The Man Who Gave So Much

WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO SHARE WITH YOU this latest issue of HSC Review, which is a chance to celebrate so many of the amazing things that are happening daily at the College and many of the achievements of our amazing alumni.

This edition of the magazine is also an opportunity to honour the life of Mr. Michael G. DeGroote, Patron of HSC, who passed away this past fall. The creation of the profile that you will read in this issue was a labour of love to put together as it was an opportunity to connect with family and friends and share stories of this great man who has meant so much to HSC.

Obviously, Mr. DeGroote and the entire DeGroote family have given so much to HSC in terms of philanthropy (their gift of $19.5 million to the Transformation HSC campaign was one of the largest in CAIS history), but the greatest gifts that Mike Sr. gave to HSC were inspiration and confidence.

When discussions began to have a campaign to build a new Senior School and Athletic Complex in the late 2000s, it seemed fanciful. HSC was not considered a school with an ingrained history of philanthropy at that level and it seemed too ambitious to many people. The joke amongst the long-serving faculty was to call the project, “Shangri-La”. That was until Mike Sr. stepped in.

With his initial pledge of $10.5 million in 2009, the tone was set that this could be done. All Mike asked of HSC was to ramp up participation in the campaign. He understood that not everyone could give on his level, but he hoped that this gift would inspire others to do what they could and that the confidence that he showed in the mission of HSC would be infectious.

Thanks to Mike Sr., we were able to not only complete the entire Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Excellence in 2014, but the ripple effects of this project have been felt in so many ways. Mr. DeGroote’s support put HSC on the national landscape for excellence in independent schools in Canada. We were no longer CAIS’s best-kept secret. We have been able to have record enrolments and deep philanthropic support that would, I’m sure, make Mike Sr. smile.

As we head into the implementation of our new Campus Master Plan, we can lean on the inspiration of Mr. DeGroote and be confident that we, as an HSC community, can dream big and deliver if we honour his legacy of giving. We will keep trying to make Mike proud and keeping moving HSC forward.

By Marc Ayotte Head of College

In this issue, we also celebrate the past with some amazing alumni profiles and updates from the community. Hopefully, more alumni will be inspired to reach out and share their stories of accomplishment with us by sending an email to communications@hsc.on.ca.

Please enjoy this issue, and thank you for your continued support of HSC.