The Link, Spring 2014

the CONNECTING THE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL COMMUNITY ... SPRING 2014

PRIDE IN CDS SPANS THE GENERATIONS The West/Webber family is one of CDS’ first legacy families

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

The Growing Mind Tribute to Alison Scott High Performance Phys-Ed Athletics Recap In the Spotlight Alumni Notes

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Register Online Today! www.cds.on.ca/summercamp T 905.833.1220 x652 E summercamp@cds.on.ca 13415 Dufferin Street in King B

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SPRING 2014

16 DEPARTMENTS

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Editor’s Note

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Message from the Head of School

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School Highlights

16 Drama Spotlight 18 Timelines 24 Athletics Update 32 Community News 34 Connections 35 Alumni Snapshots 38 Alumni Notes 44 In Memoriam

FEATURES

6 Pride in CDS Spans the Generations For a school that celebrates its 42nd anniversary this year, CDS is still considered fairly young by independent school standards. Legacy families are starting to emerge and demonstrate pride through endowment, while current families young and old are supporting the campaign for similar reasons – a shared love for CDS.

10 From the Vault From Great Scott’s Memory Chest Excerpts from a piece the late Miss Alison Scott wrote for the CDS yearbook, Dayspring, in 1983.

12 The Growing Mind The Happy Brain Understanding what makes your brain “happy” provides insight into what makes you – and your kids – tick.

26 Striking a Balance CDS High Performance Phys-Ed Program allows top athletes to enjoy the best of all worlds.

28 A Year of World-Class Public Speaking and Debating at CDS It has been quite a year for debaters at CDS. In October, we hosted the 32nd International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Competition (IISPSC).

ON THE COVER

The West/Webber family is one of CDS’ first legacy families. Wilma West (front) worked at CDS for 27 years; Gary West (right) was the School’s first Athletic Director; their daughter, Rachel (West) Webber ’84 (middle), is an Original and their granddaughter, Kyla Webber ’17 (left) is in the Senior School.

30 Mission Accomplished for Inaugural Cyclones Robotics Team The CDS Cyclone Robotics team is a perfect example of the power generated when creative minds focus their energy and time on producing a mechanical marvel like the one we developed for our inaugural year in FIRST Robotics Competition.

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FROM THE EDITOR

TIES THAT BIND Reconnecting with the CDS Community

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INCE JOINING CDS two years ago, I have had the pleasure of connecting with CDS community members near and far. A few of the highlights have been helping to organize the Visionary Luncheon the School hosted in November to honour our founding families, some of whom had not been back since the mid-1970s; interviewing a student for an Athlete of the Week story (Jessica Blum ’15) and discovering that her riding coach is an alumnus (Chris Sorensen ’01); reaching out to the daughters (and original students) of the first CDS Headmaster, the late John Pratt, and having the privilege of showing one of them – Jennifer (Pratt) Peters ’76 – around her old school for the first time in several decades; and contacting current and past parents about their children for assorted stories or alumni information.

There are so many of you with ties to CDS who remain incredibly proud of your school!

As the editor of this magazine, I love reconnecting with alumni and past CDS families who have understandably become caught up in their lives and may not think of their old school on a daily basis. That is what makes my job both fun and challenging.

The bi-annual task of creating a publication that hopefully will entice and engage you to stop what you are doing, step back and reflect on your association with CDS, is extremely gratifying.

In this issue you will find an excerpted piece by the late Miss Alison Scott, one of the first teachers at CDS, taken from the 1982-83 yearbook – Dayspring – which we believe was the last one she worked on. Miss Scott passed away on January 24th of this year, but when you read her piece, anyone who knew her will be transported back to their time spent in her classroom (hopefully her dog Ruggles didn’t eat your lunch!).

Perhaps you occasionally still browse through your old Daysprings and Meridians.

These yearbooks are chock full of wonderful stories that harken back to earlier days.

When I interviewed Catherine Day Phillips ’81 and Todd Phillips ’82 for this issue’s cover story, they spoke fondly of the Dayspring and their original teachers. Catherine and Todd’s children, Blake ’20 and Colton ’22, are now at CDS and Todd likes to flip through the pages with them from time to time, reading about what some of his classmates aspired to be when they grew up. As far as Todd can tell, Catherine is one of the few who actually predicted her future by becoming a horse trainer!

Not only is Making Connections a symbolic name for our current building campaign, but for me it is also the essence of this magazine. The more of you I meet, the more stories there are to tell about how we are linked together as part of the wider CDS community. It is these connections that we are so proud of and help us to reconnect with our past, present and our future.

If you have been out of touch for a while, please reach out and reconnect. I would love to hear your story!

Kim Sillcox Director of External Communications

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EDITOR Kim Sillcox, Director of External Communications EDITORIAL TEAM Geoff Nugent Karen Sumner Leesa Witten CONTRIBUTORS John Andersen Gisa Bevacqua-Tirone Celia Bland Walter Davison Scott Garbe John Liggett Eric Pinto ’15 Jennifer Pratt Julia Pratt Dean Sherman Denise Steadman Karen Sumner Ann Wildberger Kerstin Wyndham-West DESIGN Atlanta Visual Communications PHOTOGRAPHY Erica Armstrong/Skate Ontario Stan Behal Photography Walter Davison Denis Dubois Pat Garrow Nick Iwanyshyn Susie Kockerscheidt Zachary Lawton Steve McCutcheon Paul Mosey Tim Peters Andrea Switalski Jen Weening Jen Wells

The Link The Country Day School 13415 Dufferin Street King, ON L7B 1K5 T: 905.833.1220 F: 905.833.3655 E: communications@cds.on.ca www.cds.on.ca Correspondence is welcome The Link is published by the Offi ce of Community Relations at The Country Day School for CDS families, alumni, staff, faculty and friends.

MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ Social Media is Far Reaching and Long Lasting

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TOO, WAS A TEENAGER – once. Sadly, that was a very long time ago. Thankfully, my memory still holds distinct images of my younger years. Earlier this spring, I had occasion to reflect on my life as a teenager in the 1980s with our Middle and Senior School students. (Many students in the Junior School have inside information from me about my earlier life involving jellybeans – and now the Middle/Senior students have a few tales of Mr. Liggett’s earlier life as well – ask them about my pink corduroy suit!)

I shared personal stories about life back then in an attempt to pragmatically demonstrate to our students the incredible differences in how people communicated then vs. now. In the 1980s, we had no cell phones. There was no internet publicly available so you could not “search” for things electronically.

You could not IM or poke anyone, and you didn’t have a “wall.”

If you wanted to speak to people, you called them. Usually you

In the 1980s, we had no cell phones… If you wanted to speak to people, you called them.

Usually you called from the kitchen phone which was attached to the wall—how is that for having a private conversation? How times have changed.

called from the kitchen phone which was attached to the wall – how is that for having a private conversation? How times have changed.

Of late, we have been making a concerted effort to talk with our students about emerging issues surrounding social media – discussing openly what is important and what to be careful of, among other things. For illustrative purposes, I chose to disclose some rather frank admissions of my own experience as a teenager. I admitted to the students that, as a teen, I know I made comments to my friends in the hallway, on the phone, or behind the school that were totally ‘offside’. I am sure I would not be proud of some of the things that I said at the time.

Thankfully for me, and the rest of the adults reading this, if we said stupid adolescent things, it was prior to the advent of social media and, therefore, there is no record of what we said during our rites of passage. Ill-advised comments of our youth certainly affected those they were directed at, but they left no permanent footprint and, hopefully, washed away with time.

Our young people are no different than us. They go through the same struggles to discover what is appropriate to say and what not to say. But what is vastly different is that they now leave a very different kind of footprint. This footprint is visible to a vast number of people and therefore can be dramatically more hurtful and long lasting. The social media footprint doesn’t wash away – indeed, in some cases it lasts forever.

We pledge to continue to have these discussions with our students in the hopes that our young people will be increasingly thoughtful about what they communicate via social media. We hope that positive attitudes and practices adopted now will translate into media-savvy and compassionate CDS graduates for years to come.

John Liggett Head of School

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SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS

NEWS FROM AROUND CDS

SOCIAL MEDIA MASHUP

OPERATION RAISE A FLAG On the Friday before Remembrance Day, the Junior School participated in its own beautiful act of remembrance.

Inspired by the 3rd annual Operation Raise a Flag campaign at Sunnybrook Veterans Centre, each student in JK to Grade 6 took a moment to plant a total of 300 flags in honour of our Canadian veterans.

CDS is the first school to adopt

Operation Raise a Flag and bring it to their community. A school-made video of the students taking part in the Raise a Flag initiative was presented to the 500 veterans who live at Canada’s largest veteran’s care facility, along with a card signed by all of our students.

To view the beautiful collection of photos captured

by The Globe & Mail, visit http://bit.ly/CDSremembers

We hope that if you are not already connected to CDS through Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, you will consider doing so to have CDS news pushed directly to your social accounts. However, if that isn’t really your thing, you can still read about CDS events, accomplishments, and general goings on through our Social Media Mashup page found at www.cds.on.ca/mediamashup.

Check it out and get social with CDS today!

ARTIST OF THE WEEK We have done our best to profile an Athlete of the Week on our website for the past few years and, as an institution of learning with the tagline Educaton with Balance, we are now profiling an Artist of the Week as well. Read the latest stories on our website or Facebook!

KING CITY OLYMPIANS CDS was honoured to host the King Township Historical Society’s Olympic display from March 25 until mid-April. This modest yet impressive exhibit featured more than 20 Olympians from King, including CDS alumnus, Elvis Stojko ‘91, and a number of CDS extended family members. The exhibit is making its rounds to various schools and locations throughout the community before returning to the Historical Society. To learn more, visit www.kingtownshiphistoricalsociety.com

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DR. KARYN GORDON Best-selling author and parenting expert Dr. Karyn Gordon offered practical strategies on raising healthy, balanced kids/teens at the CDS Association’s Food for Thought Lecture series in February.

Here’s to empowering more and functioning less when it comes to our kids, not to mention striving for margins and balance! Learn more at http://www.dkleadership.org/

COMPULSORY SUBJECTS Teacher-band Compulsory Subjects performed Darius Rucker’s Wagon Wheel at the On The Catwalk Fashion Show, along with other familiar tunes at the Alumni Holiday Gathering in early December.

Band members include Aimee Lee on piano and Josh Collins and Phil Moorlag on guitar.

(See photo on page 37.)

THE KENNEDY SUITE CDS English and Drama teacher Scott Garbe’s story about the creation of his album, The Kennedy Suite, appears on page 33.

Watch the segment that appeared on CBC’s The National and features a visit to Mr. Garbe’s CDS classroom, http://bit.ly/kennedysuite

SANTA CLAUS PARADE The Grade 5 Green Team and their teachers endured sub-freezing temperatures and a freak blizzard while making a grand appearance in the Aurora Santa Claus Parade. Although crowds were slim (or were they just buried in snow?) this year, CDS still had fun launching the start of the holiday season!

$10,000 RAISED AT MIDDLE/SENIOR FASHION SHOW Congratulations to all participants of the On the Catwalk Fashion Show held in the Performing Arts Centre. The November 26 fundraiser raised $10,437 for Free the Children. To view the photo gallery, visit www.cds.on.ca/fashion

CDS STUDENT ART FEATURED IN THE BEAUTY PROJECT

Three Grade 12 students had their photography featured in a black-and-white student photographic series depicting the true meaning of beauty in Toronto’s Brookfield Place last fall. Sponsored by the Toronto-based non-profit PhotoSensitive, “The Beauty Project” featured student artwork from 13 CIS schools. Congratulations to Ashley Weinstein, Hannah Carlton and Lyndsay Reddick on their submissions, two of which are now on display in the Senior School Office.

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COVER STORY

PRIDE IN CDS SPANS THE GENERATIONS At 42 Years Young, CDS’ Legacy Families Continue to Grow

by Kim Sillcox

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UST PAST ITS 42nd Anniversary, The Country Day School is still considered fairly young by independent school standards. CDS offered only JK to Grade 8 until the 1986-87 academic year when the Senior School opened.

This Closing Day, CDS bid farewell to its 24th Senior School graduating class – the Class of 2014.

While we are just as proud of our Original (Grade 8) alumni as we are of our Senior School alumni, the challenge has been reengaging these “Originals” who have successfully maintained their connections to each other for so long without the help of an alumni association. In recent years, many Originals have started to come back in a volunteer capacity on the Alumni Association, to attend events, or, we are delighted to see, as CDS parents. CDS is grateful to our legacy families for keeping the heart of the School beating for generations.

WEST/WEBBER FAMILY For the West clan, CDS is truly a family affair. Wilma West worked at CDS for 27 years, from 1974-2001, as the Executive Assistant to the School’s first three Headmasters: John Pratt, Robert Ross and Paul Duckett.

Her husband, Gary West, served as CDS’ first Athletic Director from 1973-74 while taking classes 6

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at York University and on sabbatical from St. Andrew’s College.

Their daughter, Rachel (West) Webber ’84, attended CDS for five years (JK and SK and Grades 6-8). Rachel and her husband, Kevin, enrolled their daughters, Chelsea ’14 and Kyla ’17, at CDS in JK. Chelsea spent 12 years at CDS and Kyla just finished Grade 9 . While Rachel’s husband, Kevin Webber, is not an alumnus, he is a dedicated CDS parent who has built cabinetry in the Junior School and Muskoka chairs for the CDS Auction, and has addressed numerous classes as a guest speaking about his job as a Firefighter.

What started as a six-week maternity coverage turned into a 27year odyssey for Wilma. “John Pratt came to my door one evening when I was making supper and asked me what I was doing for work,” recalls Wilma. “I told him that Rachel was too young to leave at home, and he said to bring her along!” Although Wilma tried to retire the summer of 1976 after John Pratt left, Robert Ross asked her to come back to work that following September, and she stayed another 25 years.

Upon her retirement, Paul Duckett paid tribute to Wilma at Closing Day, referring to her as an “icon who has provided incredible support for three headmasters.” He went on to call her a “walking encyclopedia of CDS folklore.”

Robert Ross echoed that sentiment in a written tribute to Wilma at that time: “You have been the

The Phillips family is one of CDS’ first legacy families and the first one to have both parents and children attend the School (l-r): Catherine Day Phillips ’81, Colton ’22, Blake ’20 and Todd Phillips ’82

constant throughout the remarkable history of this incredible school by providing it an ongoing ethos of stability and continuity. You will be greatly missed and never forgotten.”

In honour of Wilma’s 25th anniversary in 1999, the CDS Parent Association created The Wilma West Endowment Fund in support of the environment and school grounds. Wilma and Gary have continued their involvement with CDS, giving in the past to the Senior School and Performing Arts Centre, and on an ongoing basis to scholarships and bursaries to allow deserving students to attend CDS. “We try to be helpful in any way we can,” says Wilma. “CDS is something we truly believe in.”

DAY/PHILLIPS FAMILY Catherine Day Phillips ’81 and Todd Phillips ’82, both Originals,

met at CDS and were married in 1999. Today they are accomplished racehorse trainers. Together with their children, Blake ’20 and Colton ’22, they recently counted the number of family members who have attended CDS: Colton was the first to arrive at the figure – a grand total of 21 siblings, cousins, a grandparent (Todd’s grandfather attended the one-room schoolhouse, Eversley School) and others. Included among the 21 are Catherine’s brother Richard ’85, her cousins Shelly Burns ’80 and Tracey McCowen ’83, and some of (continued on page 8) THE LINK SPRING 2014

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(continued from page 7) Todd’s family members, such as his sister Tara ’79, brother Brandon ’96 (graduate of the Senior School), and uncle Steven Phillips ’76.

The Day/Phillips family legacy actually includes four generations of ties to CDS. Catherine’s grandfather, C.F.W. (Charles) Burns, was one of the School’s first major benefactors having made a significant contribution toward building the original school. Her mother, Dinny Day, hosted the CDS Auctions for years in the family’s indoor arena located one concession south of the School. Dinny and her brother Michael Burns, a key player in the purchase of the original school and fundraising chairman of CDS’ first campaign, both sent their children to CDS and were very involved as founding parents. Dinny and Michael’s sister, Joan Addison, is also connected through her grandchildren, Christopher Addison ’09 and Emily Addison ’11.

When Dinny passed away in 1983, Catherine’s family decided to launch an endowed scholarship in her name – The Dinny Day Scholarship. This award is given to the top academic students in Grades 4, 5 and 6 every Closing Day, and Catherine is often the presenter.

From Our Legacy Families Who Support Endowment to Our Making Connections Campaign Donors – A Passion for CDS is Shared by Many In addition to a growing number of legacy families like the West/Webbers and the Day/Phillips, CDS is honoured to be the beneficiary of an increasing number of families who have chosen to donate to the Making Connections campaign. They too have arrived at this decision because they are passionate about the continued success of the School.

JEREMY BURGE Jeremy Burge and his wife, Andrea Webb, are relatively new CDS parents. Jeremy sits on the Board of Directors and their children Rhys ’25 and Tessa ’27 are in the Junior School.

“My school in Wales just celebrated its 400th anniversary,” explains Jeremy.

“They always told us ‘to honour those who came before us’ … [those who] built the 8

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“It wasn’t a difficult decision to send Blake and Colton,” says Todd. “We know the School well and its quality of education.”

Catherine adds, “We have been very privileged to have great teachers at CDS from Mr. Taylor and Miss Scott, right through to Mrs. Wildberger. I would say that has been its strength, and why we would encourage others to send their kids.”

Other fond memories they share include the different coloured classrooms, being served soup, milk and chocolate chip cookies for lunch, cooking lessons with Mrs. Ball on the farm immediately north of CDS, apology notes sent by Miss Alison Scott’s dog Ruggles for eating a student’s lunch, and carpooling with Mr. Pratt, the first Headmaster, and his daughters Julia and Jennifer, who initially lived in the north farm on the Burns family’s property.

“It was different back then,” reflects Todd. “It was a private school, but the student body was drawn from around the community. When I was in Grade 6, we got a gymnasium. Today, CDS has a Performing Arts Centre.”

legacies that we really enjoyed. I think it’s important that we try to build a legacy like that at CDS. The founders and original generations of families have done an amazing job. I think it is now incumbent on us to give and pass off a legacy that we’ve received for our kids.”

Jeremy and Andrea believe that giving back is essential for both students and faculty. “In our opinion, the great and often underappreciated gem of CDS is our faculty – they are the ones who nurture and challenge our children, who deliver the promise of CDS. It is important that the space they work in is positive and enjoyable.”

They both believe this campaign offers a powerful opportunity to pass on a legacy while enhancing the experience and quality of education CDS students already enjoy. “It is a rare opportunity to both pay forward and still receive currently. Every dollar counts.”

THE GUY FAMILY CDS Grandparent George Guy attended his 9th CDS Grandparents’ Day this May and beamed at the sight of his three grandchildren. He became teary eyed when he realized his eldest grandchild, Will, graduates from Grade 8 this year and his middle grandchild, Olivia, graduates from Grade 6. Charlie will be the only one left in Junior School when he starts Grade 4 next year.

The occasion was bittersweet, however, as this was the first Grandparents’ Day that George attended without his late wife Beverly. Bev passed away a year ago, and last fall George decided to make a donation in her memory to the Making Connections campaign. He chose to support the Atrium Fireplace in the new Senior School, a fitting gift reflective of their warm personalities.

When asked why, George replied without hesitation, “Because there was a need for it. The School has been marvelous for the children; they love to be here. It’s a great pleasure to do it.”

“I think it’s spectacular what the School has given to our three kids,”

VISIONARY LUNCHEON CELEBRATED CDS LEGACY

Mea Culpa! While we did not take a group photo at the Visionary Luncheon, we did capture these original parents (l-r): Wilma West, Gord Wilson Sr., Jan Wilson, Derek Lederer, Co-founder Edmond G. Eberts, Joan Elder, Janet van Nostrand, Peter van Nostrand and Gary West

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n November 21, we had the privilege of hosting a luncheon to honour some of the individuals who were instrumental in the founding and early years of CDS. Among those in attendance were the School founders Moffat Dunlap and Edmond G. Eberts; original board members, trustees and advisors (Robert Sillcox, Gord Wilson Sr., Janet van Nostrand, Ann Love, and Roy McCutcheon); a former campaign chair (David Love); CDS’ first auditor (Derek Lederer); the designer of the original CDS logo (Bruce Hefkey); chair and volunteers of the early Auctions (Peter Welsh, Barb Murgatroyd, Sheila Thomson); original staff members (Wilma and Gary West, Jane Kennedy, Louise Wry, Carolyn MacLeod, Phyllis Vernon); and numerous other founding parents (including Brooke and Art Hindle, Jan Wilson, Peter van Nostrand, Leonard Vernon, John and Margaret Smithyes, Julie Tattersall (and daughter Jennifer ’92), Joan Elder, Carol Rose-Kudelka, Alex and Valerie Boultbee, Ann and Tom Campbell). It was a magnificent celebration of the CDS legacy and allowed us the opportunity to say thank you for their vision and ongoing support.

remarks George’s son Geoffrey. “When my dad phoned me back in the fall, he said he had become aware that CDS was trying to grow and he wanted to be a part of it. We’re very proud of what he’s doing. His grandkids are exceptionally proud of him.”

ELIAS DEMANGOS ’03 Elias Demangos ’03 feels a deep sense

of responsibility as a member of the CDS Alumni Association. “Giving back, whether by engraving your name in a brick, attending the Auction, or joining the Alumni Association, is a way to

The Guy Family at 2014 Junior School Grandparents’ Day (l-r): Geoffrey, Olivia, Charlie, George and Will (missing from the photo is the children’s mother, Marin Guy, CDS Board member)

show your support for something that has given you so much.”

Among the rewards Elias has reaped as an alumnus are his CDS friends, from which he benefits both personally and professionally. “The network of close and dear friends from CDS is one of the major things that you get out of the investment our parents made sending us here.”

The facilities matter to him as well.

“They enable students to interact with their teachers, interact with their classmates, and to learn. I think it’s a great investment.”

JILLIAN SWARD ’18 Last fall, Grade 8 student Jillian Sward decided to give to the Making Connections campaign. Since Grade 3 she has asked her friends to donate to charities instead of giving birthday gifts.

“I was sitting in the kitchen reading the brochure. It was close to my birthday and I was about to send the invitation, but still didn’t know what charity I wanted to support.” Jillian suddenly realized she could make a difference by asking her friends to make a donation to the Dining Hall. “My mom was like, that’s awesome. She was so excited about it and so was I.” Jillian thinks the Dining Hall will generate a lot of spirit and bring people closer together. She is also excited she will be able to enjoy the new Senior School before graduation. “That makes it ten times better.”

After the celebration, Jillian’s parents, Julia and Paul, doubled the donation by matching the birthday gifts received.

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Miss Scott in her glory at a CDS skating party in the early 1970s.

FROM THE VAULT

T S E H C Y R O M E M ’S T T O FROM GREAT SC EDITOR’S NOTE: Alison Scott, one of CDS’ beloved original teachers and a life-long educator, passed away on January 24, 2014 at the age of 82. Miss Scott taught in the Junior School from 1972-1986.

In recognition of her lasting dedication to CDS, the Alison Scott Award is presented each year at Closing Day to a student in the primary grades and a student in the junior grades for their contribution to the arts.

The School’s first Headmaster, John Pratt, persuaded Miss Scott to return to Canada in 1972 from where she had been teaching at the Marin Country Day School in California. She had previously taught at the Berkshire Country Day School in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and the Institute of Child Study in Toronto.

We corresponded with Alison at her home in Ancaster, Ont. in December and received her permission to print the following piece she wrote for the CDS yearbook, Dayspring, in 1983.

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NE FINE SUMMER day, in 1970, three beautiful young ladies – Margo Dunlap (Bindhardt), Daphne Eberts, and Elena Pratt (Heard) – were sunning themselves, watching their small children splashing happily in the nearby pool. The ladies were saying things like, “Y’know, our kids are going to be ready for school before we know it.” And “golly, I wish there was a little school around here.” And then – “Hey, let’s start one.” Their husbands knew better than to try to change their minds.

The ladies with their husbands spent two years asking all their friends if they’d like to have a school, a ‘specially’ nice school for their children. Before very long they discovered the quiet little Eversley School and their eyes lit up. Soon the workmen came again and hammered and nailed, painted and varnished, but this time they had help from Mummies and Daddies, children and teachers. In no time, the one room schoolhouse got a shiny new coat of yellow paint. The other two rooms were very jealous, but they too got new paint. Now they were called the Yellow Room, the Blue Room, and the Green Room. On September 11, 1972, the doors of the Eversley School were opened to 42 children. The school had a new name – The Country Day School. Its Headmaster was John Pratt, and it had three teachers, Christine De Witt, Peter Taylor, and me, Alison Scott.

The three-room CDS began to sprawl.

Three portables sprouted up over the years.

Then one summer, four years ago, two of them were smashed up by some wreckers.

More workmen appeared. They brought their cement, hammers, saws, nails and paint and made a gym, a staff room, an office, and six new classrooms. We had a big party in the gym in September 1979 to welcome 130 students and their parents to our “new” school. Now there was room for everyone, everyone that is but the Kindergarten children. They finally got their nice new room in 1981 along with an All Purpose Room.

I’m sitting here thinking back to the old days. A lady called up once asking us if we’d take a snake because she’d heard we looked after animals. We took it, which reminds me, Mr. Taylor had an abundance of creepy-crawlies in the Green Room, and one weekend his snakes got loose – they found all of them except for the one last seen in the girls’ biffy – I was very nervous for months afterwards whenever I powdered my nose.

Oh, and we had rabbits, and the mother had babies during a blizzard. Mrs. Hawskworth rescued them and thawed them out on the hot air vent. Merely one survived. And so of course, it was named Merely. Cynthia came to school on occasion. I was never absolutely sure she was reliable. Do female goats butt? But my dog, Ruggles – or Treasure, was friend to all in distress. He licked away many tears and sat on lots of desks to make grammar lessons a little more palatable. I had to lock him up the day the wolves came – honestly, two wolves visited – in the Yellow Room. There were a couple of rats once, and shortly afterwards there were dozens of rats. Some of you will remember the boa constrictor. Sometimes I think we really are an animal farm.

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HE HEADMASTER, Mr. Pratt, was a jack-of-all-trades. He drove the bus, he made the soup, he talked on the ‘phone, he wore brown, he taught music, he took kids on trips – eg. Newfoundland, he taught poetry, he bought stamps, he went around the countryside telling people what a fine school CDS was, he taught crosscountry skiing, he skated, and he ran the school. Mr. Taylor grew wheat and when it was supposed to be ready it wasn’t so he

Dayspring cover 1982-83; Students playing in the school yard in the 1970s; Miss Scott with her students 1979-80, The Reluctant Dragon performed on the Shakespearean stage 1979-80.

brought it into the Yellow Room to ripen, but the Fireman told him he couldn’t and Mr. Taylor was not very patient about that I can tell you. The Fireman was Mr. Pratt – oh, he was a fireman too. We didn’t have uniforms in those days. Then halters came into style. And that brought about a dress code.

It wasn’t long afterwards that the uniform was adopted.

The new Headmaster arrived on my doorstep one summer day in 1976. I looked at him and said, “So you’re Robert Ross. My gosh you’re young!” That must have made him feel great. Well, most of you know what he’s done for CDS. Look at the gym, the new wings, and all of your 190 children.

That’s a long way from three rooms and 42 children. I think he’s a super Headmaster and a terrifying sergeant-major barking,

“TEN-SHUN” and twenty bodies stand straight as arrows, eyes forward, chests out calling their names – “Melanie Love, SIR!” while he tries not to laugh. He loves kids.

I know you kids love him too – well, most of the time. Did you know that once Mrs. West sewed up his trousers’ legs while he was teaching gym? He looked awfully funny trying to get dressed – or so I’m told!

And so the second decade has begun.

I can’t believe it will be as exciting as the first, but I’ve been known to be wrong, unlike another teacher on the staff! I do know we’re not static. Where we’ll go next largely depends on you, the student body. By the end of the second decade someone else will be writing this. I’ll be in my rocking chair with my memories reading the Dayspring 1992-93.

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THE GROWING MIND BY DR. KAREN SUMNER

David DiSalvo, the author of What Makes Your

Brain Happy and Why You Should Do The Opposite, talks to The Country Day School about the brain quirks that lead us forward and astray in our thinking and behaviours.

THE HAPPY BRAIN Understanding what makes your brain “happy” provides insight into what makes you – and your kids – tick.

Q. How do we reconcile a brain that loves stability and consistency with a new learning situation or an open-ended learning task?

David DiSalvo, author of What Makes Your Brain Happy, is a science writer and public education specialist who writes about science, technology and culture.

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I think there’s value in preparing children to accept ambiguity in new learning tasks, with the caveat that they need to be given the right thinking tools to handle it. Structure is especially important in formative learning, but I believe it’s possible to teach children to think more broadly and in open-ended ways within a structural context.

In other words, we need to teach kids how to navigate the river rapids of learning but give them the right equipment and skill building to do so effectively.

The reasons for this aren’t entirely clear, but I think it has much to do with our penchant for immediacy. Our brains are not inherently very good at envisioning future situations or our reactions to future situations. We are much better at envisioning immediate situations, so it’s reasonable to assume that we’ll envision our reaction to immediate feedback much more clearly than far-off feedback.

That visceral feeling we get from envisioning bad immediate feedback seems to kick start our performance to avoid having to face a negative outcome.

Q. You summarize some interesting studies on student performance and the timing of the teacher’s feedback.

Q. You say that the first instinct of the brain is toward idleness, because we are built to conserve energy. But you also say that we are happier when we are busy and productive. Can you explain this contradiction?

What these studies indicate is that when we think we’ll receive immediate feedback, our performance improves. When we think the feedback is a long way off, we don’t perform as well.

This is one of the brain’s many paradoxes that all of us are trying to figure out every day, even though we might not be overtly thinking about it.

The research is consistently clear that we feel more

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fulfilled when we’re being productive – when we can see that the work we’re doing is “going somewhere”– even if it’s exhausting. On the other hand, our instinct is toward idleness, so we’re always in a dynamic tension between the two. It’s less a contradiction and more of an ironic reality.

Of course, we can’t ignore either inclination, which is what makes using vacation time as true vacation time so important. If your vacations turn into out-of-office work sessions, you aren’t doing yourself any favours and your brain will eventually make sure you know it with a stout dose of burnout.

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The research is clear that we feel more fulfilled when we’re being productive… even if it’s exhausting.

Q. You talk about the ways in which “immersive e-media” can tap into a malfunctioning reward centre and become a compulsive behaviour.

What do you mean?

What I mean by immersive e-media is the relatively new forms of electronic media that are more engulfing, that are designed to provide a more holistic escape from what’s going on around us.

To be clear, I see nothing inherently wrong in this form of e-media, and in some cases I think it’s actually useful (there’s a burgeoning research literature on the psychological benefits of some (continued on page 14) THE LINK SPRING 2014

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THE GROWING MIND

Students require open-ended tasks that develop critical thinking, but at the same time need dependable tools to support their learning.

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It’s useful to remember that kids aren’t consciously trying to make their parents’ lives harder – they are doing what is quite natural, to slowly individuate themselves, which requires taking on more and more self-owning thought and behaviour.

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(continued from page 13) video games, for instance). Having said that, we have to face the fact that we’re not natively very good at controlling impulse, and the impulse to spend more and more time in the new media environments is very strong.

As with anything, the more time we spend engaged in the activity, the more our adaptive brain will change to suit the contours and confines of that activity. My fear is that hours a day in immersive e-media may be triggering adaptive responses that are actually maladaptive outside of the media environment.

tremely healthy. The “problematic” part is an issue of balance.

Again, the impulse to take the path of least resistance is very strong in all of us, so if you have a lot of social anxiety and there’s this huge electronic world out there that you can spend most of your time in, the impulse to do exactly that is hard to resist. That’s when people start spending eight hours a day online and have very little non-online interaction to provide a healthy balance.

Q. You also argue that social anxiety leads to problematic Internet use.

Q. Switching topics, you discuss battles for control in your book. How can we balance a parent’s need to feel in control with a child’s similar need?

What the research on this topic suggests is that people who are inclined to avoid social interaction in their daily lives will still seek it out in other ways. The Internet, of course, is the most powerful, broad-reaching socially interactive technology ever invented, so it provides the perfect venue for those people to find ways to interact.

There’s nothing wrong with this at all, and in fact I think there’s ample research to suggest that for many people it’s ex-

The epic power struggle between parental control and the child’s need to feel more in control of their lives (a need that progresses and seems to explode in adolescence) isn’t one any parent is likely to avoid, but I think that it’s incumbent on parents to see beyond the child’s emotional, impulsive reactions into the real reasons for their behaviour.

Parents who can’t see past the emotional eruptions are more apt to slam their

fists down to assert dominance, while parents who can assume a more detached perspective will more readily find common ground with their kids to negotiate the power struggle.

It’s useful to remember that kids aren’t consciously trying to make their parents’ lives harder—they are doing what is quite natural, to slowly individuate themselves, which requires taking on more and more self-owning thought and behaviour.

Q. In your section on regret, you argue that “the power of wanting trumps the satisfaction of getting.” Can you explain what this means?

This is a tough one for everyone because Western societies, especially, are built on stoking the fires of wanting. Most marketing and advertising is about making people feel that “want” more acutely and motivate their behaviour to spend money.

But what the research on this topic shows, very consistently, is that we’re almost always less satisfied with the “getting” once we’ve experienced the exhilaration of wanting.

I think parents should be aware of this and actively coach their kids about the dynamic. Another way to say the same thing is that parents need to teach their kids to be more media savvy. We’re inundated with marketing messages potently targeting our “want,” and the more clearly children can see these messages for what they are, the less likely they’ll fall into patterns that are wholly motivated by wanting.

As a parent, I think of it this way: I don’t want my kids to grow into roles as “good consumers.” I want them to be critical thinkers who can tell the difference between self-motivated desire and artificially stoked desire.

David, we really appreciate you taking some time to talk to us about some fascinating topics.

It’s been my pleasure.

STARTING A CONVERSATION… David DiSalvo’s What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite Science writer David DiSalvo argues that what our brains want is not necessarily in our best interests. In fact, what makes our brains “happy” can lead to all kinds of difficulties, errors, and delusions. Why is this and what are we to do?

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ave you ever gotten into an extended argument and asserted your position powerfully, and yet wondered at some deep and murky level if you really are getting it right? We do this because we need to feel right, says David DiSalvo, whether we are or not. Our brains experience feeling wrong as a threat to our survival.

In the regions of our brains that process risks, we don’t distinguish between emotional and physical threats: a person questioning our beliefs or hurting our feelings produces the same response as a menacing tiger: fight or flee.

DiSalvo explains that the greatest desires of our brains are stability, certainty, and consistency. Humans are prediction and pattern-detection machines: we process information in order to determine what’s coming next. We can’t help doing it, and it allows us to order our lives and feel in control.

But to predict accurately, we need to be certain of what we know now. Hence, we are certainty addicts. We not only crave being right, but we convince ourselves that whatever information we have at hand is the right information.

Here are a few of the mental tricks DiSalvo says we perform in order to increase our certainty and decrease our sense of loss and threat: • Certainty Bias: our brains tell us we are right, whether or not we have all the information required to form an opinion, because we fear unanswered questions.

• We assign meaning to coincidence and random data to create the pattern and order we need to anticipate the future.

• Selectivity Bias: we process information from only one part of our environment to the exclusion of other parts, no matter how obvious the alternatives are.

• In acquiring new material goods, the power of wanting exceeds the satisfaction of getting.

Anticipation carries within it a stronger reward than the acquisition of the thing itself.

In the contexts of schooling and parenting, DiSalvo offers some rich food for thought. For example, why might a student fear a new learning task? If open-ended, it may threaten a need for certainty. Or why do parents and teenagers often see safety issues so differently? A selectivity bias may lead a teen to exclude data from one aspect of her experience in order to assert another.

What Makes Your Brain Happy is an engaging collection of findings from psychology and cognitive science offered in a mix of compelling stories and practical advice. DiSalvo helps us to see and correct for deep-seated tendencies that can close the door on new challenges and keep us behind the barricade of certainty.

With awareness and practice, we can learn to flourish with the tiger in our midst.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT ANOTHER BANNER YEAR FROM THE CDS DRAMA DEPARTMENT

) rounded with a sleep ( ( meditations on living ) The Grade 7-9 production of ) rounded with a sleep ( took its audience on a series of challenging and personal journeys that resulted in a heart-felt exploration of life’s triumphs and challenges.

Each scene was inspired by stories and interviews gathered from the CDS community. The production’s cast and crew members then interpreted this source material in a variety of theatrical styles. In so doing, the directors and actors far

exceeded their objective, which was to give us pause, nourish us, and leave us both energized to act and be aware of the vital role we have to play in the lives of those around us.

The concept of mounting CDS’s first original main-stage production was inspired by a professional development trip to Chicago to work with the innovative Lookingglass

ARTISTS AS CREATORS Students below rehearse in an intimate staging style (alley theatre) that facilitated a more immediate and engaging audience experience. With minimal sets and costumes, the focus became the performance and story. Even the audience became part of the story as they entered the playing space through the scenic shop doors and exited into a space treated to evoke reflection of those most meaningful to them.

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and Steppenwolf Theatre companies. Both of these renowned ensembles encouraged the artistic philosophy of “artist as creator.”

Reflecting on the implementation of this idea, it seemed urgent to the directors that the students become collaborators in the artistic process and that they explore themes that were meaningful and relevant to them.

How can we live life fully? How can we connect meaningfully to

others? How do we put one foot in front of the other when facing adversity? When we depart this sweet, sad, hilarious, beautiful life, what will we leave behind in the hearts, minds and imaginations of those we love so dearly?

It was these questions that ) rounded with a sleep ( left the audience to ponder so movingly and memorably.

Scott Garbe Director

The Rimers of Eldritch asked much of its audience and its performers The Senior School drama students requested a challenging and thought-provoking production this year and were rewarded with just that. It was a wonder to see these young artists tackle such a difficult play with confidence and maturity.

Rimers required the actors to stay on stage for the duration of the play – a challenge in remaining grounded, focused and in character. The play was an ensemble piece, meaning no one character

was more important than another.

Finally, the play looked at both the beauty and darkness of a small town – challenging the actor once again to commit to this dichotomy; not to judge their own characters or the others that appear on stage.

Conversely, it also asked questions [of the audience] that we might not like to answer: Can you tell the truth if it means condemning yourself? Can you trust what you see and hear? Are we able to

love, unconditionally, those around us who have faults mirrored in our own shortcomings? It challenges the audience to pick out the story, bit by bit, and to come to its own conclusions.

All three productions of Rimers delivered on all counts and proved to be an intensely gratifying experience!

Gisa Bevacqua-Tirone Director

PIECING TOGETHER THE STORY Senior actors relished the challenge of presenting Rimers’ fragmented, non-linear plot in a clear, powerful and provocative way. Doing so required a heightened collaboration between performers and technical crew members. The joy of working hard to master such an intricate piece is evident in the smiles captured for posterity in the production’s cast and crew photo above.

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JUNIOR SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS OCTOBER

DECEMBER

Pathways to People Grade 6 group delivers $1746 worth of food to King Food Bank for Thanksgiving 2 Grade 5 students visited the Integrated Waste Management Facility in Peel Region 3 Grade 3 Amazing Race trips to Toronto and Cookstown

Grade 5 Elections took place in the Atrium 6 Grade 4 Medieval Times Trip 7 Proceeds from the Junior School’s Treat & Book sale ($1940) were used to purchase class gifts for under The Giving Tree. The Grade 6 Pathways to People team sorted the gifts before delivering them to three shelters: The Rose of Sharon, The York Centre and Leeder Place

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NOVEMBER 4 JK through Grade 6 students plant 300 flags in honour of CDS Operation Raise a Flag and Sunnybrook Veterans Centre

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8 December Nights, December Lights celebration in Grade 2 9 JK students perform at the Junior School Holiday Concert

JANUARY

14 Grade 6 Pathways to People team presents a cheque for $1800 to a representative from The York Centre 15 SK students participate in a Chinese New Year Dragon Dance at Assembly

10 Red & White Olympic Grub Day

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FEBRUARY

16 Grades 5 & 6 Black Knight Badminton Tournament

11 Outdoor Winter Olympic Activity Day 12 SK students celebrate the 100th Day of school 13 Grades 5 & 6 visit Hardwood Hills for a day of cross-country skiing

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MIDDLE SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

Grade 7 history trip to Sainte-Marie among the Hurons 2 Grade 8 Quest for the Bay Portage

Remembrance Day Assembly 4 Grade 8 World Issues Conference at Hillfield Strathallan College in Hamilton

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Middle School/Senior School Music Night 5

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End of Year Skating Party

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JANUARY 7 Grade 8 Trip to Ottawa 8 Grade 8 student Tristan Forster’s uncle Sen. David P. Smith stopped by to visit with students on Parliament Hill

FEBRUARY 9 Grade 7 Trip to Quebec City 10 Grade 7 and 8 students received a Gold standing at the Ontario Band Festival

MARCH 11

Crazy Olympics Event

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SENIOR SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS OCTOBER

CDS hosts 32nd annual International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Competition (IISPSC) story on page 28; Natalie Ganzhorn ’16, Lukas Weese ’14, Jai Singh ’14 and Coach Kerstin Wyndham-West 1

4 CDS Cyclone Robotics Team qualifies for Provincials at the York Region qualifying tournament

Gold Award; Raeesa Rajmohamed ’15, Silver Award

Grade 10 St. Donat Trip Grade 9 students try out the two-man bobsled during the Olympic unit in Phys-Ed

9 CDS participates in the 11th annual York Region Secondary School Mock Trial Competition at Newmarket Courthouse. Natalie Ganzhorn received the Best Witness Award

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Duke of Edinburgh Dog Sledding Trip to Temagami 8 Duke of Edinburgh Award Recipients this year: Brittney Nichols ’16, Bronze Award; Alexia Constantinou ’14,

10 Nineteen CDS students spent their March Break on a Me to We community service trip to Ghana. Faculty Advisor Walter Davison told the students, “There is a great deal left to do

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NOVEMBER 2 Social Science and Art Trip to Washington, DC

DECEMBER 3 Middle School/Senior School Music Night

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to make our world a better place, but every drop of water helps immeasurably! The school you started to construct was done so with selfless determination, exuberance and love. The future for the children of Nyameyekrom is brighter than ever before.”

11 Fifteen CDS students ventured to Iceland for March Break to experience geological wonders firsthand, including caving in a volcanic lava tube and climbing the Solheimajokull glacier wearing crampons and wielding ice axes.

“I never really understood the extent of the poverty in Africa until going on this trip. Things I take for granted daily are painfully scarce here. The most life-changing thing for me was learning about where Nyameyekrom gets all their water from; a single stream that is used for bathing, drinking, cooking, etc. It was a real eye-opener for me.”

RACHEL WONG ’15

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ATHLETICS UPDATE

U12 Boys’ Basketball

Junior Middle School Cross Country

(right) Senior Boys’ Volleyball; (below) U12 Co-ed Hockey

Graydon Staples ’17 and Logan Hunt ’17 qualified for the OFSAA finals in Senior Cross Country

Senior Girls’ Volleyball

CDS CYCLONES PREVAIL

OUR FALL 2013 & WINTER 2014 ATHLETICS RECAP

U13 Girls’ D1 Volleyball

U10 Co-ed Soccer

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Senior Cross Country

Senior Girls’ Basketball

U16 Girls’ D1 Volleyball

Senior Girls’ D2 Volleyball team wins CISAA Gold

U14 Girls’ Basketball

U10 Basketball team members at the Winter Athletic Assembly

U12 Boys’ Soccer

U15 Girls’ Soccer

U14 Boys’ Soccer

OUR ATHLETES CONTINUE to represent our school with pride, class, and determination. This has been a very successful term which has been highlighted by the development of many great leaders on a number of our teams. This leadership has resulted in 1 gold medal, 3 silver medals, 3 bronze, 1 consolation championship, 3 teams losing in the semi-finals, and one snowboarder qualifying for OFSAA. Congratulations to all our athletes on another remarkable term.

John Andersen, Director of Athletics

U16 Boys’ Hockey

Alex Sward ’17 qualified for OFSAA in snowboarding

Senior Girls’ Soccer

U16 Girls’ Volleyball team MIP, MVP and MSP award winners recognized at Winter Athletic Awards Assembly with Coach Sara Peters U16 Boys’ Basketball

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STRIKING A BALANCE

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CDS High Performance Phys-Ed Program allows top athletes to enjoy the best of all worlds

by Kim Sillcox

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HE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL prides itself in teaching its athletes top-level technical skills, with an emphasis on sportsmanship and integrity. While the School offers a choice of 57 teams across 21 sports, many CDS students also compete at a more elite-level outside of school. Supporting these athletes as they strive to excel in all areas of their lives is something CDS does extremely well.

Throughout the School’s history, there has been a willingness to customize class schedules specific to the needs of studentathletes to allow them time to compete competitively at a provincial or national level, while still prioritizing their academics. Some of the higher profile graduates to benefit from these accommodations include Elvis Stojko ’91, two-time Canadian Olympic Silver Medalist (1994 and 1998) and three-time World Champion; Michael Cammalleri ’99, left winger for the Calgary Flames; and more recently, Alexandra Paul ’09, member of Canada’s 2014 Olympic figure skating team for Ice Dance; and Adriana Leon ’10, member of the 2012 FIFA U-20 Canadian Women’s World Cup Team and the Canada National Women’s Soccer Team.

In recent years, CDS has given this individualized scheduling for nationally ranked athletes a name, the High Performance Phys-Ed Program (HPPP). “For those competitive athletes who are training 12 hours or more outside of school each week and are provincially ranked in their sport, CDS offers individualized scheduling accommodations and customized coursework to help balance their busy schedule,” explains Denise Steadman, Head of Physical and Health Education.

This year, 10 students were enrolled in the program, the largest the School has ever seen. Athletic choices range from equestrian and gymnastics to AAA hockey and figure skating. Eight of our High Performance Athletes are featured here. To read their full story, visit our website at www.cds.on.ca/highperformanceathlete 26

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1 Jessica Blum, a long-time CDS student in Grade 11 from Gormley, competes in equestrian, track and field and longdistance running. Jessica competes as a “Hunter/ Jumper” on the equestrian circuit and plans to compete in the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships in Lexington, Kentucky next year.

2 Rachel Glynn is a Grade 11 student from Aurora and has been at CDS since Grade 9.

She has played on the Sr. Girls’ Soccer team for the past two years, and last year helped the team win both CAIS and CISAA Championships as the team’s top scorer.

Rachel is also very accomplished at track and field and represented CDS for the second time at the OFSAA Championships last spring. She placed 5th with a personal best time and new school record in the 400m and easily qualified for the winning heat in the 800m, placing 4th overall.

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3 Katia Fedyushchenko is a nationally-ranked figure skater in Grade 11 and competes in the Junior Dance event. This year, she and her dance partner, Kaelan Dunker, placed 7th at the Canadian Nationals in Ottawa. Next year, Katia will be skating with a new partner, Lucas Kitteridge, and hopes to be selected for a Junior Grand Prix.

4 Victor Mete played for

the Toronto Jr. Canadiens AAA team alongside two CDS classmates this season

and was drafted eighth overall by Owen Sound in the OHL Minor Midget Draft in April. A Grade 10 student, Victor has been at CDS since Grade 2, and is an offensively-minded defenseman who registered 30 points in 33 games last season.

5 Anna Cappuccitti is a

Grade 10 student from Brampton and the youngest skater on the 21-person Nexxice Senior National Synchronized Skating Team.

Her team recently placed 2nd in the long program,

3rd in the short program and second overall at the 2014 World Synchronized Skating Championships in Courmayeur, Italy.

6 Jonathan Sorbo, a Grade 9 student and CDS ‘lifer’, is an emerging tennis talent in Ontario. He swung his first racquet when he was 18 months old and is currently ranked in the top 25 of the Ontario Tennis Association’s U16 division.

Jonathan has played tennis for CDS teams in the past, but was not able to this year due to his busy schedule.

7 Lauren Michelberger, a Grade 9 CDS student from Aurora, is an accomplished gymnast and dancer. She competes at a very high level in both disciplines, and has been competing at the provincial level in gymnastics since she was nine years old. Both sports complement each other very well, making Lauren a muchdecorated athlete.

8 Christian Mitri has been playing high-level hockey since he was four years old. The Grade 10 student is a high-scoring

centre and played for the AAA Toronto Red Wings, as well as CDS’ Jr. Hockey team last season. In addition to hockey, Christian has also contributed to CDS’ track and field (100m, 200m sprint and high jump) and U16 Boys’ Rugby teams.

Missing from the picture are Grade 10 students Jakob Chychrun and Justin Cmunt who both played for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens with Victor Mete this year.

Jakob was the first overall pick in the OHL Minor Midget Draft in April.

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.

} } A Year of World- Public Class Speaking and Debating at CDS

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by Kim Sillcox with contributions

by Kerstin Wyndham-West

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T HAS BEEN quite the year for debaters at The Country Day School. No sooner had the year begun when Grade 10 student Natalie Ganzhorn finished in the top five at the St. Clement’s Impromptu Debating Competition in September. In October, CDS enjoyed the highly anticipated privilege of hosting the 32nd International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Competition. This event brought 155 students representing 47 schools and seven countries to Kingbridge Conference Centre in King City for four days of intense debating and public speaking. These talented orators approach this as a sport and reveled in the highly competitive atmosphere throughout the weekend.

“It was thrilling for us to host an event in which students from around the world not only honed their speaking skills, but also had the opportunity to make friends and learn about other cultures,” said Kerstin Wyndham-West, our veteran debating coach and the event organizer. She has been coaching CDS debaters for the past 18 years.

The community came out in force to support this lofty undertaking, and CDS was fortunate to assemble a stellar army of parent, alumni, student, and community member volunteers, including the Mayor of King, Steve Pellegrini.

CDS students stole the spotlight throughout the weekend, culminating with Grade 10 student Natalie Ganzhorn winning the 28

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top individual speaker overall award – the Selwyn House Trophy. St. John’s Ravenscourt School from Winnipeg finished first, followed by Branksome Hall in Toronto. The CDS team of Jai Singh (Grade 12), Lukas Weese (Grade 12) and Natalie Ganzhorn finished third out of 50 teams. Jai Singh narrowly missed the final in Impromptu Speaking.

Other IISPSC highlights included Lukas Weese placing first in Radio Newscast and third in Extemporaneous Speaking; Natalie placing third in Impromptu Speaking and third in Dramatic Interpretation; Lukas being recognized as one of two students to embody the spirit of the event (chosen by his peers); and Natalie receiving the St. Margaret’s Trophy for Top Student U16.

“Natalie’s first place finish overall on home turf was particularly exciting,” said Wyndham-West. “Although she was not able to qualify for the Worlds at this event, as she participated in last year’s tournament in South Africa, her performance was remarkable as she is still only in Grade 10. The fact that the CDS team placed third out of 50 teams is also indicative of the strength of the public speaking and debating program at The Country Day School.”

One month later, Natalie Ganzhorn and Olivia Railton (Grade 9) won the Junior Fulford Trophy at Ridley College, with Natalie finishing 1st overall in the Junior Division. Also in November, 12 Middle School students travelled to Sterling Hall School to engage

THIS YEAR’S DEBATING TEAM SHOW OFF THEIR HARDWARE! Back Row (l-r): Jai Singh ’14, Coach Kerstin Wyndham-West, Kiyan Heybati ’18, Michael Jones ’18, Ms. Irena Snefjella, Shanee Moran ’18, Jackson Empey ’16, Ashley Offman ’18, Daniel Rajkumar ’16; Front Row (l-r): Lukas Weese ’14, Natalie Ganzhorn ’16, Olivia Railton ’17, Amanda Jones ’14

in a friendly debate. In the end, all four of the top speakers were from CDS. Grade 8 standouts were Michael Jones, Sasha Steiner, Shanee Moran, and Palma Gurdulic who demonstrated that CDS has a strong future in the public speaking arena!

In a departure from traditional public speaking and debating tournaments, CDS participated in the De La Salle World Affairs Public Speaking Competition in December. Grade 12 students Amanda Jones and Lukas Weese answered questions on current affairs topics and worked as a team on cross-ex debating; finishing an impressive 1st and 2nd overall respectively.

January saw four students (Elena Sinclair [Grade 9], Olivia Railton, Amanda Jones, and Lukas Weese) travel to Kingston to participate in the Queen’s University High School Debating Tournament for the first time. With more wins than losses, the four of them learned a great deal about how to debate in this kind of forum, where content wins over style.

In February, Olivia Railton, fresh from her experience at Queen’s, finished 2nd overall at the Fulford Debate and then went on to place 3rd at the Hart House Debate Tournament at the University of Toronto in the Junior Division in March. She will participate in the Canadian National Junior High Public Speaking Championships to take place in Vancouver in May.

Lukas Weese qualified for the Canadian National Public Speaking Tournament held in Winnipeg in February and was a finalist in two of his four events. This fine accomplishment, after four years of competition, was well deserved. Lukas’ Interpretive Reading on so-called “Canadian Cuisine” was met with roars of laughter, and his performance in the Parliamentary Debating Final was impressive.

Then, in April, eight students from Grades 8-10 travelled to Halifax to compete in the Donohoe Cup Debating Competition, held at Sacred Heart School in Halifax. All eight CDS debaters competed in the Novice event, and for one of our four teams, it was a near miss from progressing to quarter finals. Daniel Rajkumar and Jackson Empey had three wins out of four. Palma Gurdulic placed 12th in the individual ratings out of a pool of 72 novice students, an outstanding result for a first-year debater!

Meanwhile, Natalie Ganzhorn was fortunate to be invited to compete once again in the World Individual Public Speaking Championships held in Lithuania in April where she placed 8th overall out of 160 participants. Natalie was one of 12 students selected to represent Canada at the tournament and finished 1st in After Dinner, 2nd in Interpretive Reading and was a finalist in Impromptu.

Congratulations debaters; what a year!

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Cyclone Robotics team and Head of School John Liggett pose with their robot at the FIRST Robotics Competition at Nipissing University in North Bay Back Row (l-r): Liam Sykes, Nicky Mantella, Mr. John Liggett, Elliot Eydelman, Bryan Leary, Mr. Chris Wappel, Alexandra Buchanan (Mantella) and Mr. Jason Jugoon; Front Row (l-r): Zachary Joffe and Mark Carpenter

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED for Inaugural Cyclone Robotics Team

by Eric Pinto ’15 Cyclone Robotics Team member

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HE UNSTOPPABLE POWER of a cyclone makes it a truly spectacular example of what happens when individual forces work together. The CDS Cyclone Robotics team is a perfect example of the power generated when creative minds focus their energy and time on producing a mechanical marvel like the one we developed for our inaugural year in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition (FRC).

The Cyclone Robotics team was established last fall after witnessing the excitement and popularity that grew from our VEX Robotics Club last year. We will continue to run the VEX Robotics Club year round in the Senior School as a launching pad to the FRC program. This year’s FRC team consisted of 20 students and was supervised by three passionate CDS Faculty members: Mr. Chris Wappel, Associate Faculty member Mr. Jason Jugoon, and Ms. Aimee Lee. With this team of creative minds, we were a force to be reckoned with in spite of our lack of experience.

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We grew significantly this year, both as individuals and as a team. Thankfully, we received generous seed funding from Mantella Venture Partners to launch the program. Additionally, other parents and partners graciously contributed to alleviate some of the costs of running such a popular program. Our mission was not to win every competition, but to immerse youth in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) related disciplines that accentuate the importance of learning in the classroom, promoting curiosity and creativity, and acting as a catalyst for newly discovered passions in engineering, science and design.

As we near the end of our first year, we are pleased to report: “Mission accomplished.”

Once word got out that our team demonstrated such promise, more students showed an interest in contributing in other ways (i.e. design or social media management). In order to better reflect this, we changed our motto from STEM to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math). To paraphrase a quote from the former Commander of the International Space Station (ISS) Chris Hadfield, we need to stray from STEM and begin to embrace STEAM because without the arts, without creativity, we are all doomed. Cyclone Robotics subscribes to this idea as we realize how essential it is to have a creative mind in order to solve complex problems.

While developing the students’ interest in engineering and science, it is also important that the leaders maintain team goals as a means of keeping us interested and productive. Our goal was to secure a team with a minimum of five students from each grade (Grades 9-12) so that experienced students could mentor new students. Next year we hope to narrow

this year’s ratio of girls to boys (5:15). We would also like to have an opportunity to assist rookie teams like our mentor school, St. Robert Catholic High School, did for us this year.

With our sights set on the FRC competitions at Crescent School (30 teams) in February and at Nipissing University (36 teams) in March, we divided ourselves into several groups, each focusing on their respective parts of the robot such as defense, intake system, passing, and driving. After designing each component in detail, we moved on to establish the means by which we would acquire the materials needed and how much financial support would be required.

Next we built basic prototypes out of wood to make sure our measurements worked. If the prototypes passed our tests, we proceeded to construct them out of metal. While all of this planning and building was in progress, we regularly consulted the electrical team and communicated through email and in person making sure our design could accommodate the wiring. As a rookie team, we frequently ran into design and construction issues, but our diligent work ethic and innovative ideas enabled us to overcome challenges. In preparation for the FRC competition, we researched other teams and worked closely with our mentor school to develop a strategy that enabled us to accumulate a wide range of points and make us a viable competitor.

The whole FRC Competition takes place in a six-week window with the ultimate goal of competing at the world championships. The assigned challenge for the robot changes from year to year and is released in early January. This year, the theme of the program was Aerial Assist where each team was grouped into an alliance with two other schools for the first round. The FRC mandate is collaboration and teamwork, and as an example, with Aerial Assist, teams received bonus points for passing the ball to their alliance members. The first round games are played in a round robin format and teams ran-

Cyclone Robotics team with their completed robot this spring (l-r): Mr. Chris Wappel, Zachary Joffe, Nicky Mantella, Alexandra Buchanan (Mantella), Liam Sykes, Raeesa Rajmohamed, Eric Pinto, Alexander Railton, Bryan Leary, Mark Carpenter, Michael Ramnauth, Michela Luba and Elliot Eydelman

domly change alliance members after every game. They play between 10 to 13 games and then alliance points are tallied. At the end of round robin play, the top 24 teams form 8 alliances (of 3) and move on to the playoffs. Aside from programming our robot to score goals against the opposition, the most strategic part is the social engineering (networking with other teams) that goes on, ultimately a very important part of the selection process. Each team’s goal is to become known not only for their robot, but for being knowledgeable engineers and dependable teammates.

Both the Crescent School and North Bay FRC competitions were qualifiers for the world championships. There are three ways in which a team can qualify for the World Championships: to win the overall competition (Regional Winner), to receive

the Regional Chairman’s Award or to be given the Rookie All-Star Award. For these awards, the judges consider the overall strength of the school’s robotics program and the embodiment of FIRST values.

Try as we might to achieve the Rookie All-Star Award, the Cyclone Robotics team was happy to make the first round playoffs at both competitions as a first-year team.

In future years, we will continue to grow and derive useful skills with every season.

With all of the support we have gained from our members, sponsors and the community, it is clear to everyone that Cyclone Robotics is on the road toward future success. We will continue to uphold our FRC values with every decision we make and demonstrate that competition and gracious professionalism can be a winning combination.

THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS DONORS! The CDS Cyclone Robotics Team was formed upon the request of a group of highly dedicated students. However, if it wasn’t for the generous seed funding provided by Mantella Venture Partners, their dream would not have become reality quite so quickly.

The Country Day School would like to thank Mantella Venture Partners for their support, along with all of the other CDS

Robotics sponsors and donors for making this inaugural year a success.

Thanks to: Mantella Venture Partners Langille’s Scrap, Cores and Truck Parts 2014 FRC Rookie Grant The Leary Family The Country Day School

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COMMUNITY NEWS RECENT APPOINTMENTS… Fraser Fell joined CDS in September 2013

as an English teacher in the Senior School.

He holds a BA degree in English & History and a B.Ed. from Acadia University. Fraser comes to CDS from Rosseau Lake College where he taught primarily English and History. He also ran the school’s drama program, having directed two student productions, as well as several one-act plays. Prior to joining the independent school system he worked as a supply teacher in Bristol, UK. Will Hofstetter started as the School’s

new Production Associate in August 2013 and works closely with the Director of the Performing Arts Centre, Kim Marchessault, and drama and music faculty to ensure that all CDS productions run smoothly. He previously worked as a House Technician for the Lower Ossington Theatre in Toronto and the Resurgence Theatre Company in Newmarket. Will attended the University of Toronto’s University College Drama Program (UCDP) and while there he toured one of UCDP’s productions in Milan, Italy. Last year Will was hired to return to U of T as a mentor in theatrical sound design for their Production class.

Jason Jugoon holds a Computer Engineering

degree from Queen’s University and joined the Middle and Senior Schools in the fall as an Associate Faculty member with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) focus.

He brings eight years of experience as a senior school teacher from Town Centre Private High School in Markham with a background in computer engineering. Jason also has extensive experience using robotics in the field of education and has been a wonderful addition to the CDS Cyclone Robotics Team this year!

New CDS Faculty Members: (l-r) Owen Smith, Fraser Fell, Jen Mills ’07, Sara Peters, Irena Snefjella and Jill Jeffery

the Waterloo Region District School Board where she spent 15 years. Jill holds a BA (Hons.) from The University of Western Ontario, a Diploma of Hispanic Studies from the University of Salamanca, Spain, and B.Ed. Intermediate/Senior Visual Arts and Spanish from UWO. She also obtained her Honours Specialist Qualifications in Intermediate/Senior Visual Arts.

Kathy Little joined the Office of Community Relations as Advancement Officer in September 2013. She has held a variety of positions in the charitable sector including Junior Achievement of Central Ontario, Rouge Valley Health System and Osteoporosis Canada. Kathy lives in Uxbridge with her two sons.

Sara Peters joined CDS as an Associate

Jill Jeffery is a third generation art educator as both her mother and grandfather were high school art teachers. A new addition to the CDS Visual Arts Department, Jill previously held teaching positions at Branksome Hall and Trafalgar Castle School.

Before finding a place in the independent school system, she made a solid start in teaching secondary school visual arts with 32

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Faculty member in the Senior School last September. She previously taught Grade 5 in the Gifted Program at Unionville Montessori and was a Learning Commons Resource teacher at Crestwood Preparatory College.

Sara holds a BA (Hons.) from Wilfrid Laurier University, a Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, with a specialty in

Intermediate/Senior History and English, and her specialist qualifications in Special Education from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto.

Owen Smith joined CDS in September

2013 as an Associate Faculty member in the Learning Resource Centre. In this capacity he oversees testing and works individually with Middle and Senior School students.

Owen earned both his Honours Specialty BA degree in Kinesiology and Health Science and his B.Ed. from York University. He worked as a Residence Don at Upper Canada College for the previous six years in their Centre for Learning and coached football, hockey and baseball.

Irena Snefjella joined CDS in September as a French teacher in the Middle and Senior Schools. She completed her BA in French Language and Literature and English Literature at Queen’s University, as well as her B.Ed. She also holds a master’s degree in English Literature. Prior to arriving at CDS in 2013, Irena worked as an Educational Programmer for several different museums in the Kingston, Ontario area and is very passionate about experiential, hands-on learning.

SCOTT GARBE

The Mastermind Behind The Kennedy Suite

by Kim Sillcox

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VERY THIRD WEEK in November, Scott Garbe, an English and Drama teacher at CDS, plays his guitar and sings for his Grade 8 English classes. His lyrics tell the story of the JFK assassination through historical and fictional characters he imagined were in Dallas that fateful day. The words are witty and clever and, at times, haunting and unsettling, and they are part of a new album composed by Scott which has been a labour of love for the past 20 years.

American-born but Canadian-raised, Scott grew up in a family that thought very highly of President Kennedy. When he was in Grade 3, he discovered a picture book in his parents’ collection and learned that the President had been murdered. This was a life-altering moment for him – he realized for the first time that “you don’t go on forever” (a quote from one of his favourite plays, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, by Tom Stoppard).

It wasn’t until 1993 that Scott visited the scene of the crime, Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas on a business trip, while teaching at an international school in Mexico. He started wondering about the people who were there to see the President on November 22, 1963. Who were they? A police officer riding in the Presidential motorcade, star-struck teenagers greeting JFK at Love Field, the accused assassin – Lee Harvey Oswald, President Kennedy’s widow – Jackie Kennedy.

Shortly after his visit to Dallas, Scott wrote the first song on the album, “The Truth About Us,” and shared it with his friend, Andy Maize, lead singer of the Skydiggers. Andy liked it and decided to record it on his band’s next album, Desmond’s Hip City.

Scott eventually wrote more songs and, through Andy, was able to get his recorded demos into the hands of Michael Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies. Michael connected immediately with the songs and decided to collaborate with Scott in putting an album together, casting a variety of musical artists as the characters within the songs.

The Kennedy Suite was released on November 12, 2013. Described as a rock opera, song cycle,

The album, The Kennedy Suite, written and composed by Scott, has been a labour of love for the past 20 years.

post-modern musical, all 15-songs were performed live by the Cowboy Junkies and other Canadian artists on the 50th anniversary of the assassination, November 22, 2013 (and a second night on the 23rd), at the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto.

Joining the Cowboy Junkies for the performances were the Skydiggers, Sarah Harmer, Jason Collett, Lee Harvey Osmond, The Good Family, Harlan Pepper, Jessy Bell Smith, Reid Jamieson, Doug Paisley, The Potion Kings and Ivy Mairi. It was an incredible evening, with a large number of proud CDS community members in attendance for both performances. Congratulations, Scottie!

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CONNECTIONS

UPCOMING EVENTS

ALUMNI NEWS AND UPDATES

TORONTO ALUMNI PUB NIGHT Wednesday, June 18, 2014 at the Bier Markt 7-9 pm 600 King Street W, Toronto For more information, contact Krista Koekkoek or Chris Edwards at alumni@cds.on.ca

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THIRD ANNUAL ALUMNI GOLF TOURNAMENT Saturday, July 12, 2014 11:00 am Start Nobleton Lakes Golf Club 125 Nobleton Lakes Drive Nobleton, Ont. 3

Must pre-register – cost is $100 Experienced and amateur golfers all welcome!

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For more information or to register, please contact alumni@cds.on.ca

ALUMNI HOLIDAY GATHERING Alumni kicked off the holiday season at the annual gathering on December 6, 2013 and enjoyed live music performed by the CDS teacher band, Compulsory Subjects, (pictured above) featuring Aimee Lee on piano, Josh Collins and Phil Moorlag on guitar.

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Compusory Subjects, a CDS teacher band

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Gabrielle Chapman ’08, Kim Ginou ’04 and Ashley Speller ’04

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CDS Originals catch up at the Alumni Holiday Gathering: Sarah van Nostrand, William Spotton, Lisa Kirshner, Deirdre Tait and Gavin Elder

FIRST CDS ALUMNI HOMECOMING FALL 2014 Watch for more details soon!

Join CDS Online Social Media ALUMNI! Please send your favourite CDS memories to alumni@cds.on.ca We would love to hear them!

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LIKE

TWEET

WATCH

www.facebook.com/ TheCDS1972

www.twitter.com/ TheCDS1972

www.youtube.com/ TheCDS1972

ALUMNI SNAPSHOTS

CDS Rhodes Scholar Inspires Students BRIAN COULTER ’04 CDS’ Rhodes Scholar came back to visit last fall to speak with a Grade 10 Career Studies class. While Brian Coulter ’04 was only here for two years, he made a lasting impression.

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RIAN’S CALCULUS TEACHER at CDS, Krista Edwards, remembers how he would often work on challenge problems at the end of every chapter in the textbook. “These problems were never assigned. He worked on them because they were of interest to him. I have never taught anyone else like that in my 15 years at CDS.” The son of an engineer, Brian demonstrated a natural aptitude for math and science and graduated from CDS with a

99 percent average. Although a degree in engineering was the obvious choice, he wanted to combine engineering with business skills (in part based on his father’s encouragement and experience).

After researching his Ontario options, as well as a few U.S. schools, Brian decided on The University of Western Ontario’s five-year concurrent program, which allowed him to pursue a joint Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and BA in Honors Business Administration degree.

After his first year of university, Brian started to narrow his focus by doing a series of summer internships, each with increasing levels of responsibility.

Eventually he landed a position at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board during the summer of 2008, just prior to the financial downturn. At CPPIB he found satisfaction in the idea that he was essentially working for 18 million Canadians and set out to learn as much as he could.

Brian had known of the Rhodes Scholarship before, but upon his return to Western, made the decision to apply.

Established 110 years ago by Cecil Rhodes, this is an international postgraduate award that funds an all-expensespaid scholarship to study at Oxford University. The application process is not for the faint of heart and selection criteria includes “literary and scholastic attainments; moral force of character and instincts to lead and take an interest in one’s fellow beings; truth, courage, devotion to duty, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship.” Other famous Rhodes Scholars include Bob Rae, John Turner, Danny Williams, and Marc Kielburger.

Brian spent nearly 200 hours working on his application, including 25 rewrites.

He told the students that this exercise forced him to really consider what he wanted to do with his life and that by attempting something so difficult, he discovered a great deal about himself. (continued on page 36) Brian not only completed a master’s degree, but stayed at Oxford two additional years to obtain a Ph.D. in Economics.

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ALUMNI SNAPSHOTS

(continued from page 35) He was well aware of the odds – only about 80 students are selected from around the world and about 50-60 students apply for every spot.

But he also knew he had laid a solid foundation along the way, studying exceptionally hard; getting himself involved in extra-curricular activities, including Western’s SunStang Solar Car Team, which raced across Australia; and working as a Residence Don for four years at Western as well as taking on progressively more responsible roles through his summer internships.

Brian’s diligence paid off and he received the call. He so enjoyed the experience, he didn’t stop at a master’s degree, but stayed at Oxford two more years (a total of four) to obtain a Ph.D. in Economics. He submitted his thesis on the economics of banking in September 2013 and is now working as an Associate (Private Debt) at the CPP Investment Board.

“Returning to work at the CPPIB allows me to play a role in ensuring the right investment decisions are being made for Canadians,” said Brian. “As an engineering student, I discovered the importance of team work. As a Residence Don, I learned how much I enjoy helping others. With these skills, and my background in economics, I hope that I can help to maximize Canadian investments in the future.”

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A Desire to Explore the World CYNTHIA YAO ’07

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YNTHIA YAO ’07 was recently promoted to the position of Associate, Interactive Project Management, at SapientNitro, an interactive marketing, creative design and technology services agency in Toronto. She recently recounted how she landed her current job as follows: “I can’t quite pinpoint the exact memory, but during the decade (was it really that long?) I spent at CDS, I was taught and inspired by some of the best teachers who made me realize that, yes, there is a giant world out there, and yes, it’s waiting for me to explore.

“When I started at the University of Toronto, I joined the Students for International Development Club. It was surreal. I walked into an information session with pen and paper, and walked out with a 10-weeklong summer project in North Maragoli,

a rural village West of Nairobi in Kenya. I knew nothing about development work, and I hadn’t travelled outside of Canada for most my life, but CDS instilled a sense of excitement and curiosity in me that made me think, ‘it is okay if I don’t know; I can always learn.’

“That trip was one of the most memorable experiences of my life, and I was exhilarated when I returned to Toronto. I wanted to do it again – so I went back to North Maragoli during the summer of my last year at U of T. The funny thing was, while I was running around trying to get everything done in time, and figuring out how to talk and listen and work with other people, I was unintentionally picking up skills and experience that landed me my current job as a Project Manager at an international marketing agency.

“What I realized was that at CDS, my teachers didn’t just hone my skills by having me memorize from textbooks, they nurtured my sense of wonder for the world around me and taught me not to be afraid of challenges. They gave me lessons that I can take with me wherever I go. And, oh, I might just have fun along the way!”

Cynthia with Evans Vilili, part of her host family in 2012, for his first selfie! (below) Visiting the Kakunga Girls Secondary School to learn about the education system

© DENIS DUBOIS, 2014

Optimism and Hard Work Pay Off BARCLAY GOODROW ’11

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ARCLAY GOODROW ’11 signed a three-year, entry-level contract as an unrestricted free agent with the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks in early March. In this, his fifth season with the OHL’s North Bay Battalion, the team captain and right winger led his team with 33 goals, 34 assists and 67 points in 63 games.

Barclay is the Battalion franchise leader in season games played, with 229 points in 313 career games with the Brampton/North Bay franchise. He is also first in Battalion career game winning goals, shorthanded goals and second in career goals (127), behind Wojtek Wolski. In 50 career OHL playoff games, the Aurora native has produced 18 goals and 17 assists.

He has been a poster boy for the North Bay franchise and a role model for younger players.

Barclay’s OHL career began in Brampton. He credits his parents for raising him right and teaching him never to give up.

After being passed over for the NHL draft the first year he was eligible, he continued to be committed to succeed and worked even harder. He has experienced three NHL drafts without being drafted, and rather than allow it to deter him, Barclay has used it as motivation to continue improving his game.

Barclay’s hockey adventure started in Aurora at the age of 5, playing Optimist hockey (precursor of Aurora minor hockey), then Tyke hockey for Aurora followed by 2 years with the Aurora Tigers AA team. He decided he wanted to play at the AAA level and played with Richmond Hill when he was 10.

Barclay played his final five years of minor hockey with the York Simcoe Express, winning three OMHA championships with the Express, in addition to two won with Aurora.

Hockey was introduced at CDS when Barclay was in Grade 7 and he played for the school team in Grades 8, 9 and 10.

“I have wanted to play in the NHL since I was a little boy and have remained committed to that goal. My teammates, coaches, trainers, have all played a significant role in getting me closer to my goal and I am truly thankful to all of them. My parents have taught me (and my two sisters who graduated from CDS: Martha ’06 and Hilary ’08) to be optimistic and work hard. Setbacks along the way will happen – that’s life.

These should not get in the way of achieving what is important.

I am focused on the Battalion playoffs now and am, at the end of our season, really excited about starting my pro-hockey career with the Sharks.”

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Network with other CDS Alumni Join our LinkedIn page today!

ALUMNI NOTES 95

Fraser Young ’95 wrote to tell us that his new stand-up album “Food, Medicine & A Surprising Amount of Math” is now available for download on iTunes. He thinks we will enjoy it and dares you to prove him wrong by buying and listening to it the entire way through. Fraser will be making another appearance in Montreal at the Just for Laughs festival to record another gala set for TV sometime next season.

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Elvis Stojko ’91 made his debut on

the Broadway stage in early March as Billy Flynn in the production of Chicago, the Musical. After eight sold-out performances in New York, he arrived in Toronto to perform the same role in the Princess of Wales Theatre from March 26-30 as part of the 50th anniversary season for Mirvish Productions. The three-time world figure skating champion and two-time Canadian Olympic Silver Medallist has dabbled in acting previously and is now living in Mexico.

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Katrina Gingl ’93 works for BionX International Corporation as the Human Resources Manager in Aurora. She and her partner, Jacob Grady, live in King Township, and they have two

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wonderful teenagers named Genevieve and Matthew who keep them busy with soccer and hockey. Katrina refers to herself as a “full-time mother who is always busy, never bored!” Her family travels on holidays to Muskoka in the summer and St. Petersburg, Florida in the winter. Family is very important to her, and her parents and brothers live close by. Katrina feels as though it was just yesterday that she was attending CDS, and now her 14-year-old daughter practices soccer in the CDS Sports Dome and Junior School Gym. She has fond memories of CDS, her friends, and teachers!

Brandon Phillips ’96 recently told

his story of childhood cancer on ESPN. As a teenager, he was diagnosed with, and ultimately won his fight against Non-Hodgkin lymphoma; he is now doing his part to find a cure through charity events and other fundraisers. The 5-goal handicap professional polo player is working with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society where he lives in Florida, as well as helping to inspire a young boy who is battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia for the second time.

Watch the video on the CDS YouTube channel or here: bit.ly/1i9S8b0

CDS ORIGINALS

Reflections of the Daughters of the First Headmaster (part 1) Julia with her two daughters Elizabeth (left) and Elena (middle)

JULIA (PRATT) PETERS ’74

I attended CDS from 1972-74 for Grades 7 and 8 and remember CDS in the early 70s as a magical multi-age community. I think we all felt happy to be part of a new adventure, surrounded by wonderful teachers like Miss Scott and Mr. Taylor who encouraged us to respect ourselves, navigate by the Golden Rule, and challenge the curiosity within. And there was always lots of laughter!

Having our father, John Pratt, as the first Headmaster only really meant that people knew how my younger sister, Jennifer, and I got to school and why we volunteered to take the newborn lab rats home for Christmas break. In those days, our father floated in and out of all the classrooms wearing every possible hat, from changing light bulbs and singing choral verses, to opening thermoses and presenting awards of merit.

My favourite memories include the Othello performance on the new

Shakespearean stage (built by my Grandfather Pratt), a visit by NHL goalie Jacques Plante, writing journals with Miss Scott (we could write about anything in the world providing we used proper conventions), pony vaulting for gym, the James Bay paddling trip singing greatest hits from the 70s with Mark Elder and my sister, and learning to whistle through my fingers. It took me most of Grade 8 and much remedial instruction from Bryan Benitz, but I’m now the only teacher in southern

Maine who doesn’t need a playground whistle at recess!

After finishing Grade 8 (in those days there was no Senior School), I attended Havergal College and ultimately finished high school at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School in Alberta. I then pursued an English degree at Huron College at The University of Western Ontario with a gap year in between, during which Jennifer and I trained at La Varenne Cooking School in Paris, attended a French school in the south of France, and did some EuroRail traveling through Europe. After graduating from Western, I travelled for another year through Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia.

In a roundabout way, I ended up back in Toronto at the Foundation for Montessori Education and taught at Toronto Montessori School. I met my husband, Tim Peters, a photographer in Toronto, and we were married in Chester, NS, in 1993. We launched our life together in Salem, Massachusetts where daughters Elena (16) and Elizabeth (13) were born. The family then moved to Scarborough, Maine, close to the ocean and Portland; and this is still home today for the four of us and our Springer Spaniel, Kerry. I am happily working with Scarborough K-2 Academic Support students (in math and literacy) and am grateful to be raising my family in the peaceful and awesome state of Maine.

I have fond memories of my CDS peer connections from the early days – knowing people like Ed Eberts and Alison Scott have touched me for a lifetime. I am incredibly proud of our father for teaming up with the King countryside to make good and sure that The Country Day School came to life!

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Alex Assadourian ’98 and her

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Cerise Caspersz ’00 married

partner Eric Di Tomaso welcomed a daughter, Mackenzie Rose, on June 25, 2013. She and her family are living in Laval, Quebec.

Derek Manns on September 20, 2013 in Maple, Ont. surrounded by

family and friends. They met in Dallas, Texas where she has been living for the past four years. Cerise is a Senior Design Manager for Tandybrands Accessories Inc. in Dallas and works with key retailers and brands such as Walmart, Miss Me, Eddie Bauer and Sperry.

Derek is a Professor of Game Design and owns his own game development company.

TRISTAN NUGENT

Videographer and Filmmaker Tristan Nugent ’06 is a videographer for Trouble & Maker New Media Group in Toronto. He has worked on a wide range of projects recently, including a music video sponsored by Steam Whistle Brewery for an up-and-coming band, as well as a prospective television pilot for a Canadian travel show. On a larger scale, Tristan was in Alberta this past summer working on a video for Shell Oil. In between busy shooting times, he works on pre-production for upcoming projects, scriptwriting, as well as writing and shooting creative projects with his company, Anchor Film Productions. This past fall, Anchor Film wrapped shooting a short film (Friend Inc.) on a rent-a-friend service for societies becoming isolated by technology, no longer able to communicate in conventional ways.

Tristan has also worked with Native groups to bring awareness to their culture through video projects. Over the course of a year, he shot a documentary project for Native Child Services of Toronto to bring awareness to the specialized education available to native children across Canada. Tristan also worked with Indspire, a Native organization, to bring light to the job possibilities for Native people, some of whom are struggling in harsh conditions. Tristan has branched out into working with start-up companies, as well as existing companies, to build a brand to market themselves.

This includes creating a company name, logo, image, along with the digital media to accompany it. Future projects on the horizon include the development of feature film scripts, in hopes of moving into production as well as documentary projects. He is currently living in Bradford.

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David Cooper ’01 was

married to Christina Nenno on October 5th, 2013, in Cambridge, Ont.

Chris Sorensen ’01 runs an equestrian business buying, selling, and training worldwide. Sorensen Stables focuses on training top young athletes and selling top level horses. Chris is currently a member of the Canadian Equestrian team and competes internationally. He married Whitney Linders in the Dominican Republic on April 4, 2014.

Joyce Tam ’01 is a computer science secondary school teacher with the Toronto District School Board and is living in Toronto.

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Clay Leibel ’02 is an Amateur Draft

Scout for the Los Angeles Kings.

He graduated from the Sports Administration program at Laurentian University in 2006. Clay scouted for the OHL Barrie Colts prior to attending university and was able to continue working with the Barrie Colts while a student. Since graduating, Clay recruited hockey players for the Orr Hockey Group, one of the top agencies in North America, before accepting a scouting position with the LA Kings. He is currently living in Markham.

A.J. Brown ’02 and Shawna Quinn ’03

welcomed a baby boy, Bennett Thomas, into their lives on September 20, 2013. Shawna is

According to The Link survey last spring, Alumni Notes is by far the most popular section of the magazine! Send us your update today so that we can continue to fill this section with interesting content! alumni@cds.on.ca

CDS ORIGINALS

Reflections of the Daughters of the First Headmaster (part 2) (l-r): Jennifer (Pratt) Peters, with daughter Eliza and husband, Kirby Peters

JENNIFER (PRATT) PETERS ’76

I started in Grade 4 in 1972, the first year the School opened.

I remember my pride in being able to help paint the original girl’s bathroom in the old schoolhouse in August of that year.

I was there until 1976 and skipped Grade 7. I hope that wasn’t because they wanted to get rid of me sooner!

What was it like having dad as Headmaster? Well, I remember being proud because there was a pile of stuff he had to do, and he loved it and did it all well. I also giggled at the fact that he would be at his desk one minute, and then driving the bus the next, or helping my grandmother teach music. My father had a beautiful voice

and his voice was very strong, which was great in choirs and a bit creepy when you were in trouble. Mostly he was a very positive participant who added enthusiasm to just about everything the School did.

Some of my favourite memories include making maple syrup from our own trees on the property, building the Longhouse

in the back field, Miss Scott bringing her dog Ruggles to class while she taught grammar (we loved Ruggles way more than grammar …), Mr. Taylor’s laugh (it was more like a “honk” and he would smile and shake his head for about 5 minutes after his “honk”), our plays – there were many – and helping to make Dayspring, the yearbook, which was pretty tiny back then.

After leaving CDS, I went to Branksome Hall for Grade 9 (weekly boarding). I attended Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School in Okotoks, Alberta, for Grades 10, 11 and 12, graduating in 1980.

After graduating I went to Huron College at The University of Western Ontario in London, and earned my BA in PE. I worked for a number of different companies in my early 20s, in the fields of marketing, advertising and corporate travel, and eventually ended up with MacDougall, MacDougall & MacTier Inc. (aka “3Macs”) in 1993. I have been there ever since and am now a Director & Portfolio Manager.

I met my husband, Kirby Peters, in 1984 (about 10:30 pm on New Year’s Eve of ’84-’85) and we were married in 1987.

We travelled around the world with knapsacks and flip flops from September 1987 to May 1988, and then came back to be “grownups” in the Beach. We have an 11-year-old daughter, Eliza, who was born in 2002 and is now at Branksome Hall. It’s really neat when Eliza’s sports teams play CDS in softball and basketball. CDS has grown and evolved SO much – and I know how proud my dad would be to see the School’s accomplishments.

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CDS ORIGINALS

Reconnecting with some of our Original students SUE (HEFKEY) STEVENSON ’80 has worked for the past three years in Toronto as the Internal Corporate Account Manager for the Dutch company Wolters Kluwer, a global information services and publishing company. She lives with her two children Kelly (18) and James (13) in Keswick.

GAVIN ELDER ’81 was a student at CDS from 1972 to 1979 before attending St. Andrew’s College and eventually graduating from King City Secondary School. Gavin went on to spend seven months in Pakistan on a Canada World Youth exchange program. After studying Vocal Music briefly, he pursued a degree in massage therapy at the Canadian College of Massage and Hydrotherapy (CCMH) and has been practicing in Oak Ridges since 1995. Gavin has been an instructor and administrator at three private massage colleges and is the father of a 14-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter. In his spare time, which there isn’t much of, he is involved in community theatre in and around King City.

the General Manager at Parkview BMW in Toronto, and A.J. works as a Production Specialist at Xerox Canada. They live in Toronto.

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Emma Jackson ’05 became an

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Margo Quinn ’06 is a singer/

Associate Faculty member in the Junior School at CDS in January.

She has worked extensively in both the Toronto District School Board and York Region District School Board and brought her enthusiasm and energy to the Junior School as a supply teacher last fall.

songwriter currently recording in Toronto. She recently released her first song “Shade 53” on iTunes and has plans to release more in the near future. By day, Margo is a General Manager for Parkview BMW, part of her family-run business – the Quinn Automotive Group, along with her sisters Shawna ’03 and Katie ’04.

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Alessia Fattore ’07 completed

her BA (Hons) in Sociology at York University in 2012 and then took a year off to travel in Europe, South America and the United States. She is now pursuing a master’s degree in Public Relations at New

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York University and landed an incredible internship opportunity with the New York Rangers. Alessia hopes to work in the sports PR industry when she graduates this May. She was back on campus in December to share her experiences with the Grade 10 Career Class.

Alanna Houston ‘07 graduates from teacher’s

college at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) this spring. Last fall, she did a placement at Vaughan Secondary School and is back at CDS as a student teacher with Mr. Brian Hendry for her final placement this spring.

Nickie Minshall ’07 is a musician with

UKAE, a Toronto-based indie band, and has performed recently at Lee’s Palace, The Drake, The Dakota, and The Rivoli, among other local venues. The band is currently in the process of releasing their first EP, Morning Story, this spring. By day, Nickie does PR for a boutique entertainment agency, penelopePR, in Toronto.

Eli Moore ’07 graduated from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University in 2011. He is the founder of Saleboat, Inc., which develops innovative e-commerce software for online retailers. He is presently working through software implementation with multiple national brands. Eli lives in Toronto.

Jacob Weingarten ’07 graduated from Queen’s University in 2011 with a major in Classical Studies and Humber College in 2012 with a major in International Marketing.

He works as a Business Development/Client Manager in executive recruitment.

Brittany White ’07 graduated from Queen’s

University with a BA degree in Sociology in 2011. She started interning with the Royal Bank after her first year of university and was asked to help open the branch in King City where she now works as a Financial Advisor.

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Gabrielle Chapman ’08 earned

her BA (Hons.) in English with a minor in French and Philosophy from the University of Toronto’s Trinity College in 2012 and obtained a Certificate for Advertising Copywriting from Humber College in 2013. She recently started a new job as a Marketing Analyst at Stylekick, a style inspiration and recommendation website and app, where she writes their blog, manages their social media accounts, and attends industry events on behalf of the company (i.e.

Toronto Fashion week). Gabrielle previously worked as a Copywriter for Blast Radius, a digital advertising agency where she was responsible for copy and editing of content for a number of high-level product campaigns, including NIVEA, NIKE, BMW, as well as managing the social media for Bombardier Recreational Products. She is now living in Toronto.

Katie Duncan ’08 received a BAcc degree

(Honours Bachelor of Accounting) from Brock University in 2012 and has started articling at Hogg Shain & Scheck, an accounting firm in Toronto. Last September, Katie wrote the 2013 Uniform Final Examination (the last of three professional exams) for the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario. She currently lives in Aurora.

ALEXANDRA PAUL

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Rachael Andrew ’09 finished her BA in International Relations with a minor in Criminology from The University of Western Ontario in 2013. While in London, she was involved in the Western Pre-Law Society, the Varsity Golf team, and worked at Golf Town. Rachael is currently completing her master’s degree in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction within the Political Science Department at Western. She is also a Graduate Teaching Assistant for First Year Politics and has been accepted to Osgoode Hall Law School (class of 2017) for September 2014.

Alexandra Paul ’09 and her Ice Dance partner, Mitch Islam of Barrie, qualifi ed for the Canadian Figure Skating team to compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Alex and Mitch were thrilled to qualify as the third Canadian team with a score of 170.64 at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships in Ottawa in February, joining teammates: defending Olympic Gold medalists, Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir (194.03), and Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje (183.54). It was a dream come true for both of them.

Alex and Mitch began their partnership on the ice in 2009. Just a year later, they skated their way to a silver medal at the 2010 World Junior Championships. According to the Team Canada Olympic website, the duo made their ISU Grand Prix debut in the fall of 2010 at Skate Canada where they earned a fourth place fi nish, in large part due to a second place fi nish in a free dance that earned them a standing ovation. In 2011, they went on to win bronze at the Canadian Championships.

After a disappointing showing at the 2012 Canadian Championships, they decided to relocate to Detroit to train with coaches Angelika Krylova and Pasquale Camerlengo, who also coached Canadian teammates Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje. In Sochi the Canadian Figure Skating Team was the largest of any country, 17 skaters in all: three men, two women, three sets of pairs and three sets of ice dance partners.

Caitlin Barnes ’09 organized a fundraising

event for the Heart and Stroke Foundation in February (Heart Month) at Solid Ground Athletic Academy in Thornhill. People were encouraged to sign up for a complimentary class comprised of a dynamic and fun WOD (Workout of the Day), and following that, an optional five minute challenge to raise more donations. CDS faculty member Josh Collins came out to support the cause and set a new record for box jump with a 63” jump! Caitlin is pursuing a B.Ed. in Kindergarten Elementary at McGill University.

Josh Garbe ’09 graduated from The

University of Western Ontario with a B.Sc. in Kinesiology and is now pursuing his MBA at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Nate Nitsopoulos ’09 completed his

undergraduate studies at Wilfrid Laurier University (was housemates with Jesse Longo ’08) and is currently doing his master’s in Healthcare Infection Management at Trinity College, Dublin, in Ireland. Nate was back on campus in December to speak with students in the Grade 10 Careers Class.

Frank Walker ’09 recently finished his BBA with an International Business Concentration

from Wilfrid Laurier University and is now VP of Entertainment at The Stronach Group Racing and Gaming and lives in Aurora. CDS Faculty member Kerstin Wyndham-West ran into Frank and Megan Nelles ’11, Stephanie Rozin ’11 and Nicky Walker ’11 in downtown Toronto in the fall as they were en route to hear Frank DJ at a local club.

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Chris Elder ’10 is in his fourth and

final year of Biomedical Engineering at Guelph University, where he is also Co-president of the Under Water Hockey Club. Chris will pursue a Masters in Clinical Engineering at the University of Toronto in September.

Kaitlin Georges ’10 is in her fourth year at Wilfrid Laurier University studying in the Business Administration program and specializing in Brand Communication and Management with a minor in Economics. She visited CDS in December and spoke to the Grade 10 Career Studies Class about the importance of time management at university, as well as making connections with professors. Kaitlin is a member of the Human Resources Network Business Club and has

Kaitlin Georges ’10

had summer jobs at Target’s Headquarters and her family’s business. She works part-time at GoodLife Gym in Waterloo as a motivator throughout the year. Kaitlin writes that she recently accepted a full-time position at Great-West Life Assurance as an Account Manager when she graduates.

Adriana Leon ’10 trained with the Canadian

Women’s National Soccer Team in Vancouver over the winter and played alongside Canadian Olympian Christine Sinclair in the 2014 Cyprus Cup in early March. She returned to Chicago in mid-March to resume her training and second NWSL season with the Chicago Red Stars.

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ERICA ARMSTRONG/SKATE ONTARIO

Made Olympic Debut at Sochi

Follow CDS on Google https://plus.google.com/+countrydayschool

Hazelton Hotel in Toronto. Colin was back on campus in December to talk about these experiences with the Grade 10 Careers Class.

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Caitlin Craig ’11 (pictured above with Nate Nitsopoulos ’09) enjoyed her

Grade 12 year at Neuchatel Junior College in Switzerland and is now studying International Relations at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She was back on campus in December sharing her experiences with the Grade 10 Careers Class.

Emily Addison ’11 is a third year Honours

Specialization Political Science major at Huron University College at Western. She was the Student Council President this year and was elected in February to be the Vice President Internal Affairs of Western University’s Students’ Council for the upcoming year, which means she will be on the executive as a full-time employee for the year.

Nicole Pinto ’11 is currently studying Sociology at the University of Toronto and loves it! She was back at CDS in December to speak to the Grade 10 Careers Class and offered students the following advice: “Pick courses that you enjoy and find interesting because there is lots of time to change your major if you chose the wrong one.”

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second year at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music. She starred in a Mitsubishi Mirage commercial last fall that can be seen on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGJ0Aq-Ao-o

Lucas Regazzi ’12 is in his second year at the University of Toronto and was featured on The Globe & Mail’s Society page in November for winning the Accessories Award at Holt Renfrew’s Fashion Week Kick-off Party for his custom-made ear-to-nose ring.

China, for five months as a recipient of an international study bursary through Queen’s University. As an Economics major, she has realized her love for the Chinese language and culture and is fascinated by China’s booming economy. Laura started taking Mandarin her first year at Queen’s and believes that the key to being a successful young entrepreneur is getting involved and seizing opportunities. She also became involved with the student group Global China Connection during her first year and is now a co-chair, helping to organize guest speakers and attending business conferences in Canada and the U.S. While in China this semester, Laura is taking courses in Economics, Politics, and Buddhism and learning as much as she can about Chinese culture and politics. She might extend her stay into the summer to take advantage of an internship.

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Colin McMaster ’11 graduated from Humber

Mitch Gleason ‘13 is enjoying his first year at Queen’s University where he is studying at the Bader International Study Centre (BISC) at Herstmonceux Castle in England. Mitch returned to CDS in December to speak to the Grade 10 Careers Class.

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University in the Sports Management program. Quinn was also back on campus in December speaking with the Grade 10 Careers Class.

Bianca Chambul ’12 is in her

Laura Hamilton ’11 is studying in Shanghai,

College with a diploma in Hotel and Restaurant Management and is now pursuing his BComm in Tourism and Hospitality Management. In between programs, he completed a semester in France and interned at the

Quinn Harris ’13 is in his first year at Brock

Holly Cathers ’13 is a Junior Eques-

trian in King and enjoyed a great season of horse shows last summer, which included winning the Vern Mason Award at Palgrave, the CET Mini Medal Finals at Angelstone, Rockwood, and the Cassie Bonnar Sportsmanship Award presented by the Ontario Equestrian Federation at the Royal Winter Fair. The Cassie Bonnar Award is presented to a junior member of the OEF who has made an outstanding contribution of time and effort to Ontario equestrian sport, recreation, industry and/or equine welfare. Holly looks forward to continuing this extraordinary partnership with her horse ‘Butters’ and coach, Sandi Ballard, next year as she ventures into the adult ring for some more fun. She is now in her first year at The University of Western Ontario studying Media Information and Techniculture.

Kate Martini ’12 and Paula Voorheis ’13

sent a photo of themselves after playing one another in the Cornell vs. Yale game in Ithaca, NY on January 31 (Cornell won 6-3). Paula’s team, Cornell’s Women’s Hockey, joined forces with the “Do It For Daron” organization again this year to help promote mental health awareness in honour of the younger sister of a current Big Red team member who committed suicide in 2011 at the age of 14.

Kate’s team, the Yale Bulldogs, honoured the memory of a former teammate who passed away three years ago of cancer, by hosting its annual “White Out for Mandi” game and fundraiser on January 24. Mandi’s brother Jaden Schwartz now plays for the St. Louis Blues and arranged for the entire Blues team to show up and lend their support.

IN OUR MEMORIES… David Leeper ’14 on February 3, 2014 in Aurora, Ont. Alison Scott, original CDS teacher, January 24, 2014 in Hamilton, Ont. Read her obituary and Dayspring 1982-83 piece on page 10-11.

Donald Grant Brown, “Honorary” Alumnus, on August 9, 2013 at the age of 90. Donald attended the one-room Eversley Schoolhouse as a child in the 1930s.

CELEBRATE YOUR LIFELONG CONNECTION TO CDS Graduating students, alumni, founding families, and CDS friends — leave your mark on Alumni Commons!

Celebrate your lifelong connection to CDS by purchasing a stone paver in the new Alumni Commons walkway. For $250 per paver, add your name — or the name of anyone you wish to honour.

Engraving space is limited.

All contributions go toward supporting the Making Connections campaign in support of the new Dining Hall and rejuvenated Senior School.

To learn more, visit www.cds.on.ca/waystogive

CALENDAR

Grade 12 music students perform at the GY ISU Concert in April (l-r): Sara Smith, Alexandra Gruspier, James Simmonds, Tara Henechowicz and Greg Kustka-Tsimbidis

JUNE 2014

JULY 2014

June 9 Grade 8 Graduation Celebration

July 12 Third Annual Alumni Golf Tournament

June 10 Graduation Formal for GY students June 12 Closing Day June 16 CDS Summer Camp begins June 18 Toronto Alumni Pub Night at Bier Markt 7-9 pm 600 King Street West

SEPTEMBER 2014 Sept 2 Orientation Day for new students and all Grade 7 and Grade 9 students Sept 3 First Day of School Welcome Back BBQ and Official Groundbreaking Ceremony

For event details, please visit www.cds.on.ca

“Sara (The Sensor) S. took me to 18th century France to meet King Louis XVI. Alex (The Entertainer) G. took me to a Hollywood sound stage and a deserted battlefield in Belgium.

James (The Craftsman) S. took me to my U of T residence (New College) in the late 1970s.

Tara (The Artist) H. took me to a New York City Speakeasy in the 1950s.

Greg (The Master) K-T. took me into his world.”

Steve McCutcheon, Senior School faculty member