Imprint: June 2016 Issue

IMPRINT June 2016 • Volume 15, Issue 5

Stratford Hall News & Celebrations

IMPRINT

IN THIS ISSUE 3

LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Dates for the Calendar JUNE 30 • Report Cards ready at noon

4 LETTER FROM THE BOARD 5

A STRONG FOUNDATION

6

NEW BOARD MEMBERS

7

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

10

DEMYSTIFYING IB GRADES

12

MR. SMITH’S GRADUATION ADDRESS

14

CONGRATULATIONS TO 2016 GRADUATES

16

STUDENT GRADUATION ADDRESS

20

REUNITING THE SABRES

22

OUR 2016 SCHOLARS

23 MATHLETES 24 CAMPS 28

SENIOR SCHOOL SERVICE DAY

30

RUMOUR HAS IT

31 SHPA 32

RISK-TAKING IN KINDERGARTEN

33

PUBLISHING BY DESIGN

34 CELEBRATIONS 36

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING AT STRATFORD HALL

42

STRATFORD HALL ANNUAL FUND SUPERSTARS

44

GIVING THE GIFT OF INNOVATION

45

YOUR GIFT, YOUR IMPACT!

46

KINDIES GRADUATION

47

KINDIE COMICS

50

SABRES SPORTS

58

OEE | ROLLING INTO CAMP

59

FINAL ASSEMBLY

PAGE 2

On the cover of this issue: 2016 Girls Grad Back cover: 2016 Boys Grad

JUNE 2016

Letter from the Head of School

FORWARD FOCUS T

hroughout the year, you have heard from us about ways in which we were gathering feedback to plan for the future (surveys, coffee mornings, informal chats, formal sit downs, more surveys, etc.), while also making small changes for easy fixes or “wins” along the way (additional university counselling support, a social-emotional counselor, DP building renovations, etc.). With a fully comprehensive process now behind us, we are proud to share with our community the Strategic Plan that will guide our school’s development for the next five years.

This Plan is the culmination of Board, parent, student, senior leader, teacher and staff feedback and represents our collective voice about what we want Stratford Hall to do more of, to continue, or to improve upon.

Strategic Plans are inherently deficit-based and the danger when you make them public is the community can silently (or not so silently!) ask “why aren’t we already doing this?” I assure you that my last 11 months have confirmed that Stratford Hall is a wonderful school doing great things for children and the community members we serve.

This Plan should not be cause for alarm; instead, it should be seen as our promise to the community about our strategic intentions and identification of the absolute non-negotiables that we will focus on over the next half-decade. We believe that the areas outlined within are critical to allowing us to deliver our Mission and Vision.

What is linked here in Imprint this month is not the completed Strategic Plan, but a list of the areas and goals on which we will focus. Our next step in the process is to operationalize this plan by having our Senior Leaders and teachers work together to determine the columns you do not currently see which include success criteria, timeline, resources required, and who will lead each initiative based on their expertise.

One final thought in regards to this roll out and what it means to the community comes from the series of coffee mornings and evenings in late May/early June whereby about 40 parents came in to meet with me, view the draft plan, provide feedback and ask clarifying questions. Let me be clear that the vast majority of this plan focuses on Stratford Hall doing better or slightly different things with what we already have; it is not a plan that requires a massive injection of cash and therefore large increases in tuition.

We will continue to develop a spirit of giving in the years ahead because that is what is needed in an independent school to deliver ever-improving programs and opportunities for our children; however, this Plan is not predicated on a massive increase in fundraising, nor large tuition increases, nor an increase in enrolment much beyond our current capacity of 540 students (we currently sit at 515). As we have communicated throughout the year, we are likely to see small yearly increases in tuition

in the years to come to keep ahead of inflation and in order to pay teachers the next step on their grid to ensure we continue retaining the best people; but, at this time, we do not project any large tuition increases in the near future.

Any expansion or major redesign will be carefully thought out and executed with consideration of the net impact on keeping tuition as low as possible while still developing a wonderful and everimproving K-12, IB, independent school program.

Thank you to everyone who has participated in this process from the Board and Senior Leaders who put together a draft ahead of my arrival to all of our students K-12 who participated through informal activities and formal surveys.

Your voices have been heard and I believe we now have a transparent roadmap to align this community’s pursuit of excellence in the years ahead. I will, however, need some assistance from the parents of our KGs to help address why their overwhelming desire for a pet turtle and a pool has not been included in the Strategic Plan ….yet.

Gratefully,

Jason McBride Head of School

PAGE 3

IMPRINT

LETTER FROM THE BOARD A

s always, I am proud to be a part of the Stratford Hall community. It is truly a unique and diverse community created by engaged parents, dedicated staff and kind, intelligent students. The Board would like to thank everyone for their continued support of Stratford Hall, especially during this particular year as we transitioned to a new Head of School. The Board never had any doubts that Jason McBride was the right leader for Stratford Hall, but as we continue to collaborate on many initiatives, we are even more confident in Mr. McBride and his ability to move Stratford Hall forward.

This past year, the Board and the Head of School continued to finalize our Five-Year Strategic Plan.

Excerpts from ratified version are included in this issue of IMPRINT. The Board of Governors strives to maintain a balance between parent and non-parental members and we believe that it is imperative we have Governors on the Board with varying professional and life experiences. This process brings a broad range of perspectives to the Board and allows the Board to think beyond the here and now. This past year, the Board’s objective was to recruit two non-parental board members: particularly individuals who had involvement within the postsecondary educational field. We were very fortunate to connect with two strong candidates, and the Board is honoured that Dr. Claudia Ruitenberg and Dr. Lesley Shannon have accepted appointments to the Board of Governors.

PAGE 4

Dr. Ruitenberg is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Studies at UBC, where she has been teaching since 2006.

Both her research and teaching focus on educational philosophy.

She has authored numerous academic articles and chapters, as well as the book Unlocking the World: Education in an Ethic of Hospitality (2015). She is currently President of the Canadian Philosophy of Education Society (2016-2018).

Dr. Shannon is an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering Science at Simon Fraser University. She obtained her M.A. Science and her Ph.D. in Applied Science from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick. Her primary area of interest is Computing System Design, including architectures, design methodologies, and programming models.

Claudia was born and raised in The Netherlands. She first came to Canada in 1987 to attend Pearson College on Vancouver Island (an IB DP school), and returned in 2000 for doctoral studies at Simon Fraser University (PhD 2005). In 2013 she was involved in creating an IB stream in the UBC teacher education program. Since 2013 she has also been a Scholar in the Centre for Health Education Scholarship, where she works on conceptual and ethical questions in educating medical and other health related professionals. Claudia lives with her partner Ann, who is also an education scholar. They divide their time between Vancouver and Salt Spring Island.

Outside of her academic interests, Lesley is also actively engaged in promoting science, engineering, and technology careers to women.

She has been the faculty advisor of the Women in Engineering Group (WEG) and is currently the faculty advisor of SFU WEST, SFU’s new Women in Engineering, Science and Technology group. She is also the Chair of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for Women in Science and Engineering for BC and the Yukon.

JUNE 2016

A STRONG FOUNDATION

BY HARRY LEE, PRESIDENT, STRATFORD HALL FOUNDATION

T

he fiscal realities of BC’s educational landscape have been taking up an increasing number of column inches in recent months.

Budget cuts, school closures and polarizing decisions about subsidizing independent schools are recurring themes likely to remain in the spotlight throughout the summer.

It is a challenging landscape to navigate as all schools – public, private and independent – are faced with increasing demands and diminishing recourses. It is at times of uncertainly and rapid change that a strong School Foundation is essential.

The Board of Governors is also pleased to announce that Stratford Hall parent Susan Christie was appointed in May to the Governance Committee, a standing committee of the Board.

Susan was previously Co-Chair of the annual Gala and has two children at Stratford Hall, Audrey going into Grade 8 and Kenji going into Grade 6. Susan is an Associate Investment Advisor at CIBC Wood Gundy and she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies from Queen’s University.

Susan spent over a decade at RBC Dominion Securities as an Investment Advisor and Branch Manager. After taking time to stay at home with her children, she returned to the investment industry in 2013. Susan also worked as Manager of Planned Giving at St. Paul’s Hospital.

The Stratford Hall School Foundation is a non-profit organization established to support the school’s operations through its expertise and the raising, handling, and redirecting of money. In the case of Stratford Hall, the Foundation is the landowner for all three buildings.

In agreement with Stratford Hall’s Board of Governors, the Foundation also spearheads negotiations involving any land acquisition with an eye on securing the future of Stratford Hall.

For the past 14 years, the Foundation has been focused on acquiring the land we now own on Commercial Drive and on the construction of our MYP and PYP buildings. Additionally, the Foundation has supported the renovation of the DP building and acquired all the parking behind these buildings to keep pace with the school’s growth.

In an effort to align its work and resources with the school’s new Strategic Plan, the Foundation has spent the school year recruiting new members qualified to help carry out its mandate. At present, the Foundation is pleased to announce the addition of three new board members: Harold Leishman, Alain Quennec and Karim Kassam.

A short bio on each of our new members is on the next page.

I trust that you will all take some time to rest and enjoy the summer break. I know that the next school year will once again be an exciting and busy one!

Beverly Ginder

CHAIR, BOARD OF GOVERNORS

PAGE 5

IMPRINT

NEW BOARD MEMBERS While largely behind the scenes, the work of the Foundation is integral to the future viability of Stratford Hall.

We ask you to share in our gratitude towards Harold, Alain and Karim for taking on these volunteer positions and for their commitment not just to the Stratford Hall of today, but to the Stratford Hall of tomorrow.

Harold Leishman

Alain Quennec

Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management (Children in Grades 12, 10, 6)

Rogers Group Financial (Two children in Grade 6)

SENIOR INVESTMENT ADVISOR,

Harold Leishman brings over 20 years of experience as a wealth management professional to the Stratford Hall Foundation Board. He is a third generation venture capitalist and currently a Senior Investment Advisor with Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management (Canada). Harold and his wife, Meagen have three children attending Stratford Hall: Oscar in Grade 12, Rose in Grade 10 and Mary in Grade 6.

Harold is a graduate of Mt. Alison University, where he majored in philosophy and literature. Upon graduation and a year of business exploration – trying his hand at a variety of enterprises – he returned to Vancouver to work as a venture capitalist.

PAGE 6

FINANCIAL ADVISOR, PORTFOLIO MANAGER AND DIRECTOR

Alain Quennec is a Financial Advisor, Portfolio Manager and Director at Rogers Group Financial, with expertise in estate and retirement income planning. He holds a CFP and CIM designation and loves providing financial education to his clients. He can often be found sharing his knowledge through speaking engagements with outside groups. Alain graduated from Concordia University in 2002 with a Bachelors of Commerce (Finance). Alain and his wife Linda’s twin daughters Madeleine and Noelle are entering Grade 6 at Stratford Hall. They will form part of the graduating class of 2023!

Karim Kassem

VICE PRESIDENT COMMERCIAL Ballard Power Systems (Child in Grade 6)

Appointed to the Board of the Stratford Hall Foundation this year, Karim Kassem has been an avid supporter of the school since his son, Arman, joined Kindergarten in 2010.

Professionally, Karim Kassam is the Vice President, Commercial at Ballard Power Systems where he has worked since 2008 in a variety of strategic roles.

Karim currently sits on the Board of BC Women’s Hospital Foundation. He is also the CoFounder of Optima Living, a seniors-care operator in British Columbia and Alberta. Karim holds a Bachelors of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta, an MBA from Queens University, and is a designated CMA/CPA. He is also a graduate of the Executive Leadership Development program at Harvard Business School.

JUNE 2016

FAREWELL

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

T

he end of the year is always bittersweet in education, as we inevitably say farewell to a few staff members, but also have an opportunity to welcome new faces and families into the fold.

M

y five years at Stratford Hall have been, without a doubt, the best of my career. I have been embraced by the Stratford Hall community and have absolutely loved my time here. It is very difficult to leave—especially at a time when I can see that the school is about to take off to the next level. In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins said: “lasting transformations from good to great follow a general pattern of buildup followed by breakthrough.” I believe that Stratford Hall is on the cusp of another significant breakthrough: some absolutely fantastic people are joining the staff, the strategic plan for facilities and programs is exciting, and students are getting better prepared for the challenges of IB and for life beyond high school. This is a school full of people to watch as they mature and develop through the victories and challenges, peaks and valleys of the three IB programmes. I will miss events such as Buskerama, Arts Week airbands, Glocal Week, lunch in Clark Park, assemblies, coaching, staff meetings (yes, even those!) and the galas; I’ll miss the incredible things that we get to watch our students do academically, in clubs, in athletics, and in the arts; but most of all I will miss the people: the parent community, the students, and of course Stratford Hall’s amazing faculty and staff. Thank you all for making my five years at Stratford Hall amazing.

Brad Smith,

SENIOR SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

We wish Ms. Minichiello, Ms. Malinowski and Ms. Contant a wonderful time on maternity leave with their new additions and Ms. Scott, Ms. Hart, Ms. Chow, Ms. Deacon, Ms. Nation, Mr. Tharp, Ms. Mackenzie and; of course, the fabulous Mr. Smith, good luck in their new adventures. Mr. Twaites will be filling the PYP PE position during Ms. Contant’s maternity leave.

While we shed a few tears for those who are moving on, we are delighted to celebrate the character and calibre of our incoming teachers and Senior Leaders. In that spirit, we are eager to introduce you to the following friendly faces that will be joining the Stratford Hall community in August.

SENIOR SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

W

e are pleased to announce that we have hired Michelle Douglas, currently the IB Senior School Vice Principal and the Lead Researcher of Mulgrave’s Centre of Educational Innovation, to serve as our Senior School Principal starting in September.

Ms. Douglas was interviewed along with other candidates by several panels that included members of the Senior Leadership Team, students, parents, teachers, and board members. From these conversations, it was clear to Ms. Douglas there is a collegial partnership between all stakeholders to provide the best possible academic experience for our students, and she looks forward to fostering these relationships and working with teachers and staff to provide a world-class educational experience for each and every student.

Spanning the globe, Ms. Douglas has been dedicated to the field of education for more than 17 years; leading and working with stakeholders dedicated to creating an impact on student learning. She feels that joining a community with core values including inclusion, empathy and perseverance, ensures the solid foundation in which young learners have the security to explore knowledge and apply it in innovative and inspiring ways. She will continue to ensure our students are equipped with the necessary 21st century skills to not only be engaged in their learning but be EMPOWERED in the personalized and passionate application of it.

Along with her fellow teachers and staff, Ms. Douglas will be dedicated to continuously building upon the legacy of success established at Stratford Hall and nurturing the school’s strong relationships with parents, students, and community partners. Together, we will aim to ensure the happiness and success of every one of our students as they develop into creative, critical and independent thinkers with the flexibility of thought best suited to the changing world into which they will emerge as young adults.

PAGE 7

IMPRINT

DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY AND E-LEARNING We are also thrilled to welcome a new Director to the school: Dion Norman will join us as the new Director of Technology and e-Learning at Stratford Hall from his current role in Singapore.

Watch the video embedded here for Mr. Norman’s introduction. https://drive.google.com/open?id =0B7wNEjKK4hkLOGtlYXk5UW5 RMzg

VISUAL ARTS AND THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE Christine Giesbrecht is eager to be joining the Stratford Hall family to teach Visual Art and ToK. Having taught Visual Art for the last 16 years, and ToK for the past 7 years, at Mulgrave School in West Vancouver, Ms. Giesbrecht is thrilled to be coming to what feels like her home because she will be teaching in her very own neighbourhood. Over the years, Ms. Giesbrecht has developed a personal passion for Visual Arts and has pursued opportunities outside of teaching, including creating her own art and leading tours and workshops at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Having worked with former Stratford Hall art teacher Ms. Hawkes on the DP curriculum over the years, Ms. Giesbrecht knows that there

PAGE 8

is already an incredible Visual Arts tradition at Stratford, which was continued by Ms. Chow’s vision this year. Ms. Giesbrecht looks forward to building on the excellent work that has been done and continuing to ignite passion and skill in the Visual Arts all the way to DP. Given the rich artistic community in East Vancouver, she envisions showcasing student art in community cafes and bringing in local artists to conduct workshops.

PYP TEACHER Ms. Hannah Symons hails from the United Kingdom, where she grew up in the South East of England.

Ms. Symons started her teaching career in London in 2003 and her family subsequently grew to include her husband, two children: Bea aged 8 and Arthur aged 6, and a pug called Elvis.

In 2011 Ms. Symons was fortunate to be given the opportunity to relocate to Singapore, where she taught for four years in the vibrant international school and PYP setting, holding the roles of Head of Grade and Math Coordinator.

After almost five wonderful years in South East Asia, Ms. Symons and her family relocated to Vancouver in December 2015 to begin a new adventure.

Ms. Symons was immediately drawn to Stratford Hall not only because it is an IB World School, but also because of its excellent reputation and its mission to educate students to the highest global standards. She is thrilled to be able to continue teaching the PYP here in Vancouver and chose

Stratford Hall because she admired the emphasis the school places on community and service.

PYP TEACHER Judy Bai was recruited from Nagoya, Japan where she has been working as a PYP Grade 1 Teacher for the past two years.

After completing her teacher qualification in Brisbane, she went on to teach in Taipei, London, and then Nagoya.

Excited to return to her native Vancouver, Ms Bai looks forward to contributing to her home community. She was drawn to Stratford Hall’s outstanding reputation and its dedicated staff and is looking forward to collaborating with the team and learning with the little ones as a Kindergarten teacher next year.

LEARNING SUPPORT TEACHER

We are pleased to share that Sukh Sandhu will be joining Gillian Louie in the role of Learning Support Teacher. Mr. Sandhu was recruited from the American International School in Abu Dhabi, UAE (an IB world school), where he spent five years as the Middle School Coordinator and Learning Support Specialist. Mr. Sandhu was born and raised in the Okanagan before graduating from the Faculty of

JUNE 2016 Education at UBC (Vancouver Campus). Mr. Sandhu is excited to become a part of what he sees as an “a vibrant school community with a great academic reputation”, and is excited to have the opportunity to work with BC students after gaining valuable teaching experience in other parts of the country and world.

ADMISSIONS MANAGER

As a former Director of Community Building and Inclusivity in the US, our new Manager of Admissions Aliya Virani’s recruitment was a coup for Stratford Hall and a testament to our fabulous community. Ms. Virani was not only drawn to our diverse student community, but also to our active parent community and dynamic faculty.

Having worked in various teaching and administrative positions in the United States and internationally, Ms. Virani is a champion of the IB programme. Ms. Virani believes that the IB’s inquiry-based curriculum creates a platform for students and teachers to create a meaningful educational experience together, something she has seen come alive at Stratford through the classes she has visited, as well as her conversations with teachers and parents. The connections to service learning and global education, as well as the school’s warmth and kindness simply won her over. In her free time, Ms. Virani co-directs a summer program in Kenya focused on service learning.

PAGE 9

IMPRINT

DEMYSTIFYING IB GRADES

BY BRAD SMITH, SENIOR SCHOOL PRINCIPAL In his latest book, Who Owns the Learning? Preparing Students for Success in the Digital Age, noted educational writer, Alan November discusses his first encounter (in 1981) as an educator with the power of intrinsic motivation. A principal in a northeast private school, November was alerted to a potential disciplinary situation at the end of the school year where a student was caught breaking into the computer lab.

He was pleasantly surprised to discover that the student was not stealing or vandalizing computers in the newly minted lab, rather, he was teaching himself sophisticated computer programming. November was shocked to discover that the student was not working on any kind of coursework, but rather had broken into the lab because he had no other options to work on the, at that time, rare equipment.

The boy had an insatiable appetite to learn—although this had never come out previously in his studies.

November, seeing an opportunity, offered to enroll the boy in a summer programming course. The boy declined because he had a summer job and could not afford the time off work, but instead, asked if he could complete the course assignments on his own and submit them. November agreed and the keen student completed the entire course in a weekend, demonstrating advanced understanding of complex computer programming language—completely self-taught.

The teacher could only offer the student a grade of “C” because school policy stated that was the maximum grade any student could earn with such an attendance record. November was again surprised by this lad to find that

PAGE 10

he was unfazed by the relatively low grade. The grade and course credit did not matter to him; he wanted to complete the course only because he had a passion for learning.

W

hen we as educators assess student work with a letter grade, percentage or 1-7 IB grade we place a value on student work.

Arguments can be made that IB grading is more fair and accurate because it is based on criterionreferenced norms; however, in doing so we nonetheless run the risk of squashing the intrinsic motivation that students naturally have—a desire to learn simply because they are curious—and may force children to focus more on external motivation: the grade, accolades from teachers, or a parent’s approval. When this happens an important shift in education occurs from a desire to know, understand and be innovative, to a desire to please teacher and parent, or university admissions and scholarship committees. Students learn over time to focus on the extrinsic rewards and ignore the intrinsic joy of learning. The growth mindset that focuses more on learning for learning’s sake as in Alan November’s discovery in 1981, can quickly turn to a fixed mindset that has a student become more cautious, afraid of making mistakes, fearing failure.

A study out of UCLA demonstrated a fascinating phenomenon in primary aged children. Students were given reading and vocabulary assignments at a very basic level. When students finished reading, they had the option of A) going to the Library to choose another book, or B)

choosing a student who had not finished and helping him with some of the more difficult words and concepts. The program worked exceptionally well for the first few weeks where students seemed to choose equally between the two options. Students who frequently finished their reading early chose to help others who were struggling—a wonderful dynamic of peer-support became the norm. After a few weeks the teacher changed the dynamic and offered “Classroom Bucks” as an incentive for students to work even faster. For students who finished their reading and vocabulary-building assignment early, they could choose a student to work with as before, but now, they would earn a “Classroom Buck” as soon as they finished helping a classmate.

An interesting twist developed: students who finished first soon realized that helping a stronger student would result in a quicker finishing time and more classroom bucks. Trips to the Library ceased almost immediately. Weaker students who truly needed the extra support, or students who were more easily distracted were ignored as advanced students learned it would not pay off to help them. This study highlights Daniel Pink’s premise in his book Drive where he questions the reliance on extrinsic rewards such as increased pay for work completed. Pink writes that extrinsic motivators can, in fact, lead to reduced job satisfaction and decreased motivation.

Grading, however, is a reality in schools. The Ministry of Education requires that all students be given a letter grade starting at Grade 4. IB requires grades at

JUNE 2016 the end of the DP that are sent off to universities for admissions.

Grades are a necessary part of a student’s journey. It is at the beginning of this process, in Grade 4, where a parent’s response to the value of grades is critical. It is important that Stratford Hall parents have a clear understanding of how we grade our students.

IB Grade Conversions 7 = 96%-100% (A) 6 = 90%-95% (A) 5 = 86%-89% (A) 4 = 76%-85% (B) 3 = 70%-75% (C+/B) 2 = 55%-69% (C) 1 = 40%-54% (C-/D) Assessment at Stratford Hall is simple: students are given many tasks and assignments where the feedback is formative; in other words, there are no calculations or records kept of this feedback, rather students are given constructive feedback on how they can improve for next time. In fewer instances, grading is summative: the final grade on a given unit (teachers may arrive at this summative mark using criterionreferenced rubrics after giving a test, marking a presentation, an essay, or a project). There is a clear distinction between formative and summative assessment.

When explaining our assessment policy we often use the analogy of a theatre production. The formative work in the analogy would include all of the behind the scenes work in preparing for opening night: the rehearsals, the memorization of lines, the setconstruction, the staging, blocking, props and costume design (to name a few). The summative, in the analogy is the performance on opening night. Without the

formative work, opening night is destined to be a flop. But through careful preparation and countless hours of rehearsing, organizing and planning, the actors are ready for opening night with great anticipation. Actors look back on the hours of formative work that leads to a great show. The audience sees the final result. The show is what people will judge; however, no one other than the director and actors judge the rehearsals.

Students often ask the age-old question: “does this count?” when given an assignment. I prefer the question: “does it matter?”

The first question implies that the student might not bother to do it if the assignment is not being graded. The second suggests that if a student does not complete the assignment to the best of her ability that she will miss out on valuable feedback that will, in the long run, help her to develop her skills to the fullest potential in preparation for the summative. No actor would ever ask if memorizing his lines counts; however he will soon discover it matters.

T

he IB grade from 1-7 is foreign to those who are new to IB schools. Many make the mistake of assuming that the 1-7 grading scale is easily converted to letter grades or percentages (measurements parents are more likely to be familiar with), so they (incorrectly) assume that a 7 would be the equivalent to an A or 100%, an IB 6 (or 6 out of 7) would equal a B at 85%; 5 out of 7 would be a significant drop to a C+ or 71%; a 4 out of a possible 7 would be a bare pass at 57% and a 3: well, most parents would perhaps rather not think about anything below a 4.

In actuality, the above method of conversion is completely inaccurate and may be the

main reason why many parents remain misinformed about the IB grading method. There is really only one time when IB scores are converted to percentages: when marks are required by the Ministry of Education. When converting our student’s IB scores to percentages and letter grades, this is the scale that we use (developed by UBC a number of years ago): 7 = 96%100% (A); 6 = 90%-95% (A); 5 = 86%-89% (A); 4 = 76%-85% (B); 3 = 70%-75% (C+/B); 2 = 55%69% (C); 1 = 40%-54% (C-/D).

The range of percentages allows teachers to examine a student’s Approaches to Learning along with individual performances on summative assessments to arrive at the optimal percentage for each student. So as you can see, students who score 5 or above are working at the A level when compared to non-IB students in the province. In other words, on a Ministry transcript to a university admissions department, a student with grades of 5 and above would have the same standing as a “straight A” student in a nonIB program. Because of this, our students consistently earn admissions to their universities of choice. No student “fails” IB. All students who attempt the IB Diploma earn the Ministry of Education Dogwood Diploma.

Assessing student work is a tricky business. My challenge to students as well as to parents is to understand IB grading, how IB grades look to an admissions officer, and that we must always strive to ensure that the love of learning is at the core of what our students do. Intrinsic motivation is paramount. Extrinsic motivators such as grades should never be the reason why a student completes an assignment. If there is no joy in learning, then I fear there will be little learning.

PAGE 11

IMPRINT

GRADUATION CEREMONY ADDRESS

BY BRAD SMITH, SENIOR SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

“I

love graduation. Students have an undeniably relaxed demeanor—something that most parents and teachers have not seen for some time. Exams are over. Summer is imminent. It is the end of an era that hints at the wonder and excitement of an unknown future and journey into adulthood.

By the time the average lifer has graduated from Stratford Hall she has experienced over 13,000 hours of classroom time, 2,236 hours of lunch breaks, being dropped off and picked up from school 4,472 times, at least 10 burgundy school sweaters, and Grade 12 students have sat for what works out to close to 24 hours of IB Diploma final exams.

The IB Diploma Programme is no doubt challenging, and as students participate in the process and complete their diploma requirements, our Grade 12 students have bonded together as a family of students. Sometimes a typically dysfunctional family of children that throws Frisbees and hubcaps incessantly in the locker room, boots soccer balls at the heads of innocent Grade 11s trying desperately to get something out of their locker

PAGE 12

and escape unscathed, all to the relentless pounding beats of their block rocker.

on this stage has experienced success in the best ways that he or she could.

At Stratford Hall in the Diploma Programme the students on stage today have mastered many new skills. They’ve learned how to dominate a classroom discussion even though they didn’t do any of the reading. They learned time management: the ability to rattle off a 1,000-word essay in an hour while skyping with friends, playing Call of Duty, and texting a girlfriend. If they didn’t finish an assignment they learned to corrupt a file and turn that in, gaining valuable acting skills: “Wow, I have no idea what happened, it was totally fine when I sent it last night.” In class lectures, they mastered another skill that they are all exhibiting as I speak. For example, right now it looks like they’re staring at me with captivated attention, but they’re all fast asleep.

On July 6th, these 35 students will receive a final score out of a possible 45 points from IB. They need 24 to earn the diploma.

Less than that, however, should not be seen as failure. It does not mean they haven’t graduated, nor does it mean they won’t get into university. It does not mean they were not successful. Regardless of their final score, these 35 students will go on to chase their dreams and they will continue to experience success.

Sitting on this stage today are 35 talented kids about to become adults and pass through one of the greatest traditions in the lives of Canadians and students around the world: high school graduation.

Around Stratford Hall I have become known as the guy who talks about failure. Regardless of where you end up in 2 or 5 or 10 years, failure will almost certainly be part of your life—it’s inevitable.

I hope to some extent at least we have prepared you for when that happens because as you all know: it’s how we respond to failure that shapes our character.

But I don’t really want to talk about failure today. I want to talk about success and how each student

I want to talk for a few minutes today about a word that isn’t one of the 10 IB Learner Profile attributes, but perhaps should be: PERSEVERENCE. To persevere means to stick with something, to ride something out with grit and determination even though it is challenging and difficult. Later this morning we will award one student who has shown significant perseverance throughout the DP. You have all persevered through what is arguably the most challenging high school curriculum on the planet. But, if statistics show us anything, not all of you will actually earn the diploma, and some of you quite likely knew it was a long shot before you even began, yet you persevered. You hung in there.

You have been successful. Each individual’s definition of success may be quite different than the person beside you, and hanging in there looks very different to different people. Many of you have excelled and thrived within this programme—managing to achieve high predicted scores, complete

JUNE 2016

all of the core components, and somehow manage to maintain some semblance of balance.

You were risk-takers. You cared about others, you were principled.

Some of you persevered by NOT attempting the full diploma, yet you remained at Stratford Hall.

To others, perseverance meant tackling the challenges that you could manage within Stratford Hall and letting go of others, focusing on doing really well what you felt you could—you individualized your education, and I am so proud that Stratford Hall has evolved over the past few years to allow individuals the freedom to tackle this program in whatever way makes the most sense. The bottom line is, the DP is really tough and all of our graduates will earn the BC Ministry of Education Dogwood Diploma regardless of whether or not they earn the minimum 24 points required to earn the diploma. That is success.

L

ast week Rick Hansen came to the MYP and talked to Grade 8-10 students and his theme was perseverance—it’s too bad our grads were not able to be there, but I’ll quickly summarize: At the age of 15 Rick Hansen became a paraplegic in a car accident and rather than throwing in the towel and spiraling into a life of despair, he persevered through rehab, continued his athletic pursuits, became an Olympic gold medalist, world champion wheelchair basketball player and marathoner, and from 1985 to 1987 he wheeled his wheelchair around the world through 34 countries and over 40,000 km. Rick Hansen knows what it is like to persevere.

When asked by one of our Grade 10 students if he ever felt like

giving up, he told the story of how he almost quit on his second day.

He said: “Sometimes you feel like giving up but something inside you just keeps you going … but other times you have to give up and plan your strategy from another angle.” This is what you have all done in varying degrees.

I told you this year would go fast—you’re here. We are proud of you. Our graduates have been accepted to the most prestigious universities across the country: McGill, Western, U of T, Waterloo, Queen’s, McMaster, Carlton, Ryerson, U of A, Calgary, UBC, SFU and UVIC. They are going into Sciences, Human Kinetics, Arts, Medical Sciences, Nursing, Social Sciences, International Development, Kinesiology, Business, Social Work, Engineering, Biomedical Physiology, Law, Commerce and more. They have been awarded nearly $200,000 in scholarships.

Success.

But if we only measure success in terms of final grades, university admissions, awards, and scholarships, then I think we miss something far more important. We can easily miss the development of character. The question then is not how many of these grads got into their first choice of universities, rather the question is are these 35 grads good people? Are they caring?

Principled? Reflective? Thinkers?

Knowledgeable? Inquirers?

Balanced? Open-Minded?

Communicators? Are they risk-takers?

in the PYP and MYP, but I believe it is in the DP where, although we may talk about it less, these qualities begin to become imbedded in a student’s character.

O

ur school crest has the words Confidence, Excellence and Integrity. If the people in this room can say that we have sent you out into the world as people of confidence, excellence and integrity, I would say we have done our jobs well. Continue being men and women of integrity.

Be women and men who stand up for what is right. Be the type of risk-taker who protects those who are weaker than you. Make your university campuses safe for fellow students. Respect others.

Understand that no means no.

Be safe. Our university campuses need women and men of integrity.

In this room are the people who have undoubtedly had the most significant impact on your development as human beings to this point: your family, your friends, your teachers. Today you do not have to think about anything. You don’t have to study, no exams to write, you don’t have to plan a single thing. Today is your day to be thankful. Thankful for the people who have influenced your lives.

You have all persevered. You have all reached the milestone of graduation from high school, you have all experienced success.

I wish you the very best as you move on with excellence, with integrity and with confidence.”

We talk a lot about the IB Learner Profile at Stratford Hall, especially

PAGE 13

IMPRINT

PAGE 14

JUNE 2016

PAGE 15

IMPRINT

2016 Graduation Address The

Innaara Merani & Rika Wong: Good morning friends, family, administrators, teachers and fellow graduates. My name is Rika Wong and my name is Inaara Merani and we are honoured to be this year’s valedictorians.

Today, we come together to celebrate the completion of the Diploma Programme for the graduating class of 2016. Before we get started, we would both like to thank our teachers and fellow graduates for giving us the opportunity to represent this year’s graduating class.

Innaara: Graduates, the day has finally come. After two years of hard work, dedication, and no sleep, we have reached the finish line.

But before we make it official, let’s take this moment to reflect on our time here at Stratford Hall.

Rika: As some of you may know, I started

PAGE 16

Stratford Hall in Grade 1 and after Grade 7, I decided to try two years at a different school. It was a difficult transition, knowing that I would no longer be surrounded by my teachers and my friends that I had known since I was 6 years old, but the universe has its own way of doing things and it was in this time that I was able to recognize and truly appreciate the strong and diverse community we have here at Stratford Hall.

Throughout the years, the foundation of our school community has been molded by our teachers who have provided

us with constant guidance and support. As reflected by their genuine care, we were more than just a number on the scale from 1-7. Whether it is in the extra hours during study centre or even on the weekends, our teachers’ have done more in our lives than just teach us Math or English.

They have also grown us into the well-rounded and capable individuals we are today. Another influential factor to our tight-knit community has also been our small size.

As a school of only 514 students, our size and spirit have brought us closer to our classmates over the years, forming strong bonds and lifelong memories.

We may have taken these moments together for granted from time to time, but

JUNE 2016

ultimately it’s what made us come in every morning to what we thought of as our second family. It is what makes us unlike any other school. To be able to stand on this stage today and graduate alongside the same faces that I have known for as long as 12 years is what makes Stratford Hall so special.

Innaara: The IB has continuously challenged us to push our boundaries and to step out of our comfort zones, in order to shape us into the young adults that we are today. Individually, we have dedicated countless hours into preparing for every exam and every assignment; however, the major key to our success these past two years has been the support that we have given to each other. Although our graduating class is composed of only 36 students, the relationships we formed contributed to our successes within the Diploma Programme.

Whether it was through our discussions in class or our group chats to remind each other of the homework, we were able tackle the IB as a team. So for those of you who are currently undergoing the IB: Yes, you will face your fair share of ups and downs throughout this journey, but know that you are not alone.

Together, you will overcome what will seem like an insurmountable challenge, and before you know it, you will be sitting on this stage with your peers to your left and your right.

PAGE 17

IMPRINT

2016

PAGE 18

JUNE 2016

PAGE 19

IMPRINT

REUNITING THE SABRES

BY STEFANIA IACCHELLI, DP COORDINATOR

One of my favorite events of the year is the Alumni Reunion which happens every year around graduation time. It’s always special to see alumni fill the spaces of the school again. With exams completed, celebratory events over, and the Grade 12s gone, the alumni seem to fill the void in the Diploma Programme building.

This year, the event was attended by 45 alumni who graduated between the years of 2010 and 2015. It was the largest to date, and a particularly memorable one for me.

The first few moments in conversation with an alumni are generally spent exchanging pleasantries and getting updates on their post-secondary experiences, fields of study or exciting career opportunities; but it’s the moments that follow the initial exchange that I love most.

When we get to converse, no longer as teacher and student, but as adults in this world, laughing about shared memories, reminiscing on successes and failures, congratulating each other on achievements.

The Alumni Reunion this year was filled with so many amazing conversations of self-discovery.

I left the event thinking that, though part of our work here is in preparing young minds for careers and post-secondary success; the most important part of the work we do is building a community that can share and teach each other, year after year, the merits of risk-taking, reflection, inquiry, and thinking.

Arpreet Singh (grad class 2010) was one of the first students I got a chance to reconnect with. He was sharply dressed with a big smile on his face. We exchanged memories of biology class and how Arpreet was the best and worst student: so interested in biology, and never willing to

study. As it turns out, he has now graduated with a Biology degree from SFU and will be contributing to several publications out of an immunology lab at SFU this fall … so much for the poor work habits!

Later on in the evening I caught up with Shawn Dhasi (grad class of 2011). He is a regular attendee at the alumni reunions, and each year he brings up his Extended Essay in Psychology, as well as his procrastination and avoidance of his advisor (me). Every year, he reminds me that it was the single greatest learning experience of his entire high school experience.

Though it didn’t have the greatest outcome, it continues to be a reference point for him in terms of how far he has come as a learner.

My conversation with Faizaan Shajani (grad class of 2015) was another one that stuck out for me. He caught my attention by making a remark about how he still doesn’t know the difference between ionic and covalent bonds.

Faizaan always liked to say things like this to push my buttons … and it still works. After barking something at him about electron sharing, we settled into a long conversation about his past year at Western. I was grinning from ear to ear listening to him reflect on what it was like to explore his independence out of the familiar

PAGE 20

JUNE 2016

context of Stratford Hall. He spoke with an ease and self-awareness that I had never seen before.

A

ri Nitikman (grad class of 2014) and I chatted multiple times throughout the evening, about his Ultimate Frisbee National team experiences, his work liaising between corporate sponsors and charities, and his entrepreneurial coaching ventures. By the end of the evening, we were philosophizing about the educational system and sharing ideas about how one could revolutionize education by teaching through virtual realities.

He told me that he had a similar conversation with Michael Oliver, another grad of 2014, who is now spending some time travelling around Europe while making contributions to his YouTube channel “Conscious Encounters�.

Sounds like ToK to me!

Brittany Gee-Moore was thrilled to finally get to tell all of her teachers that she was quitting university to run away with the

circus. The Ecole Nationale de Cirque de Montreal, that is, possibly one of the premier circus schools on the planet. Brittany and a group of others talked about how those seeds were planted at Stratford Hall.

Each year at this event, I marvel at how these alumni return so changed, and yet exactly the same. With each year, as we all do, they seem to grow into the very best versions of themselves: more confident, more experienced, more self-aware.

They share how they are pursuing their passions, and it so evident that they have grown into lifelong learners who value and apply their IB education to everything they do. It reminds me that we are not just preparing minds for successful study at prestigious universities, though we do; more importantly, we are building a community of people who embody the learner profile, and a collection of stories that shape who we are and what we value.

PAGE 21

IMPRINT

OUR 2016 SCHOLARS

BY CAITLIN SHEPARD, POST-SECONDARY ADVISOR

N

ow that IB exams are finished, graduation speeches have been made, and goodbye hugs have been shared, it’s time for our grads to start gearing up for life away from Stratford Hall. For many, that means a life away from home as well. In fact, of grads who have reported back on their post-secondary destination, over 70% are attending school outside of the metro Vancouver area. The most popular destination for our students this year after UBC is Western University, with four students planning to attend in September. There will also be Stratford Hall students enrolling at Queen’s, McGill, the University of Toronto, McMaster, Ryerson, Carleton and the University of Ottawa in the fall. In fact 55% of students who reported on their post-secondary destination will be attending school in Ontario or Quebec.

Our students will also be studying a diverse range of subjects. Business, engineering, and kinesiology proved to be very popular programs for Stratford Hall students, with several students receiving offers of admission from the most competitive business schools (Sauder, Ivey, Beedie and Gustavson), engineering programs (Waterloo, UBC, McGill, Queen’s) and kinesiology programs (SFU, UBC, Western, U of T) in the country.

And our students did not just see admissions success domestically. This year three students opted to apply to university in the United Kingdom. These students sought programs in law, chemistry and economics and all of them received offers of admission to the schools of their choice including King’s College London, the University of Warwick, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Manchester and the University of Sussex.

“This year has been a record year for scholarships at Stratford Hall with over $200,000 worth of scholarships offered to our students, and counting.”

While so many students are taking their education further afield, it should be noted that several of our students have been successful with receiving admission to our local universities as well. Eighty percent of our students who applied to UBC, one of most competitive schools to get into in the country, received offers of admission. There were even higher admission rates to SFU, where our students were also rewarded with an incredible amount of scholarship money. In addition to the students who received entrance scholarships for having 29+ IB points, Jai Sanghera was awarded the Dean’s Academic Excellence Scholarship in Science at $12,000. Brandon Lee was offered the Lloyd-Carr Harris Scholarship (which is awarded to the top applicant admitted into their Beedie School of Business) at $20,000, and Albert Kragl was offered SFU’s Schulich Engineering Scholarship at $80,000.

This year has been a record year for scholarships at Stratford Hall with over $200,000 worth of scholarships offered to our students, and counting. There have been 15 different entrance scholarships reported from schools across the country, and many more unreported. Six students were awarded the $1,250 Dogwood District Authority Scholarship for excellence outside of academics. Plus Anisha Sangha and Baldeesh Dhillon were both offered athletic scholarships and Kiera Lee-Pii is also the first student in Stratford Hall’s history to be awarded the GVISAA scholarship.

Stratford Hall students are well-rounded and academically successful across a broad range of subjects.

They are athletes. They are artists. They are critical thinkers. It is wonderful to see that the post-secondary avenues they are pursing reflect their diverse range of abilities. They will be incredible assets to the future communities they serve. Congratulations to the Class of 2016!

PAGE 22

JUNE 2016

SPRING 2016 MATH CONTEST RESULTS

By Sarah Phillips,

MYP COORDINATOR

THE STRATFORD HALL MATHLETES HAVE BEEN BUSY WITH A VARIETY OF MATH CONTESTS THIS SPRING. STUDENTS IN GRADES 4 TO 9 HAVE PARTICIPATED IN CONTESTS, MANY OF WHOM

Students in Grades 4, 5 and 6 participated in the Canadian Mathematics League Contest.

Half of the Grade 6 students participated in the contest for that grade level and Stratford Hall placed 9th in B.C. All of Ms. Lempriere’s math class participated in the Grade 5 contest.

Rohan S (Grade 4) also decided to participate in the Grade 5 contest and earned the top score at Stratford Hall!

In the Grade 8 contest, Evan W, Ryan Z, Kurtis L, Cyrus K, Angad R, Milton L (Grade 7), Annika C, Andrew J, Veronica L, Dylan F, and Karena T earned Certificates of Distinction for placing in the top 25% of students at Stratford Hall.

Nathan L earned the top score of all the competitors at Stratford Hall.

Stratford Hall was also well-represented in the Gauss Contest, a one-hour, multiplechoice contest for students in Grades 7 and 8. All students in Grades 6 and 7 took the Grade 7 contest, and all students in Grade 8 took the contest for their grade level. Grade 4 students Rohan S, Rohin D, Caleb J, Kaitlyn C, Gabriel Gand Ezra L also accepted the challenge of competing in the Grade 7 contest.

The Pascal Contest is a multiplechoice contest for students in Grade 9. We had eight students in Grades 6-8 accept the challenge and they performed beautifully: all students achieved 9 or 10/10 on the first section, even though they were competing above their grade level.

Evan W (Grade 8), Kaden L (Grade 7), Ryan Z (Grade 8) and Kurtis L (Grade 8) placed in the top 25% of all competitors worldwide.

Evan and Kaden tied for first place at Stratford Hall, earning the School Champion medal.

In the Grade 7 contest, Aya O, Claire H, Laurie Y, Emma Y, Rohan S (Grade 4), Muhammad M, Ethan F, Aysha M, Tyler G, Adam C (Grade 6), Palak S, Phyllis Z, Kiran D, Nico H, Denby C (Grade 6), Tia H, Jazzi H, Max B (Grade 6), Sarah S, Zubin G, Alaana S (Grade 6), Cailey W, Priya C and Jack W earned Certificates of Distinction for placing in the top 25% of students at Stratford Hall. Kaden L achieved a perfect score, placing him at the top of the competition at Stratford Hall and worldwide!

Five Grade 9 students participated in the Fryer Contest, a gruelling two-hour, open-solution contest.

Because the contest took place at the same time as an ultimate tournament, the students who had originally signed up (and prepared) to do the contest were unable to participate. Thankfully, Natasha C, Dag D, Jaden S, Sasha U and Alexa M were willing to give it a try. Despite having stepped in at the last minute, Natasha C placed in the top 25% of contestants worldwide and qualified for a School Champion medal.

STEPPED UP TO THE CHALLENGE OF COMPETING ABOVE THEIR GRADE LEVEL. FOR EXAMPLE, STRATFORD HALL PARTICIPATED IN THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO’S TEAM MATH COMPETITION FOR THE FIRST TIME. WHILE THE CONTEST IS DESIGNED FOR TEAMS CONSISTING OF STUDENTS IN GRADES 9-12, OUR TEAMS WERE MADE UP OF STUDENTS IN GRADES 8 AND 9. THEY ROSE TO THE CHALLENGE ADMIRABLY AND PERSISTED WITH A VERY CHALLENGING 2-HOUR COMPETITION, OFTEN FACING

BOTH THE EXTENT OF PARTICIPATION AND THE LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT IN MATH CONTESTS AT STRATFORD HALL ARE COMMENDABLE. GIVEN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO ARE COMPETING – AND ACHIEVING – ABOVE THEIR GRADE LEVEL, THE FUTURE OF COMPETITIVE MATHEMATICS AT STRATFORD HALL IS BRIGHT!

UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY.

PAGE 23

IMPRINT

Stratford Hall 3000 Commercial Dr Vancouver, B.C. Canada V5N 4E2

PAGE 24

JUNE 2016

Mary Mackenzie

Stratford Hall 3000 Commercial Dr Vancouver, B.C. Canada V5N 4E2

PAGE 25

We Give Camp Elphins

IMPRINT

Hello Stratford Ha

Hello Stratford Hall, Camp Elphinstone was AWESOME! I liked the high ropes most because I really like climbing around. Also, I’m not afraid of heights. I like how they made sure that everyone got to climb at least once. I also like archery, but it’s kind of hard. I recommend that the targets are like the wooden targets with the rings, not big foam things that look like Oreos. I liked the campfire too, because the songs were funny and weird in a good way. I also like that they have 3 sections: fast, medium and slow.

Overall camp was probably one of the best things I have ever experienced.

- Kaitlyn 4T

PAGE 26

Stratford Hall 3000 Commercial Dr Vancouver, B.C. Canada V5N 4E2

EL PH IN ST O N E

Camp Elphinstone was amazing. It wa s sooooo great. I ju high ropes. I was re st loved the ally terrified but, wi th some encourag friends, I did it! Al ement from my so, the archery wa s cool I wanted to The last night I foun do it all day long. d out I did not sleep talk, but, sleep sin Camp was truly am g! I thought azing and it made me a better person knew I could be m in side. At Camp I yself and let me be me.

- Natasha 4T

ELPHINST

I really liked camp and how I got to m eet lots of other pe know as well in ou ople that I did not r class. At the mea ls we would sit at breakfast, lunch an th e same table for d dinner, and also with Grade 5s. I th worked out at cam in k that everything p. My favourite ac tivity was archery; fun at the same tim it was hard and e. I really enjoyed my cabin and who so glad that I went I was with. I am to camp and I am looking forward to next year!

- Agam 4T

ONE

ll,

Stratford Hall 3000 Commercial Dr Vancouver, B.C. Canada V5N 4E2

I hear you’re wonde ring about how ca mp was for the class. Well, IT WAS GREAT. I really liked my cabin mates, and the food at di ning hall was the BE ST! I really liked all the ALL the activities, especially archery, goldrush and high ropes. I had a grea t time and no problems except pe ople blaming me fo r singing at 12:00 in the morni ng. That ’s all!

- Marcus 4T

E

mmunity!

E L P H IN S T O N

Hello Stratford Co

ELPHINST

ONE

st one Two Thumbs Up!

JUNE 2016

- From Kiera 4T

ELPHINSTONE

In my opinion Camp Elphinstone was an amazing experience. This was my third time camping except, for me, I considered it Glamping which is much more enjoyable. I loved camp so much especially because of all the fun and awesome activities. My favourite activity was archery because it was new and was a challenge for me. Even though I may not have hit the bullseye more than three times, I had an awesome and amazing experience. It was great that I learned more things about different people. Another one of my favorite things about camp was that we had tons of time to enjoy our surroundings. I am very thankful that the teachers left their families to spend their time with us. Thank You!

ELPHINSTONE

Stratford Hall 3000 Commercial Dr Vancouver, B.C. Canada V5N 4E2

Stratford Hall 3000 Commercial Dr Vancouver, B.C. Canada V5N 4E2

PAGE 27

IMPRINT

SENIOR SCHOOL SERVICE DAY

BY RICK CAMPANELLA, STUDENT LIFE AND CONTINUUM COORDINATOR

T

hinking back to my own high school years, I have little recollection of time spent in classrooms, but I have several lasting, fond memories from field trips, sporting events, and assemblies. Most schools end their year immediately following a series of traditional final exams, but thankfully, we do things a little differently at Stratford Hall. I like to refer to June as our complete transition to experiential learning.

Our MYP exams typically combine subjects and take students through a series of active tasks.

All students then go to camp where they demonstrate their skills developed over the year in programs like OEE, and our final week is a combination of celebration and community service. June 21st marked our seventh annual Senior School Community Service Day. Service learning is an integral part of each

PAGE 28

student’s experience at Stratford Hall. All students volunteer throughout the year, and in June, we dedicate a specific day in our calendar to give back as a whole community.

Students from Grades 8 to 11 were divided amongst eight different locations (listed below).

Every year, as I visited each location, I was repeatedly impressed to see our students’ willingly participate with smiles on their faces and a sincere enthusiasm to give back.

COTTONWOOD COMMUNITY GARDENS AND THE GREATER VANCOUVER FOOD BANK

This marked our seventh year volunteering at Cottonwood Community Gardens. The garden, located along the south side of Strathcona Park, is one of the oldest community garden sites in the city. Their property provides ample opportunity for our students

to work on large scale gardening and landscape projects.

This year we combined this opportunity with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, which just happens to be across the street.

At the Food Bank, we helped to sort and organize food donations that can then be packaged and ready for distribution into the community. Twenty students began their day at Cottonwood Gardens, while another 20 started at the Food Bank. At noon, both groups joined together for lunch, and then swapped locations for the afternoon.

COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTRE

This is our second year attending the Community Resource Centre (CRC). Managed by Stratford Hall parent, Inthirani Arul, they are part of a larger organization, the Community Living Society, which provides opportunities for adults with special needs. The CRC has

JUNE 2016 a thriving art program. Perhaps you have seen their members’ art work being sold at art shows and farmer’s markets around the lower mainland. Our students worked with their members on two combined art projects.

MAKE-A-WISH CANADA

This was a new partnership for our school. “The mission of Make-A-Wish Canada is to grant the wishes of children with lifethreatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy”. All of the contents needed to present a wish are collected inside what they call a hope box. The hope box is the first item presented to a child when they learn about their granted wish. During our service day, 15 of our students worked with a Make-A-Wish coordinator to build and artfully design the outside of several hope boxes. It was a great opportunity for young artists to meaningfully use their skills to bring joy to others.

HASTINGS URBAN FARM

Hastings Urban Farm (HUF) is a ½-acre farm in the heart of the Downtown Eastside. The farm provides opportunities for employment and for volunteering to individuals struggling with poverty, addiction, and other barriers to stability. Volunteers are trained to grow vegetables and fruit for market, and are provided with fresh organic produce at discounted rates.

After learning about the history and importance of the site to the local community, our students helped the HUF team with their hanging baskets project. The baskets are part of a Downtown Eastside beatification project.

You will see them this summer hung from lampposts along East Hastings Street.

new refugees to Canada. They transform families and individuals from homelessness to regular housing, they direct newcomers through the complexities of our legal system, and they help individuals cope with the struggles of exile, loss, and displacement.

Our students learned about their establishment, interacted with current residents, and helped to prepare a large community meal.

Every Tuesday evening Kinbrace hosts a community dinner with a focus on strengthening bonds for those they have helped.

STRATFORD HALL – MUSIC, ART, AND THEATRE PROJECTS

If you have enjoyed one of our school’s music performances, you likely noticed that most of our instruments involve students holding large mallets that they repeatedly bash upon our equipment. As such, much of our equipment is in constant need of repair. Mr. Grealy earmarked a group of dedicated students from his music 9/10 program to help him clean and repair equipment.

Our DP art and drama students also spent the day assisting Ms. Chow and Ms. McFadyen to organize, clean and remodel our art and theatre spaces.

IONA BEACH – METRO VANCOUVER PARKS

This school year, we further developed our relationship with Metro Vancouver Parks. Metro Vancouver's regional parks system covers a total of 14,500ha, and includes 22 regional parks. The system exists, first and foremost, to protect the region's important natural areas and ecosystems. On several occasions this school year, our OEE students volunteered for metro parks to help with an ongoing restoration project at Iona Beach in Richmond. During the Community Service Day, we went back to Iona Beach to help uproot Scotch Broom, rapidly spreading blackberry bushes, and uproot some tree stumps. The students at this location were exhausted by the end of the day’s work.

KINBRACE

Kinbrace is a local not-for-profit organization that welcomes

PAGE 29

IMPRINT

RUMOUR HAS IT

BY SAMANTHA GAYFER, DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

I

f there’s anything I’ve learned in my first year at Stratford Hall it’s that news travels fast in this community. In light of this issue, we are sure you are aware of the exciting news coming out of Community Development: Stratford Hall has an opportunity to build a new playground at Clark Park!

The confluence of events leading up to this opportunity were fortuitous and yet seemingly meant to be. What started as an approach to acknowledge community sentiment by dramatically reducing fundraising asks has evolved into an incredible opportunity. By joining forces with a social movement that aligns with our Stratford Hall values, we are able to nurture a culture of giving in our school, provide hands-on opportunities for students to experience and demonstrate giving, and to parlay all of that goodness back into our East Van community through a major gift to Clark Park. It’s difficult at this point for me to not break out into a Lion King rendition of the “Circle of Life”…

THE PATH – MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE

Giving is a fundamental part of any independent school; however, giving can take many forms. For some, giving is financial, for others it is about sharing their talents or expertise, for many it is about

PAGE 30

sharing their time. Giving has many incarnations, but regardless of its packaging, giving forms the foundation of our school’s continued evolution.

new playground in Clark Park 3. To leave a legacy for the East Vancouver community in which we learn every day.

In order to honour the feedback we have received from the community, yet still do what needs to be done to achieve a new playground at Clark Park, we will be transforming the 2016/2017 Stratford Hall Annual Fund into a one-day, educationally-sound, socially-conscious, globallyrecognized movement called GivingTuesday.

The concept behind our GivingTuesday is circular and designed to meet the objectives above. Educationally, our students will understand what GivingTuesday is about by seeing the impact giving can make (check out this amazing video), and will also spend the afternoon on GivingTuesday doing volunteer work on the East side. One hundred percent of the school will be out on service. The money then raised through the efforts of our school community will be reinvested back into the wider community in the form of a revitalized Clark Park playground.

Giving Tuesday began as a response to the consumerism represented by Cyber Monday and Black Friday in the USA. It is dubbed the “first day of the giving season” and has quickly become and international movement.

Last year, GivingTuesday took place in 68 countries around the world and more than 26,000 partners participated. Our Giving Tuesday will be held on Tuesday, November 1st, 2016.

For Stratford Hall, GivingTuesday is a wonderful fit for our three primary goals this year: 1. To promote a communitywide culture of giving through pride in participation 2. To reduce the number of “asks”, yet still raise the funds necessary to build a

SO HOW DOES IT WORK?

In Community Development, we will work tirelessly to ensure that all our families are aware of GivingTuesday. This will be the one and only fundraising canvas from Community Development this year. Phase two of the Centre for Innovation will be funded through our parent-run gala later in the year. In the interim, we are appealing to every Stratford Hall family to mark the date on your calendar today and pledge to get involved. Our participation goal is 100%.

Financial contributions will be key to making the new park a reality,

JUNE 2016

SHPA

BY ANGELIQUE SCHNERCH

“We need everyone in our community to get involved.” but donations of talent and time will also be needed.

We will need GivingTuesday ambassadors to help us make calls for pledges, to help keep our social media feeds updated for the 24-hour giving period, and to help us generate awareness.

We will need our financially savvy parents to help share creative ways for our families to give more with less, and we will need to connect with external parties who have a vested interest in revitalizing the park.

We need everyone in our community to get involved.

Even with the cost of design and maintenance being borne by the City, the cost of the new park is projected at $250,000.

The GivingTuesday campaign will allocate 70% of every dollar directly to the park fund, 10% to the school’s endowment and 20% to yearly SHAF initiatives (see page 45). Based on this breakdown, we will need to raise $350,000 in order to continue to support the school, and to give back to the surrounding community.

The bar is high; but, the other thing that I have learned in my first year at Stratford Hall is that this community is capable of amazing things when united by something they believe in. #SHgivesback To get involved, email Samantha.gayfer@stratfordhall.ca

If I were to claim one major goal of the Stratford Hall Parent Association, it would be this: To connect our families through meaningful activities and projects that foster a community spirit in an effort to support the goals of the school and enhance our children’s educational journey.

This past Fun Fair was certainly the embodiment of this sentiment.

For all staff, students, family, and friends that attended – thank-you for coming and building on this special community. Importantly, the Fun Fair was made possible by the efforts of our parents, student leaders and staff.

Thank-you to the following parent volunteers for your time, creativity, enthusiasm and energy!

Nicole Clendinning, Rebecca Keung, Roshni Verappan, Barb Womersley, Harv Phandal Dhanda, Ivy Yu, Valerie Tsui, Qiaozhen Fei, Lisa Shillington, Naina Sloan, Melinda Der, Evan Shotropa, Anna Lim, Maegen Leishman, Jen Gunasekera, Andrew Tsui, Shawna Soo, Julia Robbins, Kristen Callaghan, Emily Lew, Felice Ho, Lisa Liu and Rubina Tejar.

A special thank-you to the SHPA executive team and the many hours devoted to making this event FUN: Lisa Liu, Melinda Der, Nicole Clendinning, and Emily Lew. Thank-you to our SH staff volunteers for your time and great attitudes, the students certainly appreciated seeing their favorite teachers having a great time alongside them!

Casey Turnpenny, Alexis Malinowski, Mary Mackenzie, Fraser Allen, Greta Bartsch, Tricia Grzybowski, Candice Birch, Jason McBride, Chelsea Todd, Liza Capedecoume, Janine Erickson, and Jennifer Yeung.

Thank-you to our amazing SH staff that supported the SHPA efforts not just during this past Fun Fair but throughout the entire year in particular Alexis Malinowski, Jennifer Yeung and Janine Erickson.

Lastly, the SHPA would like to thank our student leaders that participated at the Fun Fair, you exemplified open mindedness, resourcefulness and cheerfully volunteered!

Abby, Andrew, Annabel, Annika, Dante, Dylan, Emilie, Emily, Evan, Faith, Ibreez, Irene, Jada, Jaime, Jaya, Jimmy, Karena, Kira, Kirsten, Kylie, Lauren, Lauren, Magesh, Matthew, Melody, Natasha, Nisha, Owen, Paiton, Rose, Ryan, Sofia, Thea, and Yanyu.

“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” ― H. Jackson Brown Jr.

PAGE 31

IMPRINT

RISK-TAKING IN KINDERGARTEN

BY TRICIA GRZBOWSKI & DANIELLE MINICHIELLO, KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS

The Kindergarteners had the opportunity to take part in a wonderful hands-on sensory experience when Mike’s Critters came for a visit. What makes opportunities like these interesting is the way students handle touching unfamiliar and sometimes creepy looking critters like the tailless whip scorpion.

The fear they had about each critter quickly dissipated as Mike explained their abilities and sensory shortfalls. Who knew that the milk snake mimics the deadly coral snake as a defense mechanism against its predators? Students were all given the chance to touch each critter gently or even be a volunteer to handle it in their hands or on their arm. What at first seemed awfully scary, was now a safe risk to take in a trusting environment. Student after student volunteered to have a snake draped on their shoulders or have the tarantula placed on their shirt. Definitely risk-taking at its finest!

PAGE 32

JUNE 2016

PUBLISHING BY DESIGN | GRADE 7

BY LUPE GOMEZ, SPANISH AND FRENCH TEACHER

CLICK TO VIEW

S

panish Design provides an excellent opportunity for students to consolidate their knowledge of Spanish by using the language as a tool within the MYP Design course. Following the organizational steps of the design cycle, they create a product in a context that simulates a real world situation. The projects are an excellent platform for the students to put into practice the vocabulary learned in Spanish in previous years, improve their fluency and confidence using the language, and explore different aspects of Hispanic culture.

Our third Spanish Design project in Grade 7 this year, required the students to follow the design cycle to create a magazine issue centered on the celebration of Hispanic Heritage. The design specification of the product required the application of magazine cover conventions and layouts. In terms of content, each group researched three topics on which they based their articles: a Hispanic celebration, a famous sports person and a travel destination in Latin-America or Spain.

The task was a challenging one, and the students were proud to present their first official publication. Here are the two samples of their final magazine that they would like to share with the community. Simply click on the magazine covers to see each issue.

PAGE 33

IMPRINT

CELEBRATIONS Academics Two of our Grade 11 students, Marine B and Bryan Y, began representing Stratford Hall in their prefect roles by volunteering to attend the ISABC Head’s & Chair’s Conference in May. Both students spoke in front of senior-level panels and made our Head of School and Board Chair extremely proud.

Congratulations to Phyllis L, who has won a silver medal at the Canada Science Fair! We are so proud! Between Phyllis and Zoey J, we were very well represented at the Fair. In fact, Zoey presented the findings from her Personal Project at the TedxYouth Conference, held June 5th on Granville Island and rocked it! On May 7th, Phyllis also won a silver medal at the 33rd edition of "Le Concours d'Art Oratoire" (Canada's French Public Speaking Contest) with a speech about the potential of women in modern society. Well done.

Congratulations to the following students, who received 100% on their Grade 10 provincial exams: Zoey J (for the English 10 exam), and both Michelle Y and Taylor G (for the Science 10 exam).

Overall, the marks for our students are above ISABC and Provincial averages. Great job!

Congratulations to our Sabres Mathletes who had an incredible year. To read about all of their achievements, see page 23.

PAGE 34

Congratulations to our Kindergarten students on finishing their first year of school!

There was a special graduation ceremony held at Trout Lake in honour of the occasion.

SERVICE

Olivia E in 1C took action to make a difference in her community.

She has been growing out her hair since the beginning of school and recently had it cut and donated to be made into a wig for a child that has cancer. Two of our Senior School teachers also went to great lengths to make a difference to local cancer patients. Both Ms. Radmanovic and Mr. Knight lopped off their locks to be made into wigs. Jenna had the honour of wielding the shears. In similarly hair-raising news, Josh Haughian volunteered to have his head shaved (by Princess Anna from Frozen!) to raise money for BC Children's Hospital.

Our annual uniform consignment sale was a success once again, thanks largely to our amazing parent volunteer Ms. Shannon Goddard.

The sale raised $4,000 for Kipevu!

Harrison L was recognized recently by the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. He was invited to speak about his experience receiving the Award to a delegation of people from the BC Business Community, and had the opportunity to meet Lt. Governor Judith Guichon.

Congratulations to Jenna M who has been chosen as a Level 2 Student of the Year National Finalist for ISTAR, the Ismaili community's celebration of excellence, meritocracy, and social responsibility. These awards are quite prestigious.

Jenna was described as "consistently demonstrating integrity and citizenship as she balances her academic life with activities."

Jenna was also the force behind Stratford Hall’s team at this year’s World Partnership Walk – a fundraising walk held every year to work towards the eradication of poverty. Through Jenna’s amazing efforts, the team raised almost $30,000!

Grade 3 students Niksten and Benjamin and invited all the boys from both 3SB and 3CB to their

JUNE 2016

shared birthday. Niksten has long been a supporter of the BC Children's Hospital, so together they asked for donations in lieu of gifts. Many attended and due to the generosity of our 3SB and 3CB families, a little over $1,130 was raised. Student initiatives like this continue to show us that the students of Stratford Hall are taking action in the community and making a difference.

Way to go!

ARTS & ATHLETICS

on making the U19 girls team.

Congratulations to Filip K, who recently made the U15 BC Basketball Team!

Tiffany in Grade 2 earned 1st place from the Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festival for playing the harp. Amazing!

We are very proud of our Grade 9 and 10 music class for teaching a Taiko drumming workshop to Grade 6 students at Southridge. They were wonderful ambassadors for Stratford Hall!

They held a workshop in the morning, and a performance for the Junior School in the afternoon.

This year, a record six Stratford Hall students have made the U19 BC provincial Ultimate team!

Congratulations to Albert K, Khalid A, Daniel M on making the U19 boys team. Congratulations to Kiera L, Avery L, and Breanna D.

Congratulations Kate P for participating in the Sneak Peek Performance & Dance Power 2016, where her team received two silver medals.

Congratulations to Thea H, Rose L, Kylie B and Abigail W, on winning bronze medals at the Volleyball BC U15 Provincial Championships! Great work, ladies!

Satakshi S competed in the US Junior International Cup (JIC) and US Open at Las Vegas in March for karate and secured two medals! Well done, Satakshi!

Arnima S and Liyana A are also karate stars, and both earned bronze medals at the BC Provincial Karate Championships.

These championships featured several of our students, and one of our teachers even participated and placed fifth! Amazing turnout, Sabres!

The Grade 6/7 musical Friendsical showcased our students singing talents at a Monday morning assembly in June. They serenaded the audience with a medley of show tune classics before heading off to camp for an amazing time.

We were pleased to see students in the Junior School showcasing their Spanish speaking skills this week at En Vivo! Students were highlighted in assembly June 20. Many thanks to our amazing Spanish teachers for their support in selecting our top performers.

PAGE 35

IMPRINT

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING

PAGE 36

JUNE 2016

AT STRATFORD HALL?

PAGE 37

IMPRINT

PAGE 38

JUNE 2016

Spri

n

n c o e C rt g

Ms. Best and Mr. Grealy want to congratulate the PYP students on working so hard on their end-of-year concerts.

PAGE 39

IMPRINT

SPORTS

PAGE 40

JUNE 2016

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE HANDBOOK!

PAGE 41

IMPRINT

STRATFORD HALL ANNUAL FUND

SUPERSTARS The end of the school year is here and the Stratford Hall Annual Fund would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to all our families and staff members who have generously supported us thus far.

The 2016 Gala saw our community come together to complete Phase 1 of the Centre for Innovation by raising over $185,000. $105,000 of these funds will go towards materials to inspire and harness our students’ imagination.

Below is a list of all the families who have supported SHAF 2015-2016 by directly donating to the fund, participating in SHAF KiDZ or attending the 2016 Gala. We have made every effort to ensure we captured all of our supporters. If we have missed you or misspelled your name, please let Jennifer Yeung know, as this list will serve as the donor list for the 2015-2016 Report to the Community. THANK YOU for supporting our students!

Salim & Shaina Adatia

ASI Accoutning Services

Salman & Rose Bhura

Cameron

Denny Chow & Leila

Jameel & Sharifa

Iftikar Asin & Sarah

Guido Biemold & Cindy

Rick Campanella

Kwok

Ahamed

Banfield

Yu

Liza Capdecoume

David & Valerie Christie

Farashad Ahvazi &

Rob & Meena Atwal

Candice Birch

Lindsay Causey

Susan Christie

Faranak Nami

Alan & Gloria Au

Lisa Blachut

Wes Carson & Barb

Anthony Chu & Anita

Oliver Aldridge & Rita

Norman Au& Heather

Daniel & Rosa Bosa

Womersley

Hui

Biermann

Burgess

Mark Brady & Naina

Keith Chan & Emily

Dixon Chu & Susan

Will Ali & Sarah-Jane

Tim Au & Kelly Tsai

Sloan

Lew

Fong

Anand

Greta Bartsch

Michael Jason Breger &

Peter & De-Ann Chan

Kelvin Chu & Pauline

Aiyaz & Rubina Alibhai

Doyle & Alyssa

Armansa Glodjo

Stephen & Elaine Chan

Lam

Haneef & Yasmin Alibhai

Schottland-Bauman

Stefan Buitelaar & Joely

Vincent Chan & Kanas

Toby Chu & Kelly Chiu

Fraser Allen

Scott Bell & Natasha

Collins

Lam

Christopher Chum &

Angus & Kate An

Bauman

David Bursey

Irene Chang

Glenda Hendson

Anonymous (6)

Todd Bell & Christopher

Mike & Michele Buttle

Darren Chen

Tara Clendinning

Alissa Antle

Buchner

Ian Byers & Silvana

Ron Cheung & Daisy Ng

Simon Cookson &

Bob & Elizabeth-Anne

Karim Bhimani & Karima

Costa

David & Carol Chiang

Chihiro Tajima

Armstrong

Bawa

David & Carolyn

David & Grace Chong

Roger Cross &

PAGE 42

JUNE 2016

Josephine Jacob

Gunasekera

Fui Chong & Wendy Lee

Tony Pires & Cindy Wong

Lim

Steven Cross & Shelina

Yan Wu Hai & Yujun Zhu

Harry & Elaine Lee

Glen Powell & Dawne

The Tsai Family

Rayani-Cross

Tony & Ray Cher Han

Jeanne Lee

Bringeland

Edwin & Liba Tseng

Arfa Dalmir-Raza

Ashef & Shelina Harji

The Lee-Pii Family

Richard & Marlane Press

Andrew & Valerie Tsui

Jimmy & Melinda Der

Tony Haughian & Lou

Harold & Maegen

Alain & Linda Quennec

Casey Turnpenny

Dhar & Harv Dhanda

Guerrero

Leishman

Anja Radakovic

Michael Twaites

Bhagwant & Manjit Dhillon

Matthew & Alexandra

Amanda Lempriere

Satpal Rai

Jagdeep & Bandna Ubhi

Gordie Dhillon

Haussmann

Wallace Leong & Elisabeth

Todd Raine & Sarah Jane

Cristina Uroni

Sukh Dhiman & Angela

Philip & Tina Heywood

Chui

Swartz

George & Esperanza

Haer

Anthony Ho & Jennifer

Jeremy & Cindy Leung

Alykhan Rajan

Vandyke

Avtar & Gurpinder Dhinsa

Tung

Dan Lin

Reid, Jackie

Patricia Vanstone

Saloni Dholakia

Cedric & Felice Ho

Gillian Louie

Paul Reynolds & Carole

Amit Venugopal & Liliana

Dave Dirks

Robert & Katherine Hooley

Edmund Low & Liezel

Burtwistle

Posada

Anh Tuan Do & Liz Tran

Crispin Horng & Yujie

Lorico

RHB Group

Ana Ver

Greg & Karen Dosen

Chen

Reiko Mackenzie

Sarah Riddell

Rishi & Kavita Verma

Jane Edgar

Dave Howard & Shalini

Samantha MacKinnon

Dave Ritchie

Jan Vu

Chiemi Endo

Verghese

Suzanne & Lach

Dave & Julia Robbins

Timothy Walker & Baljinder

Brian Eng & Won Ng

Ansel Hsu

MacPherson

Kirk & Michelle Romero

Girn

Janine Erickson

Michael Hunter & Sheila

Jeff Magnusson & Helene

Ian Ross & Tami Crawley

James Wang & Karen

Claire Fei

Bertoldi

deMonye

Akash & Raj Sablok

Chan

Andrew Fielding & Lynda

Stefania Iacchelli

Alexis Malinowski

Dave Sangha & Beverly

Vivian Wang

Lazosky

Dale Ignatieff & Jocelyn

Fayaz & Salima Manji

Ginder

Weihua Wang

Final Choice Construction

Figueiredo

John & Lee Marinelli

Kamal & Bal Sangha

David & Susan Wells

Raymond Fong & Winnie

Farhan & Shahin Jamal

Derek & Nadine May

Baldev & Navjot Sanghera

Terry & Marie Wells

Lai-Fong

Sam & Farah Jamal

Jason McBride &

Perry Saran & Rupi Kaila

Lavinia Wen & Cathy Muyu

Dean Fox & Elaine

Pindy Janda

Samantha Gayfer-McBride

Anna Schmidt

Vivien Wen

Peaston

Gurjeet Jaswal

Michael McGuire & Diane

Gertrude Schmitz

Wendy Zhang

Christopher & Julie

Gareth Jones

Lacaille

Rob & Bimmie Senghera

Nick & Kylie Williams

Frketich

Byron & Josephine Jung

Cameron McLellan & Rikia

Kul & Jas Shahi

Bev Willms Best

Qiang Fu & Rachael Shao

Steve Kamachi

Saddy

Minaz & Shenaz Shajani

Bruce Wilson & Sook Hey

Dennis & Joanne Gam

Tamiz & Jamila Kanji

Mark Mehrer & Ye Chu

Caitlin Shepard

Anna K C Wong

Matthew George & Gracen

Karim & Rehana Kassam

Saufia Merani & Hafeez

Sicherman Family

Brian Wong & Won Ng

Chungath

Shamsh & Karima Kassam

Danielle Minichiello

Roger Singh & Meena

Jeff Wong & Oringa Yip

Feda Ghaleb

Irving & Sharon Kates

Nevada Mohammed &

Anand

Jeffrey Wong & Charmain

Amar & Rose Gill

John & Wendy Kennlyside

Calle Johnson Mohammed

Skipper

Lam

Jeevan & Amandeep Gill

Tony & Rebecca Keung

Laura Moriarty

Peter & Maureen Skov

Simon Wong & Wendy

Ashef Gillani & Shelina

Dave Knight

Fred & Rebecca Moroz

Brad Smith

Louie

Harji

Koml Kondola

Kristen Morozov

Mark & Sandra Snider

Simon & Janice Wong

Satwant Ginder

Ben Kong & Diana Kang

Steve & Katherine Naylor

Diane Soler

Will Wong & Angie Yee

Lupe Gomez

Robin Korba

Nishi, Bobby

Don & Shawna Soo

Danny & Andria Wrench

Vadim Gorzhiy & Svetlana

Aleksandar & Ivana Kragl

Cecile Noel

Sylvia Star

Hai Yan Wu & Yujun Zhu

Velikoredchanina

Jennifer Kramer

Nova Drywal Ltd.

Thomas & Clare Steiner

Dennis & Tina Xi

Jeff Gravistin & Nancy

The Kwan Family

Kyle Nystad

Tom Syer & Tamara Little

Brian Yang & Angelique

Mitenko

Tim & Janice Kwok

James Okamura & Carrie

Vanessa Tam

Schnerch

Boyd Grealy

Alex Lau & Anna Kaye

Wong

Gary Tang & Ivy Yu

Rui Yang & Haixia Lu

Rajbir Grewal & Mini

Jason Lau & Shae Hui

Nicole Ottahal

Jijun & Jane Yi Tang

Nico Yau

Randhawa

(Lau)

Victor Pang & Angelee Lee

Matthew Taylor & Amy

Edward & Eugenie Yeung

Iqbal Grewall & Sabinder

Olivia Law

Meg Penafiel

Francis

Jennifer Yeung

Sheina

Lawrence & Lisa Liu

Dino & Neda Pessione

Vindy Teja

Ken Young

Miriam Grob

Huy Le & Miranda Chiu

David Peterson & Mary

Don Thomas

Kevin & Tricia Grzybowski

Alex, Camilla & Marjorie

Ellen Sanajko

Chelsea Todd

David & Jennifer

Lee

Sarah Phillips

Scott Trebilcock & Anna

PAGE 43

IMPRINT

GIVING THE GIFT OF INNOVATION

BY JENNIFER YEUNG, MANAGER OF ADVANCEMENT

T

he 2015-2016 school year has been a whirlwind of amazing accomplishments by our Stratford Hall students and teachers.

And as we reflect on the successes of the year, we are also incredibly proud of our community as they have once again gone above and beyond to support the school by raising approximately $420,000.

The Advancement department is ever evolving, and so too has the annual fund. Our job is to marry the expectation of all stakeholders involved in Stratford Hall—parents, students and staff—to make Stratford Hall the best it can be today and in the future.

In that vein, we are proud to announce the Stratford Hall Annual Fund has raised just over $218,000. Our 007 Gala, saw our parent body come together to raise an additional $194,000 with the majority going to support Phase 1 of the Centre for Innovation.

The annual Gala has become a cornerstone of our community and we are so grateful for the tireless efforts of our parent-run gala committees put in to making each one a success. The SHPA is another key piece of our family that raises our community spirits by running the Welcome Back BBQ, the KiDZ Craft Fair, Fun Fridays and Fun Fair. This year, SHPA has added to our fundraising efforts by raising approximately $7,000.

A HUGE thank you goes out to all who have supported the school this year. We could not have this unique, tight-knit community without your dedication and belief in our mission and vision. You make us proud and thankful to have each and every one of you as part of our Stratford Hall family.

Although this school year comes to a close on June 23, our department will be heading into the summer months focused on laying the groundwork for a successful GivingTuesday campaign on November 1st. The campaign’s success will determine the school’s capacity to work with the City to build a new playground at Clark Park.

We have been asked by a few families if they can contribute to the Clark Park fund prior to GivingTuesday. The answer is yes! Simply make your gift by clicking here or contacting Jennifer Yeung or Samantha Gayfer and the funds will be allocated toward the Clark Park initiative.

Stratford Hall’s GivingTuesday goal is $350,000, with $250,000 going directly to fund the new Clark Park playground for the enjoyment of the entire East Van community. #SHgivesback

PAGE 44

JUNE 2016

YOUR GIFT, YOUR IMPACT

BY JENNIFER YEUNG, MANAGER OF ADVANCEMENT

T

he Stratford Annual Fund (SHAF) has raised over $420,000 and we are excited and eager to share with you how it will benefit our students come September. An important decision was made by the SHAF Advisory Committee to allocate 10% of all funds raised towards building our Endowment Fund. The Endowment Fund is currently supported by the registration and application fees new students pay. As the school continues to grow, the Endowment Fund will be one way in which the school will be able to withdraw funds to help support the funding gap in operations or other specified purposes.

The funding raised for Phase 1 of the Centre for Innovation will be spent on materials and to fund a part-time instructor who will help identify appropriate areas in which to integrate these innovative tools into the curriculum. This teacher will also work with teachers on integrating the use of these materials into their lessons. Phase 2 and 3 will comprise of raising funds for the renovation, any additional materials needed and the continued funding of our part-time instructor. It should be noted that funding for the Food Sciences & Textiles, as well as remaining funds to purchase materials for all the Centre for Innovation bundles, have been put into a GIC until such time as the renovations are complete and the best tools can be selected.

Additional funds raised by SHAF will be used to support our students in various avenues of school life. Below is a list of all the items your donations will purchase or support throughout the 2016-2017 school year. It’s a very impressive and extensive set of items and we are ever so grateful for your commitment and support.

CENTRE FOR INNOVATION

-computers, digital audio workstation, microphones, headphones, studio photography set, video cameras, go-Pro, podcast sets, cameras, sewing machines, sewing supplies, Raspberry Pi, Lego Robotics kits and items, circuits, switches, coding licenses, Little Bits, simple and powered machines, number building sets, specimen trays (i.e. insects and bugs), wood working items, sensory tables, imaginative play items, and Keva puppets.

ADDITIONAL SHAF ITEMS WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT

-bursaries, additional technology, Artists-in-residence visits, author visits, guest speakers, athletics and academic projects beyond the scope of the classroom (i.e. tournaments, science fairs, etc.), school play support, and shade for the rooftops.

PAGE 45

IMPRINT

KINDIE

GRADUATION

PAGE 46

JUNE 2016

Kindie COMICs

PAGE 47

IMPRINT

PAGE 48

JUNE 2016

PAGE 49

IMPRINT

Sabres Sports

SABRE SPORTS GRADE 6-7 ULTIMATE POWERHOUSES!

The Grade 6-7 Sabres Ultimate A team had another outstanding year. We had 41 talented Grade 6-7 boys and girls that went undefeated throughout the season with victories over L’Ecole Bilingue, Quilchena, Sutherland (Grade 8s), Osler, St. John’s, York House, Brockton, KGMS (Grade 8s), and Oppenheimer school. In my three years coaching Ultimate I can say that this year’s team was as deep as it has ever been, led by a strong and skilled group of Grade 7s, as well as some Grade 6s who have improved immensely throughout the season. In all the games it was easy to see that the practice and effort that the team put in showed, as many of our victories were very one-sided.

On June 3, Stratford Hall hosted Sabrefest, an Ultimate tournament for Grade 6-7s that involves both public and private schools from the Lower Mainland, as well as Bowen Island. This tournament has grown immensely from a small, eight-team tournament

PAGE 50

seven years ago, to this year, where we had 20 different schools and 24 teams that participated.

We had 12 teams in the A division and 12 teams in the B division, and had a waitlist of 6 other schools. The sport of Ultimate is definitely picking up momentum at the elementary level.

The growth of Ultimate has continued into the Independent Schools Elementary Association

(ISEA). At this year’s ISEA AGM Ultimate was adopted, and next year will be the first year that there will be an ISEA league and championship for Grade 6-7, as well as a Grade 5 league and Playday. York House, Crofton House, Collingwood, St. John’s, Brockton, and Urban Academy all plan to have teams next year.

SABREFEST A TEAM

The Stratford Hall Sabrefest A team successfully defended the A division title for the third straight year. They had decisive victories over Henderson Elementary (11-1), Brockton School (13-0), St. John’s School (13-1), and defeated Oppenheimer in the finals by a score of 9-2. The team was led by the strong handling and defenses of Thomas O, Tyler G, Shreya A, and Madoka W and the amazing cutting and catching of Ashanti M, Audrey K, Estella P, Priya C, Cailey W, Sarah S, Zakir R, Jack W, Ethan F, Ma’an A, Hussain A, Milton L, and Muzzamil M. Well done A team.

JUNE 2016

Sabres Sports

SABREFEST B TEAM

It was a hot day but that didn’t stop our 6/7 B team from running as fast as they could and giving it their all. We finished a great Ultimate season with an awesome series of games at Sabrefest, our year-end tournament. After winning a very close game to advance to the semifinals, the team continued to build momentum and reached the finals easily. The championship game was fun and spirited, and eventually we came out on top; winning 10-5, and securing the trophy for the B division!

Each player’s impressive skill development and overall growth was evident as they all worked hard to make great passes, set-up strong plays and score a lot of points.

TWO STUDENTS SHARED THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE DAY:

“Sabrefest was so much fun!

Being able to play with spirit in the great weather was awesome.

Plus, we got free food!” – Moneek “Sabrefest was the best. The experience was amazing. The weather was perfect and the food was good.” – Denby Congratulations to all the students for another strong year and thank you to Mr. Nishi and Mr. Nystad for everything they did to organize a great season!

PAGE 51

IMPRINT

Sabres Sports

ISEA TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

By Rebecca Contant, PYP Physical Education and Athletics

O

n Tuesday, May 24, 56 athletes in Grades 3 to 7 travelled to the South Surrey Athletic Park to compete in the annual ISEA Track & Field Championships against 12 other local independent schools.

Looking to improve upon our previous results at the UBC Elementary Track & Field meet, and the West Point Grey Academy relay meet, our team started off the day with several strong performances by our distance runners, with 11 of them finishing in the top five in their individual races. This positive trend continued throughout the day, with several outstanding performances by our athletes, including the extensive list of top 3 finishes.

PAGE 52

2ND 1ST 3RD 1ST 1ST 3RD 3RD 3RD 3RD 3RD 3RD 2ND 2ND 2ND 3RD 2ND 2ND 2ND 1ST 1ST 3RD 3RD 3RD 3RD 2ND 3RD 3RD 3RD 3RD 3RD 3RD 1ST

7A 7B 7A 7B 7B 7A 7B 6A 6B 6A 6A 6A 6B 6A 6A 6A 6A 6A 6B 5A 5A 5B 5A 5B 4B 4B 4B 4A 4A 4A 4B 4A

200M DISCUS SHOT PUT SHOT PUT 100M MEDLEY 800 M MEDLEY SHOT PUT 1200M DISCUS SHOT PUT DISCUS DISCUS SHOT PUT MEDLEY 800 M 1200 M 1200 M HIGH JUMP 1000 M 1000 M 1000 M HIGH JUMP HIGH JUMP SHOT PUT LONG JUMP 4 X 100 60 M 200 M 60 M HIGH JUMP

CAILEY W ASHANTI M ASHANTI M MADOKA W MADOKA W THOMAS, TYLER, NICHOLAS, MA'AN THOMAS O AMRITA, CLAUDIA, MADISON, NOLIN AMRITA DH NOLIN LP NOLIN LP DYLAN U DYLAN U NAVIN H NAVIN H MALCOLM, DENBY, SIMON, JADEN DENBY C DENBY C SIMON T VICTORIA HA DAPHNE M BRAYDEN Y SIMON G KANIEL JC GABRIEL G MAYA GO NATASHA M JORDAN, AGAM, DANTE, GABRIEL JORDAN C JORDAN C DANTE M AGAM R

JUNE 2016

Sabres Sports

By the end of the day, Stratford Hall’s team had amassed 270 points in the Girls’ events, and 291.33 points in the Boys’ events for a total of 561.33, which placed us 1st out of all of the local IB schools, and 4th overall behind perennial winners West Point Grey Academy, St. George’s and Crofton House, narrowly missing out on 3rd place by only 11.67 points!

We would like to congratulate all of our athletes who participated in this year’s various track and field meets for their hard work and dedication, and give thanks to our coaches (Mr. Lin, Mr. Twaites, Ms. Bosello, Ms. Hart, Ms. Deacon) for their efforts in guiding our athletes to such a successful finish to the season. We would also like to thank the parents for coming out to support the athletes and a big shout out to Elaine and Steve Chan who brought food and drinks to keep the athletes full of energy throughout the track meet. We look forward to another successful season next year!

PAGE 53

IMPRINT

Sabres Sports

GRADE 7 GIRLS

BY BOBBY NISHI, JUNIOR SCHOOL ATHLETICS AND LEADERSHIP CO-ORDINATOR

A

t the beginning of the year Mrs. Contant proposed that she wanted to make a change from coaching the girls’ teams to coaching the boys’ teams. I thought about it for a few minutes and decided that it would be a good idea as it would provide both of us a different challenge and opportunity. After years of coaching the Grade 7 boys, my newest adventure would begin with the Grade 7 girls’ volleyball team.

On our first practice I noticed that the girls were a little shy and did not have a lot of confidence; they were afraid to make a mistake.

I regrouped and thought about what I was going to do next and how I was going to light a little “fire” in them. I needed to show the girls that learning new skills can be fun and not scary. So I cranked up the music, designed some fun drills that worked on their basic fundamental skills and provided some extra motivation with a few competitions and the coveted “double lollie” as incentive.

As the season progressed the girls really started to buy into what I was teaching them and there were definitely a lot more smiles, laughs, as well as successes. The team finished with 3 wins and 3 losses and a 5th place finish,

PAGE 54

but at the ISEA tournament they surprised everyone with a bronze medal finish.

Next up was basketball. The Grade 7 girls came to the first practice lacking confidence after a tough Grade 6 year. But again with a lot of practice, some timely scoring, and a commitment to playing aggressive defense, the team finished the season as the #1 seed and became the first Stratford Hall girls’ team to win an ISEA championship.

By the time Ultimate came around the girls were finally starting to have a little swagger in their step.

They were coming off a Sabrefest B division championship in Grade 6, so they had something to prove

as Grade 7s. Throughout the season we often played 4 girls on, and in some cases we played all the girls against other co-ed teams, and always, they held their own. In the end, the Stratford Hall A team had their best finish ever at Spring Reign (a bronze), were undefeated throughout the regular season and brought home the Sabrefest A division trophy.

The successes for the Grade 7 girls was not contained to only these sports, but in swimming, cross-country, and track and field, where they also brought home a lot of ribbons. Stratford Hall has had a lot of really strong female athletes and teams, but this year has gone down as the most successful year (in terms of results) in Stratford Hall history.

As I reflect on this year I am so lucky to have been able to coach such a wonderful group of students. Throughout the year, I estimate that we put about 200 hours of time in for practices, games and tournaments.

Their energy, hard work, spirit, humour and commitment was a joy to be a part of.

Good luck ladies as you enter the Senior School!

JUNE 2016

Sabres Sports

THE ULTIMATE FIT

BY KYLE NYSTAD, SENIOR SCHOOL ATHLETICS CO-ORDINATOR

Less than 12 hours after the final disc had been thrown at the BC High School ultimate provincial championships, an email appeared in my inbox asking me to write an IMPRINT article explaining why ultimate was such a great fit for Stratford Hall. Having barely begun the process of dealing with the emotional highs and lows from the weekend, answering this question felt daunting to say the least.

Fortunately there are many people that can better articulate why ultimate is a great fit for Stratford Hall: our parents. What you will read on the following pages is why Ultimate is a great fit for Stratford Hall through the eyes of our parents. Enjoy!

PAGE 55

IMPRINT

Sabres Sports game are a fantastic fit with the Learner Profile: the lack of a referee, the need to negotiate and find a common solutions to issues, the need to self-identify fouls etc.

I think this brings in IB and SH values as well as an opportunity for kids to practice what they learn in school in another setting.

2. I like that it's mixed gender and mixed grade.

STEVE & SANDRA

My first thought of why Ultimate is a good fit with the school is that it aligns with the Learner Profile of Stratford Hall in being Principled. This translates in that the athletes play and act with integrity, honesty, and with a strong sense of fairness in making the calls amongst themselves and on the opposing team. We have seen our athletes exhibit this over and over again: in how they carry themselves and taking the high road in how they manage calls which may otherwise be perceived as unjust.

They are communicators who can respectfully discuss the calls and articulate their reasons for contesting the calls; then come to an understanding. They are skilled in their approach to navigating what can become heated discussions. I think the other big part of the game is the SPIRIT aspect which reflects who Stratford Hall is as a community, how the athletes take care of each other, support each other, and cheer each other on. Finally, the game reinforces what it means to be open-minded, to further discuss aspects of the play, and

PAGE 56

how to approach conversations when there is disagreement, as well as welcoming anyone that wants to play, rather than just someone who may be perceived to be athletic.

For our family, we think the sport is empowering for our girls in that they play alongside the boys with those principles of integrity, honesty and fair play. It has been great competition and a lot of fun for all of them.

RAY & MICHELLE

Ultimate is a great team sport that encourages good sportsmanship and spirit, helps develop conflict and resolution skills, build new friendships, and it is also an awesome endurance workout. But most of all it is fun and exciting for both players and spectators. We also think it helps bring our small school even closer and provides a very unique community.

ALISSA

3. It is a non-contact team sport that requires a variety athletic skills including spatial strategy, fine and gross motor skills, and overall fitness/running. It's also a fairly technical game, which is a good fit for kids who tend to be quite bright.

4. The level at which it is played at our school also makes it a fantastic opportunity for kids to play at a high performance/very competitive level, and yet be in a situation where they are very supported by their peers and coaches. It's a great way to learn how to manage failure, success, stress, teamwork, and overall sportsmanship.

5. It is also a sport the kids can play for exercise, to manage stress and for social engagement well into their 40s. It will also serve them well in their post-secondary endeavors and into their 30s if they continue to play recreationally or at a highly competitive level either in University or with professional teams such as the Vancouver Riptide. There's so much breadth and room for participation at different levels.

There are a few things that are key for me in regards to why Ultimate is a great sport for Stratford Hall.

Most of all I just love watching the kids play as a team and support each other, all 20+ of them.

1. The values inherent in the

What does Ultimate Frisbee aka

DAWNE

JUNE 2016

Sabres Sports Ulti mean to me and my family: We were first introduced to Ulti when Morgan joined Stratford Hall in Grade 9 (2010). As someone who has played a lot of sports, I was shocked to hear of this secret sport called Ulti that had apparently been around for the last 20 years – where had I been? My immediate response was WOW—this is a fast game, high-spirited yet competitive and confusing … the game seemed to be a combination of basketball … no movement when you have stopped dribbling ... a little soccer in the passing plays … a little football with the end zones … but what stood out for me was the spirit. The novel idea that you would help an opponent up off the field if they were knocked over instead of further stepping on them (as in some sports), or high-fiving an opponent for a great catch, layout, block or point, and celebrating with them was incredulous! This is what sport is supposed to be—not a war game as many have become – with the targeted take out of an opposing player. And of course, the fact that boys and girls play on the same team and self-referee is leadership training and equity at its finest.

Spring Reign. WOW. An annual gathering of 2000+ kids from across the US and Canada. We ventured down to Burlington, Washington to watch literally thousands of kids play ulti— dressed in spirited costumes and themes, they played a spirit game after the traditional handshake/ high five (lost in many sports now) that reminded everyone of the intent of sport—to celebrate. In reality, the coveted trophy was the Spirit Trophy not first place per se.

Devon’s first exposure to Ulti was Spring Reign 2011—he

was watching his sister and antsy on the sidelines, itching to play. During the Provincials 2012 at Burnaby Lake, with Stratford’s senior team leading the charge having won the regional championships, Mr. Nystad (clipboard in hand strutting in a serious manner across the field) spotted Devon on the sidelines and shouted: “Devon, get in there and get practicing!” The Grade 10 team embraced Devon and had him throwing discs and practicing right then and there—that speaks to community. As someone who was not sure about joining Stratford in Grade 6, he was now excited! The deal was sealed.

Stratford was going to be cool— Ulti confirmed it.

And then there are the parents: Stratford Hall’s parents in particular, are as positive and engaged as the kids! Community is developed through Ulti! There is no other team in the lower mainland that has as many parents cheering, yelling “UP”, “No Big”, “Big D”, the ulti lingo is a language unto itself – our parents are the most exuberant cheerleaders around.

From humble beginnings, the Ulti teams at Stratford Hall have become a force to be reckoned with! We are the little school that could – the school that other Ulti kids are talking about – and in awe of. And in spite of the fantastic placements in Provincials – egos are still in check – humility is part of champion DNA. Because of the spirit and enthusiasm, Devon BP and Noah K started a VUL team summer 2015 – DiscFunctionals. With 25 kids on the roster who were, for the most part, Grade 8s playing older kids they were badly beaten in their first couple of games. But,

by season end, they were beating those very teams that had earlier beat them! Again the parents were very much a part of the sideline cheering squad with potluck barbeques, lots of laughter and cheering – community has been extended.

DiscFunctional 2016 had its opening game this week. The roster is open to Grade 8 and up and has grown to 30+ with a waitlist of non-Stratford kids wanting to join. A bonus—Stratford Hall alumni, all Ulti extraordinaire players, are DiscFunctional coaches – we are blessed. We are having fun!!

I was asked to write what Ulti meant to me, my family and Stratford—Community, Spirit, Leadership—pretty much says it all.

JOCELYNE AND DALE

Ultimate Frisbee is a great fit for Stratford Hall as it builds community. It is the only sport that includes both genders.

But what is so wonderful about this sport is that it stresses spirit, sportsmanship and the expectation of fair play. It is a sport that is high action, fast paced where players’ play with determination and it relies on cooperation between players on both sides, as there are no referees. This sport builds leadership, cooperation and negotiation skills. It is an exciting sport to watch players as they are laying out, skying (when two opposing players jump up to try and catch the disc and one of those players jumps significantly higher than the other making the catch) and working together on the field. All of this embodies the IB Learner Profile at Stratford Hall.

PAGE 57

IMPRINT

OEE

ROLLING INTO CAMP

BY ALINA DHANJI

On June 15 a group of us Grade 8 students went off on our final OEE trip, a camping trip for three days to Rolling Earth Farms in Roberts Creek. This is one of the two camps offered to Grade 8 students. The camp is an opportunity to learn about sustainable farming and photography. Our trip started off by taking the ferry to the Sunshine Coast.

Ironically, when we arrived at Sunshine Coast, it was raining quite heavily. We received a tour of the property and got a chance to look at the gardens and animals on site. There are a large variety of crops grown at the farm and roughly a dozen chickens.

As the weather cleared up a little bit, we had the opportunity to start the photography aspect of our trip. We were allowed to explore the farm and take pictures. We were also able to expand our knowledge of photography through the various workshops that were offered. These workshops covered techniques on how to take photos from different angles and perspectives in various lightings. With the help of camp counsellors we took beautiful photos of the surrounding nature. A definite highlight of our trip was being able to have our favourite photo printed onto a hard copy which was put up for show in a gallery walk.

We also wrote a description of our photo.

Our camping trip was full of many new experiences as well as learning opportunities. We mainly focused on the idea of sustainability. The Rolling Earth Farm produces crops and animal products effectively without harming the natural ecosystem. We learned that one way a farm could be sustainable is by not using pesticides or chemical substances on the crops, meaning everything grown was organic. Some of the farming activities included harvesting vegetables such as cabbage and kale. We planted cucumbers. We made our own pizza followed by s’mores at campfire. All our delicious meals consisted of organic products harvested from the farm. We picked huckleberries and salmon berries, which grow in abundance around the farm. Also, we learned about the various benefits of weeds. For example the plantain, which is a weed, is effective in soothing insect bites. A couple of us experienced this first hand when stung by wasps and mosquitoes.

PAGE 58

This OEE trip was a great way to end the year. It was an amazing bonding experience with my classmates that I will never forget.

I got to spend time with all my friends before we all went off for summer break. Thanks to my newly developed photography skills, I could capture these moments in beautiful photos, which I will forever treasure as keepsakes. Overall, thanks to this OEE experience I got to create many wonderful memories with my friends to commemorate the end of our Grade 8 year.

JUNE 2016

FINAL ASSEMBLY

PAGE 59

3000 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C. Canada V5N 4E2 Tel. (604) 436-0608 Fax. (604) 436-0616