The Pillars by Pickering College

p i c k e r i n g co l l e g e

the

fa l l 2023

PILLARS

shaping a world of possibilities

CONTENTS

Pickering College Senior School students have developed art that will wrap TelMAX fibre optic cable boxes around Newmarket. Thank you to Ms. Liburd and the Grade 12 art class for designing this public art for our local community. “I have chosen to explore the theme ‘grotesque beauty’ by delving into the innovative fusion of nature and musical instruments. I want to show the intersection between things considered grotesque or ugly and things considered beautiful, challenging conventional boundaries through this unique union. In this specific project, I drew beautiful instruments breaking apart and being overtaken by nature, which represents an innovative approach to artistic expression and a commentary on the harmony between the organic and the man-made. I really hope that this box design can spark some interest within the Newmarket community and inspire a new appreciation for creative synergies.” –Sophia Jeffrey, Grade 12

Impact Incubator The Pickering College Impact Incubator accelerates and launches students who have an innovative, viable idea to develop a product to address a significant local or global issue.

Blue & Silver Farm Program planning at Blue & Silver Farm is centred around agriculture, outdoor education, leadership, environmental stewardship and connecting knowledge.

CHOP FM The new community radio station licence will replace the low-power English-language campus radio station licence currently held by CHOP FM Newmarket but will use the same frequency, 102.7 FM.

4 Headlines with Dr. Cinde Lock 6 PC Impact Incubator 8 New Makerspace ignites innovation 10 Transformations at Blue & Silver Farm 12 Student Life 22 New partnership with Queen’s University 24 Teacher Profile: Niki Mehta 26 Kindergrads and Grade 8 Graduates 28 Congratulations Class of 2023 30 Profile: Peggy Pan and William Zeng 32 West Lake House takes shape 34 Profile: Kimmy and C.K. Tsui 36 Alumni Connections 42 CHOP FM approved for community broadcasting licence 44 Alumni Keystone Award 46 PCA Update 48 Three Cheers for our Volunteers! 54 Golf Tournament 56 H2O Beyond the Reef Gala 58 Upcoming events

When I first came to Pickering College, I was captivated by the strong sense of values and traditions that exist at the school. Through many activities such as Morning Meetings and family-style meals, I felt like I was connecting to all those who came before me and who grew and thrived within the walls of the College. As one of the oldest independent schools in Ontario, stretching back to its founding in 1842, many of our traditions and our school values have remained unchanged for generations. These ties bind us to our oldest alumni from the 1930s and 1940s, and to our newly minted graduates. They also provide us with a sense of grounding and an understanding that the arc of time is long and that our role of stewardship extends far beyond our lifespans. After completing my first year at Pickering College, I have found that not only do we have deep-seated roots and foundations, but there is also a tremendous appetite for innovation at the school. You might think that these two things—tradition and innovation—sit in opposition to each other, but in fact at Pickering College they fit together seamlessly. Here’s why: knowing who you are gives you the confidence to be innovative and to take risks that move us forward. Innovation also provides an avenue to seek new ways to enact the mission of our school—to instil in each individual the ability and responsibility to make the world greater, better and more beautiful than we discovered it. How amazing is it to have this mission that allows our students to explore and take action, through the lens of their passion. It is this kind of self-discovery that is setting them on the path to lead a meaningful and fulfilling life. The concept of innovation is quite broad and can mean so many things. For most, technology is the first thing that leaps to mind, but innovation also encompasses creativity, art, thinking outside the box, entrepreneurship and much more. As you leaf through the pages of the fall edition of The Pillars, you will see countless examples of innovation at work, through academic learning, connection with the community, experiential learning, and new partnerships that move our wonderful school forward—all while remaining deeply aligned to our raison d’être, to develop innovative, courageous and compassionate global citizens who take action, true to Quaker values. What an amazing place we are in—it is truly inspiring. There are so many opportunities to become involved with Pickering College. If something we are doing sparks your interest or you have ideas and connections you would like to share that will further enhance what we are working on, I invite you to reach out. It is you—our community—that is one of our greatest strengths. As we boldly move forward toward the future, I hope that you will join us in shaping a world of possibilities for our students and our school.

HEADLINES with Dr. Cinde Lock, Head of School

PC Impact Incubator In the 10 years since the Global Leadership Program began, the program has continued to grow and evolve. With an eye toward the future, the school has launched an exciting new program to accelerate innovation for students with an entrepreneurial spirit who thrive on design thinking. “We often have parents and alumni who talk about the great experiences they’ve had in things like accelerators and incubators, and who have recommended that we start something like this with our students,” explains Julia Hunt, Assistant Head of School, Strategic Initiatives. “We have students with amazing Capstone Projects that are really coming to life in their last couple of months of Grade 12, just as they’re about to go off to university. So, we wanted to support students who have a really viable idea to accelerate it earlier in the year, while they’re still at Pickering College, so we can help them to launch their project for real, out into the world.” Enter the newly launched Pickering College Impact Incubator. The Strategic Partnerships Committee, a subcommittee of the Board of Directors chaired by current parent Dr. Olga Morawczynski, wanted to do something to support our students to drive new partnerships that will help to push the school’s innovation programming forward.

Students accepted into the incubator program participate in eight workshop days throughout the year, to help them launch innovative products to solve local and global issues. The first cohort of five Grade 12 students began participating in September. Among them is Morgan Podd, whose project focuses on period poverty and accessibility to menstrual products. The idea she is developing over the course of this year is the creation of an app that connects people with locations offering free sanitary products. “In this program I hope to bring a spotlight to the effects of period poverty and reduce the stigma associated with it,” says Podd. “I want our community to come together and offer a sense of inclusion to all people who are part of the menstruating community, with the resources PC is offering.” Brooke Overington, Senior School faculty member who specializes in business and entrepreneurship, is excited to mentor students as they work through their projects. “My hope for the PC Impact Incubator is that it will encourage students’ hunger for knowledge and curiosity to fuel their Capstone Project,” says Overington, who serves as faculty advisor to the Impact Incubator participants. “I want them to feel inspired to think outside the box and question the status quo through the exploration of positive, innovative solutions to real-world problems.”

Pickering College is continuing to source grants to support the impact incubator. One of the key areas where community support is needed is in identifying grants that Canadian students are eligible to apply for, to help students “This seemed like a great fit for that committee, so they have launch their projects beyond Pickering College. worked together through the application process, the name of the impact incubator—it’s called the Pickering College “If we support these students, and all five of them get to the Impact Incubator—they vetted the applicants and will help point where they have the choice to continue on after they us through this first year as we develop the pilot program,” graduate, for us, that will feel like success,” says Hunt. says Hunt. “We are so fortunate to have their support and expertise to help deliver something with a lot of impact for our students.” In Grade 11, the Global Leadership Program requires all students to complete a design sprint to help shape their “how might we” question and their interdisciplinary research paper. Last spring, students were offered the opportunity to apply for the new impact incubator, which would take the Capstone Project a step further much earlier in the year.

HELP US TAKE THE PICKERING COLLEGE IMPACT INCUBATOR TO THE NEXT LEVEL! Pickering College is looking for partners to help us grow this new program. We are looking for:

The Pickering College Impact Incubator accelerates and launches students who have an innovative, viable idea to develop a product to address a significant local or global issue.

Mentorship and Expertise Our students will benefit from specific industry expertise in: UX; empathy mapping; ESG and social innovation; networking and community; market research; lean business modeling; unique value proposition; competitor analysis; minimum viable products; financing, grant writing and not-for-profits; prototyping; IP and governance; customer validation and iteration; pitching and investment opportunities; marketing; and product launching. If you have expertise in any of these areas, or are willing to be an overall project mentor, please let us know. Innovative Spaces Our students would love to work in inspirational places: businesses, labs, studios, and makerspaces. We would be very interested in hearing from community members with access to these types of spaces.

New Makerspace ignites In the lower level of Rogers House, Pickering College’s own Makerspace provides students the opportunity to design, build or fabricate almost anything they can imagine. Previously, the Makerspace was located at the back of the art room; however, this limited access to it while art was being taught, and it was smaller and less functional. When Dr. Lock became Head of School, she wanted to improve it. She identified another room in Rogers House and saw the potential to create a Makerspace there. “She saw beyond the furniture that was in here and thought that this would

be a great space,” says Gordon Chiu, Manager, Information Technology. Now, the room is outfitted with a laser cutter, a CNC router, and two new 3D printers, as well as a supply of hand tools and power tools.

January 2023. One of the first projects Pickering College students took on in the Makerspace was the FarmBot, a CNC farming project that combines agriculture and technology, two areas that are important to Pickering College.

Chiu says it is “a space where you can actually build things out of whatever medium you choose, whether that be wood, aluminum, even working with circuitry and things like that.”

FarmBot has been integrated into the curriculum at more than 500 educational institutions around the world and provides hands-on, engaging STEM education on topics such as farming, nutrition, soil science, biology, coding, and more.

The space itself was intentionally designed to support this. All the chairs fold so they can be moved out of the way and the tables are height adjustable. Everything, including the machines, is on castors to make it very flexible. The first students to use the Makerspace were the FIRST Robotics Team, a co-curricular club that built its own robot in the space, beginning in

The elements of Pickering College’s FarmBot were constructed in the Makerspace in the spring. The Green Team cut and assembled the farm bed to the FarmBot’s specifications, then assembled the robot and began the initial stages of setup, which included connecting it to the internet and starting to tinker with it to make it run

innovation and learning smoothly across the track. Members of the Green Team and student robotics/ technology enthusiasts Thomas Bianco and Graydon Houle were instrumental in the construction process. Design, Technology and Innovation teacher Niki Mehta has been working with them this fall to complete the final setup. “Our STEM students will program Farmbot to support optimal garden output. Green Team members are excited to share what we produce with the school and learn how to maximize plant growth by controlling watering schedules, soil fertility, and sunlight exposure,” says Joshua Armstrong, Director of Teaching and Learning.

FarmBot is fully complete, there are plans for students to monitor vegetable growth and share with data with our Green Team to study improvements for soil fertility and watering. The final goal is to be able to eat what we produce in this garden. FarmBot is just one example of how the Makerspace can enhance STEM programming across different subject areas at Pickering College, and there are plans to ramp up usage of this space as the school year continues. Teachers were trained on the technology available at the beginning of September and exemplary units are being created to further demonstrate how the Makerspace can be integrated into the curriculum.

Both the bot and the garden bed are now housed in the Student Lounge, Chiu says there are many applications, where they have been undergoing testing and small adjustments to ensure whether it be in biology, chemistry, everything is running as expected. Once physics, mathematics, coding or even

in co-curricular programming. He is also hoping to see more students take advantage of the technology available on campus for their Global Leadership Program projects. “If any students are planning on fabricating something novel, some type of solution, this would be the space for them to do it,” he says. So far this school year, the space has been used regularly by the Grade 8 Design and Build course, which is taught by Mehta and takes place in the Makerspace. The Middle School VEX robotics team has also been meeting in the Makerspace during their cocurricular time. As the year continues, Mehta will be experimenting in the Makerspace and collaborating with fellow faculty on projects they wish to pursue.

Transformations at Blue & Silver outdoor education, leadership

Blue & Silver Farm, home of outdoor education at Pickering College, is being transformed with ongoing changes to enhance experiential learning opportunities for students. The approximately 75 acres of land located in the nearby town of Whitchurch-Stouffville is owned by Pickering College and was a gift from the late Charles F. Boyd, a past teacher of 53 years, alumni ambassador and beloved member of the community. It serves not only as a home for agricultural and outdoor education, but with several recent innovations, the farm provides leadership opportunities, hands-on activities, and interactive lessons for all grades. The transformation began in the spring with the launch of the learning garden, where Middle School students planted the first crop of potatoes and beans. Over the course of the summer and fall, the produce was harvested and donated to local food organizations in our community. The learning garden is currently a small plot on the land, but work is underway to expand it across the entire front paddock, a project that will involve every grade in the school. Updates continued over the summer, with day campers going out twice a week to engage in various farm-to-table activities. This served as a pilot for the school year when this program was scaled up. Generous donations to the farm enabled the installation of six camping platforms and canvas tents to allow overnight activities for Pickering College students, further opening access to the farm for evening programs. The platforms were installed at the end of the summer and each one can accommodate between eight and 10 individuals. Our Grade 5 class was the first group to use them during a special trip to Blue & Silver Farm. As the inaugural overnight group, the

Farm support agriculture,

students engaged in a simulation animal survival game. The evening program allowed them to explore the forest, acting as herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores while learning about food chains, impacts of human activity and climate change on habitats and ecosystems. Following this successful experience, the overnight programming will expand to include more grades as the school year continues. Transformations are ongoing, and Pickering College has partnered with the University of Guelph for a Grade 9 Global Leadership Program project that will see students research, design, and market an eco-friendly and innovative outdoor education facility for Blue & Silver Farm. “This is really what we want to keep doing: thinking about what we need there and having our students co-create the various resources that will really help us bring this outdoor facility to life,” says Julia Hunt, Assistant Head of School, Strategic Initiatives. In the spring, the farm will become home to a number of chickens, providing many unique learning opportunities, from Middle School students creating the chicken coops in the Makerspace to the Junior School students incubating the eggs and hatching the chicks, with a school-wide naming contest. Projects like the chickens and gardens that require ongoing care will be made possible with the addition of a full-time tenant in the new year who will serve as property manager. The farmhouse is currently under renovation thanks to a very generous donor. The top floor is being transformed into the tenant’s living area, while the main floor of the farmhouse will be set up as shared programming space for students. The kitchen can be used for various farm-to-table projects while the main room will serve as a classroom and common area. There is also an artist loft and sun porch. “All of these programs are designed to instil a sense of curiosity in our students, allowing them to be creative innovators. At the farm, students and faculty develop a

strong sense of environmental stewardship and respect for the land we learn on,” says Heather Amadori, outdoor education specialist. Program planning at Blue & Silver Farm is centred around five areas: agriculture, outdoor education, leadership, environmental stewardship and connecting knowledge. Transformations at the farm allow teachers to provide creative, curriculum-based learning, whether that’s recreational leadership activities or interactive science and geography lessons. “A huge amount of teacher thought went into what they want this property to be,” Hunt says. “There’s opportunity for everybody to bring their ideas to life.” New and innovative programming will continue at Blue & Silver Farm this spring with the addition of tree-tapping equipment. The Grade 4 students will be the first to put their sugar bush skills to the test at the farm this spring. “Our goal is to provide the opportunity for every class across the Junior and Middle Schools to visit the farm as an integral part of their experiential learning throughout the changing seasons,” Amadori said. “In the Senior School, a focus is to create authentic and meaningful learning opportunities that extend beyond the classroom walls.”

JUNIOR SCHOOL STUDENT LIFE

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Testing structural limits: In March, Mr. Au Yong’s Grade 5 class demonstrated the testing phase of their design and build challenge, in which students were tasked with creating a single, stable, self-supporting structure, with a minimum height and limited time and resources. 1 Grade 4 visits NewMakeIt: In May, the Grade 4 students took a trip to NewMakeit, a local makerspace, where they built their very own birdhouses! Before gluing everything together and painting their creations, they observed how the Epilog laser cut the pieces. 2 Grade 4 goes to Kortright: In April, the Grade 4 class visited the sugar bush at the Kortright Centre for

Conservation. They learned how Indigenous Peoples in Canada survived off the land, including discovering sap and turning it into maple syrup. Students also learned how these methods have evolved over time all the way to the present-day process. Grade 4 students furthered their Indigenous education as they applied traditional Anishinaabe teachings to create maple sugar of their own. They finished off the lesson by cooking maple syrup down into their very own maple sugar! 3 Construction site visit: The Grade 1 class visited the West Lake House construction site in June, where they had the exciting opportunity to speak with Maystar representatives

and ask questions related to the build. Connecting directly with their inquiry about structures in their community and building projects, students gained insights into what goes into a development like this. 4 Kindergarten water conservation: During Earth Week, students in Kindergarten read “What Does It Mean to Be Green” by Rana DiOrio and were inspired to take action. They decided to capture rainwater in a large plastic bucket outside their classroom window and use it to nourish the plants inside. The students learned that even a small act like this can help make a difference in the world. 5

Planting seeds: With the early welcome of beautiful spring weather, our Grade 2 class learned about seed planting. They explored the different types of pollinators and what’s required for each, looked at how to best start and care for plants, learned about the different stages of germination with a fun dance, and even planted milkweed to support monarch butterflies. 6 An abundance of lettuce: Junior School students planted a variety of greens in our garden. In June, faculty members harvested the lettuce and filled the Newmarket Food Pantry Community Fridge—twice! We also shared more lettuce with our neighbours at Inn From the Cold. 7

HARVEY LI Adaptable and ready for anything

Grade 5 student Harvey Li has been interested in robotics from a young age. For three years, he has been in a robotics club outside of school where he has learned about coding, design, and even been to competitions. “I really like to code, and I love to drive robots and design them, so I thought that maybe robotics is an activity that I would like to join and I really like it,” Harvey says. Through his club he has been able to further his coding and technology skills, but he has also learned some valuable life lessons along the way. “I learned that you don’t always get what you want because anything could happen. There’s always going to be mistakes. For example, you plan something, and you say it’s going to be perfect but there might be a big change, which I experienced,” he says. He has learned to be adaptable and ready for anything. One of Harvey’s favourite parts of robotics is going to competitions, not just because they’re fun but because of the time he spends learning with his peers.

“I learned that you don’t always get what you want because anything could happen.”

“I like to collaborate with other teammates and teams and seeing how everybody’s robots work to make ours better,” he says. Harvey isn’t old enough to join the robotics club at Pickering College, but he said right now his favourite co-curricular is soccer. This year he is playing defense. He began attending Pickering College in Grade 1. His favourite class right now is math and when he grows up, Harvey says he is going to be a doctor.

MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT LIFE

Costa Rica trip: From March 12–19, a group of 32 students from Grades 7 to 9 took off on an adventure through beautiful Costa Rica. They began in the La Fortuna area, where they swam at a waterfall, hiked through the rainforest, visited a dog rescue centre, toured Arenal Volcano, and soaked in hot springs. They headed to Manual Antonio Park on the Pacific Coast, where they witnessed the incredible biodiversity of the region, including sloths, white-faced monkeys, silky anteaters, tarantulas, tree frogs and even some snakes! They visited an organization called Kids Saving the Rainforest and learned about how they rehabilitate injured animals. Memories were made on the

beach, playing volleyball and watching the sunset. 1 Grade 7 Quebec trip: Students in Grade 7 immersed themselves in the French language and culture during their trip to Quebec City in April! They learned about the history and geography of the region while exploring historic streets and beautiful landscapes, including a visit to Montmorency Falls. Students had the opportunity to visit the local aquarium, participated in the Martello Towers workshop, and enjoyed dinner at a local sugar shack. 2 Keynote Speakers: Grade 6 students Arjun, Hayley, Kayla and Sofia presented at the

Climate Action Youth Forum at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. They shared their Grade 5 pollinator garden action project in front of an audience of 160 students from 32 GTA schools. The event was organized by the Learning for a Sustainable Future organization. Samantha Gawron, Manager of Programs, Engagement and Development at the organization, said they were excellent keynote speakers. 3 Indigenous education: Throughout the month of May, the Grade 6 class engaged in several crosscurricular outdoor education lessons that seamlessly integratd French and social science. One project in particular involved the

creation of fish leather as the students learned the intricate process of cleaning, tanning, and stretching the leather. 4 Service Day at Blue & Silver Farm: On June 12, 16 Middle School students helped launch Blue & Silver Farm’s first-ever garden project. They planted potatoes, corn, squash, pumpkins, sunflowers and more. The garden will offer chances for students to engage in farm-to-table sustainable agricultural learning and study and gather data on soil quality, irrigation techniques and plant biology. Students also removed 13 large bags of invasive garlic mustard to support the development of an intergenerational fireside circle. 5

ARIA MADHA Building on creativity for the real world

Grade 8 student Aria Madha has an eye for design. She is creative but doesn’t consider herself an artist. “I’m actually terrible at drawing but if I have a ruler and a pencil, I’m sure I could create a house or something. I’m good with architecture,” Aria says. “I’m creative in a way where it’s real, creating something.” Aria’s family owns a residential construction company, and she has had the opportunity to visit a lot of job sites and witness the work going on. “Whenever I see interior or exterior work, I meet builders and architects all the time and I always learn from them, and I build off of that,” she says. Her family has also moved a few times and that inspired her interest in design from an early age. “We’re actually in the process of moving houses right now, we’re building one. I just take those aspects of modern design and make houses,” Aria says.

“I’m creative in a way where it’s real, creating something.”

When asked if design or architecture is a career she could see herself in, she said yes. It is also something she has incorporated into her course work at Pickering College. In Grade 7 science last year, Aria and her group took an innovative approach to a structure project, creating a unique and luxurious design. This is Aria’s second year at Pickering College and she loves everything about it. “There’s not one bad thing about this place. It’s amazing,” she says. “Everyone’s just so nice, that’s probably the best thing. It’s just all about caring.”

SENIOR SCHOOL STUDENT LIFE

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Inaugural alumni ties: The Class of 2023 received an alumni tie and alumni pin to wear during their final months at Pickering College at an inaugural ceremony. Wearing these gifts served as a reminder to classmates of the exciting days ahead. Brooklyn Tobias ’23 and Shyam Subramanyam ’23 led the alumni tie creation through their Capstone projects. Moving forward, we are pleased to continue the tie and pin tradition every school year in the fall term. 1

STEM week: Senior School celebrated STEM week in March with challenges including Nerdle, math problem of the day, a science photo contest, a coding challenge, and our annual Advisor Group Design and Build Challenge. This year the task was to build the tallest tower that would support the weight of a 500 mL can using only thirty pieces of paper and a roll of tape. Ms. Simon’s group was declared the winner of this year’s challenge! We wrapped up the week

of growing these plants together. PC hosted the Sutton students in April and students discussed Quaker values and the educational curriculum at Pickering College. Students Sutton High School exchange: Four PC students from both schools planned a leadership conference for visited Sutton High School on a short student exchange. the fall of 2023 that explored Indigenizing democracy. 3 They experienced a day in the life of Georgina Island Italy trips: Over March students. They enjoyed Break, two groups of homemade Three Sisters students (Grades 9/10 and soup for lunch and learned Grades 11/12) jetted off all about the significance to Italy for 10-day trips. of Three Sisters crops and The spring weather was the ecological advantages celebrating Pi day on March 13 and Joel Bolivar, in Grade 11, set a new PC record, successfully reciting 451 digits of pi. 2

incredible, and students spent their days soaking up the Italian culture in Florence, Venice (11s/12s only), Sorrento and Rome. Among the highlights were the spectacular art galleries, delicious food, fascinating historic sights, breathtaking coastal vistas and many delicious cappuccinos. 4,5 Switzerland trip: Nine Senior School students travelled to Verbier, Switzerland during the second week of March Break to ski and snowboard in the

Alps. Verbier is part of the vast 4 Vallées system in the French-speaking canton of Valais, Switzerland. For the past two years Verbier has been voted the world’s best ski resort. Students enjoyed the experience of skiing and snowboarding above the treeline in the mountains. Six students took a day away from the pistes to visit the capital city of Bern. They visited the Communications Museum, did some shopping and enjoyed lunch in the city. 6

UK exchange in March: Three Pickering College Senior School students visited Brighton College, UK, for a two-week exchange program. They participated in classes and school life while enjoying cultural experiences in Brighton and London. They also spent a day in Poland, visiting Holocaust sites including Auschwitz. 7 Math Contests: In February, 83 students in Grades 9-11 wrote the Pascal/ Cayley/Fermat math

contest developed by the University of Waterloo. About 50,000 students take part worldwide. Many PC students finished in the top 25 per cent of all contestants in Ontario. A provincial honour roll is compiled for these contests and both Anthea Huang and Phoebe Kuang earned a place on this distinguished list. Anthea placed 42nd out of 7,295 students in Ontario for the Pascal contest and Phoebe placed 3rd out of 5,760 students in Ontario for the Fermat contest. 8

SENIOR SCHOOL STUDENT LIFE

Python programming: The Grade 11 computer science students put their coding skills to the test with a Python program to play RPSLS, a variation of the classic game Rock Paper Scissors that includes two additional options, Lizard and Spock. With a combination of random events and input from previous rounds, students devised winning strategies to output their next move. These programs were put to the test in a double elimination class tournament. 1

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity: The PC JEDI Club, along with other students and faculty, proudly raised the Pride flag in June at the front of Rogers House to demonstrate our allyship with the 2SLGBTQ+ community. This is an opportunity to be reminded of Pickering College’s values of community, compassion, and respect. Thank you to everyone who makes the Pickering College community a welcoming and inclusive place for all. 2 Grade 9 eco-friendly design: As the culmination

of their year-long Global Leadership Program project, Grade 9 students presented their concepts for an eco-friendly and innovative outdoor education facility for Blue & Silver Farm. The proposed facility was to reflect the needs of the Pickering College community while demonstrating innovative and creative sustainability practices in design and construction. 3 Students visit MegaLab: Students from the Newbotics team visited MegaLab Group Inc. in

Aurora with Malcolm Boyes, a mentor for the team. MegaLab is an industry leader in environmental and regulatory testing services that engage in EMC/ EMI testing, product and safety compliance services, environmental testing, and global market access services. Students were encouraged to connect the skills they developed on their FIRST Robotics team to real-world applications, including how these skills might be applied in Pickering College’s new Makerspace. 4

CHRIS JEON A forward-thinking approach to history

Chris Jeon, Grade 12, has a love of learning, especially when looking at our past and how it shapes the future. “You can see the origins of philosophy, some philosophical ideas, and they have an impact on how our society developed,” he says. Chris came to Pickering College in Grade 9 and found it to be a lot different than the schools he had been at before. “I just like the environment. It’s pretty nice being in a school where people are similar-minded, with people that have a focus on education,” he says. Chris excels in many areas academically, but especially English, social sciences and music. He also enjoys chemistry, but his favourite courses are history and philosophy. He has been described as a forward-thinker, especially when it comes to philosophy. He credits his dad, who studied theology, with imparting that love of learning and supporting him through their regular philosophical discussions.

“I like looking at past historical events and what we can learn from them.”

“I like looking at past historical events and what we can learn from them,” Chris says. It is a theme he considered exploring in his Global Leadership Program project, but also something he is keeping in mind as he prepares for university next year. “I’m looking into history or political science majors, but nothing is set in stone,” he says. “I don’t see myself as a politician, more like an analyst. I like looking over past data and events and seeing how they correlate to decisions.”

BOARDING LIFE New boarding model offers robust programming and increased staffing stability Pickering College has implemented a new boarding staff model to improve the experience for students and boarding staff. Under the previous model, boarding staff were associate faculty, meaning they supply-taught during the day and then had to fulfill their boarding duties in the evenings. However, this often meant they were at risk of burning out. “I started to think about how could we do this differently so that boarding students who call Pickering College home from September to June get an awesome experience with motivated, energetic, committed people,” says Laura Mason, Executive Director, Boarding & Health Services. She also wanted to find a way to bring consistency to the students in boarding, which could be challenging as the role of associate faculty was often transient, with people coming and going every year. In 2019, a consultant was brought in to examine how Pickering College could move away from what’s known as the triple-threat boarding model — where boarding staff teach, coach, and work as dons — that many independent schools employ. Throughout the consultation, Mason says it was important to consider not how we’ve always done things, but how we can do things moving forward to make it supportive and meet people’s needs. A new model was established with staff that are dedicated just to boarding, without any teaching responsibilities. In 2020, part of the model was implemented with the hiring of one permanent house director for each residence. Previously, this was a contract role; making it permanent offers more consistency for students. However, the pandemic and its impact on boarding meant the rest of the transformation was put off until August of this year, when the model was fully introduced. Working with the house directors are two house parents in each residence. These are also permanent positions who live on campus. Instead of associate faculty, there are now seven dons, also living on campus, assigned throughout the boarding program. Their hours won’t be the typical 9-to-5; instead, they will have their days free for work-life balance and deliver an improved boarding program during evenings and weekends. “They will plan activities, but they will have enough in their gas tanks to deliver really good programming for the kids, which was ultimately the goal of this,” Mason says. She says working solely in boarding benefits the staff’s wellbeing and benefits the students with a more robust program and more stability. She also says this model will improve connection with parents, as boarding staff will have even more time and energy to dedicate to communicating with them. For the 115 boarding students in New House, Firth House, and the ESL Boarding Academy, Pickering College is their home for 10 months out of the year and many students return year after year. “I want to make sure they have a great experience. I want to make sure that when they leave to go to university, that we have helped them develop to the best of their ability, and they need support to do that,” Mason says. Throughout the year, boarding students receive support from their dons, house parents, and other staff. They also develop friendships that last a lifetime and enjoy shared meals, excursions, and activities, with something for everyone. This transformation allows that programming to be even better than before. “I think what it will give is greater supervision, more energy, a more robust program. [The dons’] primary responsibility is student support and care and programming. We want our evening program to be something for everyone,” Mason says. “We really do encourage [students] to get involved and to be able to have an excellent academic experience here and academic support in the evening, but also an excellent social and developmental experience.”

Executive Director Boarding & Health Services

Boarding Administrator

House Director, Firth House

House Parents

Boarding Dons

House Director, New House

House Parents

Boarding Dons

Experiential, meaningful New partnership with Queen’s University to transform how children are educated In the spring, Pickering College announced an innovative partnership with Queen’s University to offer a new postgraduate certificate for educators. The mission of the PostGraduate Certificate in Experiential Education and Global Leadership is to empower teachers to extend their teaching practices outside of the classroom into real-world contexts, so every student’s learning experience is holistic, purposedriven, and ignites wonder, passion and curiosity. The goal is for every student to have the ability and responsibility to make the world greater, better and more beautiful than they found it, just as Pickering College students have aspired to for generations. “Schools are really looking for teachers who have the whole package,” says Julia Hunt, Assistant Head of School, Strategic Initiatives. “It’s one thing to be a qualified English or science teacher, but really, what makes an amazing educator is someone that also knows how to develop a program that is comprehensive in experiential education. By going above and beyond their subject specializations, we think this certificate will help teachers to develop as practitioners and make them highly employable.” The certificate was inspired by the thought leadership of two giants of progressive education—Duncan McArthur, a distinguished Queen’s University graduate and visionary leader, and Joseph McCulley, a pioneer of the project-

oriented approach to education who served as Headmaster at Pickering College from 1927 to 1948. McCulley believed education’s primary goal was to prepare students to contribute to society, with an emphasis on the balance between individual and social needs. Inspired by John Dewey’s philosophy, McCulley was well ahead of his time in recognizing the world’s interdependence and the impact of this group outlook. “At Pickering College, one of our fundamental principles, which goes back to Joseph McCulley, is that kids have to learn by experiencing—that is why we are so excited about this partnership with Queen’s University because they believe that too,” says Hunt. “When students are learning in the field, whether it is through outdoor education, community service, volunteering or building and testing something, experiences like this make learning real. It gives students a sense of purpose, makes them feel good about what they’re doing, and makes them feel useful—because when they feel like there is a purpose, they engage a lot further.” To earn the post-graduate certificate, teachers will need to complete five Additional Qualifications (AQ) courses (two mandatory and three electives from a set of five choices). When the teacher completes the required courses, they will receive advanced standing that counts towards 20 per cent completion of the professional master’s degree program

For more information about the Post-Graduate Certificate in Experiential Education and Global Leadership, visit 22

and purposeful at Queen’s University. At the conclusion of the five courses, teachers will receive a post-graduate certificate from Queen’s University and a certificate in global leadership from Pickering College. “There is a tremendous amount of synergy between our two educational institutions, which is what makes this partnership such a great fit,” says Dr. Cinde Lock, Head of School at Pickering College and alumna of Queen’s University. “Experiential education has always been a key part of learning at Pickering College. To have the opportunity to share our expertise with other teachers through this post-graduate certificate is so meaningful, and it will broaden the impact we can collectively have on students to affect positive change.” “We are thrilled to be working with Pickering College on this exciting program, which will inspire teachers to design learning that transcends the curriculum and will transform how they educate children,” says Dr. Rebecca Luce-Kapler, Dean, Faculty of Education, Queen’s University. The first cohort for the Post-Graduate Certificate in Experiential Education and Global Leadership began their studies in September. Among them are three Pickering College faculty members: Sarah Demarco (Junior School), Amanda Hamm (Middle School) and Emily van Nostrand (Senior School).

t www.pickeringcollege.on.ca/queens 23

In Conver Niki Mehta

Design, Technology and Innovation Teacher Q. What is your educational background? I have a master’s degree in science from York University and a bachelor of education from Ontario Tech University. I am also an IICT (Integration of Information and Computer Technology) Specialist. Q. What are four adjectives that best describe yourself? Curious, compassionate, thoughtful, logical Q. What is something you are proud of when it comes to teaching? I take great pride in the positive influence my classes have had on students. There’s nothing more fulfilling than hearing a student express how much they enjoyed one of my classes and share how the things they learned significantly shaped their lives and career choices. Q. What is it that drew you to teaching? I am a lifelong learner and enjoy learning new things. Being a teacher inherently involves new learning and sharing it with others.

“The best thing about my job is that I get to be creative and innovative every single day.”

Q. Tell me about your work with technology and how you’re incorporating it into different classes? I’m collaborating with the Director of IT and the Director of Teaching and Learning to evaluate the school’s technological requirements and determine which Makerspace technologies and programs to introduce. My objective for this year is to partner with teachers and divisional heads to develop at least one distinctive project in each division. These projects will be engaging, hands-on, have real-world connections and will involve community partners. I’m currently teaching the Grade 8 Design and Build course, which is a scheduled class that takes place in the Makerspace. I am also coaching the Middle School VEX robotics team, which meets in the Makerspace during co-curricular time. Beyond these responsibilities, I’m actively engaged in certain high-priority projects, which I am experimenting with in the Makerspace and am eager to bring into our classrooms soon. The remainder of my time is dedicated to self-training and collaborative discussions with administrators and teachers, exploring projects they wish to pursue.

sation with: Q. What is your favourite piece of equipment in the Makerspace? My favourite piece of equipment is the Cricut smart cutter. I’ve used it for a variety of projects in the past, such as stickers, T-shirts, mugs, jewelry, wall decals and so much more. It’s always been a big hit with students and they are often amazed by its capabilities and the quality of its products. Q. What interests do you pursue outside of the classroom? I enjoy yoga, hiking, cooking, traveling with my family and watching Hindi movies. Q. What is something most people don’t know about you? I am a nature buff. Regardless of how busy my schedule may be, I make time for a short walk every day to calm my mind and reconnect with myself. Q. What is the best thing about your job? The best thing about my job is that I get to be creative and innovative every single day. I get to try out and tinker with new gadgets and gizmos and then I get to play with them all over again with the students in the classroom. Q. If you weren’t following this particular career path, what would you be doing? I can’t imagine doing anything other than teaching. I think this is what I was born to do!

Congratulations Kindergrads

8 K Congratulations Kindergrads! On Tuesday, June 13, our seven Senior Kindergarten students graduated at a ceremony attended by their families, friends and teachers. Each student shared their fondest memory of their time in Kindergarten and what they would like to be when they grow up, before receiving their diplomas. Congratulations!

Congratulations Grade 8 Graduates! Our Grade 8 students celebrated the conclusion of their Middle School years with a special dinner and dance on June 9. On June 14, we celebrated their academic achievements as they graduated from the Middle School to the Senior School. The students received their diplomas, and a number of awards were presented. Congratulations!

and Grade 8 Graduates!

Ishaan Mehta: Valedictorian, Instrumental Music Subject Award, Grade 9 Math Subject Award, Social Studies Subject Award, Phys Ed Subject Award, Language Arts Subject Award, GLP Distinction, Middle School Scholar, Steward Award Sophia Di Cresce: Design and Innovation Subject Award Ryan He: Instrumental Music Subject Award, Grade 9 Math Subject Award Nathan Hu: Grade 8 Math Subject Award Kyle Johnson: Rogers Cane Allan Lin: Good Friend Award Ryan Liu: GLP Distinction John Perry: Steward Award Sunny Sun: GLP Distinction, Community Service Award Agnes Yang: Visual Arts Subject Award, GLP Distinction, Steward Award Claire Yao: Public Speaking & Debate Subject Award, Student Committee Chair Martina Zhang: French Subject Award, Science Subject Award, GLP Distinction

Congratulations Class of 2023!

Congratulations to the Class of 2023, as they make their way into the world as creative, innovative, and courageous agents of ethical and positive change, true to Quaker values. This year’s graduates hail from the Bahamas, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, St. Lucia, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Vietnam. Our graduates exemplify and live the Quaker values of social responsibility and service leadership, and Pickering College is proud of their accomplishments. About the Class of 2023 • 91 per cent achieved the Global Leadership Diploma • 88 per cent are graduating as Ontario Scholars, earning an average of 80 per cent or greater in their six best Grade 12 courses • 100 per cent university acceptance • Graduates will be attending universities at home and abroad this fall in Australia, Canada (British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec), England, Italy, Scotland, Switzerland, and the United States (California, Indiana, Michigan, South Carolina)

Grade 12 Commencement Awards

Lisa Fedyna: French Certificate

Esteban Pantano: Four Pillars Award

Weston Foulds: Broadcaster of the Year Award

Raul Mena Perez: Widdrington Award, Student Committee Co-Chairs Award, Athlete of the Year Award

Georgia Galeota: Spanish Certificate Ava Gu: Good Friend Award, Modern Languages Subject Award, Stewards Award, French Certificate Bryan Jiang: Cyril Howarth Fine Arts Award, Widdrington Award, Computer Science Subject Award, English Subject Award, Math Subject Award, Stewards Award, Instrumental Music Award Oscar Jiang: French Book Award, French Certificate Danica Khanna: Valedictorian, Widdrington Award, Lieutenant Governor’s Community Volunteer Award, K-12 “Lifer” Graduate, French Certificate

Hannah Kim: Widdrington Award, K-12 “Lifer” Graduate, Blackstock Award

Joel Bolivar: Spanish Certificate

Venice Leung: Widdrington Award

Ethan Bonerath: Zetzl Family Science Award, Widdrington Award, Farmer Environmental Stewardship Award

Jessie Li: Widdrington Award, Student Committee Co-Chairs Award, French Certificate

Rebecca Brundage: Vocal Music Award

Ella MacAlpine: Harry M. Beer Award, Joshua Weinzweig Contest Winner–Poetry

Jean-Marc Cherche: French Certificate Tyler Da Ponte: Newmarket Historical Society’s Award, Joshua Weinzweig Contest Winner–Literary Merit

Smetine Kurath: Broadcaster of the Year Award, French Certificate

Jacob Matthews: Humanities Subject Award Javir Obhan: Business Subject Award

Kate Provkina: French Certificate Aliyah Salyani: Spanish Certificate Behrad Sharghi: Good Friend Award, Widdrington Award Sarah Simpson: French Certificate Shyam Subramanyam: Widdrington Award, Garratt Cane (Elwood Garratt Award), French Certificate Brooklyn Tobias: Four Pillars Award Julian Visco: K-12 “Lifer” Graduate Sara Wietzes: Spanish Certificate, Joshua Weinzweig Contest Winner–Short Story Amanda Yang: Visual Arts Subject Award Stella Yuan: Science Subject Award, Stewards Award Victoria Zalewski: Joshua Weinzweig Memorial Literary Award, Governor General’s Academic Bronze Medallion, Widdrington Award, Canadian & World Studies Subject Award, Math Subject Award, University of Toronto National Book Award, Stewards Award, French Certificate

Power of positive influence For Peggy Pan and William Zeng, philanthropy is an interest their family has developed since they arrived in Canada in 1999. “I read somewhere that Canada is one of the top countries that has the most nonprofit organizations, so I think giving is part of our culture,” says Peggy. “Many of our friends, who have lived in Canada long enough, all share a similar mentality for giving and have been enjoying these experiences. Back home in China, there are also nonprofit organizations but it’s not part of our daily life. For newcomers to Canada, it does take time to figure out how to give back to the community because of these differences, and once we start participating in the donations, we then would appreciate this kind of culture very much. Whenever we can, we try to share with the people around us so that they could enjoy this kind of experience as well.” Peggy and William, both working within the financial services sector, are the proud parents of Laura, a Grade 12 student, and Jeffrey, who is in Grade 8. The Zeng family places education and children at the forefront of their philanthropic endeavors. “We know that education is one way to help us to get established in society— that’s important—and also it helps us to become better people. So that’s really something, for us, that is easy to relate to,” Peggy explains. Last fall, Peggy attended a presentation on the plans for West Lake House, at a Pickering College Association (PCA) coffee social, a pivotal morning that she found to be very inspiring. “They showed us the floor plans and it almost felt like going shopping for your whole house,” Peggy laughs. “There happened to be these two meeting rooms (with naming opportunities) and my friend (Kimmy) and I were chatting and we thought ‘okay, let’s do this together’ and that’s how we decided. I came home and talked to William and he thought it was a wonderful idea.” Peggy and William gave a transformative gift to West Lake House, wanting to make a meaningful contribution to the school’s future. “I like something that is tangible, so I particularly like this project,” explains William. “You feel like you can contribute, and you can see it built from the ground up. It’s going to benefit not just this year, or just my kids, but many generations.” “We feel it’s an opportunity for us to leave a family footprint, and that’s something our kids will see too. Whenever they go back to visit, even after their graduation, they can still feel like ‘this is my school.’ They should be proud,” says Peggy.

“You can see the power of positive influence. You have children in the community, and you see the school makes the kids and parents proud, and the parents influence each other.” –William Zeng

DONOR PROFILE: PEGGY PAN & WILLIAM ZENG Give to West Lake House

Peggy and William hope that by sharing their story they will inspire others to contribute to the school. Hearing about the generous donations that came before theirs is something they found to be truly inspiring. We have the same intention to help the school whenever we can, as much as we can,” says Peggy. “There are many ways of providing support—by contributing time, energy, knowledge or resource networks. It’s not just one-time help.”

West Lake House Pickering College’s new

academic building West Lake House is well underway. The site services work was completed over the summer and now we see the walls going up. Everyone can watch the progress on our website at

www.pickeringcollege.on.ca/community/construction-updates

Construction is not without surprises, as we experienced at the beginning of June. While completing rough grading in preparation for site services work, the watermain was struck at the northeast corner of the site. Despite locate work and drawings from the town, the location of the watermain was not accurate. Repairs were completed over the summer and we are still on schedule for a February 2025 completion.

Your continued generosity is needed to build West Lake House $46,200,000 BUILDING COST

A cistern was installed to capture rainwater runoff from the building and will be used to water the grounds, one of many sustainable features of this building. You can see a short video of the cistern installation on our West Lake House updates page on the website. We are 70 per cent tendered and we are on target financially. Thanks to the remarkable support and leadership from our community, we have raised $29,300,000 for West Lake House. To reach our building cost of $46,200,000, there is a $15,000,000 bank loan and we are seeking the remaining $1,900,000 through philanthropic support. We look forward to not only welcoming students and staff to West Lake House but also having parents, alumni and the broader community join us for special events. We are excited about what this visionary build will mean for our students, our programs and for the entire Pickering College community. We are grateful for your support of this historic addition to Pickering College and know you share our anticipation for the inspired learning and collaborating that will happen in West Lake House.

$29,300,000

FUNDS RAISED AS OF JUNE 30, 2023

Thanks to the remarkable support and leadership from our community, we have raised $29.3 million to move forward with the development of West Lake House. Yet, we know there is more to be done to support this visionary space and create the greatest possible benefit for our students and the wider community.

$15,000,000 BANK LOAN

Collective effort brings about real change “We want to contribute and we want to make a difference, and hopefully a lot of people will be influenced by that spirit as well.” –C.K. Tsui

DONOR PROFILE: KIMMY & C.K. TSUI

Pickering College parents Kimmy and C.K. Tsui, originally from Hong Kong, have called Canada home for five years. Their daughter Melody, Grade 12, is now in her final year at the school. Education has always been a philanthropic passion for the family, inspired by Kimmy’s grandmother who opened the first private kindergarten in their hometown and who made education and charitable giving a priority. Kimmy and C.K., who have made a transformative gift to West Lake House, are humble about their contribution to the build. “Our mission is to make a difference—we don’t think we are doing a lot and we can’t change the whole world. But we believe with a little bit of contribution of ourselves, we can make a difference,” says C.K. “Even though my daughter will not be here when they finish West Lake House completely, I think the future students of Pickering College will benefit from the better education and the better environment,” adds Kimmy. The Tsui family attended the West Lake House sod-turning event that took place in November 2022, where the architect spoke about the plans for the facility. One of the aspects of the design that most excited them was what the auditorium will mean for the drama program for future students, something their daughter Melody is passionate about. “What inspired us is that we always say that education is the most important, and we believe that will change the world, so that is why we want to contribute,” explains C.K. Not only has their transformative gift impacted the school, but the school itself has impacted their family in return. They are profoundly grateful to Pickering College, as they have watched Melody thrive thanks to her teachers, the learning environment and the values taught by the school. “We want to contribute and we want to make a difference, and hopefully a lot of people will be influenced by that spirit as well,” says C.K.

Give to West Lake House

“A lot of people think that normally donors are more elite, but actually research shows that giving publicly leads to more happiness and satisfaction,” says Kimmy. “No matter how small your contribution, we can all make a difference—it is the collective effort of the individual that brings about real change.” For Kimmy and C.K., giving goes beyond making a financial contribution. They encourage everyone to be as generous with their time by becoming involved, wherever possible.“ During charitable giving, the most important thing I would say is get involved. And don’t just say ‘I’m donating so much of a gift or whatever’— it’s not enough. Get involved. I strongly believe the students are going to make a change and create a difference in the world,” C.K. emphasizes. “It’s not what you give, it’s not how much you give, it’s about participation.”

ALUMN I CONNEC TIONS

3 Pictured L-R: Roger Veale ’61, Ron Veale ’63, Cynthia Veale

1940s

the Rooters club, the Thirty club, and In memoriam, Edward Richardson ’45, the Quantum club. After eight years on staff, he left Pickering College to alumnus, former teacher, Board and continue teaching at Victoria Park Corporation member, died peacefully Secondary School with a teaching at home on July 30, 2023. Ed grew up career that eventually spanned 35 in Toronto but moved to Newmarket years. A celebration of his life was held to attend high school at Pickering at Pickering College with friends and College, where he was involved in family. 1 several clubs, the student committee, and most notably the basketball and 1950s football teams. He is remembered In memoriam, John Joel Gates in past editions of The Voyageur as Cameron ’54 passed away peacefully a “good team man” and “one of the on February 15, 2023. A resident foremost members of the school.” He of Pelham Manor, New York for 51 graduated in 1945 and after earning years, Joel cherished his childhood degrees in science at the University summers spent at Camp Ahmek on of Toronto, he returned to Pickering Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park. After College as a teacher in 1955. Teaching and coaching were two of his passions. graduating from PC, Joel earned a BA in economics from Queen’s University During Ed’s time at Pickering College and an MA in economics from Cornell he taught chemistry, coached football University. After his studies, Joel and basketball, and led clubs such as

moved to New York City to start his career in finance. Joel retired in 2012 after a 49-year career. While he lived in New York, Joel faithfully supported the Toronto Maple Leafs (and the New York Rangers). 2

1960s

In memoriam, alumnus and former board member, Roger Veale ’61 passed away on June 23, 2023. Roger enjoyed a passionate career and colourful personal life. He was a dedicated science teacher, vice principal and principal in the Toronto District School Board. Roger was an avid rower at the University of Toronto, enjoyed cycling, running marathons, and playing rugby. In fact, Roger was admitted to the Aurora Barbarians Rugby Club Hall of Fame in July 2023. Roger is survived by his wife of 56 years, Cynthia. 3

In memoriam, William ‘Bill’ F. Carroll ’64 passed away in the early morning of March 3, 2021. He is survived by his wife Brenda of 50 years, his daughter, Lisa, and son, Garrin. A businessman and avid fisherman, Bill was also a big Blue Jays fan and enjoyed exploring science subjects such as computer technology and botany in his retirement. Bill was a talented designer and constructor. He built his own fishing boat and completed extensions to his family home. 4

1970s

In memoriam, former staff member Aida Azzopardi passed away on August 20, 2021. Aida was a member of the kitchen staff from 1976 to 2000. Aida is survived by her daughters, and will be fondly remembered by staff and alumni that knew her. In her

retirement, Aida would tell stories about a student she called “the cookie monster.” 5

1980s

In memoriam, Doreen Labrash passed away on June 30, 2023. Her impact on the PC community leaves us reflecting on the deep influences staff can have on the lives of so many. Doreen managed the bookstore at Pickering College from the late 1970s to the early 2000s. During her time at PC, Doreen additionally took on a role as mother figure for many students, which was especially appreciated by those who were far away from home. Known for her no-nonsense approach, and equally kind heart, Doreen forged many deep friendships with staff and students alike, maintaining those bonds long into her retirement.

Pictured: Doreen Labrash with alumni Tatsuhiro Ono ’97 and Scott Cowling ’97; Chris Campbell ’87, Peter Maresch ’85, John Beer ’85, David Drain ’89, Grant Nickalls ’89 and Keith Singer ’88 at Doreen’s Celebration of Life. 6,7 After closing out his final PC gala, Steve Widdrington ’83 is enjoying his summer playing ball, golfing, and taking weekend getaways. Steve’s children are hitting 40, 36, and 34 years old this year along with three incredible grandkids! As always, Steve keeps Pickering College front and centre to help in any way. Thank you, Steve, for your support of alumni events and your incredible attention to detail in PC galas dating back to 2007. 8

ALUMN I CONNEC TIONS

1980s continued

Welcome back to the Hilltop, Osman Kitchell ’85. Osman is living in Hong Kong with his wife, Candy, and son, Casper. They recently purchased a home in Stouffville, Ontario, and hope to move to Canada next year. Osman is the Chairman and Executive Director at Imagi International. Imagi specializes in the production, distribution and marketing of computer graphic imaging technologies and animated motion pictures. They were visiting family in town and decided to show their son, Casper, where they hope to send him to school for Grade 5. It was wonderful to see Osman take a trip down memory lane, through the boarding houses, gymnasium, and chemistry lab. 1 For years, Steve Barratt ’86 had been hearing about a gravel endurance

cycling race in Emporium, Kansas. After researching racers’ accounts, he decided to try entering the lottery to race. Months later it was official; Steve and his fellow cycling friends would travel to Kansas to compete. During their road trip, they stopped in Hannibal, Missouri, and visited Mark Twain’s boyhood home on the Mississippi River. With four thousand racers trying to outdo each other on hard-packed gravel, train crossings, mud, heat and rain, race day was total adrenaline. Steve made it to the finish line just before an oncoming storm hit the area and organizers asked all riders to take cover in a church basement until the storm passed. 2 Welcome back to Patrick Tsang ’86 who hasn’t visited the Hilltop since graduation. Patrick is living in Stuart, Florida, with his wife and children. In

July, Patrick was visiting his uncle in Markham and decided to stop by the school for a tour. Patrick was thrilled to walk the familiar hallways and to see the school thriving with summer campers. 3 Grant Serra ’88 is a professional designer specializing in branding, unique vehicle trailer and boat wraps residing in Orillia, Ontario. Grant used to jet ski race and freestyle competitively; going back to his roots, he recently purchased a 1998 Kawasaki stand-up jet ski. Grant is excited to guide his daughters through life and see them develop interests of their own. He is looking forward to planning a trip to Costa Rica sometime soon. 4

1990s

Isabelle Payne ’98 has been fighting inflammatory triple negative breast

cancer and is excited to share that she is cancer-free. Isabelle thanks her PC community for all their support during this difficult year. Her outlook and priorities have changed. She is living a simpler life. This includes spending more time with loved ones and doing more gardening, reading, and going for long walks with her dog Pearl. This past summer, Isabelle swam 500m in Lake Simcoe every day for thirty days to raise awareness of her rare type of breast cancer. 5

2000s

Since leaving his job in Australia in 2015, Max St. John ’04 has been travelling the world with his wife, Oksana. Max and Oksana run a travel website called drinkteatravel.com where they focus on sustainable travel – creating articles, social media content, and travel guide videos. When

they’re not traveling, they’re catching up with friends and family in the Greater Toronto Area or down in Costa Rica. In September, Max and Oksana travelled to Japan for six weeks. 6 Following university, Isaiah BayleyHay ’07 moved from Mississauga to Georgetown with his wife, Amanda, and their two children. Isaiah is working in real estate for Sam McDadi Real Estate and services regions within a few hours of Halton Hills. Isaiah is still playing ball hockey and ice hockey. When he isn’t working or playing hockey, Isaiah enjoys spending time with his kids. Isaiah is looking forward to watching his children grow and discover what they enjoy. 9 Congratulations to Erik Paige ’08 on tying the knot with his husband, Kyle Mottley. Erik and Kyle got married on

June 3, 2023, on a beautiful day at Graydon Hall Manor. They’re living in downtown Toronto with their little dog Leia. Erik is a realtor and Kyle works in home staging. Erik and Kyle look forward to planning their honeymoon and travelling the world! 7 Congratulations to Shauna McConnell ’08 who got engaged to Sean Phelan in Tasmania, Australia, in July 2023. Shauna and Sean live on the Bellarine near Melbourne, Australia. Shauna runs her own business, Lily Graham Communications and Events. She manages social media, marketing, communications, branding and PR for businesses. Shauna played on the Senior Girls’ soccer team at PC and is back playing soccer in her local league where she plays in Division 1. In her spare time, she teaches dance classes. She looks forward to growing her business and travelling locally. 8

ALUMN I CONNEC TIONS

3 In June 2023, Anthony Miller ’13 travelled to Barbados with fellow Michael Scott ’12 and his family PC alumni Rahul Juta ’13, Kairav are moving to Kingston, Ontario, Juta ’17 and Ryan Gauley ’13 to as he returns to Queen’s University visit Eddy Larcombe ’14. After to complete a MSc in management finance. He will be researching impact graduating from PC and trying different careers, Anthony became a investing backed by both a McCallteacher. His teaching career has led MacBain CSFN Sustainable Finance him to interesting towns and exciting Fellowship and a Michael Durland Graduate Fellowship. Post-completion, opportunities. In September 2023, he moved to British Columbia to pursue Mike will return to Albourne Partners his teaching career in the community in their Toronto office, where he will of Ashcroft, near Kamloops. 3 resume his role as an Investment Due Diligence Analyst on the Private Nicole Foch ’13 is excited to be back Credit Team. Michael has been an at PC working as an early childhood active alumnus, attending events educator. She started working in such as Reunion Weekend 2022 the PC Kindergarten classroom in and the Student-Alumni Basketball September 2022. Nicole has brought Tournament. 1 new perspective to her work now that she is raising two boys of her own. Kristen Munro ’13 recently Married to classmate and alumnus, completed her family medicine Kyle Foch ’13, Nicole’s beautiful residency program at the University young family motivates her to do of Toronto, Newmarket site. She is the absolute best she can with the currently doing her family medicine children in her classroom. Nicole looks locum in the Greater Toronto Area. Kristen and Kyle Reid ’13 look forward forward to the upcoming school year to getting married at a local winery. 2 and meeting the new students she

2010s

will welcome as the first separate JK/ SK classes begin in September 2023. 4 Maddy Doherty ’13 and her fiancé, Calden Pollock, welcomed their baby into the world on March 21, 2023. Their daughter, Kennedy, was born 7lbs 3oz. She finally came home after a difficult four days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Maddy and Calden look forward to getting married in Ireland next year. It will be a small wedding with family and friends. Maddy is an accountant and Calden is an aircraft maintenance engineer for Bombardier. The young family is living by the lake in Keswick, Ontario. 5 Peter Philp ’14 is running sales and marketing teams at Appficiency. Appficiency sells governance and workflow software solutions for Microsoft applications. Peter is also preparing for the GMAT exam and plans to pursue an MBA in the fall of 2024. In his free time, Peter is taking flying lessons at Billy Bishop Airport to get his pilot’s license. Living in the St. Lawrence

neighbourhood of Toronto, Peter keeps up with recreational sports like hockey and squash. In the summertime, he often escapes the city to go boating and fishing up north. Peter looks forward to pursuing his MBA and discovering where he’ll continue his education. 6 Chris Farmer ’17 earned a BA in game design from Sheridan College in 2021. Since then, he has transitioned from being an unemployed student living in his parents’ basement to being an independent contractor living and working in his parents’ basement. He has worked on a game that is currently under development in stealth mode and is now working for Lofty Sky Games. Chris also recently completed a Writing for Video Games Certificate at the University of British Columbia. He is looking forward to seeing his current project launch to the public. 7 Alyssa Nunn ’17 joined PC full time in the fall as a Senior School math and science teacher. Alyssa completed the concurrent education program at

Queen’s University, obtaining a BA in education. After graduating in 2022, she taught at a variety of schools. Alyssa is an active alumna, attending multiple reunions and alumni events. Alyssa has worked at the ESL Summer Camp at PC for three summers. Alyssa is excited to have the opportunity to work alongside the role models who inspired her to become a teacher. Alyssa looks forward to getting involved in the athletics program and coaching at PC. 8 Dalton Slind ’18 enjoyed his summer working at Pickering College on the Facilities staff. He graduated from St. Francis Xavier in 2023 where he completed a BA in Music, Jazz Performance. Dalton had plans to return to school to pursue a BA in Education but has since decided to take time off to work and explore the jazz scene in downtown Toronto. 9

2020s

Jocelyn ‘Josie’ Hadden ’20 is in her fourth year of business school at Western University and has been very

active in university life. In December 2022, Josie helped organize a vigil to remember the 14 women murdered at L’École Polytechnique in Montreal in 1989. Josie led and organized the event with her professor, Dr. Kendra Coulter. Josie also curated TEDxWesternU: The Butterfly Effect, which gathered 100 in-person delegates and 1,700 online delegates. One of their speakers, Marjorie Aunos, reached over 100,000 views after publishing to TED’s platform! Josie is excited to attend TEDWomen in Atlanta, Georgia, on a full scholarship provided by Huron University. 10 Jaden Duyn ’20, Danica Khanna ’23, Morgan Hammell ’23, Max Verbeek ’22, Grace Still ’21, Erica Cameron ’22 and Sydney Desforges ’21 had an epic summer leading almost 500 campers on daily activities and excursions at the PC Summer Camp. Highlights of the summer include: the Blue & Silver Farm, theme day Fridays, and becoming a close team. 11

102.7 CHOP FM receives approval for community broadcasting licence In August, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved Pickering College’s application for a broadcasting licence to operate an Englishlanguage community FM radio station in Newmarket. The new community radio station licence will replace the low-power English-language campus radio station licence currently held by CHOP FM Newmarket but will use the same frequency, 102.7 FM. Pickering College is the only JK to Grade 12 school in Canada with a CRTC-licensed radio station, and since its inception, students have actively participated in creating content. Since 2007, CHOP FM has played a vital role within the wider Newmarket community. This new licence will mean CHOP FM can increase its community programming and outreach, broadcasting 126 hours of volunteer-hosted programming per week, of which 100 per cent would be devoted to local programming that relates to social, economic, and community issues. CHOP FM will continue to feature music in the alternative, rock, pop, jazz, and folk categories, along with airtime dedicated to special interest music and local talent. Pickering College anticipates completing the conversion to a community radio station by August 2025. “Realizing this goal would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the members of the entire CHOP FM advisory committee. I would like to extend my profound gratitude to Jim Waters, David “Geets” Haydu, Brian Purdy ’56, Alex Au Yong, Ian Johnston, Rita Cugini, Andrew Forsyth, Peter Sturrup and Gareth Sturrup, whose visionary leadership and tireless efforts to attain a community license for CHOP FM have finally been realized,” says Dr. Cinde Lock, Head of School. “Having a radio station so greatly enriches the programming we are able to offer our students. We are so thrilled to be able to grow our program over the next two years to be able to welcome in the entire community.” “Attaining a community licence is a transformative step forward for Pickering College and the communities of Newmarket and Aurora,” says Jim Waters, dedicated Pickering College alumni parent and former owner of CHUM Limited. “The CRTC is very careful with regard to licence renewals and issuing new licences such as this one. It simply does not happen if the applicant has not done what they promised. Gareth Sturrup and Ian Johnston, along with others, have made sure that CHOP FM kept its promises over the years. I feel that was a key to CHOP being awarded a community licence. I know that all of us look forward to the challenges and opportunities this new licence will present to the college and the community!” CHOP FM was made possible thanks to a generous donation from the Waters family in 2007 and whose ongoing support has meant hundreds of local and international students have benefited from their gift to the school.

ALUMNI KEYSTONE AWARD

Celebrating Pickering College Young Alumni On May 24, Pickering College hosted a special celebration in recognition of the nominees, finalists and recipients of the inaugural Alumni Keystone Award and the Agent of Change Community Award. Pickering College is honoured to announce the 2023 Alumni Keystone Award Recipient, Nico Macias’14. We are also pleased to name four 2023 Alumni Keystone Finalists: Tara Bhardwaj ’11, Amanda Brissenden ’11, Josephine Kanu ’16, and Carter Powis ’10.

Amanda Brissenden ’11 Combining expertise in health sciences research and a passion for community service within clinical Tara is a dynamic community medicine. leader helping others give Amanda is a biomedical back to their communities engineering research through philanthropy and scientist pursuing a doctor volunteerism. She has an of medicine at the University impressive career in the of Alberta. Her impressive nonprofit sector, currently academic journey includes working with the Nature a doctor of philosophy in Conservancy of Canada applied science at Queen’s managing the donor University, where she services team. She is also achieved first place in the working towards a master’s Queen’s Three Minute Thesis degree in leadership and Competition and third place community engagement provincially. As a passionate with York University. Tara’s community volunteer, she impactful involvement was honoured with the includes volunteering as 2021 Ontario Volunteer a board and committee Service Award for her five member with Santropol Roulant and guest lecturing years of dedicated service at Kingston General Hospital. with various community engagements. Tara Bhardwaj ’11 Helping and inspiring others to create meaningful change in their communities.

Josephine Kanu ’16 Striving to make a difference and positively impact the lives of others. Josephine is a dedicated professional committed to making a difference through work and volunteer service. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she played a vital role in a nationwide database project on emergency department admissions. Currently a clinical research coordinator at the BC Centre for Substance Use, Josephine focuses on evidence-based approaches to substance use and addiction. Josephine’s extensive history of volunteerism with her alma mater, University of British Columbia, contributed to a more inclusive, accessible campus, and helped inspire youth to become excited about learning.

Carter Powis ’10 Leading bold conversations around environmental change and sustainable practices. Carter currently serves as a senior advisor at McKinsey & Company’s Sustainability Practice while pursuing doctoral work in climate science at the University of Oxford. His expertise in climate science and its application to economic and business strategy extends beyond his work and academic studies. As a creator, producer and co-host of a Spotify podcast, Carter helps bring attention to climate change and mental health through conversations with worldleading experts such as former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore.

KEYSTONE A L UM N I AWA R D CALL FOR NOMINATIONS The Alumni Keystone Award recognizes the outstanding contributions our young alumni make in their fields to leave our world greater, better and more beautiful than they discovered it. A keystone is the wedge-shaped piece at the crown of the arch, something on which associated pieces depend on for support. Similarly, our young alumni are emerging community leaders who others depend on for inspiration, guidance and action. AWARD CRITERIA & ELIGIBILITY The nominated individual will: • Demonstrate excellence in their field of endeavour, either in their career, academic achievement or in a volunteer service, striving for mastery and continued life-long learning, exemplifying: “Learning for Life. Creating the Future.”

2023 Alumni Keystone Award Recipient

Nico Macias ’14

Enabling unprecedented access to space and advancing satellite internet technology for societal benefit.

Nico’s impactful work as an engineer at SpaceX has focused on enhancing the launch rate and reliability of the Falcon vehicle. His work contributed to cost-effective satellite missions and the first portion of the Starlink constellation to be placed into orbit. This technology is revolutionizing internet connectivity worldwide, forging new paths for rural and Indigenous communities lacking affordable internet and proving to be a vital tool for disaster relief efforts, demonstrated by its valuable use in Ukraine.

• Demonstrate Quaker values, supporting the vision and mission of the Global Leadership Program, to be: “creative, innovative and courageous agents of ethical and positive change, true to Quaker values.” • Be at minimum 5 years out since having graduated from Pickering College, or if they left the school before graduation, be affiliated with a class year that graduated in 2019 or earlier. • Be younger than 35 years old, or be a member of the Class of 2007–Class of 2019. For example: • They have demonstrated that their current work has, or will have, the potential to advance the field they are in (e.g. ground-breaking research, innovation that could include the creation of new products, frameworks for improved delivery models of services, taking action on a particular problem). • They have mentored and continue to mentor individuals within their field, further expanding their knowledge and advancing their field by supporting and inspiring others. • Their work has had a noticeable influence locally and/or globally.

NOMINATE SOMEONE FOR THE ALUMNI KEYSTONE AWARD at www.pickeringcollege.on.ca/community/alumni/keystone-award Nominations will be accepted until March 31, 2024.

Why volunteer? Connection, fun, fulfillment and a sense of honour COMMUNITY PROFILE: SUSAN COOPER One of Susan Cooper’s first encounters with Pickering College was when she attended the Holiday Home Tour. It was one of the very first home tours and she had a friend who was a home captain. When her grandson Alex started Grade 3 at Pickering College in 2014, and she heard they needed volunteers, Cooper quickly stepped up. Now, Alex is in Grade 12 and Cooper has been part of the Pickering College Association (PCA), chair of the Holiday Home Tour Committee, grade representative, and has been a part of a number of events including staff appreciation, galas and golf tournaments. She was also elected to the Pickering College Corporation in 2019 and to the Board of Directors in 2020, where she currently chairs the nomination committee. “Volunteering on any Pickering College committee is memorable,” says Cooper. “And the people that are on these various committees, they're creative and they're energetic and they've got fabulous ideas and it's always inspiring to work with them.” However, after almost a decade of dedication to the school, one of her favourite volunteer experiences remains the Holiday Home Tour. “It's so exciting because it's just all the hustle and bustle and it's seeing things come together,” she says. On the Friday of the tour, she enjoys going with fellow committee members and seeing the homes, all decked out and glittering with the lights turned on. Then on the Saturday, she acts as one of the home captains and enjoys connecting with the guests, many of whom come year after year. For Cooper, there are four main reasons she says she feels compelled to give back to Pickering College: connection, fun, fulfillment, and a sense of honour. By contributing to the PC community and spending time on campus, she feels connected to the vast history of the school but also to the present and the future. “Just walking through the buildings, going through the main entrance, driving up the main drive and seeing the four pillars and the entry into Rogers House always gives me a thrill,” she says. It’s also an opportunity to be connected to her grandson, to see him with his friends and with his teachers, or to see him playing his clarinet with the band at an event. As for fun, Cooper said Pickering College is a fun place to be as there’s always something going on. Another important aspect is the sense of fulfillment she feels from volunteering. “When you're working on a committee with all of these people, these creative, energetic people creating events, and then getting to enjoy the event once everything is finished, it's immensely gratifying,” Cooper says. It is especially rewarding knowing that the events she contributes to raise funds for the school and the programming, but also support local charities.

Focused on the spirit of community, the Pickering College Association (PCA) is comprised of alumni, parents, past parents, and staff volunteers who are committed to building a welcoming and inclusive community. Throughout the school year, these volunteers work toward enhancing school life for our students. We are grateful for the difference they make in the PC community and thank them tremendously for their dedication and commitment. Volunteer opportunities include: PCA Family Mentors The PCA Family Mentors work with the Admission Office team to ensure our new families feel welcome and connected to our PC community. PCA Grade Representatives / International Family Representatives Throughout the school year, PCA Grade Representatives and International Family Representatives engage our community with communications that provide details on upcoming events and school initiatives. PCA committees PCA committees work to plan successful and engaging events such as the: • Holiday Home Tour & Seasonal Boutique • Spring Luncheon • Grandparent & Special Friends Afternoon • Gala (held every other year) • Charles F. Boyd Invitational Golf Tournament Additionally, the PCA plans a number of social “friend-raising” events including the Welcome BBQ, PCA walks, grade lunches, monthly morning socials, Saturday free skates at the Eric Veale Memorial Arena, yoga, and various guest speakers. The PCA also supports the Library Tribute Program, Sports Day, and throughout the year recognizes faculty and staff through various activities and events organized by the Staff Appreciation committee. Thank you to our amazing PCA volunteers. The impact of your work is far reaching and your focus on the spirit of community is greatly appreciated… as the saying goes: “The People are Pickering.”

THREE CHEERS

FOR OUR PC VOLUNTEERS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mirella Morra, Chair Patrick Turner ‘97, Vice-Chair Sherry Barclay Stephen Barratt ‘86 Sal Bianco Susan Cooper Beric Farmer Thomas Kim Olga Morawczynski Riane Tse ‘07 Jason Yip ____________________ CORPORATION MEMBERS Eric Akbar Sherry Barclay Stephen Barratt ‘86 Sal Bianco Reuben Bonerath Vanessa Carson Susan Cooper Michael Da Ponte Peter Dobbs ‘87 Beric Farmer Jason Foulds Jason Herod Barbara Horvath Eva Huang Trevor Hunt Thomas Kim Heward Lee ‘78 Vivian Lee Kelly Mason Isaias Medina III ‘85 Olga Morawczynski Mirella Morra Daniel Nelson Ivan Pooran ‘82 Kurt Richardson ‘02 Krystie Robinson-Vincent Tara Roy-DiClemente Claudia Schauer Colleen Sexsmith Adam Shully ‘78 Riane Tse ‘07 Patrick Turner ‘97 Ronald Veitch ‘69 Duncan Walker ‘69 Mareena Wallace ‘13

Bo Wang Roger Warren ‘51 Lee Webb Kevin Wietzes Jason Yip ____________________ BOARD COMMITTEES Campus Master Plan Patrick Turner ‘97, Chair Sal Bianco Kevin Desforges Janet Downer Julia Hunt David Lehto Cinde Lock Howard Lu Kelly Mason Mirella Morra Nicole Murphy Development Jason Yip, Chair Vanessa Carson Beth Egan Trevor Hunt Taylor Jennings Cinde Lock Isaias Medina III ‘85 Mirella Morra Jessie-May Rowntree Colleen Sexsmith Julie Sym-Wilson Bo Wang Digital Transformation Beric Farmer, Chair Joshua Armstrong Sherry Barclay Gordon Chiu Julie Clement Michael Da Ponte Peter Dobbs ‘87 Julia Hunt Frank Ji Cinde Lock Mirella Morra Nicole Murphy Varathan Pathmanathan Mareena Wallace ‘13

Facilities Stephen Barratt ‘86, Chair Eric Akbar Kevin Desforges Janet Downer Kyle Foch ‘13 Cinde Lock Malcolm Mason Mirella Morra Nicole Murphy John Paterson ‘85 Patrick Turner ‘97 Mike Weiler Kevin Wietzes Finance Thomas Kim, Chair Christina Bianco Jason Foulds Jason Herod Eva Huang Cinde Lock Mirella Morra Nicole Murphy Roger Warren ‘51 Governance Riane Tse ‘07, Chair Susan Cooper Cinde Lock Mirella Morra Neil Proudfoot ‘08 Claudia Schauer Lee Webb Karen Whetstone Nominations Susan Cooper, Chair Heward Lee ‘78 Cinde Lock Kelly Mason Mirella Morra Adam Shully ‘78 Karen Whetstone Risk Management Sal Bianco, Chair Janet Downer Cinde Lock

Laura Mason Mirella Morra Nicole Murphy Ivan Pooran ‘82 Kurt Richardson ‘02 Jessie-May Rowntree Duncan Walker ‘69 Strategic Collaborative Partnerships Advisory Council Olga Morawczynski, Chair Joshua Armstrong Charles Beer ‘59 Reuben Bonerath Beric Farmer Barbara Horvath Julia Hunt Cinde Lock Mirella Morra Krystie Robinson-Vincent Tara Roy-DiClemente Patrick Turner ‘97 ____________________ CHOP FM BOARD OF DIRECTORS James Waters, Chair Matthew Barbuto ‘02 Briana Carnegie ‘11 Marc de la Bastide Sarah Gardiner ‘11 Ian Johnston Nicole Murphy Brian Purdy ‘56 Peter Sturrup CHOP FM ADVISORY COUNCIL Alex Au Yong John Bordignon Jennifer Brett Fraser Marc de la Bastide David Haydu Keli Jay Ian Johnston Laura Murgatroyd Brian Purdy ‘56 Gareth Sturrup ‘09 William Waugh

Volunteering is the essence of Pickering College’s community spirit. Thanks to all those who give their time and talent in support of the school’s many events and initiatives.

CHOP FM VOLUNTEERS Miranda Cano Rosales ‘20 Tom Gordon David Haydu Rich MacLeod Brian Purdy ‘56 Brad Snel Zeelyna Wise ____________________ TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMITTEE Joshua Armstrong, Chair Brendan Benson Ethan Bishop Marc de la Bastide Janet Downer Donna Doyle Alex Grenier Julia Hunt Lauren Hunt Sheila Johnson Elaine Kliem Cinde Lock Lynn Newbery Peter Newbery ‘57 Sheri Simon Dan Thompson Ellen Wells ____________________ PC AMBASSADORS – ADMISSION EVENTS Bushra Ahmed ‘24 Aevah Aadya Arun ‘28 Thomas Bianco ‘24 Owen Cameron ‘24 Rebecca DiCarlo ‘28 Brume Erivwo ‘24 Angelina Gu ‘29 Ava Gu ‘23 Suhana Gupta ‘24 Oscar Jiang ‘23 Skylar Jin ‘25 Shriena Kaur ‘25 Danica Khanna ‘23 Jasmine Khatami ‘25 Smetine Kurath ‘23 Jessie Li ‘23

Hayley Liang ‘29 Rebecca Liang ‘25 Shianne Liang ‘25 Michael Lin ‘27 Helen Manke ‘24 Yara Marouf ‘24 Nafas Massir ‘30 Mana Matsumoto ‘28 Carissa Shum ‘28 Cathy Song ‘28 Shyam Subramanyam ‘23 Brooklyn Tobias ‘23 Melody Tsui ‘24 Max Wang ‘27 Wong Xu ‘25 Alexis Youell ‘28 Emily Zalewski ‘25 Victoria Zalewski ‘23 ____________________ GLOBAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM VOLUNTEERS Kiera Adams ‘30 Kylah Adams Zoe Adams Eric Akbar Gabriel Allahdua Joshua Armstrong Charles Beer ‘59 Ethan Bonerath ‘23 Reuben Bonerath Siobhan Bonerath ‘25 Sonya Bonerath Susan Bosak Joe Brewer Loretta Brock Noeline Burk David Cooper Lawrence Crump Adam Darvay-Canavor ‘13 Haley Donovan Janet Downer Dawn Gallagher-Murphy Bradley Graves Julia Hunt Fatmah Jahim Taylor Jennings Erica Kelly Mark Lee

THREE CHEERS

FOR OUR PC VOLUNTEERS

Tom Lewis Rob Linden Cinde Lock Dan Longboat Janis Luttrell Karen McCallum-Ryan Andrew McConnell Cynthia Mitchell Miles Montgomery Cora Pataran ‘24 Leah Pataran ‘26 Varathan Pathmanathan Ian Proudfoot Brian Puppa Victoria Raymer Krystie Robinson-Vincent Mina Rohani-Tabatabai Claudia Schauer Chris Schneider Lian Senior Frank Stronach Julie Sym-Wilson Alicia Trivit Patrick Turner ‘97 Mareena Wallace ‘13 Kevin Wietzes Victor Woodhouse Bryan Wu ‘25 ____________________ ACADEMIC AND STUDENT COMMITTEE EVENTS, CLASSROOM, PROGRAM, COCURRICULAR SPEAKERS AND VOLUNTEERS Adrian Bains Charles Beer ‘59 Marnee Da Ponte Jaden Duyn ‘20 Tyler Harrison Kairav Juta ‘17 Jasmine Khatami ‘25 Ray Kong Sterling Mancuso ‘17 Donald McLaren ‘76 Georgia Saarimaki ‘22 Dalton Slind ‘18 Joshua Snow ‘18 Rex Taylor

PCA EXECUTIVE Krystie Robinson-Vincent, Chair Susan Cooper Marnee Da Ponte Carrie Dente Laurie DiCarlo Vivian Lee Carla Liberta Robert MacAlpine Hannah Murray Kirsten Nicolson Colleen Sexsmith Jeanette Tomlinson ____________________ NISPA (NETWORK OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOL PARENTS’ ASSOCIATIONS) REPRESENTATIVE Krystie Robinson-Vincent ____________________ LIBRARY TRIBUTE PROGRAM Sheila Johnson Kirsten Nicolson Natalie Rickford ____________________ STAFF APPRECIATION VOLUNTEERS Eric Akbar Natalie Akbar Maryam Atri Feria Bacchus Nina Chen Bill Cheng Caroline Chua Jamie Cote Marnee Da Ponte Laurie DiCarlo Shelley Frank Kimmy Gao Chloe He Christopher Howie Venus Iu Corneilla Lam Vivian Lee Cecillia Li Jenny Li Carla Liberta

Ellen Liu Rachelle Mac Sweeney Eva Mao Takae Matsumoto Carlie Merkley Hannah Murray Lara Raee Krystie Robinson-Vincent Tara Roy-DiClemente Gail Simpson Melissa Tavares Daihong Wang Linna Zhang Riona Zhang Yan Zhang Stella Zhao ____________________ GRADE REPS Carla Liberta, Coordinator Natalie Akbar Susan Cooper Marnee Da Ponte Laurie DiCarlo Venus Iu Jenny Li Krystie Robinson-Vincent Tara Roy-DiClemente Diane Sexsmith-Brosseau Gail Simpson Patricia Wietzes ____________________ ALUMNI CLASS CHAMPIONS Charles Beer ‘59 Erica Cameron ‘22 Robert Doyle ‘96 Stephanie Fillman ‘09 June Gleed ‘15 Krish Gupta ‘22 Monika Jazyk ‘95 Louis Li ‘21 Gloria Liu ‘22 Deanna MacAlpine ‘21 Michaela Morra ‘22 Neil Proudfoot ‘08 Brian Purdy ‘56 Edmund Rynard ‘70 Georgia Saarimaki ‘22 Dag Spicer ‘80

Adam Starr ‘16 Grace Still ‘21 Thera Sze ‘21 Chengru Wen ‘22 Jake Wu ‘22 Rosie Xuan ‘22 ____________________ WELCOME BARBECUE VOLUNTEERS September 6, 2022 Natalie Akbar Susan Cooper Marnee Da Ponte Carrie Dente Laurie DiCarlo Jenny Li Carla Liberta Hannah Murray Tara Roy-DiClemente Melissa Tavares Daihong Wang Patricia Wietzes ____________________ ALUMNI REUNION WEEKEND VOLUNTEERS September 17 & 18, 2022 Mohammad Ammad ‘23 Smetine Kurath ‘23 Jessie Li ‘23 Vinh Nguyen ‘23 Krypton Ni ‘25 Ethan Tang ‘25 ____________________ WEST LAKE HOUSE GROUNDBREAKING VOLUNTEERS November 4, 2022 Alice Chen ‘26 Anthea Huang ‘26 Venice Leung ‘23 Gloria Liu ‘26

Ian Cai ‘24 Coco Cao ‘24 Kiwi Cheng Alexander Cooper ‘24 Rebecca DiCarlo ‘28 Brume Erivwo ‘24 Lisa Fedyna ‘23 Georgia Galeota ‘23 Heather Golding ‘24 Sarah Golding ‘24 Megan Hsueh ‘25 Rida Jindani ‘26 Smetine Kurath ‘23 Shianne Liang ‘25 Erfan Mardi ‘25 Dima Marouf ‘26 Wako Mizuno ‘25 Shawna Modeste Nadia Monaco Rosanna Naccarata David Orman ‘23 Esteban Pantano ‘23 Brooke Podd ‘26 Kate Provkina ‘23 Haley Robinson ‘24 Alexis Roos ‘26 HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE SOIRÉE Aaryn Russell ‘23 Heather Suters AND BOUTIQUE CAFÉ Roscoe Sze ‘24 COMMITTEE Felix Teng ‘24 December 2 & 3, 2022 Melody Tsui ‘24 Susan Cooper, Chair Eric Wang ‘25 Maryam Atri Dave Wen ‘23 Sonya Bonerath Sara Wietzes ‘23 Victoria Campbell Wong Xu ‘25 Cortney Cassidy Daniel Yan ‘24 Marlin Gold PC Senior Choir Andrea McMullen ____________________ Karen Meisel LUNAR NEW YEAR Krystie Robinson-Vincent VOLUNTEERS Patricia Wietzes ____________________ January 24, 2023 HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE SOIRÉE Joyce Bai Ina Chen AND BOUTIQUE CAFÉ Marnee Da Ponte VOLUNTEERS Kimmy Gao December 2 & 3, 2022 Eva Jin Miroslava Abdzhi ‘26 Vivian Lee Bilal Ahmed ‘26 Cecillia Li Ashid-Erdene Batsuren ‘26 CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATING VOLUNTEERS Maria Aritomo ‘25 Cameron Campbell Kevin Chen ‘24 Kiwi Cheng Michael Daleman Stella Dau ‘24 Brume Erivwo ‘24 Kait Finlay Marlin Gold Boom Hemmondharop ‘24 Hai Sy Ho ‘23 Daria Krymchuk ‘25 Nga Le ‘24 Jeff Mason Megan Mok ‘25 Simon Nguyen ‘24 Vinh Nguyen ‘23 Luke Nomuoja ‘23 Kate Provkina ‘23 Chihiro Sun ‘24 Gary Wang ‘25 Chi Zhang ‘25 Cindy Zhu ‘25 ____________________

THREE CHEERS

FOR OUR PC VOLUNTEERS

Tracy Liang Ellen Liu Amanda Lu Juliet Lu Eva Mao Takae Matsumoto Peggy Pan Krystie Robinson-Vincent Wendy Ruan Mae Tang Rita Wang Ann Xu Dongfeng Xu Ling Yang Haiyan Zhang Linna Zhang Huiyuan Zhou ____________________ WINTER CARNAVAL VOLUNTEERS February 10, 2023 Eric Akbar Feria Bacchus Krystal Davey Grace Guo Chloe He Wayne Hinrichs Christopher Howie Venus Iu Brian Ji Corneilla Lam Vienna Li Carla Liberta Garrett Mac Sweeney Rachelle Mac Sweeney Blair Matthews Carlie Merkley Milicia Reid Tina Robert Krystie Robinson-Vincent Manal Serhan Joanna Sinclair Susanna Turner Aileen Yin Mika Zeng Yan Zhang

ALUMNI PIN & TIE CEREMONY VOLUNTEERS May 5, 2022 Michaela Morra ‘22 Shyam Subramanyam ’23 Brooklyn Tobias ’23 Ellen Wells Chengru Wen ‘22 PC Jazz Band ____________________ CIRCLE OF FRIENDS RECEPTION VOLUNTEERS March 28, 2023 Joshua Armstrong Thomas Bianco ‘24 Ian Cai ‘24 Tom Chen ‘23 Oliver Lahey ‘24 Luke Little ‘25 Rebecca MacDonald Connor Rask ‘26 Felix Teng ‘24 Fiona Wang ‘24 Ellen Wells Bryan Wu ‘25 Daniel Yan ‘24 Stella Yuan ‘23 Liam Zhou ‘26 ____________________ WEST LAKE HOUSE CONSTRUCTION KICK-OFF VOLUNTEERS March 31, 2023 Ian Cai ‘24 Kevin Chen ‘24 Brume Erivwo ‘24 Nathan Fiscaletti ‘26 Mar Garcia Jimenez ‘24 Heather Golding ‘24 Sarah Golding ‘24 Ava Gu ‘23 Arlo Hinrichs ‘26 Sonya Kovtun ‘24 Smetine Kurath ‘23 Venice Leung ‘23 Jessie Li ‘23 Yara Marouf ‘24 Luke Nomuoja ‘23

Sandra Rohani ‘25 Aaryn Russell ‘23 Sarah Simpson ‘23 Roscoe Sze ‘24 Amanda Zeng ‘25 ____________________ SPRING LUNCHEON COMMITTEE April 26, 2023 Marnee Da Ponte, Chair Maryam Atri Robin Macmillan Lisa Podd Krystie Robinson-Vincent Patricia Wietzes ____________________ ALUMNI TRANSITION EVENT VOLUNTEERS May 4, 2023 Erica Cameron ‘22 Kevin Dau ‘21 Jacob DiCarlo ‘21 Alexander Gal ‘22 Kailey Houle ‘22 Jan Viktor Manke ‘22 Georgia Saarimaki ‘22 Chengru Wen ‘22 Jake Wu ‘22 ____________________ GRANDPARENT AND SPECIAL FRIEND EVENT COMMITTEE May 11, 2023 Colleen Sexsmith, Chair Jessica Ellis Marlin Gold Taylor Jennings Karen McCallum-Ryan Krystie Robinson-Vincent ____________________ H2O BEYOND THE REEF GALA COMMITTEE May 27, 2023 Vivian Lee, Co-Chair Jeanette Tomlinson, Co-Chair Sonya Bonerath Cortney Cassidy Susan Cooper Marlin Gold

Krystie Robinson-Vincent Bo Wang Stephen Widdrington ‘83 Patricia Wietzes ____________________ H2O BEYOND THE REEF GALA VOLUNTEERS May 27, 2023 Sierra Darmaga ‘23 Kimmy Gao Vivian Lee Jenny Li Emily Lin Eva Mao Rita Wang Julia Zeng ____________________ SPORTS DAY VOLUNTEERS May 29, 2023 Natalie Akbar Marnee Da Ponte Michael Da Ponte Carrie Dente Yasuko Fukamachi Jenny Li Cecillia Li Carla Liberta Carlie Merkley Olga Morawczynski Tina Robert Krystie Robinson-Vincent Sean Sexsmith-Brosseau ____________________ CHARLES F. BOYD INVITATIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE June 22, 2023 Robert MacAlpine, Chair Eric Akbar Adam Darvay-Canavor ‘13 Richard De Ridder Shelley Frank Marlin Gold Brett Lawson ‘02 Howard Lu Paul Perry

CHARLES F. BOYD INVITATIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT VOLUNTEERS June 22, 2023 Elaine Barratt Moira Boland ‘24 Emily Borowski ‘25 Noeline Burk Ian Cai ‘24 Ina Chen Graydon Houle ‘24 Vivian Lee Emily Lin Erfan Mardi ‘25 Kumail Meghani Jordan Odita ‘24 Sofia Pantano ‘25 Leah Pataran ‘26 Rory Stewart ‘25 Lisa Sturrup Peter Sturrup Chi Kin Tsui Alec Uglow ‘25 Ellen Wells Madison Yip ‘25 ____________________ NEW FAMILY MENTORS FOR 2023/2024 Natalie Akbar, Junior School Chair Carrie Dente, Middle School Chair Marnee Da Ponte, Senior School Chair Natalie Akbar Feria Bacchus Susan Cooper Venus Iu Frank Ji Claire Jones Jenny Li Takae Matsumoto Lisa Podd Chaoyue Qi Krystie Robinson-Vincent Melissa Tavares

Forging bonds on the green

Congratulations to our winning foursome:

Camaraderie and golf converge at the Charles F. Boyd Parents, staff, and alumni alike came together at Silver Lakes Golf Club on June 22 for the 23rd annual Pickering College Golf Tournament, named in honour of Charles F. Boyd. More than 120 golfers enjoyed the day, which kicked off with a barbecue lunch before teams took to the green. There were activities throughout the course and perfect weather for playing. Thank you to the presenting sponsor HGNB Charitable Organization, gold level sponsor Roman Building Materials, bronze level sponsor BBL Clean Air and our hole sponsors: Athletify, York Pediatric Psychology, Terra Brook Homes, Osborne Goddard Team, CD Furniture, Aramark, Diamond Groundskeeping, Dr. Robert MacAlpine of Aurora 2020, Advertek, and Bo Wang, as well as Beat the Pro sponsor Prep Academy Tutors.

Invitational Golf Tournament The tournament was run best-ball style and at the end of 18 holes Rick Bettencourt, Craig Deasley and Stephen Widdrington ’83 were declared the overall winners. Lisa McFetridge, Linda Nunn, Emily Nunn and Andrea Donovan were the winners out of the women. The event continued in the evening with a dinner reception, silent auction, and the awards presentation. Thomas Kim was presented with this year’s Foster ‘46 award in honour of his dedication to the tournament, both as a participant and committee member. His enthusiasm and strong leadership have been instrumental in increasing registration, enlisting sponsorships, securing auction items and generally raising the profile of the tournament.

Guests were treated to an immersive experience under the sea

On Saturday, May 27, the Pickering College community came together for a lavish evening of cocktails, dinner, dancing and entertainment at H2O Beyond the Reef, presented by HBNG Charitable Foundation. The gala planning committee was beyond excited to bring back this elegant event that was originally set to take place in the spring of 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hosted in the Harry M. Beer Dining Hall, guests were treated to a space that had been completely transformed into an immersive experience under the sea. We are delighted to announce that the event raised a grand total of $148,093—with nearly $30,000 raised through the auction alone! Proceeds from H2O Beyond the Reef have been directed toward sustainable initiatives for West Lake House. Events like this come together as a result of countless hours of planning and hard work—it would not have been possible without the help of our amazing gala committee. Special thanks to our gala committee co-chairs, Jeanette Tomlinson and Vivian Lee, for their leadership. A huge thank you to Steve Widdrington ‘83, for his creativity, vision, and relentless drive to make this event an evening to remember. Finally, thank you to the parents, alumni, alumni parents, community members, friends of PC, special guests and sponsors that made this evening possible. The next gala will take place in the spring of 2025. If you are interested in becoming involved as a member of the planning committee, or as a sponsor, please contact Marlin Gold, Manager, Parent Engagement & Strategic Events, at mgold@pickeringcollege.on.ca.

THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS! HBNG Charitable Foundation Premier Presenting Sponsor The Egan Family Foundation Diamond Sponsor John, Mirella and Michaela Morra Platinum Sponsor Lexus of Richmond Hill Platinum Sponsor Enginess Gold Sponsor Diane and Beric Farmer Gold Sponsor

VOLUME 45

Join us for a fun-filled day on the green! This annual event celebrates the spirit of community, the importance of friendship, and supports our school. Registration for individuals and foursomes opens in early spring.

UPCOMING EVENTS NOVEMBER 2023 – MARCH 2024

Friday, November 17 – Saturday, November 18 Thursday, December 21

Holiday Home Tour & Seasonal Boutique 9:45 a.m.

Friday, December 22

Last day of classes

Monday, December 25 – Friday, January 5

Winter Break No classes, offices closed

Sunday, January 7

9:00 a.m.

Monday, January 8 Saturday, January 13

Saturday, February 24

Boarding reopens Classes resume

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Open House: Junior School (K-Grade 5)

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Open House: Middle & Senior School (Grades 6-12)

Saturday, February 3

Holiday Morning Meeting (Full School)

Hockey Day on the Hilltop 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Open House: Junior School (K-Grade 5)

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Open House: Middle & Senior School (Grades 6-12)

Monday, March 11 – Friday, March 22

March Break No classes, boarding closed

Monday, March 25

Classes resume

ISSUE ONE

MANAGING EDITOR JESSIE-MAY ROWNTREE Assistant Head of School, Advancement EDITOR NAOMI CÔTÉ Communications Manager CONTRIBUTORS JENNIFER BRETT FRASER MARLIN GOLD JULIA HUNT TAYLOR JENNINGS ELIZABETH KEITH ALISON LARABIE-CHASE CINDE LOCK KAREN MEISEL JULIE SYM-WILSON GRAPHIC DESIGN VANI ROUSE TO SHARE YOUR COMMENTS, IDEAS OR FOR ADVERTISING RATES AND INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT JESSIE-MAY ROWNTREE (905) 895-1700 EXT. 234 jrowntree@pickeringcollege.on.ca PICKERING COLLEGE 16945 BAYVIEW AVENUE NEWMARKET, ONTARIO CANADA L3Y 4X2 TEL: (905) 895-1700 FAX: (905) 895-8916 www.pickeringcollege.on.ca THE PILLARS IS PUBLISHED BY THE ADVANCEMENT OFFICE FOR ALUMNI, PARENTS, STUDENTS, STAFF AND FRIENDS OF PICKERING COLLEGE.

SEA SON AL B OUT IQU E &O P THE EN TO PUB LIC

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Holiday Home Tour & Seasonal Boutique Friday, November 17 & Saturday, November 18 It is with great excitement that we announce the return of the in-person Holiday Home Tour that you have come to know and love. The tour features a variety of glittering homes, each uniquely themed, designed and decorated for the holidays by local professional designers and florists. Saturday will feature the annual Seasonal Boutique at Pickering College, with dozens of local vendors showcasing the best gifts for the holiday season. Be sure to join us for what promises to be the event of the holiday season!

Visit us online to learn more and purchase tickets: www.holidayhometour.ca 59

Find your place at PC Special promotion for readers of The Pillars: Waived application fee until February 1. Use promo code: FRIEND

What sets a Pickering College education apart? It’s belonging to a warm and welcoming school community that supports your child every step of the way through their academic journey. It’s a place where students are encouraged to discover who they are as individuals and are guided to identify what they are passionate about so that they can thrive as values-based decision-makers. It’s developing students into innovative, courageous, and compassionate global citizens who go beyond theory and take action to make change. It’s instilling in our students an ability and a responsibility to make a difference in the world and leave the community better than they found it. It’s more than a school—it’s a community. Find your place at PC.

Now accepting applications for September 2024, JK to Grade 12. Inquire: www.pickeringcollege.on.ca/more

Visit us at www.pickeringcollege.on.ca

The Pillars

Articles inside

Why volunteer? Connection, fun, fulfillment and a sense of honour

Celebrating Pickering College Young Alumni

102.7 CHOP FM receives approval for community broadcasting licence

Collective effort brings about real change

Power of positive influence

In Conversation with Niki Mehta

Experiential, meaningful and purposeful

BOARDING LIFE

Student Profile: CHRIS JEON

Student Profile: ARIA MADHA

Student Profile: Harvey Li

Transformations at Blue & Silver Farm support agriculture, outdoor education, leadership

New Makerspace ignites innovation and learning

PC Impact Incubator

HEADLINES