Elmwood Emblem Winter 2015

Emblem How Girls

Learn Maximizing student attention and engagement, in the classroom and beyond

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: COUNTDOWN TO THE CENTENNIAL

Winter 2015

DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN. AND SALLY. AND SHIRLEY!

We seem to have lost touch with some of our alumnae and we’re eager to find them so they can join us for the Centennial celebrations!

As time passes and alumnae move, get married and change names or jobs, we sometimes lose contact. We hope to reconnect with them and need your help!

Often the best way to find lost alumnae is through other alumnae. For a complete list of lost alumnae, arranged by decade, please visit elmwood100.ca.

Please take a moment to look over the list.

If you spot a name you recognize, or if your name is on our list, please help us update our records. Let us know as much as you can about that person or yourself by emailing eaylen@elmwood.ca.

We’d search to the ends of the Earth to find our alumnae, but we hope, with your help, that won’t be necessary. Thanks for helping us stay connected!

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GOOD SPORTS

COUNTDOWN TO THE CENTENNIAL

The fall athletics season was full of successes, on the court, in the water and on the field!

By Katya Brooks ’15

20 HOW GIRLS LEARN

Excitement is building for September 2015, when the Elmwood community will celebrate the School’s 100th anniversary!

The latest brain research on maximizing student attention and engagement informs Elmwood’s approach to teaching girls.

By Chandra Wiegand

By Teresa Stirling

12 Message from the Headmistress........... 2

Elmwood at 50 .............................................18

Riding a Clear Round............................... 34

Strategic Plan Update................................. 3

How Girls Learn........................................... 20

Alumnae Spotlight......................................36

News and Notes............................................. 4

Lost in Thought ..........................................24

Alumnae News.............................................37

School Events................................................. 8

Advancement News...................................38

Good Sports................................................. .10

Parent Volunteers in the Classroom...............................................26

In Conversation with JoAnn Deak....................................................12

Fablabulous....................................................28

Countdown to the Centennial............... 16

An Inspiring Girl: Caitlin Baxter ’20....32

editor:

Teresa Stirling Director of Communications photographers:

Dwayne Brown Lindsay Germano Caroline Kim Moore Teresa Stirling design:

Ryan Mesheau

contributors:

Elise Aylen Cheryl Boughton Katya Brooks ’15 Ellen Ewert Lindsay Germano Ryan Hodgins Kimberley Senf Jordan Small Janet Uren ’68 Carolyn Wakeham Chandra Wiegand

Curriculum in Action ................................27

The Elmwood Emblem is published twice a year for the entire Elmwood community by Elmwood’s Communications Department elmwood school

261 Buena Vista Rd. Ottawa ON K1M 0V9 Phone: (613) 749-6761 Email: info@elmwood.ca www.elmwood.ca

Class Notes.................................................... 40

above Dr. JoAnn Deak and Headmistress Cheryl Boughton at our Experts@Elmwood event. photo by teresa stirling

on the cover Ciara Hurley ’24, Ceili Halloran ’24, Francesca Cook ’24 and Elsa Saltel ’24 collaborate as part of the Grade Three “City Lights, Country Sights” unit of inquiry. photo by dwayne brown

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MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMISTRESS

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elcome to the second edition of the Elmwood Emblem! This issue is jam-packed with stories of Elmwood girls, young and old, and all their wonderful achievements. You will also find a lot of information about

our upcoming Centennial, which we are celebrating in 2015–2016.

In looking forward to celebrating our 100th year, I often think about our founder,

Theodora Philpot and her vision for Elmwood. She stayed only five years at Elmwood, but her influence can still be felt to this day. In 1933, more than a decade after she left Canada to return to England, she inaugurated an award that is still awarded, the Philpot Token. In conceiving the award, she was inspired by William Wordsworth’s poem, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud. In particular, she said, “the daffodil became to me a symbol, in its happy way of growing in merry companies and open spaces, joyous, strong, companionable and free.”

That phrase, ‘joyous, strong, companionable and free’ has always seemed to me to be the perfect description of Elmwood students. When you walk through our halls and step into our classrooms, you can feel their energy and their joy.

They enjoy each other’s company and they have strong relationships with their teachers. They feel empowered to speak their minds and use their voices to effect change. What is more, they are made of strong stuff. They are confident that they can do whatever they set their mind to achieve. In our magazine we hope to have captured some of this spirit.

‘Joyous, strong, companionable and free’ also perfectly describes our graduates.

I had the great privilege of meeting Shirley (Thomas) Prosser ’53 a few years ago. She is a remarkable woman and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her.

In this edition you can read about how she became the first woman in Canada to compete at the highest levels in the world of riding. Her determination to break the glass ceiling, on horseback, no less, is inspiring and perfectly describes Mrs. Philpot’s hope for all Elmwood girls.

I trust that you will enjoy this edition and if you have any ideas for future issues, please let us know. I am sure Mrs. Philpot would be very proud of our School and of the many students who have passed through these halls.

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STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE Since its founding in 1915, Elmwood School has been at the forefront of teaching and learning. Starting with our founding Headmistress, Theodora Philpot, our motto Summa Summarum, highest of the high, has always articulated the School’s goal for each student: to be the best she can be. As the School has grown, generations of Elmwood teachers have worked with these remarkable young women to reach their individual goals—to inspire them to reach their full potential.

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oday, nearly one-hundred years after the founding of the School, Elmwood remains at the forefront of girls’ education, continuing our proud tradition of innovation. In order to retain and strengthen our position as the pre-eminent school for girls in the National Capital Region, it is important for us to develop, refine and execute our Strategic Plan.

Our current Strategic Plan was developed in 2009 to chart our course from 2010 through to the Centennial in 2015. In preparation for the completion of that plan, we started the work to create a new plan in August 2013. Over the past 15 months,

we gathered input from Elmwood’s entire community: board members, senior leadership team, parents, students, teachers, staff and alumnae.

We conducted leadership and board retreats and held focus groups. The process reaffirmed the strength of our mission and our core values. It also identified directions and goals for the next five years and beyond: The Elmwood School Strategic Plan for 2015 – 2020.

In addition to the goals and objectives of the Strategic Plan, the team worked on creating Elmwood’s Principles of Learning. In the future, Elmwood girls will enter a world in which they will be judged on their

performance. They will be evaluated not only on their outcomes, but also on their planning and organizational skills. By implementing the latest in learning strategies, we are preparing our students to meet the 21st century with a repertoire of skills that position them for success. The Principles of Learning will help guide our students and their teachers in that preparation.

We are excited to share the work we have done with the members of our community. We are in the process of putting the finishing touches on the plan, and will launch it at our Celebration of Learning on April 30. Thank you to everyone who participated in the process.

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NEWS AND NOTES NEW FACES AT THE WOOD Laura Grace Conlon, Middle and Senior French and Humanites A native Manotickian, Dr. Conlon attended St. Mark’s High School until moving overseas and graduating from the American International School Vienna. After returning to the Ottawa area, Dr. Conlon studied French and psychology at Carleton University, receiving her B.A. and M.A. Following that, she completed her Ph.D. in French Literature, followed by her B.Ed. at the University of Toronto. She is truly delighted to be teaching at Elmwood and (despite the weather) to be back in town.

Fun Facts: Dr. Conlon is a twin! She loves (and makes) dollhouses—one of which resembles Elmwood. Ask her to sing—your request will be granted!

Natasha Josselyn, Middle School English and Drama Ms. Josselyn has always had a passion for languages and the arts, having grown up in a family where performance and literature were a part of daily life.

Her involvement with a student dance company nurtured a love of the choreographic process and the creation of meaningful art. She graduated with a B.F.A. in Dance and a Minor in English from York University, and completed her Graduate Diploma of Education at Griffith University, in Australia. She has taught English, drama, dance and French. Ms. Josselyn is an advocate for open-minded, innovative thinking, which is a focus in her drama, English and integrated arts classes.

Fun fact: She learned to scuba dive off the Great Barrier Reef.

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Mark MacInnis, Assistant Chef Mr. MacInnis decided to follow his passion after high school and, without ever having worked in a kitchen, decided to pursue a degree from the Culinary Institute of Canada.

He has since worked in several restaurants over the past 15 years, most recently at the Whalesbone, before starting at Elmwood in August.

Fun fact: When Mr. MacInnis isn’t cooking up tasty treats in the Elmwood Bistro, he’s at home spending time with his baby girl, Eleanor!

Kimberly Senf, Librarian Originally from Montreal, Ms. Senf completed her Honours B.A. in English Literature at Concordia University. After years of working in a bustling downtown Montreal bookstore, Ms. Senf decided to head east, to Dalhousie University in Halifax, to pursue her Master’s degree in Library and Information Studies. She is happy to find herself in Ottawa and excited to spend her days connecting students with books in the Elmwood Library.

Since libraries are part of a constantly changing landscape, Ms. Senf is eager to make sure that Elmwood’s Library evolves with the needs of students.

Fun Fact: Ms. Senf has had the chance to meet many world-renowned authors such as Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, David Suzuki, Chuck Palahniuk and Sophie Kinsella!

EAGLES RUN FOR THE CURE Elmwood has always been heavily involved with Run for the Cure and this year was no different—our Eagles laced up their sneakers for this year’s event on Sunday, October 5th.

Mr. Whitehouse, Deputy Head of Middle/Senior School, issued a challenge to the girls, which only added to the excitement. If any student ran the race faster than him, the entire school would win a civvies day! Well, Grade Four student Frida Pohl ’23 achieved that incredible accomplishment on race day!

Mr. Whitehouse explained that Frida was just ahead of him the whole race and every time he tried to pass her she got even quicker.

Another star achiever was Grade 10 student Maya Mainland-Gratton ’17.

Maya raised over $13,000, making her the top Run for the Cure fundraiser in Ottawa. The Eagles raised a total of $25,762 this year, making Elmwood the top fundraising school in Ottawa/ Gatineau once again.

WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD As a culminating task for the “Welcome to the Neighbourhood” unit, the Grade One girls collaboratively created their own community. Each girl was responsible for choosing a person who she believed was very important to have in our community, and then she constructed the building where that person worked. The buildings were designed on the computer and then cut in the Fab Lab using the laser cutter. The girls decorated them using oil pastels and assembled them into their 3D form. Finally, the buildings were placed on our large map after careful thought, discussion and negotiation about where each one should go.

1 Mr. Small, Mr. Sambles, Valerie Molnar ’15, Ms. Walsh, Mr. Perreault, Emily Bangsboll ’17, Cynthia Sedlezky ’17 and Mrs. Kilbertus were proud to be part of the Run for the Cure. 2 As a culminating task for the “Welcome to the Neighbourhood” unit, the Grade One girls collaboratively created a community. Here, Michaela Heim ’26 holds up her beautifully created building and community member. 3 Grade Four and Five students at the National Day of the State of Qatar celebrations. 4 Elmwood’s incredible 2014 Run for the Cure team.

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NEWS AND NOTES AN AWARD-WINNING ARTIST IN OUR MIDST Elmwood students recently participated in the Embassy of the State of Qatar’s 2014 Drawing Contest for Kids. This contest is put on by the Embassy as a part of its mission to help nurture and support promising new artists in the early stages of their development.

All the drawings were beautiful and expressive and the Embassy of Qatar honoured the winners during the celebration of the National Day of the State of Qatar at the Château Laurier on December 9, 2014. Congratulations to Elmwood’s own Gianna Lombardi ’23 who won third prize, as well as all our Grade Four and Five students who participated in the contest.

OUR BODIES: INSIDE AND OUT The Grade Five classes spent an exciting and educational afternoon when Dr. Husein Moloo (father of Sophia Moloo ’22 and Naila Moloo ’24) visited with a team of his colleagues. Bringing with them a series of wet and dry labs for the girls to explore, Dr. Moloo brought the Grade Five students’ “Our Bodies: Inside and Out” unit to life.

Students were given the opportunity to better understand the organs involved in the body systems they’d been studying by examining those same organs from a donor pig. The girls were also able to use the same “dry lab” equipment used to train doctors for the difficult task of performing surgery. This was very complex, and much more exciting than a game of “Operation.” The girls were so engaged that the presentation, originally scheduled for 40 minutes, continued for the entire afternoon.

In the girls’ own words: “I loved seeing how doctors use technology to help them do something complicated in their job.”

“I loved seeing the inside of a stomach.”

“I was surprised to realize how hard it is to use all the tools that surgeons use.”

“After studying the human body for so long, it was great to see what it actually looks like, even the cells, it changes how I see and think about what I’ve learned.”

“I loved learning how much perseverance a doctor (in training) has and how they have to look after their own bodies, as well as others’.”

The Grade Fives had a terrific afternoon with Dr. Moloo and his team, including: Eileen Roach, Ramzi Helewa, Alyson Crawford and Isabelle Raiche.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion with our girls!

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KELLER AND NIGHTINGALE HOUSES CELEBRATE Keller House kicked off this year’s house events with their annual Dog Day Fundraiser on Saturday, September 27th. This year’s theme was ‘Doggy Hollywood’ so dogs came dressed in their Hollywood best to enjoy the festivities! There was cookie decorating, raffle prizes and a dog competition.

Everyone (especially our four-legged friends) enjoyed a yummy BBQ. A total of $1,659.75 was raised benefiting the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Nightingale House hosted their annual breakfast fundraiser in support of its house charity, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, on November 19th. The delicious breakfast was provided by our Elmwood Bistro and there were a ton of fantastic door prizes to be won. The morning event included face painting and the opportunity for students to write their name on a Jenga set that was given to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Congratulations to Zein Zaghloul ’15, Head of Nightingale, and Mutinta Namuyemba ’15, Head of Keller, for organizing two absolutely fantastic events and to all those who volunteered to make both events a success!

HOLIDAY HELPERS As you know, Elmwood reaches out to those in need throughout the year.

During the holidays, helping those less fortunate is even more important.

At the end of 2014 we took part in two community initiatives, which included our annual Warm Clothing and Food Drive that ran the week of November 11 to 17. The girls did an incredible job rummaging through their closets and cupboards to bring in gently used clothing and non-perishable food items.

During the month of December we collected new or gently used items to create Holiday Hampers to help make the holidays memorable for families in need.

All items were donated to the RideauRockcliffe Community Resource Centre.

A FLAIR FOR THE DRAMATIC Our Middle and Senior School students have had the opportunity to experience some incredible theatre productions in recent months.

Our Grade 10, 11 and 12 dramatic arts students attended a performance on October 22nd of Fish Eyes & Boys with Cars, written, choreographed and performed by Anita Majumdar and directed by Brian Quirt.

The Grade 10 dramatic arts class, together with members of the cast of Elmwood Theatre’s main-stage production, attended a matinee performance of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde on Wednesday, November 5th. In addition to attending the performance, the acting ensemble of Elmwood Theatre’s 2015 show, The Madwoman of Chaillot, welcomed two members of the National Arts Centre English Theatre acting ensemble to Elmwood to conduct a workshop. We were thrilled to meet Amy Matysio and Karen Robinson who play Gwendolyn and Lady Bracknell respectively. Having just witnessed their two performances, the students were very excited to have this opportunity to meet and work with both actresses on themes relating to their own show.

On December 17th our Grade Eight students, together with the Grade Nine dramatic arts class, attended a matinee performance of Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, adapted for the stage by Canadian playwright, James Reaney.

And finally, on February 11th, our Grade 11 and 12 dramatic arts and history classes attended Stuff Happens by David Hare at the National Arts Centre.

The show was enjoyed by all.

A HOLIDAY TRADITION We kicked off the holiday season with our annual Holly Tea on Saturday, December 6th. The scents of the season filled the air as the Atrium came to life with holly, poinsettia, cookies and festive wreaths.

The Auditorium was packed with parents, students, alumnae and community members who enjoyed scrumptious treats prepared by our Elmwood Bistro while listening to Mr. Gummeson serenade them on the piano.

Three incredibly talented students, Carine Ladki ’18, Lilli-Angélique Potter Dhieux ’21 and Sophia Swettenham ’17 all performed beautiful solos.

Senior School students Laura Morrison ’16, Brooke Mierins ’16 and Megan Sweeney ’16 served tea from stunning silver teapots.

The event was a great success—thanks to event chair, Liana Ladki, and all the volunteers, including members of the Parents’ Association, students and staff.

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1 Zein Zaghloul ’15 did an absolutely fantastic job organizing the Nightingale Breakfast with help from the Prefect team! 2 Our Grade Five classes spent an exciting and educational afternoon when Dr. Husein Moloo (father of Sophia Moloo ’22 and Naila Moloo ’24) visited Elmwood with a team of his colleagues. 3 Furry family members were invited to visit the school on Keller Dog Day! 4 Sheila (Reid) Coyne ’84, Judy (Nesbitt) Reid ’50, Jeanette Maule, Jeanette (MacDonald) Marett ’64, Joan Brodie ’68, Catherine Cuthbert ’70, Kathy (Mulock) Gillespie ’70 and Sarah Onyango ’83 enjoying the Holly Tea festivities.

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SCHOOL EVENTS 1 Samantha Rossi ‘23 and Miriam Rida ‘23 were very happy to spend the morning of Grandparents Day with their special guest! 2 Wakefield artist Marc Walter guided 86 students in a collaborative land art project. Seen here are Allison Sedlezky ’20, Caitlin Baxter ’20 and Phoenix Plessas-Azurduy ’20 in front of The Cocoon. 3 Elmwood loves the Toronto Zoo! Our Grade Eight class visited the Zoo during their trip to Toronto. 4 Lucy Tucker ’22 takes a listen with a stethoscope as part of the Grade Five ‘The Human Body’ unit. 5 Our tennis team jumped for joy over their fantastic season. 6 Camille Beaulé ’19 looked SUPER dressed up for Halloween! 7 International Night 2014 was a huge success. Pooja Moorti ’17 took part in the cultural fashion show. 8 Our 2014/15 Prefect team are ready to have a fantastic year.

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1 Brianna Gonga-Cavé ’16 was a key member of this year’s basketball team. 2 Laura Morrison ’16 and Safa Siddiqui ’16 test and analyze (simulated) blood from a victim, suspects and the crime scene for comparison during their Grade 11 biology class. 3 Camp Elmwood 2014!

4 Veronika Lassl ’19 and Karen Jarvlepp ’19 made a delicious stir fry as part of their Healthy Eating class. 5 This year’s House Heads show off their spirit at Camp Elmwood. 6 Our Middle/Senior School students enjoyed a week of dance thanks to Luv2Groove Dance Education!

7 Justine Beaulé ’15 and Sophie Ackert ’15 got dunked at Elmwood’s annual Welcome Back Festival. 8 Junior School students performing at Soirée de la Francophonie! 9 Grade 10 students built a shelter during the Duke of Edinburgh Silver practice trip.

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GOOD SPORTS

By Katya Brooks ’15

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he fall athletics season is always one to look forward to—the changing leaves always mean a new season of sports. For many it was participating in basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, rowing, rugby and cross-country running. Through my weekly updates on Schoology, I noticed how every team matured and their performances improved significantly. I became extremely proud of our athletics program and the people who contribute to it. I never realized how much effort goes into making a team, energizing players during practices and motivating the athletes to play their best at every game/ regatta/meet. Before I move on to some of the Elmwood Eagles’ seasonal athletic highlights, I’d like to extend a metaphorical hand to every coach, parent and contributor that helped out at some point during the season. These teams wouldn’t have been nearly as successful (or even existed) without your dedication and patience in improving our athletic abilities.

Now, onto some amazing highlights from this sporting season: The rowing team participated in a few regattas, each time with better results. To name a few achievements: at their regatta in Saratoga Springs, NY, Elmwood won a bronze in the Frosh 2X, Justine Beaulé ’15 and Laura Morrison ’16 raced to fifth place out of 22 boats, a quad consisting of Justine Beaulé ’15, Sophia Caragianis ’15, Laura Morrison ’16 and Sophie Ackert ’15 rowed hard, and were sixth out of 19 boats. With their season on the water finished (until the spring), the rowing team continues to train on land and keeps their fitness level high to be ready for when the icy river thaws!

The Middle School cross-country team participated at the Pumpkin Run on Oct. 21st, and the Eagles were very impressive, running in chilly, overcast weather and still achieving great results. We had first place winners (Frida Pohl ’23 and Erica Leighton ’19), a second place finish (Tara Hanson-Wright ’21) a couple of third place trophies (Karen Jarvlepp ’19 and Grace Charness ’21) and a strong finish in fourth place (Zoe Lang ’22).

Elmwood’s ‘golf pro,’ Danielle Humilde ’15, went to NCSSAA and shot an amazing 80 in terrible weather, qualifying her for provincials (OFSAA), where she putted fantastically!

The Senior Girls Sevens Rugby Squad played at the Tier One Championship finals at Twin Elm Rugby Park on October 23rd. The team was able to play in the quarterfinal, but sadly lost against Nepean (7 – 15). The girls fought valiantly to earn a very impressive fourth place finish against 16 schools!

The five/six soccer team had a season much like a fairytale. They played the regular season with sophistication and strength, and at the Independent School soccer tournament they were the team to beat! The team won all of their round robin games and advanced to the quarterfinals, which they won, and moved on to a semi-final game against Ashbury. They were victorious in that game as well, which made them the winners of the tournament! …. And that’s not even scratching the surface of the Eagles’ fall athletic achievements!

I must say that over my time at Elmwood, the sports program has improved each year.

I could give credit to myself for narrowing in on playing sports I enjoyed, but I think the real achievement comes from the years of developing structure to the sports teams in the Senior School. Ms. Derbyshire has orchestrated a symphony of sports, and manages to be involved with each of them, which impresses and humbles me to no end.

I also think the enthusiasm in athletics at Elmwood is due to the celebration that each team/athlete experiences when they accomplish something or are just a dedicated member of a team. Elmwood’s “Athlete of the Month” initiative has personally motivated me to try harder, and be my best at every practice and game.

Overall, the season was an eventful one. From the beginning it was clear that Elmwood’s athletic department was gearing up for a sports year of success, and with the contributions of the athletes, parents and coaches, our year of sports has begun on the right foot, and continues to get better with each practice, game and tournament!

The Elmwood Eagles’ winter season has new sports teams taking to the court, the pool and the slopes! It’s clear to see the athletic department isn’t slowing down, but in fact they’re speeding up! Some of the winter season sports are: alpine skiing/snowboarding, Nordic skiing, swimming and volleyball.

Congratulations on a FANTASTIC fall season, Eagles!

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IN CONVERSATION WITH

JOANN DEAK

By Cheryl Boughton, Headmistress

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lmwood was thrilled to have Dr. JoAnn Deak, Ph.D., author of “Girls Will Be Girls,� speak at our Experts@Elmwood speaker series on Tuesday, October 7, 2014.

Dr. Deak, renowned for her knowledge of what makes girls tick, shared stories and lessons from more than 20 years as a school psychologist, principal and parent. She also highlighted some statistics from the latest brain research on girls to illustrate the exciting new ways in which we can help our girls learn and thrive.

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Her fantastic sense of humour and thoughtful insight made for a great presentation.

Dr. Deak and Headmistress Boughton sat down to speak before her presentation to our community. The highlights of that conversation follow.

Cheryl Boughton (CB): You are known for saying that “boys and girls are as different from the neck up as they are from the neck down.” What are the major differences between girls’ and boys’ brains?

JoAnn Deak (JD): There are some classic differences. One is that female brains are designed for more bilateral work. We have a bigger corpus callosum, which means we use more segments of our brain to do the same thing. That means that female brains are designed to think and take more time, to play things back and forth across the hemispheres, which can sometimes lead to thinking in more detail. So girls are more reflective. The male brain classically tends to work more quickly. If you let it give you a quick answer, you then have to push it to think in a little bit more detail or to be more reflective. Teachers of boys need to use teaching techniques that don’t lead to quick answers. The female brain does that naturally because of the wiring.

If you go a bit lower in the brain—to the emotional part—you’ll also see some significant differences. What’s called the OAR, the Orbital Amygdala Ratio, is the front right part of the prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain processes emotion in a detailed way, and more so in the female brain than the male brain. The connection between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala in a female brain in general is more enhanced.

Here’s an example. You know I’m famous for talking about Outward Bound. The adolescent boys see a six-hundred-foot cliff, the instructor says, “Rappel” and the boys say, “Oh, sweet” because it’s a quick thought process from part of the cortex down to the amygdala. With a female it bounces back and forth between the cortex, the thinking part, the amygdala and the processing of those thinking details. So girls look at a six-hundred-foot cliff and they say, “Oh, six-hundred feet, oh,” over to the pre-frontal cortex, “Oh I could get hurt, oh, I could become a paraplegic, oh, what will the rest of my life look like?” And so the difference is, that a situation bounces around into the emotional processing in a bigger centre in the cortex of a girl than a boy. The problem is it leads girls to be more averse to risk-taking or

putting themselves out there. However, great girls’ schools know that in order to help girls, they have to challenge them to go against the wiring.

CB: Many girls do eventually rappel down the six-hundred-foot cliff. How do they overcome their risk-aversion to make it over the edge of the cliff?

JD: She might ask her friends, “Have you done this before? What techniques did you use?” Or she might say to somebody “Can we do this together? We’ll help each other.”

Or takes the time to watch the boys. That’s another thing I like to say—very bright girls wait to see if the boy lives first. And so we’re worried a little bit less about tentativeness in girls at the get-go because it’s also a sign of intellectual and social savvy-ness, to wait and see if he lives first, or to wait and see what mistakes he makes, to learn from that. So we have to be careful not to constantly push the girls to move quickly into risk taking, because there’s great wisdom, both intellectually, socially and emotionally, to have some hesitation.

We have to be careful not to constantly push the girls to move quickly into risk taking, because there’s great wisdom, both intellectually, socially and emotionally, to have some hesitation.

CB: So, what you’re saying in essence is that great girls’ schools understand that girls are going through that process. They use a variety of techniques to encourage girls to be risk takers. It’s more than just encouraging girls to take risks. Is that right?

JD: And, as my grandma used to say, “Call a spade a spade.” Articulate to girls what’s happening, so that they understand why sometimes, to use fancy clinical terms, it feels “ickier” for girls to take a risk, why they’re designed that way and why they have that predisposition. Also, as educators, we need to know when it makes sense to respect that predisposition and when to go against it.

It helps girls to let them know that it isn’t good or bad that they feel tentative, but there are times when they must overcome their fears to become the strongest person they can be.

Similar to that old saying “Fake it until you make it,” there’s a wonderful Head of a girls’ school who says to her students, “Walk with poise and purpose even if you have neither.”

What she’s saying to them is what we’ve

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time, but next time we come I’ll get on.”

I thought that was a great conversation to have; that she didn’t just buck up and get on the horse, she shared with her daughter that even as an adult she had fears. When you talk with girls, it’s important to clarify that courage isn’t this stuff that you have inside of you, courage is doing things that scare you. It’s pushing yourself past it. Courageous people aren’t strong and resilient in general, they’re people who believe in something enough to get past it.

CB: That’s interesting. We’ve talked about how a girl’s mother is an important role model. What role does the father have?

discovered through brain research: your brain listens to you. It listens to your body, and how it acts. Which is why I don’t let kids slump over in their desks, because it tells their brain they’re tired. That’s why we say walk with poise and purpose, because when you do, it changes you, either temporarily, or if you do it enough, it becomes you. It’s a complicated kind of conversation to have with girls but one we have to have.

When girls acclimate to risk taking it doesn’t bother them as much the next time. People who face risks more readily keep taking them and therefore become people who naturally take risks.

Those who avoid risks keep avoiding them and don’t begin to build the capability to do so.

CB: That’s very interesting. What’s the role of parents in helping girls become risk takers?

JD: Well, they play a hugely important role. First of all you have to watch your words—words for young children have great power. Watch what you say when your child can’t do something or doesn’t want to. For example, a girl doesn’t want to take swimming lessons because she is afraid. One of the things that is especially hard for girls is any kind of put down or shaming. Shame probably interferes 14

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with self esteem faster than anything.

With girls, contempt on the part of a parent, like “What is wrong with you?” or “You shouldn’t be afraid,” can destroy self esteem. For parents of girls one of the things I always say is to remove contempt and any of kind of message that leads them to feel bad about themselves.

However, that doesn’t mean you have to be sweet and wonderful and only say positive things. To go back to my swimming example, the parent could say “I understand that this really frightens you. I really understand, but you have to do it anyhow, because that’s what will help you not be frightened of other things and be able to handle whatever happens to you in life.” Those conversations and those words are incredibly important.

Also, role modeling is important. Girls are watching their parents, especially their mothers and so it isn’t just your words. I have a friend whose youngest daughter loved to ride horses. My friend was really afraid of horses. She confided in me that when her little girl got on she was terrified for her. But her daughter said “Mom come and ride this horse next to me.” She told me that she would have rather poked her eyes out with a sharp stick than get on that horse, but she knew her daughter was watching her behaviour.

This mother was very wise—she said to her daughter, “Honey, I’m kind of afraid of horses and you’re not. I can’t do it this

JD: The research strongly shows, that in general, fathers have more of an effect on a girl’s self esteem and achievement, in the present and throughout life, than mothers do.

CB: And why is that?

JD: Research doesn’t answer the why, it answers the “is.” Now, I can speculate, but the example I like to give is, once when I was at this park, a little girl was riding her sled down a big hill and the mom and dad were at the bottom. Her mom was saying “Oh honey look at you, look how brave you are, look how wonderful you are,” and when the girl landed by my feet, I said, “That must be your mother” and she said, “Yes.” I added, “She’s so proud of you!” and she said “But she’s been saying that for two hours.” What girls over and over say is that what I call the “love lenses” of a mother can be very powerful, but if you overdo it there can come a point when she won’t believe you. Especially if the praise and the feedback isn’t to the point and accurate and deserved. When the girl walked past her dad, he patted her on the back and said “good job” and that was it. So, that’s a long-winded way of saying in general, girls report that when their father says something, they believe it has more veracity.

CB: Does that also mean that fathers can negatively affect their daughters’ selfesteem in a way that can be damaging?

“ All the research that I’ve read, all the research that I’ve done, both children and adolescents say that what their teachers think of them, what their teachers say to them, what their teachers do, has a tremendous impact.”

JD: Faster and in a nano-second. I always say to fathers, “You say one word about body image to your daughter and if I have pliers I’m coming after your tongue!” because that power goes either way! I can always tell if an adult woman had a contemptuous, angry father. She’s still fighting with it when she’s 40, 50 and 60, because it has huge impact on girls. “What is wrong with you? Do you really think you ought to have that other cookie?” Those kinds of things damage girls. That’s why I often do workshops for fathers only because I have them practice how they talk to their daughters.

I say to them, “Just to be safe don’t talk about what she looks like.” When she comes downstairs don’t say “Oh, aren’t you the prettiest thing.” When she comes downstairs say “Wow, you look like you’re ready for school” or something that talks about what she’s going to do or the kind of person that she is. But girls get such an onslaught from the world that it’s only what you look like that matters, that fathers really have to stay totally away from that to build the core of their daughters. Otherwise, their daughters just think “Even my dad only notices what I look like.” Fathers are a powerhouse in either direction.

CB: It’s fascinating though to hear about the roles parents play in their daughters’ development. What role do teachers play?

JD: After about age six, in general, more of a girl’s waking hours are with teachers rather than with parents. They still spend a lot of hours with parents and they still have tremendous molding capabilities, but everything, all the research that I’ve read, all the research that I’ve done with both children and adolescents say that what their teachers think of them, what their teachers say to them, what their teachers do, has a tremendous impact. In fact, if you ask any adult, “Was there ever a teacher that changed your life by what she said or did?” they hardly ever hesitate before coming up with an answer. So there’s all kinds of research that says it’s a profound effect.

Teachers really almost have to be guided by the Hippocratic Oath that says, first do no harm, because the brain is designed to remember high negative emotions more than positive emotions.

So, a rather severe emotional hit from a teacher, whether it’s premeditated or not, can have a lasting effect. The research also shows that if a girl believes you care about her, you will get the best learning and the best growing from her. If she believes you don’t care about her, you are mitigating your possible effectiveness. So, my message to teachers is, you have until the end of September to make sure that every girl in your classroom believes you care about her.

That’s your task because everything comes from that for the girl.

CB: That’s great advice for teachers, and for anyone who works with girls and young women. Is there anything else you would like to add?

JD: I think the only thing I would add to all of this is that the research is becoming clearer and clearer on single-gender experiences. The research says that if girls have some experience in a single-gender setting, in general it adds to the layering of a more mentally healthy, resilient, and successful human being.

As grandma used to say “The proof is in the pudding!” In a classic study they did about twenty years ago in the States, they looked at all female elected legislators at local, regional and national level. At that point only about 1% of females attended girls’ schools, and yet 67% of elected female legislators had gone to a girls’ school at some point in their life. And that research was just the beginning.

And so, despite not having gone to a girls’ school myself, through all of this research I have done, any girl that I loved would have some single-gender experience early on in her life to help form her. I think that’s important for parents to hear and to understand that it’s not just opinion anymore that we’re talking about.

CB: Thank you for your time and insight.

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THE COUNTDOWN TO THE CENTENNIAL

By Teresa Stirling, Director of Communications

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Visit elmwood100.ca for details of all events and also a profile of the School’s history. There will also be a variety of collectable memorabilia available to our community so that everyone can have a keepsake from this special year.

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xcitement is building for September 2015, when the Elmwood community will celebrate the School’s 100th anniversary! As we approach our Centennial, it is time for the school community to come together to recognize and celebrate 100 remarkable years of inspiring girls.

Over the past 10 decades, more than 6,000 students from around the world have passed through the doors of Elmwood School. Our graduates have gone on to make positive contributions to their families, their companies, their communities and their countries. Truly, we have much to celebrate.

And what a celebration it promises to be! To mark our Centennial, we will host events and initiatives throughout the year, aimed at engaging and uniting the Elmwood community like never before.

Our Centennial Steering Committee is being lead by two Co-Chairs, Nancy Greenley and Sarah Murray ’79. They are both very excited to be leading the planning for our celebrations. Nancy said, “As a current Elmwood parent and Past-Chair of the Elmwood Parents’ Association, I was thrilled to be asked to Co-Chair the Centennial celebrations with Sarah Murray. We were asked to take this role so that we could combine Sarah’s network and enthusiasm as

an Elmwood Old Girl with my recent experience organizing Elmwood events.

This combination of skills is working out well, and we now have an extensive team of volunteers from the School staff, active parents, current students and Old Girls, all organized into a sub-committee structure to advance each event and activity during the Centennial.” Sarah added, “The Centennial will be a yearlong celebration, specifically designed to include the entire community. We look forward to welcoming everyone throughout the year!”

Our Events team has been hard at work developing our slate of celebratory events.

They include a start of year Centennial ‘Kick Off ’ celebration on the first day of school, a Founder’s Day celebration, a Homecoming weekend for alumnae and current members of our community as well as a Centennial Finale after our closing ceremonies are over in June. We also plan to have a special Centennial Gala as well as a Centennial Holly Tea and Art Festival, and a Centennial Father Daughter Dinner Dance.

We are also working with the Chief Herald at the Governor General’s office to create an Elmwood Coat of Arms. We are excited to create a symbol to represent Elmwood’s proud tradition as well as look forward to its future. The Coat of Arms will be unveiled later this year.

We are always looking at creative ways to celebrate and to preserve our history.

There will be a photographic exhibition positioned around the School. We are planning a new version of our history book, ‘Voices,’ previously written by Janet Uren ’68 for our 85th anniversary, which will include events from the past 15 years. Work is being undertaken to preserve our oldest yearbooks and we plan to digitize our yearbooks so alumnae can easily find their memories online.

There is a website—elmwood100.ca —detailing all of the events and also profiling the School’s history. In addition, we will have a variety of collectable memorabilia available to our community so that everyone can have a keepsake from this special year.

There are many more detailed plans in the works and soon we are going to need more volunteers, particularly to help plan and run our various events. If you are able to help with our events, please email Elise Aylen at eaylen@elmwood.ca to offer your help. Whether you have a little or a lot of time, we would love for you to be involved.

Our Centennial year is shaping up into an incredible celebration of Elmwood’s history, its community and its future.

We can’t wait to celebrate all that is Elmwood!

Save the dates for these Centennial events: Centennial Kick Off: September 9, 2015 (first day of school) Homecoming/Founder’s Day/Fall Festival: October 2, 3 and 4, 2015

Holly Tea and Art Festival: December 5, 2015

Elmwood Gala: April 23, 2016

Father Daughter Dance: February 6, 2016

Centennial Finale: June 17, 2016

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From the pages of Samara 1966

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50 ELMWOOD AT

By Teresa Stirling, Director of Communications

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ne only has to take a quick look through the pages of Samara 1966 to see that though much has changed at Elmwood, so much has also remained the same since the School celebrated its 50th year.

Leading the School during the 1965 – 66 school year was Headmistress Patricia Blyth, an English and history teacher from England. She worked with a staff of 20 women, and the School had approximately 130 students at that time, divided into three houses—Wilson House had not yet been created.

Headmistress Blyth was responsible for bringing about a great deal of change at the School. She wanted to be sure Elmwood girls had an opportunity to study the sciences, so she fundraised to build a new science lab. She also introduced modern languages to the School—students in 1966 could study German, Russian, French and Spanish.

She also had deeply rooted beliefs and an ideal of service. Much like our girls today, Elmwood girls of 1966 were encouraged to give back—be it through publicspeaking about their chosen charity or

through adoption of a young boy living in Hong Kong, named Sui Sang.

The most noteworthy event during Mrs. Blyth’s time at Elmwood was the closing of the boarding school at the end of the 1965 – 66 school year. Mrs. Blyth had a vision for what Elmwood could be, “I wanted Elmwood to be a first-class day school. I wanted to reach out beyond Rockcliffe and the families who traditionally sent their daughters to Elmwood. I wanted to draw bright girls from the edges of the city, even if it meant engaging a bus to bring them in. And I wanted girls from all levels of society.” (Uren, Janet B. Voices from Elmwood School 1915 – 2000 Ottawa: Baird O’Keefe Publishing Inc., 2000.

Print.)

Almost fifty years later, it is wonderful to see that her vision has been realized.

Student life in 1966 was also in many

ways similar to the experience of our girls today. Girls came to school in their uniforms every day, though back then all students wore the green tunic. Girls ate their lunch in the dining hall, cooked by Mrs. McDermott, who retired in 1965 after 31 years of service. After school was full of activities—sports, clubs, arts and of course, house events. The student body was led, as it is today, by the Head Girl and her Prefect team, and as is customary today, most graduates went on to university.

Next year’s Centennial celebrations will provide the perfect opportunity for our current girls to meet and speak with the “old girls” who once walked the very same halls, who carried their books up Springfield, and played with their friends out in the yard. We look forward to hearing more stories about this place we all call home.

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HOW GIRLS LEARN

By Chandra Wiegand, Grade Five Teacher

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n order to maximize student learning, learners must engage with the material cognitively, emotionally and behaviourally.”

This was the message that resonated most with me from a recent conference I attended on “Focused, Organized Minds: Using Brain Science to Engage Attention in a Distracted World,” in Boston. This highlight was courtesy of Dr. John Almonde, professor at James Madison University, who spoke on “Focused Minds: Maximizing Student Attention and Engagement in the K-12 Classroom.”

Thinking about how girls learn is something we do everyday at Elmwood and it has been a focus of much of our professional development this year. Just a few months ago, we hosted psychologist and expert in girls’ education, Dr. JoAnn Deak, at the School. She spoke to faculty and parents about how girls learn, as part of the Experts@Elmwood Speaker Series.

She spoke animatedly about walking the halls of Elmwood and poking her nose into classrooms to see a myriad of lessons where girls were actively engaged.

I have peaked into many classrooms and hallways at Elmwood as well. There is often a special vibe to the room when girls are engaged in learning. Regardless of the subject area, I have repeatedly witnessed this same scene: A busy hum fills the room as clusters of girls work away at a task, their passion or determination to learn apparent as they move through a variety of activities designed to help them make sense of the information before them. The reality of my situation is that everywhere I turn, I see girls engaged with material, just as Dr. Almonde described. Girls learn when they are interested and cognitively engaged with the topic, motivated to learn, or are emotionally connected to the subject and find the material relevant or worth learning.

Teachers at Elmwood know the value of using a question to create a natural curiosity about a topic. For example, when invited to the Grade Five classroom, Mrs. Fraser, the Director of Elmwood’s Student Success Centre, began a discussion by posing the following question, “Do you know your brain is like a muscle?” Through this analogy, she had the girls explore the idea that their brain can be developed and become stronger and more powerful.

Alternatively, piquing learners’ interest by having students pose questions about a topic creates in them an intrinsic desire to delve into the material. In the Junior School, units of inquiry employ students’ questions as an integral part of the learning process and expand opportunities for students to relate to the topic.

Further, offering students a choice of topic to study will also create a personal buy-in with the subject matter. At

the beginning of the Grade One unit “Welcome to the Neighbourhood,” Ms. Strachan explains to students that the final activity is to design a neighbourhood to demonstrate their understanding that communities are made up of many people, each one playing an important role. For the next six weeks, students learn about the roles of different people in the community, services provided, and the physical layout of a community.

This year, for the creation of their neighbourhood, each student chose an individual in the community and researched the role they had. They went on to design a building, which was then constructed out of cardboard using the laser cutter in the Fab Lab. Additionally, teachers can generate interest through novelty with the presentation of either new material or asking students to consider the material through a unique lens or perspective.

Mr. Martin asks his Grade 11 biology students, who are learning about blood types in their genetics unit, to test and analyze (simulated) blood from a victim, the suspects, and the crime scene to solve a mock crime. Initial engagement with material activates the working memory system and promotes the recall of prior knowledge, thereby increasing the likelihood that further learning will occur. If a student buys in to a classroom activity, she is more likely to engage in critical thinking and take academic risks.

Elmwood teachers are not only knowledgeable about their subjects; they are also passionate about the topics they teach and about developing each student’s understanding of the material.

A student’s love for a subject is often sparked through a teacher’s own passion for a topic. A teacher’s passion comes out in their tone of voice and their enthusiasm to share their knowledge.

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Teachers often use their understanding of attention span to offer a variety of opportunities for students to engage in material.

A passion for computer science education is evident in the case of Mr. Perreault, Elmwood’s Director of Information Technology. This year, he brought “The Hour of Code” to Elmwood in support of technology education in the classroom. Elmwood girls joined this global movement, with its ambitious goal of having 100 million children experience computer programming. Mr. Perreault’s passion for his field ensures that our girls are exposed to some of the latest education involving technology, and is sure to create excitement about technology in many of his students.

Our teachers’ commitment to improving individual student’s skills extends well beyond the classroom.

Elmwood runs a large co-curricular programme that affords girls an opportunity to choose which activities to participate in. Girls often choose subjects they enjoy or subjects where they are actively trying to improve their ability.

One such example of commitment to skill improvement is the Mental Math Club led by Ms. Mulcahy. This co-curricular lunchtime activity helps girls improve their agility with mental mathematics and fosters a positive sense of self-esteem in members of the club. The dedication, expertise and enthusiasm of our math and science teachers certainly contributes to the impressive number of Elmwood graduates that choose to go on to pursue studies in either mathematics, science or engineering at post-secondary institutions.

Athletics at Elmwood are also geared to engaging students emotionally. As coach of the Grade Five/Six basketball team, Mr. Levesque knows that in order

to motivate and guide his players, he must model enthusiasm, love of the sport, and willingness to improve. Through his excitement about the game and knowledge of how to help girls improve their skills, Mr. Levesque will lead the girls to bring their best to the court for every game.

A highlight of each year is the special programming during Winterim, a twoday intensive, faculty-led experience. It is an opportunity for students to participate in an enriching, small-group activity that goes beyond the boundaries of the regular curriculum and allows them to explore their creative, intellectual or leadership potential. The selection of workshops for Winterim is varied, but the offerings by teachers often come from the subjects that teachers love and are passionate about. Research on 21stcentury learning has shown that engaging in experiential activities enhances a student’s intellectual capacity. Elmwood’s Winterim programme also encourages closer faculty-student relationships, as the girls and their teachers participate in focused learning opportunities through a shared interest.

Behavioural engagement refers to the amount of interest, attention and time a student dedicates to a given topic or task.

This type of engagement is measured by the length of students’ attention spans and the degree to which they feel an assignment is relevant or worth participating in.

Teachers often use their understanding of attention span to offer a variety of opportunities for students to engage in material. Mr. Robertson engages Grade Nine geography students to consider how the climate in Vancouver, Halifax

and Ottawa differ from each other. Mr. Robertson’s lesson has a natural ebb and flow to it; periods of intense focus followed by a change in activity. He first holds a group discussion about the environmental factors that influence the weather in an area. Students then chat with a partner and use white boards to write a response to the prompt: How does rain form within a cloud? Next, partners present their ideas to another group. The continued change in activity increases the length of time a topic will keep students’ attention, helping cement the subject matter into long-term memory.

At the beginning of a recent dance unit in phys. ed., Ms. Derbyshire proposed a “So You Think You Can Dance” competition at the completion of the unit. Instructors from Luv2Groove Dance Education joined the girls at the beginning of the unit to teach them basic steps and some simple routines. The girls then had opportunities to refine their skills and choreograph some of their own routines, which were judged by their instructors on competition day.

This process ensured that the learning was relevant to each student. By ensuring behavioural engagement—giving the girls a concrete reason to learn the material— students were more likely to spend more time on task and interact at a deeper level with the material.

Throughout my years of experience at Elmwood, I have always been impressed that so many of our students are cognitively, emotionally and behaviourally engaged in active learning on a daily basis. As Dr. Almonde expressed in his workshop, this deep engagement with the subject matter helps maximize student learning.

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LOST IN THOUGHT:

ENTERING THE DEPTHS OF THE TOK AT ELMWOOD

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By Jordan Small Deputy Director of Curriculum

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here does knowledge come from? How do we know what we know? How reliable is knowledge? In contemplating these questions you arrive at the precipice overlooking the terrain of the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) class at Elmwood. As one of the three core components of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, TOK signifies the central aim of the IB to foster critical, reflective thinkers. Students are asked to consider how they know what they know. Each day our girls are asked to embrace this moment of pause to step outside the often-unrelenting nature in which we consume information in the 21st century. It is a moment in which new connections between ideas can be made, and old connections critically assessed in order to either deconstruct or strengthen them.

In some respects the TOK represents not only a recognition of the current education and professional climate, but also a refreshing connection back to the way learning takes place in the Junior School. At the outset of an Elmwood

education the girls are introduced to knowledge as something that is transdisciplinary. The Primary Years Programme establishes an approach to learning in which the different subjects offer knowledge and skills for exploring themes of global significance.

The different subjects are not seen in isolation; rather they are recognized as tools that connect us as learners with the world at large. This same philosophy animates the TOK classroom. Grade 11 students are asked to move past the superficial barriers between subjects so that they may approach knowledge questions with creative and interdisciplinary perspectives. Within this framework, knowledge becomes an ancient tapestry that is unwoven and rewoven under the deft hand of the intellectual tailor. The threads of subject-specific knowledge are imbued with shades of each student’s lifetime of experience. TOK students explore lines of inquiry that are rooted in real life situations. Often these threads lead TOK students to confront ethical dilemmas, metaphysical conceptions, existential

Theory of Knowledge challenges our girls to develop distinct identities as learners—to become students who are prepared to handle the imperfect simulacra of contemporary culture’s preoccupation with information overloading.

paradoxes, as well as an array of global issues concerning aesthetics, justice and cultural conflict.

With an eye on graduating students into the 21st century, Theory of Knowledge challenges our girls to develop distinct identities as learners— to become students who are prepared to handle the imperfect simulacra of contemporary culture’s preoccupation with information overloading. TOK students become critical thinkers who have the skills to decipher the superficial from the significant. They are encouraged to delight in questions that offer no immediate solution and to contemplate before they explicate.

All of this arises from the focus on the individual knower as the center of the TOK universe. Each girl, with her accumulation of cultural, traditional, academic and experiential knowledge, is seen as the most important component of the course. As we explore the different Areas of Knowledge in the TOK curriculum we are also asked to reflect upon eight different Ways of Knowing.

The Ways of Knowing explored in the

TOK course are: intuition, reason, imagination, sense perception, language, emotion, faith and memory. Throughout the year we investigate the dynamic relationship between these Ways of Knowing and the Areas of Knowledge. It quickly becomes apparent that each TOK student represents a complex plethora of the eight Ways of Knowing.

Through the process of grappling with questions such as “who should decide how freely people are allowed to express themselves?” or “are there any objective ethical rules?” the students find value in their unique voices as learners and knowers.

After one of our TOK classes in November of this school year I was listening to a student share her understanding of the aesthetic theory of mimesis and anti-mimesis. After following the student’s ideas across the terrain of ethics, economics, and down the rabbit hole of existential philosophy, she exclaimed, “I feel like I don’t know anything…” This instant simultaneously demonstrates the immense strength and fragility of knowledge. As a facilitator

of the TOK, there is no more important experience than when a student carefully unwinds the tapestry of her own knowledge with great intellectual skill, only to find that she has uncovered a great deal more to explore. To behold a TOK student speaking freely and personally about paradox, irony, morality and cultural diversity is a sign that they have developed fluency with the curriculum. However, to witness the moment when the same student realizes the power of their own thinking and the endless possibilities for further discovery is truly something special.

Theory of Knowledge recognizes knowers as pearls, smoothed and shined by the tides of personal experience, hardened through our allegiances with various ideological organizations, and shaped amidst the ebb and flow of world events. However it is in the reflection that we find value. TOK encourages students and teachers alike to pause for a few moments at the shore of their preconceptions to allow the vast and complex depths of knowledge to expand outwards.

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PARENT VOLUNTEERS IN THE CLASSROOM:

ENRICHING STUDENT LEARNING

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By Ryan Hodgins, Grade Four Teacher lmwood School prides itself on being a close-knit community, and we are right to be proud! It feels more like an Elmwood family; a supportive team dedicated to helping each girl reach her full potential. Our sense of community is obvious in our classrooms, out on the field, in the water, and in the actions our students take to support charitable endeavors.

Our sense of community is even more apparent, and most appreciated, when we have parents volunteer to spend time in our classrooms, leading exciting presentations and lessons based on their own unique interests and expertise. The synergy that

is created in the classroom is almost palpable, where students, teachers, and volunteers are engaged, excited and eager to learn and share their passions with one another.

Grade Four parents have been particularly generous with their eagerness to be a part of the classroom community. Parents are encouraged to participate in classroom activities at the onset of the school year and at the commencement of each Unit of Inquiry, and heed the call they do! The Grade Four students have had many unique opportunities to learn from our community of experts. Some memorable moments over the past two years include:

Dance and Choreography Students were actively engaged by professional instructors in: Polynesian and Hula dancing from Xela’s mom, Mrs. Smith; in the style of hip-hop from Mrs. Hodgins; and in Zumba workshops by Marissa’s mom, Mrs. Wu. Health and Science Zahra’s mother, Dr. Khan, provided a very informative and engaging presentation on allergies in the classroom, demonstrating the importance of allergy awareness and even showing the girls how allergies are tested.

Environmental Studies Kaylah’s mom, Dr. Carruthers, shared with the class a slideshow that highlighted tales of archeological digs and engaged the girls with a fascinating workshop on owl pellet dissection.

History and Culture Emma’s dad, Mr. Farquhar, shared mythological tales about Silkies and Kelpies from Scotland and will be instructing the girls on different skills in field hockey.

Examples of parental involvement inside and out of the classroom go well above and beyond the aforementioned examples. Throughout the school, parents actively volunteer their time for workshops, special events and field trips, supporting the girls throughout their educational journeys. The Elmwood community is certainly ‘a whole that is greater than the 26

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sum of its parts.’ The collaboration between parents and teachers is a valuable resource that forms an integral part of our rich learning environment. We are all proud to belong to Elmwood School, where our parents play an important role in making learning experiences enriching and unique. Together, we all help our girls reach their full potential.

CURRICULUM IN ACTION

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By Carolyn Wakeham, Grade Four Teacher ne morning in late October, the Junior School faculty greeted an extra 80 students as Moms and Dads came to school with their daughters for our first Curriculum in Action morning. This opportunity allowed parents to observe exploratory activities and helped them find the answer to the age-old question: “What did you do in school today?”

Parents joined the Grade One class to see a typical Wednesday morning in action. One of the activities was Making Words, a hands-on approach to teaching spelling, phonics and vocabulary. Each girl was given a set of letter tiles that together formed a “mystery word.” Through both experimentation and structured exploration, the girls moved the tiles around to create words. The girls used their prior knowledge of spelling patterns to spell new words, while also being exposed to new patterns. As letter tiles were moved, the girls could see how changes to the placement of a letter changes the sound and meaning of words. After the class created a variety of words, they worked together to sort the words into categories based on similarities.

The Grade Two classes activated their background knowledge and worked with a partner to learn the introductory components of the scientific method. Parents were invited to observe their science experiment entitled Fabulous Friction, where girls explored different stations, and then watched as the girls enthusiastically regrouped for a class discussion to reflect and share their learning.

During Writer’s Workshop, the Grade Three students focused on the art of paragraph writing. The class used props in the form of a “hamburger” model that symbolized the parts of a paragraph. Parents observed their daughters engaged in groups while they isolated and organized parts of a paragraph.

The culminating task involved making a movie, using the class iPads to create a “human paragraph” on a selected topic.

Parents observed critical and creative thinking as the girls worked together to construct a paragraph that demonstrated their learning.

Grade Four and Five parents were able to see math in action as the girls worked cooperatively in math stations to reinforce prior skills and learn new concepts. At times, the Grade Five students became the teachers as they taught the Grade Four students how to extend their knowledge with place value and double-digit multiplication. Students used place value manipulatives and laptops to practice their skills and joined teacher workshops to challenge their thinking with problem solving.

Parents gave us excellent feedback—overwhelmingly they reported back that they really enjoyed the experience. They appreciated the opportunity to connect our approach to learning with the day-to-day experience of their daughters.

They were also able to see that the classroom has changed dramatically since most of them were in school.

We are very proud of the learning and teaching that happens at Elmwood and are so pleased that our parents feel the same way too.

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FABLABULOUS!

By Carolyn Wakeham, Grade Four Teacher

“ The Fab Lab has added an exciting element to my teaching this year.

Through the integration of technology, specifically the use of the laser cutter with 6T’s poetry unit, my vision became a reality! My class was so excited when they were able to laser cut their poems onto wooden frames with Mr. Perreault in Tech class. I was literally chased down the hall by excited Grade Six students, eager to share their work. ~ C HERYL TWEEDIE, MIDDLE SCHOOL HUMANITIES TEACHER

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“ The highlight this year has definitely been that I have these materials available to work with whenever I can; this has been the perfect way to take my artistic ideas to the next level! I find that having the ability to do more with my artwork has really given me so many new ideas and has just opened up this whole new branch of things to create.”

- R.J. OBHI ’15

Is there a designer, engineer, or architect in each one of us? Mr. Perreault, Director of Technology at Elmwood School, certainly thinks so. And Elmwood School agrees with him.

Welcome to Elmwood’s modern new learning area: The Elmwood Fab Lab. This incredible collaborative space is where any student in our school, from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12, can go to take their thought or idea from a simple dream to concrete reality.

How did the Fab Lab come to be? After the success of the 2013 Annual Campaign, a team of Elmwood educators formed a committee to help conceive what an Elmwood makerspace could look like and what it should allow students to do and create. By sharing the data they collected about our students’ many passions and interests, the team decided they wanted to have a space where classes or clubs could create projects that could be left “in progress”—projects that did not necessarily need to be deconstructed or put away after a certain block of time. In this dedicated area, girls could continue to tinker and partake in the often-messy process of design, yet they would not need to worry about time constraints or having their projects disturbed. They could allow their thoughts to percolate as they problem solved and tried different approaches to making their dreams a reality.

The team studied makerspaces from around the world and visited local spaces to learn, observe, and consider ideas and materials that would create the ideal space for our own students’ needs and interests.

This past summer was spent purchasing furniture and supplies for the grand opening launch that took place on October 1st.

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FABLABULOUS

Why did Elmwood need a makerspace? In our school we have very creative students and, until now, there has not been a single, well-organised home base where our students could work on their innovative endeavours. When we had the opportunity to purchase stateof-the-art equipment, we wanted to ensure it benefitted the entire Elmwood community, not just one grade or division of the school. By having a makerspace that wasn’t attached to one particular teacher or specialty, it gives all classes the opportunity to gather and learn and use any equipment they need to extend their inquiry through hands-on learning.

What’s in our Fab Lab? The Fab Lab is what happens when a workshop is blended with a textile lab and integrates new technology, such as our laser cutter and 3D printer. The laser is able to cut or etch into wood, leather, glass and aluminum, and the 3D printer creates three-dimensional objects out of a liquid resin. Our lab has hammers, drills, saws, miter boxes and sanders, as well as sewing machines and a wide variety of craft materials.

The Robotics Club is currently working with littleBits, a system of electronic modules that snap together with magnets. The sky’s the limit when students explore the possibilities with these programmable magnetic pieces that use electric circuits to communicate with each other, from writing code to creating a practical feature for the lab, such as a wireless doorbell. The girls are using motors and buzzers to learn about programming code for practical and creative endeavours. When the girls ran into a roadblock, such as needing wheels for the cars they designed, they were able to use the laser cutter to create the correct size of tire to custom fit their car.

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Who is using our Fab Lab and what are they creating in it? Although our students have been using design programs that create 3D models since the primary grades, this is the first time that they are actually able to turn these dreams and designs into real objects.

As the Grade One class studied neighbourhood life, they created a community model using laser-cut buildings that they drew themselves using the Kid Pix programme. Using the laser cutter’s etching feature, the girls were able to easily fold the cardboard forms into perfectly cut structures, complete with windows and doors.

The Grade Twos have been hard at work building and tinkering for their Gizmos and Gadgets unit. The girls collaborated to design their own simple machines that would help make work easier on a construction site. Incorporating the use of Adobe Illustrator, the girls were able to digitally transfer their designs and bring them to life using the laser cutter in the Fab Lab. In Grade Three, the girls brought their sketched play structure designs from the classroom floor to the drafting tables in the lab, as they were able to precision cut and accurately size fulcrums for seesaws, benches for swings and boards for a play structure. They even designed a rock climbing wall! Their model of a madeto-order playground was realised using the engineering concepts of strength and stability, as well as taking into account safety, budget and design.

Using the woodworking tools and laser cutter, Mr. Robertson was able to lead a lesson building balsa wood airplanes for the opening of our Fab Lab. It is a tradition that may continue when the Grade Six students study flight this May. In Grade Seven science, Phoenix Plessas-Azurduy ’20 is using the Fab Lab to build a catapult for her science fair project. She is using leftover wood from Home Depot and the tools in the Fab Lab to construct it. She will test how launch angle affects the distance of the projectile. Mr. Robertson is very excited to guide her through this process,

especially looking forward to working with a group of students to test the final results!

The Senior School Art Department used the Fab Lab to make plaques for the Land Art project. Students wrote artist statements for their class sculptures and were able to etch into tempered glass using the laser cutter. It raised the quality of the presentation for the art show and saved hundreds of dollars in the process!

Ms. Tweedie’s Grade Six class etched poetry that they wrote onto wood that now graces the hallway entrance into the lab itself. Grade 12 Arts Prefect, R.J Obhi ’15, has used the laser cutter in the Fab Lab many times now. She has become proficient with Adobe Illustrator, and has learned the importance of details and patience when creating a final product. Throughout the fall and winter term she used the laser cutter to etch one of her charcoal drawings onto aluminum and to etch some festive snowflakes onto glass plates.

Mr. Perreault’s design and technology classes and Robotics Club have benefitted a great deal from the use of the lab. In the beginning, the girls started by designing and creating signs and puzzles. A short time later, they are now putting their math and science skills to use to design and create a variety of jewelry items. Mr. Perreault believes there is no limit to what the girls can make and accomplish as they continue to master using the equipment and programmes in the lab.

If we truly believe that there is a young budding scientist or engineer in all of us, then there is no better place to begin nurturing these talents then inside the Elmwood Fab Lab.

Be a part of Elmwood’s History Elmwood School is celebrating its 100th anniversary and here’s your opportunity to be part of it! An expanded and updated commemorative book of the School’s history will be available starting in the fall of 2015.

You can be part of our history by becoming a sponsor and having your name(s), along with a special message, listed on the Sponsor page. You will receive a complimentary copy once the book is printed.

This opportunity is only available until June 30, 2015 — so we encourage you to become a sponsor today!

Please fill out the form enclosed with this publication and send it back to us in the envelope provided. Each sponsorship is $250.00 and is eligible for a tax receipt. All proceeds will benefit Elmwood’s Bursary Program.

The deadline for sponsorship is June 30, 2015!

AN INSPIRING GIRL:

CAITLIN BAXTER ’20

By Kimberly Senf, Senior Librarian

T

his is Grade Seven student Caitlin Baxter’s fourth year at Elmwood and during this time she has managed to get involved with almost every aspect of school life at Elmwood. While she can most often be found in Elmwood’s Fab Lab or deeply engrossed in a book, she has made her mark on the school since she first arrived at Elmwood. Her never-ending interest in learning and technology are just part of what makes her so inspiring.

Caitlin is intrigued by technology and really enjoys trying her hand at different projects due to the immediacy of the results. Last year, she was an eager participant in The Hour of Code, a worldwide event that aims to open up the world of computer science to every student around the globe. When asked about what she likes about coding, her answer is that “it’s either right or it’s wrong, and through trial and error you can keep trying to get things just right.”

She loves that you can immediately know

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if you’ve got things right when you’re coding—and if not, you can keep trying to figure it out.

Even before Elmwood’s new makerspace, the Fab Lab, opened its doors in early October, Caitlin was keen to get into the new creative space. When the Fab Lab was still under construction, she made sure that Mr. Perreault, the Director of Technology at Elmwood, knew about a program called littleBits— electronic pieces that are magnetized to come together so students can create to their hearts content. She knew that littleBits would make a great addition to the Fab Lab and went so far as to send him an email over the summer months to make sure that Elmwood would have these when the Fab Lab opened its doors.

She is amongst a group of Middle School students who unofficially dub themselves the “Fab-Lab-ians.”

They come together in the Fab Lab over lunch hours to work together on new projects that they devise themselves.

Together they have made a wireless car,

Caitlin is truly a part of the Elmwood community and her interests are varied, unique and always genuine.

a doorbell and a mini keyboard, though the possibilities in the Fab Lab are limitless.

When not in the Fab Lab at Elmwood, Caitlin can often be found in the library or around the school talking about the many books that she loves. Reading has been an integral part of her life for as long as she can remember. She even has her own library of books at home that she and her grandmother have read together over the years. She always wants to share what she reads with everyone and “her thirst for knowledge is insatiable” according to Ms. Holmes, her former Grade Five teacher. When she was in Ms. Holmes’ classroom, she was often overheard filling her neighbour in on what she was currently reading and the many new things she had learned.

While in the Junior School, Caitlin took part in the Silver Birch Reading Club, a club that highlights Canadian authors and promotes a love of reading. She was also a member of Junior School House Council, as well as a number of other clubs, including Mythology, Shakespeare,

Fibonacci, Ukulele and Drums. She is currently a member of the Middle School Community Council and also enjoys playing on both the soccer and rugby teams.

Caitlin’s academic interests are broad, though she insists that English is her favourite subject at Elmwood. She has read extensively about whether Shakespeare was in fact the author of the world-renowned plays and she would be happy to debate just about anyone on the subject. Last year she received the English and Extended French awards during the Middle School closing ceremonies.

Caitlin is truly a part of the Elmwood community and her interests are varied, unique and always genuine. Whatever she takes part in at Elmwood, she gives it everything she has. The most recent example of this would be in the Middle School production of The Audition, a play about the process of putting on a dramatic production and the many ups and downs involving the characters both on and offstage. Caitlin took on the role of the

director, one of the main characters in the play, and did a fantastic job challenging herself with this role. “Caitlin’s role is a pivotal one in the play and she comes at it with such energy,” says Natasha Josselyn, the director of The Audition.

Her dedication to her role can not be understated, since she managed to learn all her lines by the time rehearsals had started—and she had the most lines out of all the characters in the play.

Spirit afternoon has quickly become one of Caitlin’s favourite memories from Elmwood. She enjoys working together with other students to support her house and the camaraderie that the day creates between the students.

What she loves most about Elmwood is that every opportunity is open to her at an all-girls school, and she can try her hand at anything she likes—from spending her spare moments in the Fab Lab working on top-secret projects to claiming one of the lead roles in the Middle School production. Who knows what she’ll try next?

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RIDING A CLEAR ROUND

By Janet Uren ’68

Elmwood graduate Shirley (Thomas) Prosser ’53 was the Canadian show jumping star who in the 1950s smashed through the glass ceiling on horseback.

Shirley Thomas was only 17 when she and her fellow boarders at Elmwood gathered to watch the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on television.

Just a year or so later, Shirley was standing victorious in one of the most important show jumping rings in England and shaking the young Queen’s hand.

In those few months, Shirley had gone from being a leggy girl in a green tunic to becoming an international star. She did more than that. The nomination of this Elmwood girl as a member of Canada’s international equestrian team in 1954 opened the world of show jumping to women at the highest levels. Nothing was ever quite the same in her sport.

Born in Ottawa in 1936, Shirley lived as a youngster in Rockcliffe and attended Elmwood. Her father was Christopher Trahearn Thomas, owner of Thomas Supply & Equipment, an 34

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Ottawa-based company that in 1941 won the lucrative rights to manufacture and sell Revlon products in Canada.

Her mother was Laura Boreham who, before she married Thomas, founded her own beauty and retail business in Ottawa; later, she developed her own line of products, called Laura Thomas Cosmetics.

Sports at Elmwood were rather different in the 1940s, when Shirley enrolled. Archery was one of the featured activities then, and horses were regularly brought up the hill from a stable on Beechwood so that the girls could go riding. The Thomas family went further: after moving to a farm on Aylmer Road, they raised palomino horses for show and competition. Shirley was first put on the back of a horse at the age of three; she was five when she rode in her first competition, and at age 12—after a series of victories in children’s and hunter classes—she and a

horse called Pale Face took their first red ribbon at the Toronto Pony Show.

Riding was one of the sports where men and women could, at least theoretically, compete on a level playing field, and Shirley’s timing was fortunate.

Male and female equestrians competed together at the Olympics for the first time in 1952, but no Canadian woman had yet ridden at anything close to that level. Shirley began her rise to stardom in 1953, when as a 17-year-old she fought for a place on the Canadian national team. It was only weeks after completing her education at Elmwood that she rode her little palomino mare, Princess Midas, into the Toronto ring and flummoxed the judges by triumphing in three of the six trial events. “After that, they couldn’t say no to me,” says Shirley.

In her first international show, Shirley travelled with her teammates and two horses—Princess Midas, a little horse

Sports at Elmwood were rather different in the 1940s, when Shirley enrolled. Archery was one of the featured activities then, and horses were regularly brought up the hill from a stable on Beechwood so that the girls could go riding.

“with a great turn of speed,” and the larger, showier White Sable, 17.3 hands high—to New York. White Sable was a former hunter-jumper whom Shirley had retrained for show jumping, and they won the International Goodwill Challenge Trophy at Madison Square Garden.

Shirley at 17 was the youngest competitor ever to win that prize, and in doing so she beat out British superstar, Pat Smythe, another female pioneer of the sport and four-time winner of the European Ladies’ Championship. That year also, Shirley became the first winner of the newly inaugurated Ottawa Sports Award.

Shirley had a memorable birthday in 1954. As she rode into the arena at White City Stadium in London, she was not, however, thinking about the date or her age; as her horse danced into the ring, she was entirely focused on the task ahead.

Concentration is everything, she says.

“Out there in the ring, you don’t hear anyone. You’re alone.”

Not on that day, as it happened. As she rode in, the lights in the stadium suddenly went off. When they came on again, the entire audience was singing “Happy Birthday” to the girl whom British Sporting Life had recently nicknamed the “Teenage Jumping Ace.” Young as she was, Shirley Thomas was the first female equestrienne to ride internationally under the Canadian flag.

By the end of that European tour, she was also the first woman rider ever to win the World Cup. Shirley Thomas, with her long ponytail and bright blue eyes, was terribly young; she was also brave, competitive and tough. During that first week of the 1954 tour, she suffered a fall and broke several ribs. The doctors taped her up, and she went right back to the ring. “I rode the rest of the day in pain, and at the end of each event I couldn’t get the saddle off my horse and had to ask for help to weigh in.”

That same toughness took her almost

immediately on to Ireland, where she won the Government of Ireland Trophy.

She was the only one of 65 riders there to deliver a clean round over one of the world’s most challenging courses. “I didn’t know how big an event it was,” she admitted later. “But I knew I had never seen such jumps, such steep banks and solid stone walls. I thought, ‘God, they want me to jump the Empire State Building.’”

When Shirley began to ride competitively, only a few women were competing at the highest levels internationally, and not one of them was Canadian. With victory after victory, Shirley hammered away the prejudice against women riders, broke down barriers and soared over obstacles.

Elmwood can take pride in the fact that it was one of their graduates who leaped the hurdle. Other women followed, but it was an especially talented youngster—an Elmwood girl—who went first.

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ALUMNAE SPOTLIGHT:

THE NEWSMAKERS

A Leader at Elmwood and Beyond – Louisa Taylor ’85 From her first day at Elmwood in the mid 1980s, Louisa Taylor and her parents knew that she would get the education she needed. With a passion for history and English, Louisa joined a class of like-minded students who were focused and driven to succeed. She remembers fondly reading the Classics with Mrs. Faguy and learning to find the deeper meaning in the text.

As a prefect and Head of Wilson, Louisa was very active at the school, playing volleyball in the gym, which is now the auditorium, running track and field and even participating in rowing at Elmwood.

After studying at McGill and starting out as a freelance writer in Montreal she has had a successful career traveling and working as a journalist in places as far away as Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Her work has appeared in The Ottawa Citizen, The Economist and many other newspapers and magazines.

Louisa can often be found organizing community events including The Travers Debates, a popular fundraiser event on Parliament Hill that brings politicians and journalists together to fund a fellowship for a foreign reporter. Last year, she was invited to co-chair the second annual Welcoming Ottawa Week with another Elmwoodian, Sarah Onyango ’83. As Louisa says: “I was honoured to be collaborating with one of my former classmates and supporting a cause that welcomes new Canadians to Ottawa and helps them integrate into our community.” Looking back, Louisa and Sarah both learned how to collaborate early on when they were leaders at Elmwood.

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By Elise Aylen, Acting Director of Admissions

Sharing the Stories of our Healthcare Heroes – Ishani Nath ’07 Ishani Nath is a young Elmwood alumna who demonstrated a keen interest in learning and enjoyed studying both the arts and sciences. Arriving in Grade Seven, she was welcomed by her new classmate, Jane Reisman, on her first day and remembers entering a science lab for the first time. She embraced all the opportunities Elmwood had to offer and joined the basketball, rugby and volleyball teams as well as various clubs, including Taking Action and Caring for Others and Amnesty International. All her extra curricular activities gave her the confidence to fulfill her role as Prefect-at-Large in her final year.

Leaving Elmwood she felt well prepared to take on leadership roles at McMaster University, where she studied both arts and sciences. Following her first degree she decided to study what she loved and completed her Masters of Journalism at Ryerson. She wrote her final thesis on “How Oncologists Deal with the Emotional Side of Their Jobs.”

Ishani has since been able to combine her love of writing with her science background and has written a variety of stories about health and healthcare professionals. Her articles have been published in the Globe and Mail, Macleans and numerous health magazines. She hopes that her writing about cancer and other illnesses will help people understand how it affects both the patients and the professionals caring for them. Ishani also donates her time to a number of causes including the Walk for Ovarian Cancer and various magazines and publications. Today she continues to give 100% to all the projects she is involved in and feels that the Elmwood experience has been instrumental in her success.

ALUMNAE NEWS The Class of 1989 Returns to Elmwood The Class of 1989 came home to Elmwood for a weekend reunion this past summer. Close to three quarters of the class gathered to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their graduation on the weekend of August 22 - 24. The group met at Restaurant Eighteen on Friday night to share a meal and get reaquainted. The next day, they returned to Elmwood, along with more than a dozen of their former teachers, to see how the School had changed, sample some of the Elmwood Bistro’s delicious food, and reminisce about their time at the School. The group was particularly thrilled to hear from Mrs. Nancy Chance, Former Head of the Junior School. The weekend concluded with high tea at the Château Laurier on Sunday. Thanks to Nila (Varan) Matthews ’89, who made contact with her classmates and organized the weekend.

We hope to see all of the Class of 1989 back for the upcoming Centennial Celebration!

Recent Grads Reunite Graduates from the last five years congregated in Elmwood’s Atrium just before the Christmas break to catch up with one another, as well as their former teachers. It was wonderful to see so many of our alumnae, and hear about how they are doing at university. Please keep in touch!

Top: The Class of 1989 and their teachers gathered at Elmwood on a beautiful summer day this past August.

Left: Amanda Thoo ’14 and Brynley Hanson-Wright ’14 caught up with classmates at the Recent Grad Reunion.

Right: Mackenzie Gowie ’14, Mrs. Marquis, Katherine Snelling ’14, Mrs. Boychuk and Sophia Swettenham ’17 were feeling festive at the Recent Grad Reunion

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ADVANCEMENT NEWS

By Ellen Ewert, Director of Advancement

2014 – 2015 ANNUAL CAMPAIGN As not-for-profit organizations, all independent schools rely on charitable contributions to supplement the operating budget, capital improvements and to fund scholarships and bursaries.

The results? Over 92% of Elmwood parents supported the Annual Campaign!

The Annual Campaign will continue through to the end of the school year and we are confident we will reach our financial goal of $375,000. This year’s Annual Campaign will provide vital support for: •O ur Bursary (financial aid) and Scholarship (merit-based) programs •P rofessional development for Elmwood faculty •E xperts@Elmwood Speaker Series •C entennial projects such as heritage displays, a new sundial, digitization and preservation of our precious yearbooks •S ports and fitness equipment • Artist-in-Residence program •R enovation of biology lab and science equipment •M usic instruments and sheet music •F lexible classrooms

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In October, a committee of 14 parent volunteers, chaired by Kim Doran and Mollie Johnson, launched the parent portion of the Annual Campaign with the opening of Elmwood’s new “Fab Lab,” a great example of how donations make a difference.

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First off the mark, at the beginning of the school year, Matt Perreault and Allison Holmes co-chaired the faculty and staff portion of Elmwood’s Annual Campaign, with amazing results! Overall, 94% of the entire staff participated with contributions. Matt and Allison were particularly touched by the 100% of faculty who supported the Annual Campaign.

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100% board 94% staff 92% parents

“As an Elmwood parent for the last five years, I’ve seen first-hand how the Annual Campaign has benefitted my two daughters. They are thrilled with the new Fab Lab, flexible classrooms and cool collaboration spaces.” ~ KIM DORAN CO-CHAIR, ANNUAL CAMPAIGN

“As a relatively new Elmwood parent, I am so touched by the spirit of philanthropy at the School. It’s wonderful to see so many parents support the Annual Campaign.” ~ MOLLIE JOHNSON Headmistress Cheryl Boughton cut the ribbon at our Fab Lab opening.

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CO-CHAIR, ANNUAL CAMPAIGN

OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR! Elmwood’s six Corporate Partners have committed a total of $240,000 over a three-year period and we are honoured to recognize their generosity at many events throughout the school year, including the Welcome Back Festival, the Experts@Elmwood Speakers Series and the Holly Tea.

Thank you to Gary Zed (EY), David and Debra Wu (Movati Athletic), Jeff Mierins (Star Motors), Terry and Catherine McLaughlin (Terlin Construction Ltd.), Jacob and Jeannie Polisuk (Vista Credit) and Jim and Pam Skippen (WiLAN).

Clockwise from far left: Kaylah Carruthers ’22 enjoys the treats at the Holly Tea; Grade 12 students celebrate the start of their final year of school, at the Welcome Back Festival; Dr. JoAnn Deak was this year’s Expert@Elmwood; Claire Goldberg ’21, Victoria Devine-Ducharme ’21 and Mila Mierins ’21 were all smiles at the Holly Tea.

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CLASS NOTES

1960s Jeanette (MacDonald) Marett ’64 After graduating in 1964, Jeanette attended Mount Allison for two years before switching to Carleton University, receiving her B.A. in English. Jeanette married Dave Marett, a fellow Newfoundlander in 1968 and moved to Ottawa. Jeanette has two children, Geb and Amy. Amy also attended Elmwood.

Portrait done in the seventies of Janet Hughson, Head Girl, Class of ’69, and a more recent portrait of Janet Piers and her adoring husband, Rear Admiral Desmond (Debby) Piers, both painted by Dawn Harwood-Jones ’69.

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Dawn Harwood-Jones ’69 It has been 45 years since Dawn left Elmwood and it still has a profound influence on her. She remembers the “Class of ’69” being so eager to get out there and save the world. For many years, her bent was promoting the arts: from a partnership with Broadway’s Mike Nichols, to founding a classical music touring empire (Début Atlantic) on the East Coast that just enjoyed its 35year anniversary, having toured such mega stars as Angela Hewitt, Angela Cheng and Jon Kimura Parker (and a lot of live entertainment in between).

Dawn’s passion for musicals started at Elmwood and she has now co-created several including ‘Death, the Musical (Karaoke at the Afterlife Bar and Grill)’ which was a huge success at Nova Scotia’s Neptune Theatre before it was translated into French and mounted in Montreal. When it was mounted people were still afraid of the phrase ‘death’ and many companies were interested in the show only if they would change the name. They felt strongly that humans need to face their mortality and as the Baby Boomers age, some people are starting to agree. So Death, the Musical will be re-mounted in Chester, Nova Scotia this July 1st.

But saving the world was still a dream and after 20 years at CBC, Dawn founded Pink Dog Productions—a ‘make a difference’ video company that produces highly persuasive videos on such topics as mental illness, diversity, the environment, equality and even a life-changing video production for the Elizabeth

Fry Society (Fry is still one of Elmwood’s four houses.) In addition the company took in dozens of ‘at-risk’ youth from diverse backgrounds, many of whom were hired after their internships. They learned a lot from their Mi’kmaq and African Nova Scotian interns that is not being taught in the schools.

Dawn has now come “full circle.” While at Elmwood, she learned to paint portraits under the excellent guidance of one of Canada’s great portrait painters Bob Hyndman. Although he encouraged her to follow this profession, and she did paint quite a lot of commissions in the seventies, Dawn lacked the courage. She has finally realized that any artist worth her salt is highly self-critical and she not only started painting again just recently, but took on the renowned art collector, Sir Christopher Ondaatje, as her first subject.

TOP LEFT Lynne Sampson Blott ’72 was thrilled to celebrate the marriage of her son Charles.

TOP RIGHT Gladys Abankwa-Meier-Klodt ’81 (right) presents her book to the President of the Federal Republic of Germany.

1970s Lynne Sampson Blott ’72 Lynne’s son, Charles, is the first one of her five children to get married! The wedding was in Toronto on September 5, 2014.

1980s Gladys Abankwa-Meier-Klodt ’81 Gladys has just returned to live in Berlin after a three-year sojourn in India, where her husband was both Acting Ambassador and Deputy Ambassador of Germany. While in New Delhi, she wrote a book about the history of the development of the Indian Capital’s unique diplomatic enclave. Published by Full Circle, New Delhi, it presents the quarter’s architectural ambassadors and charts the course of bilateral relations between India and scores of other countries both pre- and post-Indian independence.

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CLASS NOTES Resa Solomon-St. Lewis ’87 After many years as a manager and engineer, Resa did a reset and went to Chef School last year with the support of her family. She joyously recently launched her own business focusing on specialty foods, prepared meals and catering Caribbean food with lifestyle choices (vegan, gluten, lean, etc).

Resa is truly appreciative of Old Girls Tracey Solomon ’90, Nila Matthews ’89, Sarah Onyango ’83 and Nicola Maule ’86 who have each directly contributed to her pathway. Bon Appetit!

Julie Waterhouse ’88 Lots of new adventures in Julie’s life lately! Last year, she married Ron Liao in the backyard of the home where she grew up. Julie and Ron have recently moved to a new home, where they are now knee-deep in drywall dust, as they complete a few renovation projects. Also, after over 18 years working as a software consultant at IBM, Julie ventured out on her own. She loves her new role as a freelance web developer, working primarily with women entrepreneurs.

1990s Johanna (Wall) Waller ’92 Johanna’s second baby was born in 2013. Johanna is still teaching and big brother loves his baby sister.

Resa Solomon-St.Lewis ’87 is enjoying her second act as a chef.

Kim Schryburt-Brown ’94 A few classmates from the class of 1994 got together recently to celebrate 20 years since graduating from Elmwood. In the photo are (left to right) Monica (Singhal) Yemm, Alexandra (Woloschuk) Coghlan, Kim Schryburt-Brown, Allison Russell and Nicole Killian.

Kim Schryburt-Brown ’94 (centre) with her classmates.

2000s Emily (McQuillan) Murray ’01 Emily and her husband Adam married on May 3, 2014 and just recently moved into their new house in August, in Windsor, Nova Scotia.

Maryam Southam ’01 Maryam married Ryan Hayes at Pointe Claire Yacht Club, Quebec, in late August, with close friends and family in attendance. Maryam is currently living in Montreal and working at a Digital Marketing Agency.

Johanna (Wall) Waller ’92 with her two children.

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Julie Waterhouse ’88 with her husband Ron Liao.

Maryam Southam ’01 with her husband Ryan Hayes.

Emily (McQuillan) Murray ’01 with her husband Adam Murray.

Jill (Blackman) Woolley ’02 with her husband Jonathan Woolley.

Sara Duplancic ’05 performing in Ottawa Little Theatre’s production of Pride and Prejudice in early 2013. She played Lizzy Bennet. Fun fact: Elmwood old girl, Janet Uren ’68, played her mother Mrs. Bennet!

Dorothy Binkley ’03 with her fiancé Jonathan.

Alexandra Keys ’04 at her recent wedding with her Elmwood classmates

Jill (Blackman) Woolley ’02 In 2010, after realizing that teaching really is her passion, Jill pursued and completed a Bachelor of Education from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. For the past four years, Jill and her (now) husband have been teaching at an elementary school on a First Nations reserve in Northwestern Ontario. It is a remote, fly-in community with a population of about 1,000 people of Ojibwe and Cree descent. They work at a newly-built school of 250 students from Kindergarten to Grade Nine.

Jill’s husband has taught Grade Four and is teaching the Grade Six class this year. As the head of the Special Education department, Jill has spent the past few years developing programming for students with learning disabilities as well as providing teacher training. It is a wonderful school and community to live and work in and they have been fortunate to participate in many local traditions and activities.

During their free time, they enjoy cooking, fishing, snowshoeing and coaching the community hockey team. Their summers are shared between visiting family and friends in Canada and abroad.

Jill and her husband Jonathan were married at a resort in the Muskokas in January 2014. They celebrated with a small group of family and friends.

Dorothy Binkley ’03 Dorothy is currently Portfolio Manager of the Project Management Office at Trillium Health Partners, in Mississauga. Trillium is one of the largest hospitals in Canada and the team she leads delivers transformational projects across the organization. Dorothy has been at the hospital since she completed her MBA at McMaster in 2009. She lives in Toronto with her fiancé Jonathan— they are very excited to be planning their wedding in May 2015. Recently, Dorothy became a member of the Advocacy Advisory Committee of the YWCA Toronto.

Alexandra Keys ’04 Alexandra married Shawn McCallum on September 20, 2014 at the Museum of Nature and Château Laurier. Alex and Shawn live in Ottawa. Photo includes Alexandra Kirvan ’04, Caroline Hunt ’04, Ali Duret ’04 and Marielle McGovern ’05.

Sara Duplancic ’05 After graduating from McGill University with a B.A. in English Literature, Sara returned to Ottawa to work for the City, first as a Councillor’s Assistant, and subsequently as a Project Coordinator in the ServiceOttawa department, all the while continuing to pursue acting, a passion that budded at Elmwood!

Sara had the pleasure of performing in numerous shows, including at the Magnetic North Theatre Festival, Ottawa Fringe Festivals, and the Ottawa Little Theatre and E L M WO O D.C A

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CLASS NOTES she co-devised pieces for the emerging SubDevision festival. She also starred in an independent, feature film! In 2013, she moved to New York City to embark on a new adventure and study at the Atlantic Theatre Conservatory, founded by David Mamet and William H. Macy. She continues to reside, study and pursue acting full-time in New York.

Cork Sisters

Emily ’07, Julia ’13 and Meagan ’09 Cork (along with Walter the dog)

Emily ’07 graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Commerce in 2011, then went on to pursue her Master’s Degree in Human Kinetics with a concentration in Sport Management at the University of Ottawa. She will be graduating spring/summer 2015.

During her time at UOttawa she did an internship with the National Organising Committee for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada. She has since been hired by the organization as Coordinator, Accommodation and Protocol. This summer, she will be moving to Vancouver to work at HQ for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Meagan ’09 went to Wilfrid Laurier University and majored in Psychology with the Management option. While there, she was involved in starting a mental health awareness campaign called Burst Your Bubble, and travelled to the Peruvian Amazon and Ghana. After completing her degree she travelled to New Zealand with an Elmwood classmate, Anne Marie Wilson ’09, and tried skydiving, rafting and bungee jumping, swam with sea lions and climbed a glacier.

She recently decided to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming an interior decorator and is currently studying in the Interior Decorator program at Algonquin College. She will be starting her own company this summer refurbishing old furniture.

Julia ’13 is studying Fashion Design at New York City’s Fashion Institute of Technology. She is currently a sophomore and will receive her associate’s degree in May. She has been accepted into the Bachelor’s Program and plans to specialize in Special Occasion and Eveningwear.

Julia was able to get a taste of the industry this summer with a job at McCaffrey’s Bridal Boutique.

This fall, Julia was one of only 16 designers from F.I.T. chosen to participate in the most prestigious college fashion show in North America—the Fusion Fashion Show! This show was the birthplace of many famous designers including Alexander Wang and Prabal Gurung.

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ELMWOOD EMBLEM

2010s Emily Waite Emily attended Elmwood until Grade 10 before moving to Toronto where she graduated high school in 2010. Emily recently graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA in June and is currently a Master of Science candidate at the London School of Economics in the UK. Irena Wight ’11 Irena is in her last year at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and is double majoring in Architecture and German Studies. She spent last year studying abroad in Hamburg, Germany. Though challenging, she really enjoyed taking all of her courses at the University of Hamburg and she is now fluent in German. Irena travelled a bit throughout Europe during the year, visiting Berlin, Amsterdam, Prague, Florence, Vienna, Copenhagen and Barcelona. She really Irena Wight ’11 at Alster appreciated seeing the architecture Lake in Hamburg, where she of these cities first hand rather than studied abroad last year. just reading about it in textbooks.

Irena is now in the midst of applying to graduate schools in the architecture and historic preservation fields in Canada and the USA. Joanna Znotins ’12 Joanna is attending Queens University and is taking Concurrent Education’s five-year program focusing on Biology and Psychology. She is very involved in the university life and volunteers over the summer at the Kids for Cancer Camp.

Noor Turki ’13 Noor is currently attending Carleton University, pursuing a double major in art and history. She is also working at a local day care, and living at home.

Erica Coady ’14 Erica is currently attending Wifrid Laurier University and living in Waterloo College Hall. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration. Erica is also playing for the varsity rugby team as a flanker and has had a great season. She is also involved as a volunteer with the Letterman Association’s KidsFit program.

Rachael Hunter ’14 Rachael is currently attending the University of Ottawa in her first year of her Bachelor of Music, studying piano.

She continues to have a passion for music and enjoys teaching 22 beginner students in her spare time. She is looking forward to returning to Elmwood at the beginning of summer to catch up with some former classmates.

Merrin Lalonde ’14 Merrin is enjoying her Cinema Studies classes at the University of Toronto, and is considering doing a double major next year. She is living in residence and has developed some great friendships. She plans to move into an apartment for her second year in Toronto.

Katherine Snelling ’14 Katherine is attending Queen’s University and studying General Arts. She is loving her university experience and is living in residence. She looks forward to returning to Ottawa for the summer.

In Memoriam Judith White passed away on October 2, 2014. She was the beloved wife of Paul White for 31 years and a loving mother to Kit and Jesse White, who graduated from Elmwood in 2005.

Nora Evelyn Anne Hyde (nee Coghlin) ’33 died peacefully on November 15, 2014 in Ottawa a few days after her 98th birthday. Anne was born in Montreal and attended the Study. She later boarded at Elmwood and graduated in 1933.

John Gordon Aylen passed away on December 25, 2014 having lived a very full life. He was predeceased by his wife Andree Aylen and by his sister Priscilla Bishop who attended Elmwood in the 1940s. He was the much loved father to John, David and Elise Aylen and the proud grandfather of six grandchildren, including Elmwood graduates Marielle McGovern ’05 and Christiane McGovern ’07.

ELMWOOD STAFF BABIES There must be something in the water in the staff room at Elmwood!

We welcomed many bundles of joy over the last 18 months.

Isla Whitehouse born May 8, 2013, daughter of Deputy Head, James Whitehouse

Audrey Gagnon born September 29, 2013, daughter of Grade One teacher, Ginny Strachan

Quinn Archer-Senf born October 25, 2013, son of Senior Librarian, Kimberly Senf

Bronson Douglas Germano born November 13, 2013, son of Communications Coordinator, Lindsay Germano

Henry Robert Bauer Small born May 11, 2014, son of Senior School teacher, Jordan Small

Hudson Russell Kubacki born June 4, 2014, son of Grade Four teacher, Nicola Powadiuk

Eleanor June MacInnis born on October 19, 2014, daughter of Chef Mark MacInnis

Liliana Nora Kousha born on November 22, 2014, daughter of Kindergarten teacher, Kate Meadowcroft

Emblem

The Emblem is published twice a year. To ensure your news is included in the next issue, please submit your story and a high resolution photo to eaylen@elmwood.ca by June 30, 2015.

G E T R E A DY F O R C A M P… G E T R E A DY F O R F U N !

SUMMER

CAMPS WEEKLY FROM

JUNE 15 – AUGUST 28

With weekly themes like Art Attack, the Great Outdoors and the Pan Am Games, girls from Kindergarten to Grade Six will experience fun new challenges, develop new friendships and enjoy a wide range of hands-on activities.

Our camps have just the right mix of active play, learning and creative exploration, and all within Elmwood’s safe and caring girl-centric environment.

Cost is $295 per week and includes bistro lunch and snacks, excursion or special guest and a cool camp t-shirt.

Visit camp.elmwood.ca for more information or call (613) 749-6761 for details and registration.

www.elmwood.ca Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Elmwood School, 261 Buena Vista Rd. Ottawa ON K1M 0V9