’s passing. Here are just a few snippets from some of his former students: “I am sorry to hear about Mr. Campbell’s passing. He was truly one of my favourite teachers. Before going on to law school,

I obtained an honours degree in history and English. My love of history began at Crescent and Neil Campbell was a big reason for that. He was also my tennis coach for many years and I recall great times and road trips for tennis. I am deeply saddened, but will always have great memories of Mr. Campbell.”

And another former student wrote, “I am very sorry to hear this news. I have fond memories of Neil. He really pushed me to believe in myself and my abilities, and I am forever in his debt for that.”

Another lamented, “This is horrible, sad news. I have very happy memories of Mr. Campbell. He had a big heart and a warm, self-deprecating sense of humour.

I credit Mr. Campbell for inspiring a significant part of my love of history and American politics.”

Neil was cerebral—he was a careful, methodical thinker and a great observer of human nature. And he didn’t just speak to hear himself talk. You could tell that whatever the issue, he spent time mulling it over, so that when he eventually offered an opinion on a particular topic, it had some substance and wisdom, and it carried some weight.

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This translated to both his teaching and in his dealings with those around him.

Many other emails spoke of Neil’s dedication in the coaching realm. Again, he seemed to spread his talent far and wide in a number of different sports, with tennis and hockey being the most prominent.

Certainly, he was a talented tennis player in his own right, and early on, upon my own arrival to Crescent, he would do what he could to coax me out onto the courts.

Perhaps in me, he saw an easy, hapless victim for trying to run about and retrieve his trademark passing forehand smash.

Back in the day, Crescent used to maintain two beautiful outdoor courts at the back of the school, nestled amongst the tress— and often while playing, it wasn’t unusual to see a fox pop out of the woods beside the courts or see a hawk soaring overhead. Now, a covered, multi-sport facility occupies that space, but before the transformation, they were certainly two of the most beautiful outdoor courts in the city. Often, during a sunny summer morning around 10 a.m., I would get the call. I would lamely mumble something about having to look after my newborn baby, but Neil would have none of it as an excuse. He would convince me to drive around the neighbourhood until the baby fell asleep, then we would gently carry her onto the court, place her in the shade at the far end, and commence a spirited game of tennis. Some of my best memories with Neil involve both scrambling and tip-toeing about the courts. Over the years and into retirement, Neil then went on to capture various club tennis titles in the masters division.

Neil was also a passionate and talented hockey player and coach. Every Friday morning, the staff and various students would gather at York Mills Arena for a game of shinny, for which Neil had great enthusiasm—there, he was in his element.

While I never had the opportunity to see Neil in his prime, he nevertheless often displayed hints of his former glory while maneuvering around many players like Past and Present

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immovable plastic pylons. But equally impressive was his demeanour on the ice.

He was very much the Jean Béliveau of our group—always the gentleman player.

Never did I see him conduct himself with anything but class and great sportsmanship.

You knew with Neil that you would never receive an errant slash or a Gordie Howe elbow in the corner—he always played the game fairly and with the right spirit.

Following his retirement, Neil rarely missed a Friday morning skate, as he continued to lace up his blades and join us as a “mature” skater. Even up until last year, the wily veteran would make an occasional coast-to-coast rush just to prove that he still could, with a wink and a smile at the end of it all.

Upon Neil’s retirement, he spent a number of years tirelessly dusting off and combing through the myriad archives that had accumulated at the school over 100 years. Every once in awhile he would walk by, pull out some picture from his breast pocket and with a wink say, “Look what I found.” You would glance over and see some goofy, unflattering image of yourself that some yearbook staffer had snapped years earlier and yet somehow Neil had retrieved.

But his vast knowledge of the School’s history, both from his years working there and gleaned further through box after box of archival memorabilia, enabled Neil to eventually write a beautiful history of the School’s first century of existence.

His original manuscript is wonderfully rich in detail and written in such an informative, frank and interesting style that it provides a wonderful record of the establishment. No one else but Neil could have done such a masterful job.

Neil’s almost 40 years of involvement with Crescent School have made him an historical figure there in his own right. He was a thoughtful, sensitive, intelligent, professional colleague to work alongside—a true friend to all.

Lord Mountbatten once said, “I can’t think of a more wonderful thanksgiving for the life I have had than that everyone should be jolly at my funeral.” Despite his leaving us too early, we must focus on celebrating the many joys and successes that Neil had in this life, and all our wonderful connections we’ve had with him. As former Crescent faculty member Bill Pedoe succinctly and wisely summed it up, “A good man blessed with a good family, good friends and a good career is a subject worth rejoicing.”

Neil’s beauty, I think, was that he was neither flashy, overbearing nor demonstrative, but a gentle man with both the self-confidence and humility to chuckle at himself and life’s foibles. He was a caring, genuine, unassuming, saltof-the-earth soul who made the world a better place. He will be missed.

—GREG MICHALSKI, UPPER SCHOOL FACULTY

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Lowndes’ Last Word A

s the Prefects emphatically reminded me at the beginning of this year, this is not just the year after the Centennial, but the first year of the next century for Crescent. They are right, of course. Your point of view governs your actions. You can see the year as anti-climactic or as a new start, a re-birth—and you are more likely to accomplish something meaningful from the latter perspective. This has proven to be a prescient admonition.

Mr. Roberts leaves an extraordinary legacy...

The retirement of Headmaster Geoff Roberts, effective the end of the school year, marks the end of a defining era in the history of Crescent School. Mr. Roberts leaves an extraordinary legacy: he formalized the School’s mission and core values; he led the development and implementation of two strategic plans that energized the School and directed its growth in fundamental ways, in terms of both curricular and co-curricular programs; his vision has re-shaped the School philosophically, programmatically and physically. Through his infectious enthusiasm, he has rallied many allies to the cause to make the vision real. Indeed, when the current building program is complete at the end of this summer, he literally will have been responsible for building the Crescent School of the 21st century. In my view, shared by my colleagues, more than any other headmaster, he has left his mark on the School.

Geoff will leave his mark on the people as well. Speaking personally, he provided me with an exceptional professional and personal opportunity. He has been a calm mentor and a source of rock-steady support. He has been a reliable source 44

of wise counsel always delivered with candour and humour. And I am far from the only one who has compelling cause to thank him. Those who have had the privilege of working closely with him will know that he is without ego. He is driven, and the one thing that drives him is his love for this school. No one loves it more; no one has worked harder to make it strong; no one cares more about the people connected with it.

family men, and true to our cultural inheritance, not overly given to sharing.

To put it plainly, it was a professional marriage made in heaven: a common perspective, shared values, quick understanding, mutual respect and trust, and blessedly little need for intimate confessions. My 10 years working with Geoff have been, by far, the best years of my career. I can only hope, sir, that you share my view.

Geoff and I have a few things in common. Similar in age, we were both immigrants as children: Geoff with his family from Liverpool, while we came from Wolverhampton—classic British backgrounds, with probably all that that implies. We are both students of English literature, inspired by legendary teachers in university, who went on to become dedicated English teachers.

We both highly value the craft of writing and invest the sweat necessary to respect the language as we use it.

(Geoff would be the very first to point out the absolute necessity of guarding against the maudlin. This is one piece I’m not submitting for his comment.) Both of us have a tendency to be a little bit obsessive. We are both very private

Mr. Roberts has directed all of us this year to look forward; in concert with the Prefects, he has focused our attention on the beginning of the next era, on the new work to be done. He has firmly re-directed attempts to pause for retrospectives, for goodbyes, for congratulatory moments. Especially for this reason, with apologies to him and to the Prefects, I wish to take this moment to pause, to thank Geoff personally and sincerely, and to honour the debt that we all owe to his singular vision and his generous, selfless leadership; indeed the profound debt that we all owe to Geoff Roberts, the man of character.

— COLIN LOWNDES, HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL/DEPUTY HEADMASTER

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Crescent School Spring Alumni Reunion Weekend Friday, May 8, 2015 to Saturday, May 9, 2015

Friday, May 8, 2015

Saturday, May 9, 2015

12 - 2 p.m. Dentonia Luncheon

6 - 7 p.m. Honouring the Class of ’90 at their 25 Reunion Private Reception

6:30 p.m. FNL Rugby – Senior D1 Team vs. St. Michael’s College School

7 - 9:30 p.m. Alumni Reunion, celebrating the classes of ’75, ’80, ’85, ’90, ’95, ’00, ’05, ’10

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: CRESCENT SCHOOL 2365 Bayview Avenue Toronto, ON M2L 1A2

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