pickering college w i n t e r 2015 PILLARS the this generation of global leaders 2 table of contents “This picture was taken when I was walking down an old street in my home town Yuyao. It was so hot and there were barely any people on the street except for building workers. I was on my way to a location to shoot photos. My friends and I were complaining about the sultry weather and cooling off with drinks. Suddenly, when I passed by an old house, I noticed that an old man was sitting there smoking and smiling and enjoying himself. That moment was all about peacefulness. I think that calmness is often reflected in the aged. On the other hand, young people are too irritable. Calmness is a gift that time gives you after you experienced everything in the world and that is a good quality that exists amongst the aging population…” –Zhiqin (Betty) Lu ’05 Head Shots 4 In Profile: Dr. Johnson Mak ’86 6 The Campus Master Plan is Underway 8 Student Life 10 Residence Life 18 Athletics 19 In Profile: Dr. Stephen Johnson 20 Kindergarten Team Wins National Award for Critical Thinking 21 Building a Generation of Global Leaders 22 Fifth Pillar Award: Brian Blackstock 24 Alumni Reunion Weekend 26 What’s Your Morning Meeting? 28 Alumni Profiles 29 Alumni News 30 Three Cheers for Our Talented PC Volunteers 34 Holiday Home Tour 36 Upcoming Events 38 Happy Hot Day by Zhiqin (Betty) Lu, Grade 12, pictured above with Noeline Burk, Head of PC Art Deptartment, at PhotoSensitive exhibition. See Kudos, page 17 for the full story. 3 Head Shots L ast fall I had the honour of making a presentation at a conference entitled Exponential Change: The Future of Work and Learning. Ostensibly my talk was about the Global Leadership Program and how it is taking an entirely different approach to teaching, learning and education. In that talk I started with the premise that we are preparing for the 21st century by toiling under a dominant culture of education that was designed in the 19th century while using 20th century techniques to teach. And to illustrate that thinking, I start with the two quotations below. The British historian and philosopher Bertrand Russell once summarized the early stage development of education by saying, “Education should aim at destroying free will, so that, after pupils have left school, they shall be incapable, throughout the rest of their lives, of thinking, or acting otherwise than as their schoolmasters would have wished.” Meanwhile, Winston Churchill is supposed to have said, “Schools have not necessarily much to do with education… they are mainly institutions of control where certain basic habits must be inculcated in the young. Education is quite different and has little place in school.” In contrast to that pervasive culture, a couple of months ago I had the opportunity to listen to controversial speaker and author Alfie Kohn. He spoke about “The Myth of The Spoiled Child” and one of the key points he made was that our schools, all schools, should be creating “reflective rebels.” Now that is an interesting term, “reflective rebels.” It is certainly a far cry from the purpose of schools envisioned by Mr. Russell and Mr. Churchill. As I pondered this term, I was reminded of something I read in a book written by Philip Yancey. In the book he points out that every major step forward in human rights begins as a subversive thought and then requires rebellious action. Think about that; every major step forward in human rights begins as a subversive thought and then requires rebellious action. Think about the fact that helping the disadvantaged has always been a subversive thought. Think about some of the major movements in history (some that carry on today)—the abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, the civil rights movement, the recognition of religious minorities, the acceptance of gender and sexual orientation, or of equality for the disabled. At one point or another, each of these ideas ran completely counter to the prevailing cultural norms and expectations. At one point, speaking up for those groups would have been considered treasonous, sacrilegious, blasphemous or heretical. At one point, to do anything about changing the prevailing attitudes and behaviours would have been rebellious; and probably would have put your life at risk. Unfortunately, that remains all too common in many parts of the world today. So what exactly is a reflective rebel? I would like to think it includes, but is not limited to: • A person who constantly questions why things are as they are; • A person who does not tolerate the status quo when there is injustice; • A person who thinks and learns and asks questions before taking action; •A person who does know and understand that there are multiple perspectives on any issue and they all need to be heard and understood, even when disagreed with; •A person who pushes forward against injustice in a respectful, non-violent but powerful way; • A person who can envision a better way and can communicate that way passionately; and • A person who has the determination, resiliency and courage to persevere to get things done. 4 So to improve the world, rather than focusing on compliance and control, schools need to be creating these reflective rebels. And that’s why the Global Leadership Program resonates so strongly. The vision of this program, which guides every student at Pickering College, is for students to learn to become “agents of courageous, ethical and positive change, true to Quaker values.” That, to me, sounds like a reflective rebel. Philip Yancey talks about new, challenging ideas bringing forth what he calls “a new stream of liberation.” He says, “And even though it seems to take many years for that stream to erode the hard banks of oppression (as it did with slavery), the stream of liberation flows on.” The question I pose to our students, and will continue to pose to them, is this: “Will you throw yourselves in the stream that fights injustice and become reflective rebels…a new generation of global leaders? Or will you stand on the banks of the stream and watch it go by?” Peter Sturrup, Headmaster 5 DR. JOHNSON MAK ’86 Pickering College’s supportive environment instilled confidence in Dr. Johnson Mak to pursue award-winning HIV research A can apply to help protect themselves against HIV infection, he explains). But for Dr. Johnson Mak ‘86, now a Full Professor, and Chair of Infectious Diseases at Deakin University in Australia, it was Pickering College’s supportive environment that gave him the confidence to pursue his passion, to not shy away from making mistakes and the will to keep trying. Dr. Mak uses state-of-the-art technology to do his research, including cryo-electron microscopy (a scientific instrument to determine the distribution of electron dense materials of an object at a super cold temperature) and super-resolution microscopy (a microscopic approach that can define the position of molecule beyond the diffraction limit of light, also the subject of 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry). career in scientific research is not for the faint of heart. There are highs and there are lows. Sometimes there can be complete and utter failure. “I remember when I first got to Pickering, I moved from Hong Kong and I literally did not speak any English,” says Dr. Mak. “Pickering always had this very supportive environment which allowed you to explore and to try new things that you might not be good at to begin with, and I think that environment of encouragement was very helpful.” AFTER PICKERING COLLEGE Dr. Mak attended McGill University where he earned both an undergraduate degree and a PhD in the field of biochemistry and molecular virology, respectively. During his career he has focused primarily on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and hopes his research will lead to better prevention and treatment options for the disease. “The failure rate for research is quite high, because a lot of things you try are not going to work and it’s often not a financially rewarding career. I believe that some people have to do it and the fact that it seems to be compatible with my personality—that’s what propelled me to pursue this career,” says Dr. Mak. He has a group of about ten people, including PhD students and postdoctoral researchers who work with him to better understand how the virus evolves, causes disease and functions. Their goal is to apply what they learn about HIV to the development of new treatment options, including vaccines, antiviral drugs and something called microbicides (a compound women 6 “It was Pickering College’s really supportive environment that allowed me to grow and to gain the confidence that I needed to pursue the next step. I also realized, much later on, it’s okay to be imperfect or make mistakes.” – Dr. Johnson Mak, reflecting on how his time at PC impacted his life “The other technology we use is nextgeneration sequencing, which is basically a technology that was developed as a consequence of the Human Genome Project,” explains Dr. Mak. “Instead of getting the sequence information— before Human Genome, between 10-15 years’ time—we can actually get it in a week or two.” Dr. Mak hopes the information obtained will produce something that will help society—the ultimate goal would be to find a cure for HIV. Though, he is quick to admit he is facing no small task. “I’m hoping that some of our work can contribute to the process,” he says. “It will be great if, with the collective effort of the community, that we can eventually find a cure for this virus.” Dr. Mak says a career in science is a lot of fun—in fact, in his opinion, there’s “no better job.” Though it requires a lot of patience and hard work, he says he likes that every day his job brings new challenges. Aside from the science and research itself, what he finds particularly rewarding is having a hand in training future scientists. “Watching the next generation of scientists grow and seeing them gaining their own success—I think overall that’s much more gratifying,” he says. “You’re hoping that you’re increasing the strength of the community to do something better and greater.” A GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT Dr. Mak recently visited Pickering College and says he was “very, very impressed” with what he saw in terms of the calibre of students and the school’s Global Leadership Program. A diverse, international student population was part of what made Pickering special when Dr. Mak was a student—and this remains true today. He says having classmates from around the world gives students a broader perspective of how different we all are but, at the same time, how similar. Pickering’s global environment and emphasis on leadership is something Dr. Mak says he is really proud to be associated with and will serve our students well in the future. “The reality is we are not able to predict what kinds of jobs will be available. And if you had asked me the same question 15 years ago, I would have given a very different answer—I would have said, just work hard and just go,” he explains. “I think the truth is that they have to follow their heart, they just have to go for it and find their passion. They will make mistakes, like every one of us, but I think those are actually opportunities for them to learn about themselves.” WHAT’S NEXT? As for what’s next for Dr. Mak, he’s happy to continue to follow his passion by continuing to develop novel approaches to dissecting the biology of HIV. “I’m really happy with what we do and I think if we continue to do it, that’s probably great. And hopefully we can have some good information and help the community and better train the next generation of scientists. Being able to do that is the reward itself.” MORE ABOUT DR. JOHNSON MAK: •Set up research group within the AIDS Pathogenesis Research Unit at the Burnet Institute •Chair of Infectious Diseases, Deakin University’s School of Medicine •Head of HIV and Emerging Virus Laboratory, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) •Awarded the Pfizer Australia Research Fellowship in 2004 •Recipient of the Australian Society for Microbiology Frank Fenner Award, in recognition of the contributions of any area of Australian research in microbiology by scientists in a formative stage of their careers •Established Australia’s first level-three pathogen imaging facility, through a grant from the Pfizer Australia Research Fellowship •On the editorial board of a number of international virology journals •Has authored over 50 highly-cited, high-impact publications 7 PICKERING COLLEGE’S $50 MILLION CAM PU S MAS T ER P L A N IS UN D ER WAY ! P ickering College is firmly on track to meet the goals of our strategic plan: implementing the Global Leadership Program; and moving ahead with the exciting new Campus Master Plan, a new learning environment to support the Global Leadership Program. The ambitious $50 million in campus improvements will be realized through a combination of fundraising (approximately 20 per cent), financing (approximately 40 per cent) and innovative partnerships and other revenue generation (40 per cent). We are very excited about what this visionary build will mean for our students, our programs and for the entire Pickering College community. The year 2015 signifies the start of the next important steps toward the realization of this Campus Master Plan. Over the next four to six months there will be significant action taken as we begin building our school to support the vision of the Global Leadership Program. With the December 2014 submission of the Site Plan Application to the Town of Newmarket, it is anticipated that approval will be granted within the next few months and we will move forward with breaking ground in the spring. The first phase of construction will include: 8 RECONFIGURING THE FRONT CIRCLE AND DRIVEWAY OF THE SCHOOL Pending site plan approval, a reconfiguration of the way traffic flows into the front driveway and circle will help to ease traffic congestion and provide additional parking. The current single driveway setup will be replaced by a larger circle design, with the existing driveway becoming a beautiful pedestrian walkway and gathering area. academic spaces of Rogers House. This is the PC Community’s opportunity to hear about the plans and offer feedback and suggestions. DINING HALL EXPANSION Once a building permit has been secured, we will begin the Dining Hall expansion in the late spring. This $1-million renovation will allow us to seat approximately 100 more students, staff and guests. This is a critical piece of the plan, as we grow to an enrollment of 498 students. UPGRADES TO SITE SERVICES Upgrades to the campus site services are a necessary part of the overall plan. As we increase our enrollment and facilities, so too must we increase the services (water, hydro, gas) required to run an expanded facility. DEVELOPMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS The development of architectural drawings for the Centre for Creativity and Innovation is now underway. Charettes are an important first step in this process and the PC Community has been invited to participate. In early February, the architect will provide a brief overview of the architectural plans for the Centre for Creativity and Innovation and the HEADMASTER’S HOUSE CONSTRUCTION The Headmaster’s current home will be repurposed as a part of the overall Campus Master Plan. As a result, a new home will be constructed on the north/ northeast side of the campus. FINALIZING FUNDING AND FINANCING We are in the process of finalizing our funding and financing to execute the Campus Master Plan. In addition to bank financing, one of the avenues we are exploring is the monetization of Pickering College lands currently not in use for programs. N E W L E A R N I N G S PA C E S S U P P O R T GLOBAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM P In his Opening Days speech to our parents, Headmaster Peter Sturrup introduced the theme of our fundraising campaign for the Campus Master Plan—Light The Way. Revealing the inner light in each student has always been a key principle at Pickering College and the theme of the campaign captures that sentiment. ickering College is doing what it has always done—developing talented and motivated young leaders and global citizens who will be positive forces in the global economy. Our graduates are change makers; innovative, collaborative, adaptable, resilient and open-minded values-driven entrepreneurs. They have the moral courage and capability to make informed, ethical decisions and take purposeful actions to inspire others to make a difference in the word. They always have. Now, through our strategic plan and Campus Master Plan, each member of our community, alumni, students, parents and alumni parents, friends and supporters can take a role as part of the Light The Way campaign, to help the school achieve its goals and shine a light to the future. Why do our students need new learning spaces? Because our Global Leadership Program is reimagining how education is delivered and to bring the opportunity of a Pickering College education to more students. Through the Global Leadership Program we are teaching students to assess their world, to be innovative, creative and to take risks. Rather than waiting for a job to appear, they will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to create one. When faced with a challenge, they will have the skills and resiliency to address it head-on. The Global Leadership Program makes this educational leap, teaching students to be “agents of courageous, ethical and positive change, true to Quaker values.” It is learner-driven, project-based, experiential, driven by digital citizenship and media literacy, and it is interdisciplinary— just like real life. The Campus Master Plan will ensure Pickering College students have the facilities they need to support 21st-century Already, we have received major donations and pledges to the Light The Way campaign from alumni, from current and alumni parents, from Board and Corporation members, and many more discussions are underway about investments in our school. We have a vibrant and strategic group of volunteers who are involved and taking action. learning. Learning spaces will spark collaboration, innovation and creativity, and will include robotics labs, technology and artistic spaces that are full of natural light and Quaker educational design. But to make it happen, we need your help. We need you to help us Light The Way. LIGHT THE WAY In September, Pickering College launched its capital campaign in support of the Campus Master Plan. We hope you are inspired as well to be part of the future of Pickering, to Light The Way, and that you look forward to getting involved in accomplishing the Campus Master Plan. Together, we will Light The Way for this generation of global leaders. For more information on how you can help, please contact Peter Sturrup, Headmaster, or Kim Bilous, Executive Director, Development, at 905-895-1700. 9 10 STUDENT LIFE PICKERING COLLEGE HONOURS ALL COMBATANTS KILLED IN 1914 WITH POIGNANT ART DISPLAY As 2014 marked the 100th Anniversary of the start of the First World War, Pickering College honoured all those who gave their lives serving their countries with a poignant art display. Pickering College projected the names of those Canadians who died in 1914 on a wall in the front foyer. The projection was part of an international project called The World Remembers, taking place over the next three years. Because of the international composition of the student body at Pickering College, with students from more than 20 countries, the school decided to include the names of all of the combatants killed in 1914, from all countries, in a projected video loop.The display was set up in the lobby at Pickering College and included a small area where people could stop, reflect and appreciate the art display created by the school’s students. PICKERING COLLEGE CELEBRATES UN DAY WITH A FLAG PARADE OF STUDENTS’ HOME COUNTRIES Students from all grades participated in a ceremony that kicked off with a flag parade, representing all of the countries Pickering College’s students are from, including: Austria, Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, China, Colombia, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mexico, Moldova, Nigeria, Russia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Trinidad & Tobago, United Kingdom, United States of America and Venezuela. Pickering College’s students represent a diversity of cultures, religions and perspectives, and its residential boarding program attracts international students from around the globe. Students, from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12, learn from and work collaboratively with each other to be open-minded, develop mutual respect and a deeper understanding of other nations and cultures. SENIOR SCHOOL LEARNS ABOUT THE DAY OF THE DEAD The Day of the Dead is a very important celebration in Mexico and in other countries in Latin America. Families and friends gather to remember their loved ones who have passed away by making altars, visiting the graves of their significant others, or both. PC’s Mexican students, with the help of Madame Lafrance, shared this tradition with classmates and teachers at Morning Meeting. A mariachi band played traditional music, reminding everyone to celebrate life and remember the lives of close friends and family who have passed away. “We wanted to talk about something that is very significant for us,” says Nadia Cerda, from Grade 11. Some of the Mexican boarding students also built a Day of the Dead altar outside the Dining Hall and encouraged everyone to remember their loved ones who have passed away. “Hopefully the students will learn a bit more about our culture and our traditions,” says Paloma Munoz, Grade 9. PC WELCOMED BEVERLY BRADLEY AS LEADER-IN-RESIDENCE The Leader-in-Residence is an inspiring individual whose work is closely aligned with Pickering College’s Global Leadership Program. Individuals are invited to share their experience, insights, wisdom and advice at Morning Meeting and during in-class visits. Beverly is a doctoral student with the University of Toronto’s Centre for Global Engineering. For her thesis, she is working to develop sustainable new technology to provide low-income countries with reliable and affordable access to oxygen, to help children who might otherwise die from pneumonia. Through her research, Beverly is exploring a number of models, including a solar-powered solution to generate oxygen, so that countries can choose the technology that works best for them. Beverly spent the day working closely with students of all ages. Highlights of the day included working through global case studies with the Grade 12 Leadership class and exploring “what is an engineer?” with the Grade 2 Social Science class. In addition, she collaborated with the Grade 10 Math class on their plans for implementing a new water structure into a remote village and engaging the Senior School in a Morning Meeting focusing on leadership and personal passions. STUDENT COMMITTEE STARTS THE YEAR OFF IN MORNING MEETING Both the Junior and Senior Student Committees welcomed students to the 20142015 school year in our first full-school Morning Meeting on September 5. PC’s youngest students carried the school bible to our new Assistant Head, Academics, Dr. Stephen Johnson. Chair of the Student Committee, June Gleed, gave an inspirational speech about the year ahead to the student body, and House Chairs led a human scavenger hunt collecting students from all different years to represent their House. This was the first of many more memorable Morning Meetings. 11 12 STUDENT LIFE KINDERGARTEN CLASS TREE ADOPTION The children in Kindergarten are learning about the seasonal cycle and they have been documenting their observations in a variety of ways. To deepen their understanding and broaden their inquiry, they have adopted a tree! Their tree of choice is the glorious Norway Maple found on the front lawn of the school. The children have already noticed changes, with some leaves turning from green to orange, yellow and red and some falling to the ground. They are keen to continue their investigation over the next three seasons! debating, the biggest difference being it involves eight debaters (as opposed to the customary four). Each debater has a specific role to play and goals to achieve. The PC team learned a lot of extremely valuable information and participated in an impromptu debate: Should protestors respond violently if the state attempts to quash a peaceful protest violently? Polikoners Ali Shourideh-Zibari, Sterling Mancuso, Ethan Fitzsimons and Christopher Nam all conducted themselves with grace and poise. THE LAPTOP PROJECT Students enrolled in Computer Science completed a hands-on project that gave them a better understanding of the hardware component theory they learned in class. The challenge was to take apart a working laptop right down to the main hardware parts and then put it back together so that it still worked. Only one group was successful. Congratulations to Adam Stella, Patrick Prochazka and Ryan Johnson. All students have promised not to try this at home. GRADE 10 CULTURAL IMMERSION PROJECT In support of their Global Leadership Diplomas, the Grade 10 class is undertaking a year-long cultural immersion project, which explores how to identify cultural values and integrate into new cultures. On their first day, they investigated local culture in downtown Newmarket. Students explored local values by analyzing signage, structures, cleanliness, shop fronts, products available, secular and religious buildings and other evidence of their choice. They created a photo essay to illustrate their viewpoint, which they uploaded to their digital portfolio. They also enjoyed a lunch at a local restaurant where they discussed representation of the named culture at the restaurant. Students will refer back to this learning throughout the year, working towards an investigation of culture in Toronto neighbourhoods in the spring. Students will be able to apply this knowledge to any new culture they experience. POLIKON CLUB PARTICIPATES IN BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE WORKSHOP In October, the Pickering College debate team attended a British Parliamentary workshop hosted by University of Toronto Schools. British Parliamentary style-debating is prevalent in university competitions, as well as in tournaments on the international stage. It is far more convoluted than Canadian Parliamentary GRADE 3B VISITED BY RCMP CONSTABLE In October the Grade 3B class had a special guest visit their classroom. Constable Julie Anne Hearty, an officer with the RCMP, came to speak to the students. The students were thrilled to see the officer in her red serge, blue breeches, Stetson and tall riding boots. They learned a brief history about the Mounties and asked many curious and thoughtful questions about her job in Vancouver. Constable Hearty is the sister of Mrs. Demarco, a Grade 3 teacher. GRADES 4-6 AT SENECA KING CAMPUS In September, Pickering’s Grade 4-6 students participated in a day of outdoor team building at Seneca King Campus. Through large group games, canoeing and high ropes challenge courses, the students learned the importance of following instruction and working together. “Engaging, hands-on experiences are an important part of learning at Pickering College,” says Alex Au Yong, Grade 4 teacher. “Teachers had some great moments getting to know students outside the classroom and students loved being hoisted high into the air by their friends on the high ropes structures.” 13 STUDENT LIFE GRADE 3 TRIP TO THE ROC This fall the Grade 3 classes had the exciting opportunity to participate in an Outdoor Education Program at The ROC in Georgina. The sun was shining and spirits were high. Not only did the trip meet and surpass our Physical Education Curriculum, but it also tied in very well with our Character Education program, Second Steps. Students had the chance to use a 10-metre climbing wall, low ropes circuits and team building games that tested their decision making, listening, attention and collaboration skills. The students and teachers had a fantastic time and felt that The ROC was a destination to which they would love to return. GRADE 7 TRIP TO QUÉBEC The Grade 7 classes went to Québec City and Tadoussac for a four-day excursion. Some highlights of the trip included: exploring the ’Old City’ and Plains of Abraham, whale watching in Tadoussac, hiking Montmorency Falls and enjoying a hearty dinner at a local sugar shack. The students did an outstanding job of soaking up all the historical value of the trip and are eager to apply their new found knowledge to class. “Going to Québec and Tadoussac was definitely my favourite overnight trip so far! There were so many fun activities planned and everyone had a blast. I don’t think I could have asked for a better trip.” – Madeleine PC TAKES MANHATTAN In November, a group of Arts, Communications Technology and Music students excitedly boarded a bus and set out for the bright lights of New York City! The trip included a tour of Madison Square Gardens, a powerful lesson in history and world events at the new 9/11 Museum and a visit to the Empire State Building. The students had the opportunity to take in a Broadway show, Rock of Ages, and wandered around the iconic Times Square, where they were dazzled by the towering billboards and lively atmosphere. The students visited the Guggenheim Museum, where they saw interesting pieces of art involving minimalism, light and texture that were displayed tastefully in stark white showcases. After a few hours of Fifth Avenue shopping, the next stop was the Museum of Modern Art where they viewed classic works by Van Gogh, Matisse and several other well-known artists. For the finale they boarded the Staten Island Ferry where they enjoyed views of the city’s spectacular skyline and the famed Statue of Liberty. 14 GRADE 10 STUDENTS RECEIVE DUKE OF EDINBURGH BRONZE LEVEL AWARD On November 5, the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze level awards were presented to the following Grade 10 students: Sean Malins-Umansky, Alyssa Cork, Christopher Farmer, Zachary King, Garrett Barlow, Mark Barratt, Ryan Johnson, Matthew Sochaniwskyj, Junyoung Park, Sydney Stevenson, Amy Kavanagh, Alexandra Cumiskey, Sterling Mancuso, Carter Eby, Darragh Dzisiak, Hugo Berlan, Alanna Miller and Hannah Floyd. GRADE 1 CUP CAR RACES The students in Grade 1 were excited to make “Cup Cars” in Science class. At the end of an afternoon of “Cup Car” races, with lots of cheering, they were happy to announce that Zoe’s “Cup Car” travelled the furthest. LE JOUR DES FRANCO-ONTARIENS CELEBRATED IN MORNING MEETING The Grade 11 and 12 French classes organized a Morning Meeting to mark Le Jour des Franco-Ontariens, September 25. The students presented their videos on interesting facts on La Francophonie in the world and in Canada. Many students went up to the microphone to share their reasons for staying in French beyond Grade 9. Traveling, culture and job opportunities were among the most common reasons for learning French. DEBATE TEAM KICKS OFF SEASON WITH FIRST-PLACE FINISH In September, Pickering College attended the 37th annual St. Clement’s School Impromptu Debate, a precursor to the Fulford tournaments. Almost all of the 20 CIS member schools in the Fulford Debating League were in attendance, with a total of 33 teams and 66 debaters. Our team exceeded all expectations, placing first. Andrew Donnell placed second overall as an individual and co-captain Maurice Berleth placed first overall as an individual. A hearty congratulations to Sterling Mancuso, Nupur Krishnan and Patrick Prochazka whose cumulative scores contributed to this team’s stunning victory. 15 STUDENT LIFE SOUNDS OF THE SEASON On November 27, eight members of the Senior Vocal music class ventured down to Main Street Newmarket for an evening of traditional carol singing. The students livened up the Main Street with their program of traditional Christmas carols. PC HOSTS FALL FULFORD DEBATE COMPETITION On November 15, Pickering College hosted the Fall Fulford Debate Competition. Eighty competitors from 19 Ontario CIS (Canadian Independent Schools) debated a prepared topic: “Should factory farming be banned?” then branched out to an impromptu topic: “Should social etiquette be taught in schools?” Sixty judges from our Pickering community, local Toastmasters clubs and the broader debate community listened attentively and scored each student according to their knowledge and capability. The competition was fierce, but the day was enjoyed by all. Said one judge, “It was a real honour to participate in this event. It was tremendously well organized and I enjoyed the whole process. The students were brilliant and delightful.” Some of the highlights of the evening included a special visit from Mr. Boyd, some specialty hot chocolate at the Just Brunch restaurant, some fantastic homemade cookies from the Nutmeg Bakery, Grade 11 student Sam Shaw’s conducting debut and the many supportive merchants and customers who stopped to listen and invite the students in to sing. This was a fantastic opportunity for PC’s students to give back to the community and they did an amazing job representing our school. Our students and staff were very conscientious hosts, with warm welcomes, good food and a well-executed event, including the entertainment portion, “The Rhetorical Olympics” which was enjoyed by all. STRONG FINISH FOR POLIKON CLUB AT THE PROVINCIALS Five members of the PC debate team took part in “The Provincials”—a debating and public speaking qualifier, hosted at Appleby College. Grant Kavanagh placed fourth in the Impromptu Speaking category and Sterling Mancuso’s overall score earned him a spot on Team Ontario. He will be compete in “The Nationals” at St. John’s-Ravenscourt School in Winnipeg in February. 16 THREE STUDENTS SELECTED FOR FIRST STUDENT EXCHANGE June Gleed, Sterling Mancuso and Holly Rouselle will represent Pickering College for the first exchange with Brighton College in the United Kingdom. We are certain all three will be excellent ambassadors for our school. KUDOS Photo courtesy of Lucas Scarfone, Scarfone Photography SAMANTHA TAN COMPETES AT THE CANADIAN TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP Grade 12 student Samantha Tan had a spectacular summer of racing in the 2014 Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC). She finished a remarkable 5th (of 22) in the Touring Class and 9th out of 47 overall, as well as securing top rookie placement, making her a candidate for Rookie of the Year. Sam raced with Team Octane and their fleet of Mini Cooper JCW. Not bad for a hard-working PC student who just started her racing career in March at age 16. “There is evidence of their fighting spirit, regardless of age and disease. There is evidence that true love can win. There is evidence of promises that remain as the first day when it all began. There is evidence that just a kiss can make the heart young again and wipes out the years.” –Daniela Hernandez Navarro ’15 PICKERING COLLEGE STUDENTS’ WORK CHOSEN FOR PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT ON AGING The work of two Pickering College visual arts students was selected for a photography exhibit that opened in Toronto this past fall. The show, created by PhotoSensitive, was an interpretation of aging and featured the work of over 50 professional photographers, as well as students from 17 independent schools and Loyalist College. The photographs by Pickering College students Zhiqin (Betty) Lu, a current Grade 12 boarding student from China, and Daniela Hernandez Navarro, a former boarding student from Mexico, were selected for the exhibit and will be published in a book. ASHLEY JEPPESEN CONTINUES HER WINNING STREAK Ashley Jeppesen, Grade 10, spent most of the summer training and competing on the West Coast. In Santa Barbara, at the Morgan Medallion Regional Show, she won her division and championship on her beautiful Morgan Classic Pleasure gelding named Intrepid’s Behold. In July, she returned home to compete on her American Saddlebred, Centennial’s Comet, at the Classic Horse Show in Cedar Valley at Royal Canadian Riding Academy where she won both her Country Pleasure Class and championship. She then returned to California for the Santa Barbara Horse Show, where she competed on her American Saddlebred, winning her class and becoming Reserve Champion. Ashley also had the opportunity to show a 21-time World Grand Champion Frieson named Harem, winning both her class and the championship. 17 RESIDENCE LIFE BOARDERS TRIP TO DEERHURST RESORT Twenty-four of the Pickering College boarding students went to Deerhurst Resort for the Thanksgiving weekend with Associate Faculty members Ms. Giacomazzo and Mr. Pape as the chaperones. The group enjoyed a relaxing weekend filled with fun activities and a delicious turkey dinner. They enjoyed playing paintball, went swimming and rock climbing and spent an afternoon in the beautiful town of Huntsville. Sunday night, the boarding students watched the Deerhurst Decades Show which features all of the greatest hits from the 1950s to today. The students had a great time enjoying Kawartha Dairy ice cream and, for most of them, trying pumpkin pie for the first time! It was an outstanding trip that left the boarding students looking forward to their next long weekend adventure. THE BOARDING CHOIR made its debut at Morning Meeting in October. TORONTO HARBOUR BOAT CRUISE The boarding students enjoyed a tour of the Toronto Harbour in September. 18 LET IT SNOW! Kristen Hamilton (from Barbados) enjoying the snow! BARRIE PAINTBALL Associate Faculty members Mr. Lam and Mr. Kohyar, and a large group of boarding students went to Barrie Paintball. The group took part in various challenges and games. Not only did the boarders have an amazing time, but they also showed great teamwork and some pretty awesome skills. ATHLETICS SENIOR BOYS SOCCER TEAM WINS DIVISION III SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP PC’s undefeated Senior Boys’ Soccer team kicked off its semi-final game against Ridley College – a team they had barely beaten in regular season play. Knowing it was going to be a tough game, the boys came out playing aggressively by challenging each ball and working hard to find opportunities to score. Finally, in the second half, Pickering College scored off of a Ridley player into his own net, making the score 1-0, which was enough to send PC to the championship game that same afternoon. The steady rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the spectators as the boys played hard, going on to win the championship game against Albert College, with a final score to 3-1. JUNIOR BOYS SOCCER TEAM WINS DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP The Junior Boys’ Soccer team arrived on Memorial Field … to find it covered in snow. After quickly shoveling the field to see where the lines were, the team played its semifinal game, defeating Bayview Glen, 3-1. Temperatures felt like they began to drop as the boys took to the field again at noon against Albert College. Motivated by the success of the Senior Boys team who had defeated Albert the day before for the gold, the boys played with enthusiasm, grit and dedication. It was a team effort with solid passing, strong defense, effective offense and impeccable goaltending that secured the 4-1 win, making the team the Division III champions! PICKERING COLLEGE SENIOR GIRLS SOCCER TEAM WINS GOLD AT CAIS NATIONAL SOCCER TOURNAMENT Despite the near freezing temperatures, mud and rain, Pickering College’s Senior Girls Soccer team persevered and won the gold medal in Division II, at the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) National Soccer Tournament in Lennoxville, QC. At the three-day tournament, the Pickering College team battled hard in all six of their games, with wins against Holy Trinity School and Bishop’s College School, and a tie against ECS from Montreal. “Each girl on the team pushed themselves physically and mentally to stay focused and supportive of each other, especially in our final game,” said Coach Erin Matthews. “The girls should be very proud of their efforts.” ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR BOOKER’S RUN Pickering College students and staff took part in Booker’s Run, a time-honoured tradition of a three-kilometre race around Fairy Lake. Here are the 2014 Top Finishers: SENIOR SCHOOL: Junior - Camilo Beltran, Seira Kajiro; Senior - Charles Qiu, Camila Bolivar. JUNIOR SCHOOL: Primary - Harrison Frank, Moira Boland; Junior - Quintin Roy, Hannah Kim; Intermediate - Blaise Uglow, Celine Barratt. JUNE GLEED ATTENDS OFSAA June Gleed travelled to Kingsville, Ontario, to attend the OFSAA Championship for Girls’ Golf. There, she competed against over 200 athletes representing schools from all over Ontario. GABBY DALEMAN ’16 ATTENDS PC’S BANNER-RAISING CEREMONY Canadian Olympian Gabrielle Daleman spoke at Pickering College during Morning Meeting as a part of the school’s athletic banner-raising ceremony. Gabby is an alumna of Pickering College and represented Canada in Women’s Figure Skating at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. She spoke to Pickering students about her experience in Sochi and the importance of perseverance and striving for athletic excellence. Pickering College’s annual athletic banner-raising ceremony celebrates the achievements and championship wins of the previous school year’s sports teams, including: Junior Girls Soccer Team - Fall (CISAA Division Champions, CAISAA Silver Division National Champions); Junior Girls Volleyball (CAISAA Division Champions); and the Junior Girls Soccer Team - Spring (CISAA Division Champions). 19 PROFILE In August, Pickering College welcomed our new Assistant Head of School, Academics, Dr. Stephen Johnson. Dr. Johnson has a prolific and varied background in all levels of education, constantly challenging himself to move forward. Born in Chicago, he studied pre-veterinary medicine at Iowa State, but well into the program, he felt it wasn’t the direction he wanted to take. He switched to a double major of History and Zoology to complete his BSc. He stresses the importance of understanding that the first choices students make do not always agree with the outcome they may reach. “High school kids today are certain they know what they want. If you don’t know what you want to do, it’s all right, because even if you think you know, it doesn’t always work out.” in Victoria in 1984, where he assumed the role of Deputy Headmaster for seven years, which included an amalgamation with Norfolk House School. He spent five years as Director of the Junior School before leaving Glenlyon-Norfolk School in 1996 to become Head of the Queen Margaret’s School for Girls in Duncan, BC. with teachers and students, and that’s when the position at PC presented itself. What drew him to PC was the school’s compelling vision and the attainability of the goals of the Global Leadership Program, in such a close-knit community. Also of key interest was Pickering’s outdoor education program. Children today, he believes, are suffering from a “nature deficit.” Students need to see how important the natural world is, explore it and examine its interconnectivity, regionally and nationally. DR. STEPHEN JOHNSON EMBRACING U N C E R T A I N T Y: Dr. Johnson immigrated to Winnipeg in 1969 to complete a graduate program in Russian History at the University of Manitoba. After finishing his master’s degree and PhD, he took a leap of faith to begin his teaching career at St. John’s-Ravenscourt School (SJR) in Winnipeg. With his first placement, he was captivated by the energy of young people and his career path was set. In 2000, he relocated to the GTA when he accepted the role Head of the Prep School (Junior Kindergarten to Grade 7) at Upper Canada College where he remained for five years. He and wife, Deryn Lavell (current Head of School at The Bishop Strachan School), saw an opportunity to travel and work abroad. “These are the things you never plan on,” he says. “This is why the idea of keeping open to change is important. It was a much better fit.” He moved on to the Senior School, becoming Head of the History department and remaining at SJR for nine years. His first administrative position was at Glenlyon School for Boys Working with a private company, they opened the Raha International School in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. After two years he returned to his teaching roots as Head of SJR, where he remained as Head for over seven years that included completing an ambitious capital campaign. He was eager to return to connecting 21ST CENTURY LEARNING 20 He believes today’s students must become strategic, visionary thinkers and become used to change and to feeling uncomfortable for all the right reasons. “It used to be that there was one postsecondary choice, say university or college, and your career was guaranteed. Now, there are many choices and nothing is guaranteed.” After just a few short months, Dr. Johnson can see how PC’s students are hungry for teaching and learning, but there is more than an academic expectation. The real world is much more complex and engaging than a textbook, he says, and our students are more than capable and ready to explore it. He points to how students are learning vital leadership and social skills through these explorations and beginning to examine larger global issues such as climate change. “They’ll be collaborating and pushing limits to see what they’re able to do. They are excited about taking education outside the textbook and outside the classroom. It’s like an adventure for them.” PROFILE PICKERING COLLEGE’S KINDERGARTEN TEAM WINS NATIONAL AWARD FOR CRITICAL THINKING We always knew our Kindergarten team was a class act—but now they have the award to prove it! Kindergarten teacher Alexis Furlan and Kindergarten teaching assistant Jennifer Middleton are the 2014 recipients of the Class ACT Award, from the Critical Thinking Consortium. The award is in recognition of educators who show a commitment to embedding critical thinking into their own practice and who have demonstrated notable success in furthering critical thinking with their students or colleagues. Critical thinking is an integral part of the curriculum for all grades at Pickering College and begins as early as Kindergarten. “At Pickering College we provide learning opportunities that are authentic and rich, relevant and age appropriate, where students can see themselves in what is taught and how it applies to the world around them,” Kimberly Bartlett, Director of Teaching and Learning at Pickering College. “Alexis and Jennifer’s work has an enormous impact on our school community. They have deliberately taught the Kindergarten students the process of critical thinking through engaging and meaningful lessons and projects. Their work has ensured that our students are prepared and consequently are able to perform higher order thinking at younger ages.” “We are thrilled to receive the Class ACT Award from the Critical Thinking Consortium. We strongly believe that by engaging in rich and meaningful learning opportunities, young children not only strengthen their skills of critical thinking, collaboration and creativity but also develop a lifelong love of learning.” – Jennifer Middleton and Alexis Furlan The learning example that secured the win for Pickering College came when the Junior and Senior Kindergarten students discovered a mutual love of pizza. From that jumping off point, the children learned about what goes into pizza, how it’s made and how to make it themselves (which they got to eat, of course!). The students then took it a step further, creating a classroom pizzeria where they set tables, created menus, took orders and explored what it would take to run a restaurant. “The pizzeria is just one of many examples our Kindergarten team uses to teach 21st century skills, including collaboration and critical thinking,” says Maria Wolscht, Director of Pickering College’s Junior School. “We are very proud of Ms. Furlan and Ms. Middleton for continuously fostering a love of learning in our youngest students that will ensure their spark for learning remains strong and bright.” The Critical Thinking Consortium is a nonprofit association of educational partners. Founded in 1993, its aim is to promote critical thinking in primary to post-secondary classrooms through professional learning, resource development and research. 21 B U I L D I N G A G E N E R AT I O N O F CUTTING EDGE PEDAGOGICAL L ooking around the Grade 10 Math class, it is easy to see why students are so engaged in their new project. They are learning to co-ordinate geometry though the lens of urban planning. Students have been tasked by their teachers, Lindsey Rife and Kim Smith, with designing a water system that can be used to transfer water from a source to a village, to ensure access to clean water. Ms. Rife, who recently completed the Havergal Institute course Project-Based Learning, says “projects like this give meaning to both mathematic concepts and real-world problems that students hear about all the time in the news.” The Grade 10 students also recently worked with Bev Bradley, Leader-in-Residence and a member of the University of Toronto’s Global Engineering team, who provided insight into the types of issues engineers might face when trying to investigate challenges like this abroad. One year after the implementation of the Global Leadership Program, students and faculty are excited by the opportunities the program brings and its focus on taking risks and understanding concepts on a deeper level, through the practical application of skills and theories. But the Global Leadership Program itself isn’t a big departure from what PC has always done. The school has a proud history of embracing social innovation, values-based education, authentic learning, cutting-edge pedagogy and rigorous academic programing. The academic research explored over the last five years to design the Global Leadership Program framework lends credence to both PC’s history and its future. century skills. PC has chosen to focus primarily on creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and character, as well as digital and media literacy. In order to ensure that students leave Pickering College with these skills deeply entrenched, teachers are focusing their teaching on a number of pedagogical premises that have been found to support complex understanding on a deeper level. To create it, educational movements were researched systematically, including academic journals and other publications, traditional and modern pedagogy, critiques of existing systems and specifications, interviews with universities, entrepreneurs and NGOs, educational resources, literature predicting 21st century contexts and case studies of innovators and their contexts. Pickering College wanted to ensure it was designing a program that would put its students one step ahead of their peers in a rapidly changing world, whether it be for university, employment or the creation of a new job. INTERDISCIPLINARY LESSONS Lessons at Pickering College are increasingly interdisciplinary. Grade 9 students complete a large entrepreneurial project that gathers information from all their subjects to generate a socially-responsible product and business model. Grade 10 students explore Quaker values and contexts from historical, civics and literature perspectives. Ultimately, students will have the opportunity to explore one issue through the lens of all of their Grade 12 courses, when they complete the Culminating Demonstration for their Global Leadership Diploma. Through research, a number of skills were identified that students need to have to be successful in today’s challenging postsecondary contexts. As a faculty, Pickering’s teachers focus on what are called 21st EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING THROUGH CRITICAL THINKING Lessons are designed around authentic and experiential projects that allow the students to gain hands-on experience of CREATIVITY • COLLABORATION • COMMUNIC 22 GLOBAL LEADERS: T H E O R Y M E E T S VA L U E S - B A S E D E D U C AT I O N solving a specific challenge through critical thinking. For instance, Grade 11 Physics students are tasked with designing a new model for an energy transfer machine. In Grade 11 Communications Technology, students design an entire media awareness campaign for a non-profit organization. Teaching for Global Leadership means ensuring globally-orientated content is covered, but also providing students with opportunities to practice globally desirable skills such as collaboration, digital citizenship and creativity. An excellent example of this type of learning at Pickering College is its partnership with the NAIS Challenge 20/20 project, where Grade 12 Interdisciplinary Studies students have been paired with a class from the Nepal International High School. Together, the students are researching the issue of equitable education by collaborating online and generating potential solutions in a report to be presented at an online conference in the spring. ENRICHED PROGRAMMING Outside the classroom, students can participate in a number of critical-thinking challenges, such as working with the Munk team for the Global Ideas Institute. This team is given a global problem to solve and attends eight university lectures from different disciplines at the University of Toronto. After they have absorbed the lectures, they perform their own research, often collaborating with experts through digital platforms. They then create a model to address the issue and present their findings to a panel of highly-regarded experts in the field. Similar programs, such as the Toronto Policy Leadership Lab, Model UN and Forum for Young Canadians, are also very popular with students and teachers. BUILDING CULTURAL FLUENCY PC’s experiential excursions, near and far, continue to develop cultural fluency, language skills and self-challenge. The exchange program launches in March, with three students attending Brighton College, one of the highest-regarded independent schools in the United Kingdom. In addition, during March break, Geography students will study natural landforms and energy alternatives in Iceland, whereas French and History students will immerse themselves in French culture and language with visits to Paris, Nice and Nîmes. The fall Arts trip to New York City exposed students to a whirlwind of drama, art, media and music. As important as it is for PC students to go out into the world, it is equally important to bring the world to PC. This year, four Leaders-In-Residence (individuals) are scheduled, ranging from doctors to entrepreneurs to engineers to educators. At Senior School Morning Meeting, a Leader-In-Residence explores issues of leadership in their experience and then works closely with a number of Junior and Senior School classes throughout the day. In addition, a speaker series in January/ February entitled “World Perspectives” brings in six guests from a range of contexts to explore the importance of cultural perspective. FULLY-INTEGRATED PROGRAM The faculty at Pickering College is very proud of the Global Leadership Program —it offers a unique framework in which every student, from JK-Grade 12, is enrolled and benefits. It is fully integrated into all aspects of programming and values every child as an individual. The extensive research that has gone into its planning ensures both academic rigour and innovative pedagogy. It is no wonder that PC’s Global Leadership Program has received excellent reviews from universities, faculties of education, entrepreneurs and academics alike. AT I O N • C R I T I C A L T H I N K I N G • C H A R A C T E R 23 A LIFE OF SERVICE TO COMMUNITY AND CANADA’S YOUTH PICKERING COLLEGE HONOURS BRIAN BLACKSTOCK WITH RARE FIFTH PILLAR AWARD acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” It was a very fitting address for a Pickering audience! Brian was born on the Pickering College campus, while his father C.R. “Blackie” Blackstock was head of the Physical Education and Director of the Prep Departments. Blackie came to Pickering in 1928, at the request of Headmaster Joe McCulley, bringing with him his wife Norah. Joe McCulley was Brian’s godfather and he spent his years here surrounded by Beers, Veales and McLarens – the familiar names and faces that fill the memories of our alumni. O n Saturday, October 3rd, as a highlight of Reunion Weekend 2014, Brian Blackstock ’56 was awarded the rarely-bestowed Fifth Pillar Award, in recognition of his many years of service to Pickering College. 24 hockey team; parents of current students, board and corporation members; and friends and alumni of Camp Mazinaw, including Pickering alumnus Larry Paikin ’51 and his son, Steve Paikin. Previously, only alumnus Bruce Foster ’43 and former Headmaster Sheldon Clark had received this honour. With nearly 100 people in attendance for this special evening, Brian graciously listened to the kind words of Headmaster Peter Sturrup, Charles Beer ’59, John Meisel ’43 and accepted the ovations of the gathered friends and family. Brian’s acceptance speech was built on a number of quotations and truisms that have served him well, which he used to illustrate both his life experiences and his involvement with Pickering College. His theme of always making your best effort and creating change deeply resonated with the guests. Quoting Mother Teresa, he said: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” Guests included Brian’s family, brother Richard ’63 and his wife and children; many friends from Pickering College, including all three Beer and Veale brothers, coming from as far afield as Whitehorse, Yukon; alumni, including winners of the Blackstock Award over the years, honoured anniversary years of 1989 and 1964, members of the undefeated 1964 He went on to share the words of Robert F. Kennedy, as he illustrated examples from his life of teaching and service. “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or Together, Blackie and Joe instituted a Physical Education department at Pickering College that would be groundbreaking, focussing on educating the whole child: mind, spirit and body. Blackie would also bring a strong outdoor education program to Pickering, using the farm, camps and the ski hills of Limberlost Lodge in Huntsville. Blackie instilled in his sons a love of the outdoors and, for Brian, fostered what would be a lifelong commitment to providing camp experiences for children and a dedication to the Ontario Camping Association, as well as his deep and abiding devotion to Pickering College. Brian was an owner director at Camp Mazinaw, which had a long association with Pickering, as well as president of the Ontario Camps Association for two terms, Honourary Life Member of the Ontario Camping Association, and president of the Society of Camp Directors (Canada) for two terms. Brian also followed in his father’s footsteps in becoming a teacher, requesting in his first year teaching that he be assigned to a “tough” inner-city school, determined to bring the ideals instilled in him at Pickering wherever he went. Brian spent his teaching career with the Toronto school board. RECOGNITION WELL-DESERVED Brian grew up in the Preparatory Department and High School at PC. He spent a summer just before Grade 13 with a Pickering alumni family, the Laniers, in the Alberta foothills they called home, as several other Pickering alumni did over the years. Pickering was never far from his heart. Brian has supported Pickering College as a board or corporation member for 20 years, including fulfilling the role as Chair for five years. With the input of Harry and Betty Beer, Brian instituted the prestigious Blackstock Award, presented to a deserving PC student whose contribution to athletics exemplifies the motto “the joy of effort.” He served as a member of the 100th Anniversary Committee and was the driving force behind the restoration of the Haydon mural in the Old Gym and commissioning the completion of the provincial paintings in the Joseph McCulley Meeting Room. Most recently, Brian made a very generous donation to the development of a robust outdoor education program at Blue and Silver, the farm property bequeathed to PC by long-time teacher Charles Boyd, himself a dear friend of Brian’s. Past faculty member Al Jewell would be proud to see the farm so used! Brian is an outstanding example of a Pickering College alumnus and has been a supporter, donor, friend and true believer in Pickering College for over 65 years. “BRIAN HAS A VERY TENDER SPOT IN HIS HEART FOR PICKERING COLLEGE. He is a man of many interests and none more so than the people he has met over the years and never wishes to forget. Brian is at home here, he sees beyond the ordinary, that special something which enriches the human soul. In the true Pickering College tradition, he is a great letter writer and, whenever he sees something that he knows is of interest to another, clippings are sent with comments with great regularity. His influence and inspiration is on many fronts—from the classroom to Mazinaw and the whole camping scene—where, with care and great perception, he exposed many generations of young people to the joys of the natural world. He caught what the Group of Seven caught in the Canadian hinterland—the mystique of the rugged Canadian Shield, the wonder and the beauty of secluded lakes, the sound of the loon in the early morning, the vastness and the appeal of our country, which speak volumes to the human heart. He loves this country and what it has to offer to the community at large and, like our nation, he wants to give back what he can to improve the lives of others. He understands the essence of what it means to be a Canadian.” – Charles Boyd, Alumni Ambassador In a lovely announcement at the dinner, Brian and his brother Richard formally presented Pickering College with the portrait of their father “Blackie,” painted by former faculty member Fred Hagan, which hangs in our Dining Hall. They were joined in this presentation by Julie Hagan, daughter of Fred. 25 CONNECTIONS 1 2 4 5 3 6 7 8 26 9 ALUMNI REUNION WEEKEND 75-YEAR-OLD FRIENDSHIPS CELEBRATED AT THE 1940s ALUMNI “JOE’S BOYS” LUNCHEON Front row: Don King ’46, Dunc Waddell ’47, David Dixon ‘46, Tom Aikenhead ’44, Doug Sirrs ’49, Rick Arnold ‘49 Back row: Charles Boyd, Carol Potter (guest of) Daniel Sherry ’42, Bob Moffat ’44, Hugh Edighoffer ’47, Greg Dopulos ’68, Michael Mackenzie ’45, Ed Richardson ’45, Jim Beer ’63, Jack Houghton ‘47 Missing: Bob Prittie ’49, Charles Beer ‘59 PASSINGS On behalf of Pickering College, our very deepest sympathy is extended to all the family members of our Pickering alumni, faculty, staff and friends who have passed away. Douglas Morgan ’65 2007 Philip Mortimer Hitchcock ’56 May 28, 2013 GD La Brash, husband of former staff Doreen, May 2014 Derek Langdon ’90 August 16, 2014 Marlene MacPherson, mother of Dakota ’22, October 18, 2014 10 CELEBRATING OUR FRIENDSHIPS: 1. Beer brothers, David ’59, Jim ’63 and Charles ’59 2. Patrick Waters ’89, Adam Mernick ’89 and Marc French ’89 3. Matt Barbuto ’02 and guest 4. Laird Cawdron and Doug Broad, Class of 1964 5. Former faculty member Bob Forhan and his wife 6. Eddie Lee ‘86 and Patrick Turner ’89 7. Jennifer Scrymgeour ’03 and Jennifer Ely ’03 8. Rob Drynan ‘91and his lovely daughter 9. Steve Paikin, Larry Paikin ’51 and Brian Worrall ’69 10. Laird Cawdron ’64, Doug Broad ’64, Ross Dann ’64, Mark Oelbaum ’65, Ken Greason ’64 and Bob Forhan, Past Faculty John Sharpe ’56 September 4, 2014 Derek Shenstone ’58 September 20, 2014 Nathan Stuart ’02 September 4, 2014 David G. Ferris ’74 October 2014 Ron MacFeeters ’31 December 7, 2014 Lyle Sifton ’48 December 8, 2014 Stone Avery ’47 December 30, 2014 eOE 27 WHAT’S Your MORNING MEETING? Morning Meetings are some of the fondest memories for alumni. Two alumni returned this past fall to share their advice and encouragement, along with thought-provoking topics and reflections. THOMAS TAM ’95 Thomas Tam was a Morning Meeting guest speaker and a Grade 9 Innovation Mentor helping students develop their social innovation projects as part of the Global Leadership Program. AVISH SOOD ’07 As Morning Meeting guest speaker, Avish Sood kicked off Reunion Weekend. His advice to Senior School students: “Number one: Get involved in something new that puts you out of your comfort zone and forces you to learn. Doesn’t matter if you fail or succeed, what matters is the experience and the journey you develop. That starts with your time here at PC. Number two: Find out what you’re passionate about. There are too many people in the world not doing what they love, and you are in a fortunate situation where you have the resources to create that dream career that you envision for yourself. Make sure you are taking active steps toward what you want, even if it means short-term sacrifice for long-term gain. Number three: Don’t be afraid of hard work and challenges. Life is going to be full of them, but it’s better to take these obstacles head on and get an amazing reward out of it. Number four: Take advantage of your time at Pickering College. Some of the best friends I have today are relationships I forged at this school and they have been invaluable to my personal development. The school truly does help with building your character and as you graduate you will join an elite group of Pickering alumni making a difference around the world. Take advantage of what you have in front of you to learn about yourself, because soon you’ll be those leaders making the world a better place.” Avish Sood ‘07 has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business and a postgraduate degree in Sport and Event Marketing. He is a Sponsorship Sales Coordinator for Toronto Pan American Games. He is a recent recipient of the “Rising Stars Program” from Partnership Activation Inc., which recognizes young professionals under the age of 30 who are making an impact in the sports industry. 28 He credits Pickering College with providing the foundations that still hold true for him today; his love for art, geography and the friendships he made while here at Pickering College. Speaking from the heart, he encouraged students to appreciate the multicultural community at Pickering College and take advantage of their time here, to do what they love, to work hard and to find balance. Thomas Tan ’95 was a boarding student at Pickering College from 1990 to 1995. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto. Wishing to start up his own business and tap into his creative side, he opened his own business, making and selling soap. Demo Soap product is now being sold across Canada and Europe. Demo Soap has been featured on CityLine, is a regular participant in the One of a Kind Craft Show and is known for its creative and innovative custom designs. Thomas has perfected his craft over the years to become one of Toronto’s most well-known soap manufacturers. He spends his spare time traveling the world and for four years has participated in Habitat for Humanity trips in South America. ALUMNI PROFILES QUINN ROSS ‘94 NOORIN MAWANI ‘05 RAISING THE BAR Former Chair of the Student Committee and boarding student, Quinn Ross ’94, is a lawyer with The Ross Firm. His areas of expertise include real estate, corporate / commercial law and estate law and he is a member of the Board of Directors for the Ontario Bar Association and the Alzheimer’s Society—Huron County. GLOBAL WORK EXPERIENCE INFLUENCES NEW CAREER PATH FOR ALUMNA When Noorin Mawani began her consulting career, she quickly realized that her skills might be better used to do her small part in contributing to a large problem—global poverty. The graduate from the Ivey Business School at Western University had secured a job with a consulting firm, travelling the world working with Fortune 500 companies. However, after two years, she found the drive to the bottom line was not fulfilling—she wanted something more meaningful. She then turned her attention to the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), knowing it was addressing serious issues in developing countries. In addition to his weekly radio program, Quinn frequently lectures at Western University, Osgoode Hall Law School and the Law Society of Upper Canada. Last year he spoke with PC parents about the Parental Responsibility Act, the risks their children may expose them to and how to minimize that risk. CHAI was founded in 2002 with a transformational goal: help save the lives of millions of people living with HIV/AIDS in the developing world by dramatically scaling up antiretroviral treatment. It works at the invitation of governments to strengthen and sustain their own capacity to provide long-term healthcare to their citizens. She applied to the foundation’s Ugandan office and was accepted. Her role was to help the Ugandan Ministry of Health manage the supply chain for critical medicines. He credits Pickering College for “making him the man he is today.” As a vocal advocate for gender equality, he speaks openly about the choices he’s making to achieve work-life balance, as he and his wife Erin revel in their daughter Greyson’s first year of life. He recently started running and in September, he participated in the Haliburton Forest 50 km Trail Race—a rugged trail course with over 1,200 meters of climbing. He placed 13th overall (the top six were professional elite athletes) and finished in 6:20.51. Quinn is currently working with his partners to expand their law firm into a regional player. In addition, he has been nominated to run for President of the Ontario Bar Association, an organization representing 18,000 lawyers in the province. As an unmarried woman with no children, Noorin’s youth worked against her at first. However, demonstrating strong cultural sensitivity, she developed the individual relationships required to change people’s perceptions. She also had a support system amongst the other foundation members that allowed for solid friendships to form, that exist to this day. Her proudest moment was facilitating a negotiation between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Ugandan government and CHAI, whereby shortages of drugs would be avoided by real-time stock balancing across different supply chains. During her time there, she also led the creation of a program that would better identify children who were exposed to HIV and get them treatment and assistance faster than before. This program is still running to this day. Noorin reflects that for her, the largest risks have been the most rewarding. The professional risk of leaving a well-paying, prestigious job in North America and the personal risk of leaving her country, family and friends to live in East Africa, was a big one. But she credits this experience with finding out how she wants to live her life and setting her on her career path. Noorin has now returned to North America and is completing her master’s degree at Columbia Business School and the School of Engineering. Her future focus is in an emerging field called Impact Investing—which encourages private sector investment as a means to accelerate economic development in developing countries, thereby addressing issues of poverty, health care and more. 29 ALUMNI NEWS designer consignment and thrift store with a business model of “conscious shopping,” focusing on both local and global social responsibility and sustainability. Congratulations to you both! Doug Reed ’58 recently ran for Deputy Mayor in the town of Midland’s municipal elections. Dag Spicer ‘80 continues to work at the Computer History Museum in California, where they recently won the 2014 Tony Sale Award for computer conservation. Their project, called the IBM 1401 Experience, was a restoration of one of the most significant machines in computer history. Blake Melnick ‘81: Blake’s 20-year dream of moving to the West Coast has been realized. “Our love of the mountains and the ocean has been a strong pull for us for many years. When my wife and I were presented with work opportunities in the West, we decided it was either now or never.” In addition to his role as Chief Knowledge Officer with the Knowledge Management Institute of Canada, Blake is the Senior Advisor, Knowledge Management and Organizational Effectiveness with Husky Energy. He also serves as an Advisor to the Faculty of Management at Royal Roads University. Tony Yang ’97 with his wife Jennifer and their two boys, Justin and Brian. Angelica Blenich ’03 is now engaged to Chad Philip Ingram. Nicole (Benke) Cleary ’99 and her family relocated to China for her husband Paul’s work. Good luck Nicole! Stay in touch! Michael Barbuto ’00 stars in a new live-action animation, multi-cam sitcom The Stanley Dynamic for YTV. Michael plays cartoonist and dad of the household, Lance Stanley, a boy at heart who chronicles the family’s adventures in his online comic strip. The show premiered in January 2015. David Drain ’89 and his wife, with Charles Boyd. Angie Poechman ’03, Ali Joutsi ’06 and Jayne Lewis ’04 visiting in Barbados. Angie writes, “Ali Joutsi was an AF (associate faculty) a year before I was an AF at Pickering College and we both got the pleasure to teach Shannon Hamilton ’12 and Ciara Mohamed ’12 both from Barbados! We met up with them for a long afternoon of laughter and memories and stories!” Congratulations to the Class of 2004 on their 10th Anniversary! Here are some updates from the class. Thomas Tam ’95 trekking in the Himalayas. 30 Kelsey McMaster ’00 and Shannon McMaster ’01 recently opened up their own store “The Purple Door” in Schomberg ON. The Purple Door is a Erika Anschuetz ‘04: “After graduating PC, I went to U of T Scarborough and did a degree in Political Science and International Development. I worked for a number of years at a Human Resources outsourcing firm in both the Training and Sales departments. However, HR consulting didn’t really get me fired up, so in September 2013 I moved to Fredericton and started law school at UNB, which I absolutely love. I have an adorably grumpy cat named Zizou who I have carted (mildly sedated) halfway across the country several times over the past year. Aside from that I like to spend my time playing soccer, cooking vegetarian food, appreciating wine, dominating in board games, and being an animal lover and a feminist.” Aram Barra ‘04 graduated university in Mexico with a degree in International Studies in 2008. He worked for the International AIDS Society, organizing the largest health-related conference in the world that year, which was a huge success. In 2009, Aram worked for the German political cooperation, in charge of training and capacity building of young people from the left, whether in political parties, working unions, academia or civil society in Mexico. In 2011, Aram moved to the Middle East where he was fully dedicated to reforming drug policy and helping to empower young people in the region. Aram moved back to Mexico to continue working on issues such as drug policy reform, sex work legalization, migration and sexual health. These agendas have taken him to over 30 countries around the world and he has met many amazing people. Aram was recently an advocate behind bill initiatives in the Mexico City Assembly, the Federal Congress House and the Senate of Mexico and recently completed his second book. He is now moving to New York City to complete a master’s program in public policy and administration at New York University. He plans to finish the program at UCL in London. Ashley Burke ‘04 is a video journalist for CBC News Ottawa and a reporter for CBC Radio One 91.5 FM Ottawa. She films, writes and edits her own TV stories, while also performing live hits and filing for radio. You may have seen some of her work during the coverage of the Parliament Hill attack in October. Chantal Carrier ‘04 graduated from Queen’s University in Life Sciences and then spent many years traveling and living around the world. She now calls Spain “home” and (with her boyfriend) divides her time between Spain, England and Canada. Over the years she has developed a great passion for art and recently attended ArtBasel in Switzerland. Benson Dakay ‘04 lives in Philippines and we were relieved to hear that he was unaffected by Typhoon Yolanda and the powerful earthquake that struck central Philippines in 2013. Ian Hastings ’04 and Allison Hastings ‘08: Ian and Allison’s mother, Tina Brillinger wrote in this update for The Pillars on their behalf: “Following Pickering College, Ian graduated from Laurier and has since worked in Whistler and in the GTA working in retail settings building and selling skis and snowboard equipment. Recently he was a Manager at Senecal Snow and Ski Shop in Newmarket, while attending George Brown College in their Advanced Business Program. He has one more year of college left and plans to attend summer school this fall as well to study for his real estate licence. He’s interested in a career in commercial real estate. Our youngest Allison graduated with honours from Trinity College in Art History and History last spring. Allison moved to London, UK, last August to do her master’s in Business Art at the Sotheby Art Institute. She is very passionate about art and is quickly becoming known in the industry as having a well-developed knowledge of art as well as having a keen eye. She has interned at the Frick Museum in New York and Corkin Gallery in Toronto, but visits galleries and museums wherever she travels in her off time to expand her knowledge. She hopes to stay on to work in London or Berlin to gain European experience and she is exploring avenues for combining art with technology; how it is starting to change the way in which people both view and access art to collect. Our family is grateful to Pickering College for providing a solid foundation for both Ian and Allison—I’m sure you can tell how proud we are of them. Their friendships with other PC students have remained very prominent in their lives and both are a testament to everyone’s involvement at PC. Thank you for being instrumental in helping our children and thousands of others with whom your caring and support has touched.” Jacob Leung ‘04 lives in Hong Kong and has been working on opening a new restaurant. Max St. John ‘04: “After graduating from Laurier, I decided to move to Australia and take my MBA. Once I finished the program, I took a position where I did my internship with a software development company. Other than that, still playing heaps of basketball, four times a week for the Brisbane rep team which is pretty solid. Upcoming plans for us include the south Australia trip with the wineries tour, World Cup, then back to Canada and Costa Rica for Christmas/New Year, then New Zealand next March for Easter, then another trip on our way back from Australia to Canada.” Andrea Schneider ‘04: “After PC, I became a Golden Hawk and majored in Psychology at Laurier. I then moved to Whistler to major in “shredding deep pow.” After a year of fun, I decided it was back to business; I moved to the island to obtain an MSc in Experimental Neuropsychology at the University of Victoria. The island was lovely, and I enjoyed being a teaching assistant, learning to surf in Tofino and publishing a few times in journals and textbooks. However, I decided that research wasn’t for me in the long term. After finishing up at UVic, I moved to Vancouver to study in the master’s of Occupational Therapy program at UBC. This summer I’ll be working on my rock climbing skills in Squamish and enjoying ocean-side living in Kitsilano. I’ll be finishing up in August and will then travel Europe with my sister Sarah (who’s been teaching in South Korea for the past year). Then, I will finally get a “real” job—gulp! Wish me luck!” 31 ALUMNI NEWS Richard B. Adejumo ’05 recently participated in Pickering College’s Seasonal Boutique with EPH Apparel. Alexander Zetzl ‘05 I have essentially moved back to Canada on a permanent basis. My work term in Germany is now finished. It was a very interesting and worthwhile time, giving me a chance to meet a lot of new people and grow as a person. I also was responsible for doing a lot of product development work—among other things, I developed a reduced-sodium tomato ketchup. So maybe you will be eating a small piece of my project at some point in the near future. In January, I am starting full time at our company in Aurora as Technical Director of the ingredient division. Sarah Schneider ’07: “I was in Korea for 15 months teaching English to Kindergarten students. While I was there I met with another alum from my class (2007) Peter Son. While travelling in Europe recently, I also met up with another alum, Kasima Paisansukanan ’03, a boarder from Thailand who lives in Germany. She is now married to a German man and has two kids. They’re moving to Thailand soon to be with her family. Sheremet Berisha ’06 and Musa Berisha ’06 became Canadian citizens! Congratulations to you both. Jen Gautier ’07 recently graduated from New York University Law School— congratulations Jen! 32 Avish Sood ’07 and Shauna McConnell ’08 with Kim Bartlett during Avish’s visit to PC. Alyssa Dominique ’09: After graduating from PC, Alyssa continued her education at the University of Western Ontario. She excelled in a number of writing programs and majored in Classical Studies, gaining a keen understanding of ancient Greek and Roman culture, politics, law and mythology. Having found a love for club involvement during her time at PC, Alyssa became an active member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority at Western. She held a number of key positions within the Chapter and, as an alumna, continues to be active today as Vice President of Pi Beta Phi’s Ontario Beta Chapter House Corporation. Alyssa is a published freelance writer, living and working in Toronto at an advertising agency as a Content Marketing Specialist. She enjoys copywriting for clients and plans to pursue a career in public relations in the near future. Alyssa looks forward to bestowing the gifts of knowledge, support and opportunity she received from Pickering College to future PC Pumas. Samantha Fu ‘10 “I graduated from McGill not too long ago and am now working as an analyst at a finance/economic consulting firm in New York. It’s been great so far, and I’m really enjoying the work.” Shannon Cumiskey ’12 recently received the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award from Princess Anne. Congratulations Shannon! Shannon’s mother, Eleanor writes “Much thanks to you Mr. Lewis for all of your help and encouragement. Ryan (silver medal) Shannon (gold medal) and Eric (working on silver) have all greatly benefited from their involvement in this program and Troy and I are very grateful for the support and encouragement of Mr. Lewis and PC.” MARRIAGES Julia Simmen ’04 married sweetheart Roger Marszalek on June 6 in McKinney, Texas. Included in the wedding party were other 2004 Alumni, Danielle Matos ’04, Erika Anschuetz ’04 and Kathryn Walsh ’04. Jessie Scrymgeour ’12 travelled to southeast Asia with Operation Groundswell. Alex Priest ’05 married Kimberlee in August. Andrew Kemp ’04 married girlfriend Camille in October. Isabelle Payne ’98 got married right after completing her master’s in Social Work from the University of British Columbia. Congratulations to Isabelle and Alex and best wishes to you both! Katja Lieb ’03 married Angelo Germano on November 21. Shiori Ono ’13 met up with Claudia Chavez, PC’s Admission Associate for International Boarding, while Claudia was visiting Tokyo. Yuka Imonawa ’14 also met with Claudia Chavez and assisted in a meeting with a prospective family. WHAT ABOUT YOU? SEND US YOUR NEWS! We’d love to hear from you. Please contact Alumni & Parent Relations Coordinator Anna Cook at [email protected] or 1-877-895-1700 ext. 257. Andrew Gordon ’02 married long-time girlfriend Andrea on October 25, 2014. 33 THREE CHEERS FOR OUR TALENTED Volunteering is the essence of Pickering’s community spirit. Thank you to all those who give their time and talent in support of the school’s many events and initiatives in 2014. CHOP FM BOARD OF DIRECTORS Matt Barbuto ‘02 Tim Beers Marc dela Bastide Stephanie Filman ‘09 Sarah Gardiner ‘11 Ian Johnston Melissa Morris Keitaro Tatematsu ‘09 Ian Proudfoot Peter Sturrup Jim Waters CHOP FM ADVISORY COUNCIL Alex Au Yong Kim Bilous Noeline Burk Ed Elyahky ‘07 Brian Purdy ‘56 Caleb Sturrup ‘04 Kait Swadron ALUMNI CLASS REPS Kevin Allan ‘88 Adam Bradley ‘98 Bob Bryant ‘60 Chris Campbell ‘87 Malcolm Campbell ‘65 Jason Carmichael ‘02 Philippe Coupey ‘57 Francis Coral-Melon ‘06 Peter Davis ‘61 Greg Dopulos ‘68 Jaime Gianopolous ‘06 Jack Houghton ‘47 Paolo Kernahan ‘89 Eddie Lee ‘86 Laura Ann Lobraico ‘01 Isabelle Payne ‘98 Brian Purdy ‘56 Doug Reed ‘58 Allen Shully ‘67 Avish Sood ‘07 Thomas Tam ‘95 Patrick Turner ‘97 Ryan Turner ‘99 Stephen Widdrington ‘83 INTERGUILD REPRESENTATIVE Donna Fordyce CHAIR, ANNUAL GIVING Kelly Mason 34 NEW PARENT MENTORS Joel Berger Diane Farmer Debbie Floyd Donna Fordyce Joanne Golding Gaitree Gupta Beverley Hagias Susan Hundert Lisa Jeppesen-Dhanjal Elan Moore Mirella Morra Nilgen Perez Krystie Robinson-Vincent Sandy Scherre Lisa Simmonds-Kim Alana Simon Danielle Visco Elizabeth Walker PCA EXECUTIVE Andie Desforges Pam Falcon Donna Fordyce Ajit Khanna Kelly Mason Kirsten Nicolson Krystie Robinson-Vincent Ellen Rosen Sandy Scherre Mitch Stevenson GRADE REPS Pam Fabian Diane Farmer Joanne Golding Bev Hagias Nancy Kerswill Jill Krstajic Elan Moore Krystie Robinson-Vincent Kirsten Nicolson Linda Nunn Lisa Simmonds-Kim Alana Simon HILLTOP BOOKSTORE VOLUNTEERS Maya Dhanjal ‘18 Renee Duan ‘17 Rennie Ip ‘16 Caitlyn Proctor ‘16 Tina Ren ‘17 Megan Robinson ‘18 Eugene Yuan ‘16 Vanessa Zykova ‘18 HILLTOP SHOP VOLUNTEERS Nicole Cannon ‘18 Joanne Golding Emily Golding ‘19 Emma Kerswill ‘19 Madeline Philp ‘18 Megan Robinson ‘18 Jenna Skurnac ‘18 LEARNING COMMONS TRIBUTE PROGRAM Kirsten Nicolson STAFF APPRECIATION COMMITTEE Susann Cannon Anna Cook Donna Fordyce Sookie Ha Kellie McKay Nitin Mendiratta Elan Moore Nilgen Perez Juli Prochazka Krystie Robinson-Vincent Ellen Rosen Sandra Scherre Linda Stevenson STAFF APPRECIATION JUNIOR LUNCH COVERAGE VOLUNTEERS Suzanne Altman Essam Aly Joel Berger Magdie Buder Claudia Chavez Samantha Chen Diane Farmer Donna Fordyce Amanda Gao Toby Hatch Tiffany Houle Ellie Karkouti Kellie McKay Nitin Mendiratta Noelle Mevissen Elan Moore Mirella Morra Ashley Powell Jill Powell Krystie Robinson-Vincent Ellen Rosen Tara Roy-DiClemente Sandra Scherre Margo Starr PC AMBASSADORS – ADMISSION EVENTS Carlos Avila Mandujano ’16 Celine Barratt ’19 Julia Bianco ’19 Nadia Cerda Kadise ’16 Vanessa Chiu ’15 Kamsi Chukwuma ’15 Alyssa Cork ’17 Samuel Correa ’19 Alexandra Egi ’16 Erin Falcon ’18 Jenna Farmer ’20 Debbie Floyd Hannah Floyd ’17 June Gleed ’15 Deborah Hamilton Eddie Han ’15 Yuka Imonawa ’14 Kenneth Joe-Ezigbo ’15 Yuki Kajiro Ahkina Kim ’15 Ally Krstajic ’16 Jeongsook Lee Diana Morris Anastasia Moskaltcova ’19 Adam Murphy ’19 Calvin Nunn ’15 Maria Ochoa Lopez Shiori Ono ’13 Anzhelika Osotkina ’17 Junyoung Park ’17 Madeline Philp ’18 Risa Saito ’15 Adam Starr ’16 Katherine Starr ’20 Margo Starr Sydney Stevenson ’17 Rosemarie Stoute Natalia Tanina ’18 Urmi Upadhyay ’20 Alejandra Valdes Mendieta ’12 Shomari Warner ’11 Venicia Warner Rachel Zhang ’15 Vanessa Zykova ’18 GLOBAL LEADERSHIP GUEST SPEAKERS Avish Sood ‘07 Thomas Tam ‘95 FUN FAIR VOLUNTEERS Mark Barratt ’17 Kim Bilous Noeline Burk Vanessa Chiu ’15 Alyssa Cork ’17 Lori Cork George Cui ’17 Alexandra Cumiskey ’17 Isabelle Darvay-Canavor ’17 Renee Duan ’17 Alexandra Egi ’16 Erin Falcon ’18 Donna Fordyce Pamela Gardner June Gleed ’15 Galen Gole ’18 Montgomery Gole ’18 Maja Halmburger ’17 Helen Han ’16 Victoria Hannan ’16 Rennie Ip ’16 Lauren Jenkins ’16 Lisa Jeppesen-Dhanjal Naznin Jindani Josephine Kanu ’16 Nicole Kelln ’17 Samantha Kelln ’16 Zachary King ’17 David Kovac ’15 Ally Krstajic ’16 Doreen LaBrash Joe Li ’15 Tommy Li ’16 Vicky Liu ’16 Betty Lu ’15 Sterling Mancuso ’17 Emma Mantle ’17 Michael Marchese ’15 Vickie McInnis Kellie McKay Karen Meisel Alanna Miller ’17 Tiffany Mok ’16 Allison Montgomery ’17 Mirella Morra Aileen Mulroy ’16 Samantha Murphy ’17 Aryan Norouzi-Farsangi ’18 Junyoung Park ’17 Juli Prochazka Caitlyn Proctor ’16 Derek Qiu ’16 Tina Ren ’17 Krystie RobinsonVincent Sonny Rogers ’16 Stephanie Scott ’16 Vida Sernas Nicole Shouldice ’16 Kim Smith Heather SmithMorton Adam Stella ’16 Sydney Stevenson ’17 Lisa Sturrup PC VOLUNTEERS! Michael Sud ’15 Leila Totonchian ’17 Jasmine Wang ’17 Willa Wang Summer Weldon ’16 Daisy Xing ’15 Lucinda Yang ’15 Vanessa Yim ’15 Vine Yu ’15 Emily Zhang ’16 Jasmin Zhang ’16 Joey Zhang ’16 Rachel Zhang ’15 Vanessa Zykova ’18 CIRCLE OF FRIENDS RECEPTION Meghan Beswick ‘20 Sanjay Gupta ‘20 David Howard ‘88 Daniel Mason ‘18 Sydney Stevenson ‘17 REUNION WEEKEND Kenneth Greason ‘64 PCA GHOST TOUR Katelyn Beswick ’18 Nicholas Borowski ’20 Jessica Buckmaster ’15 Brenda Caricari Marc Cinq-Mars ’20 Mandy Coleman ’16 Anna Cook Lukas Darijtschuk ’17 Pamela Fabian Christopher Farmer ’17 Garrett FitzGerald ’17 Hannah Floyd ’17 Isaiah Fong ’15 June Gleed ’15 Amber Gocool ’16 Redmond Gole ’16 Maja Halmburger ’17 Victoria Hannan ’16 Katie Hopkinson ’15 Amy Kavanagh ’17 Grant Kavanagh ’15 Joe Li ’15 Betty Lu ’15 Sean Malins-Umansky ’17 Sterling Mancuso ’17 Amanda McDougall ’15 Tyler McKay ’16 Karen Meisel Allison Montgomery ’17 Margaret Montgomery ’16 Kate Moody ’15 Michaela Morra ’22 Chiara Naccarata ’12 Emily Perkovic ’16 Madeline Philp ’18 Adam Pitters-Fisher ’16 Jaime Powell ’20 Madeleine Rickman ’20 Lindsey Rife Sarah Ritchie ’15 Emily Romano ’17 Holly Rouselle ’15 Kieran Stevenson ’20 Linda Stevenson Sydney Stevenson ’17 Sydney Toye ’16 Urmi Upadhyay ’20 Lucinda Yang ’15 Tony Zhang ’18 HILLTOP SKATING BOARD MEMBERS Jean-Michel Bombardier Bob Delaney Jessica Ellis Toby Hatch Liza Moskaltcova Janet Proctor Lisa Sturrup Maria Wolscht HILLTOP SKATING EUCHRE NIGHT Christina Bianco Toby Hatch Rosanna Naccarata Heather R. Margo Starr Lisa Sturrup Maria Wolscht HILLTOP SKATING CELEBRITY SERVER EVENT Sydney Berger ’21 Katelyn Beswick ’18 Meghan Beswick ’20 Julia Bianco ’19 Thomas Bianco ’24 Olivia Fabian ’21 Harrison Frank ’24 Toby Hatch Kyleah MacRae ’18 Mathea MacRae ’22 Schae MacRae ’24 Anastasia Moskaltcova ’19 Liza Moskaltcova Janet Proctor Lisa Sturrup TAKE YOUR GRADE 9 STUDENT TO WORK DAY Kristen Kennedy ‘05 FALL FULFORD DEBATE TOURNAMENT Ria Angelo Kristen Arkell Brittany Baker Brooke Baker ’19 Kimberly Bartlett Maurice Berleth ’15 Dawn Beswick Katelyn Beswick ‘18 Meghan Beswick ’20 Christina Bianco Julia Bianco ’19 Kim Bilous Ethan Bishop Talia Black ’07 Nicholas Borowski ’20 Fabio Brussolo Felix Burns Connor Campbell Allyson Cannon ’20 Nicole Cannon ’18 Fernando Casanova Ochoa ’14 Gordon Chiu Gilles Cinq-Mars Marc Cinq-Mars ’20 Andrea Cleland Joanne Clements Aidan Cook ’19 Anna Cook David Cooper Susan Cooper Steve Cope Samuel Correa ’19 Santiago Correa Naomi Côté Terry Crohn George Cui ’17 Matthew Daniels Ding Ding ’18 Andrew Donnell ’15 Iain Donnell David Downer Janet Downer Brian Drake Christina Drake Rob Elliott Richard Elston ’56 Christopher Farmer ’17 Jenna Farmer ’20 Garrett FitzGerald ’17 Ethan Fitzsimons ’16 Jay Fletcher Donna Fordyce Cole Galata ’20 Kevin Gardner Pamela Gardner Vanessa Gardner ’19 Dean Gessie Emily Golding ’19 Montgomery Gole ’18 Gaitree Gupta Sanjay Gupta ’20 Sumana Gupta ’16 Tamer Higazi Jessie Hu ’15 Sheila Johnson Stephen Johnson Andy Juraidini Lopez ’19 Hamza Kara ’18 Zahra Kara Grant Kavanagh ’15 John Kavanagh Ken Kavanagh Ethel Kay Emma Kerswill ’19 Nancy Kerswill Justin Kim ’19 Thomas Kim David Kohyar Keith Kupsch Myriam LaFrance Max Laurin Joe Li ’15 William Li ’19 Muhannad Malas Sterling Mancuso ’17 Marcello Marano Cindy Marginson Daniel Mason ’18 Kelly Mason Arnold Massey Yasmine Mohamed Margaret Montgomery ’16 Adam Murphy ’19 Nicole Murphy Christopher Nam ’15 Sahand Norouzi-Farsangi ’15 Justin Park ’19 Hitesh Parmar Brock Philp Madeline Philp ’18 Alisha Popatia ’16 Juli Prochazka Patrick Prochazka ’18 Charles Qiu ’15 Inaara Rajani ’19 Madeleine Rickman ’20 Sean Rickman David Rouselle Donna Rouselle Holly Rouselle ’15 Jessie-May Rowntree Seyed-Ali ShouridehZiabari ’15 Adam Shully ’78 Lisa Simmonds-Kim Aidan Slind ’13 Dalton Slind ’18 Nicholas Sopuch ’13 Katherine Starr ’20 Margo Starr Al Steele Louisa Steele Susan Strong Peter Sturrup Steven Sun ’17 Kait Swadron Natalia Tanina ’18 Michelle Tolley Sybil Wilkinson Vivian Xin ’15 Lucinda Yang ’15 Tony Zhang ’18 Julia Zhu Vanessa Zykova ’18 SANTA CLAUS PARADE VOLUNTEERS Sherry Barclay Joel Berger Sydney Berger ’21 Fiona Bombardier Noah Bombardier George Cui ’17 Sydney Desforges ’21 Dale Galbraith George Gong ’17 Toby Hatch Arlo Hinrichs Josephine Kanu ’16 Stacey Lewis Kyleah MacRae ’18 Mathea MacRae ’22 Schae MacRae ’24 Tracey Marshall Dan McClymont Anastasia Moskaltcova ’19 Liza Moskaltcova Janet Proctor Jordan Proctor Steve Sampson Grace Still ’21 Kevin Still Amy Wolscht Erica Wolscht Hannah Wolscht James Zhang ’17 Ricky Zhang ’17 35 10 t hPICKERING COLLEGE HOLIDAY HOME TOUR COMMITTEE Suzanne Altman Andie Desforges, Co-Chair Pamela Fabian Pam Falcon, Co-Chair Donna Fordyce Lisa Hambrock Sandra Liem Andrea McMullen Karen Meisel Elan Moore Liza Moskaltcova Lori Pedersen Nilgen Perez Laurie Philp Nancy Prittie Krystie Robinson-Vincent Donna Rouselle Vida Sernas Lisa Shirriff Bozena Sochaniwskyj Nicole Stella HOLIDAY HOME TOUR VOLUNTEERS Gerardo Alonso Catalan ’17 Laura Anagnostakos Carlos Avila Mandujano ’16 Sherry Barclay Garrett Barlow ’17 Kim Barlow Patricio Benitez Salazar ’17 Christina Bianco Julia Bianco ’19 Kim Bilous Darlene Blenich Camila Bolivar ’16 Alexis Borlestean ’15 Maguire Brice ’16 M.J. Bulmer Karen Burrows-Smith Nicole Cannon ’18 Susann Cannon Elexis Charles ’18 Snow Chen ’16 Somkene Chukwuma ’16 Sheila Clark Andrea Cleland Mandy Coleman ’16 Paula Cook David Cooper Susan Cooper Zahan Cooper ’15 Steve Cope George Cui ’17 Lauren da Silva ’18 Maya Dhanjal ’18 Laurie DiCarlo 36 Anniversary Ding Ding ’18 Renee Duan ’17 Penny Edwards Beth Egan Pamela Fabian Erin Falcon ’18 Christopher Farmer ’17 Diane Farmer Ethan Fitzsimons ’16 Gabriel Flammia ’17 Ryan Forde ’15 Donna Fordyce Christine Freek Kyle Fresco ’16 Pamela Gardner Vanessa Gardner ’19 Kathy Gillespie Amber Gocool ’16 Emily Golding ’19 Joanne Golding Redmond Gole ’16 George Gong ’17 Sumana Gupta ’16 Jacob Hagias ’15 Kristen Hamilton ’16 Victoria Hannan ’16 Toby Hatch Charles Hsieh ’16 Claudine Hubbard James Hudson ’13 Michelle Hudson Susan Hundert Julia Hunt Rennie Ip ’16 Jane Ireland Lauren Jenkins ’16 Lisa Jeppesen-Dhanjal Nancy Johnston Josephine Kanu ’16 Sandra Kaszuba Samantha Kelln ’16 Zachary King ’17 David Kovac ’15 Paul Kovac ’16 Ally Krstajic ’16 Catherine Lane Wendy LaValle Penelope Lawson-Cameron Brandon Leong ’16 Harry Li ’17 Tommy Li ’16 Vicky Liu ’16 Alba Lu ’15 Serena MacDonald ’17 Gabriela Macias ’16 Kyleah MacRae ’18 Melinda Mantel Michael Marchese ’15 Leonie Marschall ’16 Mary McClenaghan-Martin Amanda McDougall ’15 Dylan McFee Cathy McGill Tyler McKay ’16 Alanna Miller ’17 Elaine Miller Tiffany Mok ’16 Allison Montgomery ’17 Gillian Montgomery Margaret Montgomery ’16 Paloma Munoz Alvarez ’18 Sarah Neal Zoe Neal Christopher Nicholls ’16 Shayna Nicholls ’15 Alyssa Nunn ’17 Calvin Nunn ’15 Linda Nunn Simon Park ’16 Shannon Pecora Jaimee Pedersen ’18 Julie Pedersen ’17 Andrea Pellecchia ’16 Nilgen Perez Mara Pezzutto Laurie Philp Madeline Philp ’18 Adam Pitters-Fisher ’16 Leigh Ann Pitre Alisha Popatia ’16 Nancy Prittie Kathy Proudfoot Laura Proudfoot Naazlin Rahemtulla Sufia Rahemtulla ’17 Alex Ramirez Mendez ’16 Tina Ren ’17 Tyler Ritchie ’16 Sonny Rogers ’16 Emily Romano ’17 Holly Rouselle ’15 Derek Roy ’16 Jacqueline Rueping Stephanie Scott ’16 Mariana Serna Guzman ’18 Vida Sernas Samantha Shaw ’16 Nicole Shouldice ’16 Austin Skelhorn Jenna Skurnac ’18 Dalton Slind ’18 Kim Smith Sandra Snell Brent Snow ’16 Elizabeth Snow Joshua Snow ’18 Bozena Sochaniwskyj Matthew Sochaniwskyj ’17 Tyler Somerville ’18 Zenia Sopuch Adam Starr ’16 Katherine Starr ’20 Margo Starr Adam Stella ’16 Nicole Stella Laureen Stenyk Lisa Sturrup Alice Sud Christopher Sud ’16 Michael Sud ’15 Sara Sun ’15 Steven Sun ’17 Heather Suters Anastasia Takeda Kevin Tan ’16 Samantha Tan ’15 Kayla Timbers ’16 Leila Totonchian ’17 Sydney Toye ’16 Pat Trerice Urmi Upadhyay ’20 Nancy Verzin Ada Wang ’15 Summer Weldon ’16 Karen Whetstone Eugene Yuan ’16 Emily Zhang ’16 James Zhang ’17 Jasmin Zhang ’16 Johnny Zhang ’16 Ricki Zhang ’18 Silvia Zhang ’16 Tony Zhang ’18 Weixing Zhang We would also like to express our sincere thanks to the staff of: ADM Design Incorporated Black Forest Garden Centre Blooming Wellies Flower Boutique Cassidy’s Flowers Design Line Studio Inc. Flowers by Terry of Aurora Grand Entrance Design Katherine Joy Interiors Lori Pedersen Home Staging and Styling LRB Interiors McFee Landscape Maintenance and Construction Urban Barn Newmarket Wendy Neal Design Yorkshire Garden Services HOLIDAY HOME TOUR Over 1000 tour goers lined up at seven homes in Aurora and Newmarket that were featured in this year’s 10th Anniversary Holiday Home Tour, presented by State Farm Canada on November 21-22. Celebrating this anniversary year, over 150 local businesses and organizations took part in the event, treating guests to a sensory journey of holiday sights, sounds and flavours from local businesses, restaurants, event sponsors and more. school. It provides a wonderful opportunity to bring our local community together and a platform for local restaurateurs, retailers and musicians to be featured in the exquisite tour homes. At Pickering College our sense of community is strong and something we value very much. On behalf of the Holiday Home Tour Committee, thank you for your support of the Holiday Home Tour. The Friday Night Tour included a sold-out VIP Design Tour with Cobi Ladner (past editor of Canadian House & Home and owner of CobiStyle). On Saturday, at the popular Seasonal Boutique & Café, the room was filled with guests wanting a book signed or a meet and greet at the Design Talk with Frankie Flowers (seen on CityLine and Breakfast Television). The Holiday Home Tour gives back to the local community, this year supporting the Paediatric Oncology Clinic at Southlake Regional Health Centre, in addition to our 37 FAREWELL “Are you retiring Mrs. Wade?” “Yes, I am.” “Did you win a lottery?” These were the words of a Junior School student upon hearing that Nancy Wade was retiring, last October. After 19 years of working at PC’s library, also known as the Learning Commons, Mrs. Wade has set aside her “date due” stamp and eased into retirement. We wish her the very best for her retirement and will greatly miss her presence in the library. Janet Downer, Director of Senior School, and Nancy Wade at her retirement celebration, October 9, 2014. UPCOMING EVENTS FEBRUARY – JUNE 2015 Thursday, February 12 Re-enrolment Deadline Wednesday, February 18 and Thursday, February 19 7:00 p.m. Senior School Drama Production Monday, March 2 Morning Meeting Winter Athletic Awards Thursday, April 1 7:00 p.m. Honour Society Reception 2:00 p.m. Grandparent and Special Friend Day 4:00 p.m. Junior School Springfest 7:00 p.m. Senior School Springfest Wednesday, May 13 6:30 p.m. Arts Night Thursday, May 14 11:00 a.m. PCA Spring Luncheon Thursday, May 7 Friday, May 22 Sports Day Monday, May 25 Spring Athletic Awards Thursday, May 28 9:45 a.m. Closing Meeting for Worship for Senior School Monday, June 8 8:30 a.m. Closing Meeting for Worship for Junior School Tuesday, June 9 2:00 p.m. Kindergarten Graduation Wednesday, June 10 4:30 p.m. Grade 8 Graduation and Dinner Thursday, June 11 7:00 p.m. Grade 12 Grad Celebration Friday, June 12 11:00 a.m. Grade 12 Commencement Ceremony Thursday, June 18 38 Golf Tournament PICKERIN Newmarket, Ontari 16945 Bayview Avenue, Newmar TEL (905) 895-1700 • 1-877-89 VOLUME 36ISSUE 2E-MAIL admissions@pickeringc MANAGING EDITOR JESSIE-MAY ROWNTREE Director of Admission and Marketing EDITOR NAOMI CÔTÉ Communications Manager CONTRIBUTORS ALEX AU YONG KIM BILOUS CHARLES BOYD NOELINE BURK ANNA COOK STEVE COPE SARAH DEMARCO CRISTY DRAKE JAY FLETCHER ALEXIS FURLAN TAMER HIGAZI JULIA HUNT MYRIAM LAFRANCE ERIN MATTHEWS KAREN MEISEL RENEE MERRICK ALANA SIMON LISA STURRUP HEATHER SUTERS NICKY WOOD GRAPHIC DESIGN VANI ROUSE TO SHARE YOUR COMMENTS, IDEAS OR FOR ADVERTISING RATES AND INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT JESSIE-MAY ROWNTREE 905-895-1700 EXT. 234 [email protected] PICKERING COLLEGE 16945 BAYVIEW AVENUE NEWMARKET, ONTARIO CANADA L3Y 4X2 TEL: 905-895-1700 FAX: 905-895-8916 www.pickeringcollege.on.ca THE PILLARS IS PUBLISHED BY THE ADMISSION AND MARKETING OFFICE FOR ALUMNI, PARENTS, STUDENTS, STAFF AND FRIENDS OF PICKERING COLLEGE. ATTENTION ALUMNI FROM THE LATE ’60s TO EARLY ’70s! GOOD OLD BOYS REUNION MARCH 28, 2015 SAVE THE DATE! THIS REUNION IS A PERFECT TIME TO: • reconnect with your friends and classmates; • eat in the Dining Hall and see the new changes to your school; • dig through the archives to help sort and label photographs and documents from your time at PC; • remember your own time at the farm—bring some boots to tramp through the woods of the Blue and Silver farm and hear more about the outdoor education program being developed; • and more! Drop in anytime between 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Where: Pickering College staff lounge Details: Lunch is available in the Dining Hall for $10 per person. 2014 REUNION: Back row: Malcolm MacNeil ’68, Allen Shully ’67, Brian Worrall ’69, Sandy Tudor ’67, Bob Russel ‘68 Middle row: Greg Dopulos ’68, Ron Veitch ’69, Jim Brown ’69, Chris Bauer ’75, Bernie Hashmall ’70, Headmaster Peter Sturrup Front row: Bob Rickwood ’67, Trevor Robitaille, Alumni Ambassador Charles Boyd, Gary McLean ’67, Fernando Casanova ‘14 2013 REUNION: Back row: Monty Bourke ‘69, Duncan Walker ‘69, Paul Hunter ‘68, John Noer ‘68, Brian Worrall ‘69, Jim Brown ‘69, Allen Shully ‘67, Adam Shully ‘78, Bob Rickwood ‘67 Middle row: Bernie Hashmall ‘70, Greg Dopulos ‘68, Charles Boyd, Jay Francis ‘70, Gary McLean ‘68 Front row: Paul Weisburg ‘69, Ron Farber ‘70, Ray McLellan ‘67, David Crook ‘68, Malcolm MacNeil ‘68, Dave Wilson ‘67, Sandy Tutor ‘67 For more information, please contact: 1968 and 1969 Class Rep, Greg Dopulos ‘68 at [email protected] or 505-980-6779 or Alumni & Parent Relations Coordinator Anna Cook at [email protected] or 1-877-895-1700 ext. 257 39 LEARNING FOR LIFE. CREATING THE FUTURE. ADMISSION DATES FOR 2014-2015 OPEN HOUSE Meet students, staff, faculty and parents. Learn more about our specialized programming and go on a personal tour of our historic campus. March 28 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. April 8 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ________________________________________ SPEND A HALF DAY Attend class, meet our teachers, join us for lunch! Registration required. February 27 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. April 17 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. May 8 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ________________________________________ ickering College prepares generations of P learners and leaders. We focus on the whole child where students learn to excel, to develop character, to make friends and prepare for future endeavours and opportunities. It’s their community, and the experiences they have at school shape them as they become citizens of the world. At Pickering College, students, faculty and staff live the values that have guided our school since 1842 in a stimulating and collegial environment. And, with 100 international boarding students from more than 20 countries, our entire school community benefits from a global perspective. PICKERING COLLEGE BOOK A PERSONAL TOUR! Contact our Admission Office at Newmarket, 905-895-1700 ext. 259 Ontario Diverse programming in small class settings allow students to excel academically 16945 Bayview Avenue, Newmarket, ON, Canada L3Y 4X2of our graduates moving on to the post-secondary institute of their with 100% or [email protected] TEL (905) 895-1700 • 1-877-895-1700 • FAX (905) 895-9076 And to ensure a well-rounded experience, students engage in a full range E-MAIL [email protected]. • WEB www.pickeringcollege.on.ca of co-curricular activities like skating, filmmaking, soccer, music and equestrian. To learn more about the Pickering College experience, please contact our Admission Office [email protected] or 905-895-1700 ext. 259 or toll-free at 1.877.895.1700 ext. 259. PICKERING COLLEGE Newmarket, Ontario Independent Co-educational Day and Boarding School since 1842 | JK to University Preparatory 16945L3Y Bayview Avenue, Newmarket, ON, Canada 16945 Bayview Avenue, Newmarket, ON, Canada 4X2 TEL (905) 895-1700 • 1-877-895-1700 • FAX (905) 895-9076 Visit uswww.pickeringcollege.on.ca at www.pickeringcollege.on.ca E-MAIL [email protected] • WEB PICKERING COLLEGE PICKERING COLLEGE Newmarket, Ontario Learning for Life. Creating the Future. 16945 Bayview Avenue, Newmarket, ON, Canada L3Y 4X2 TEL (905) 895-1700 • 1-877-895-1700 • FAX (905) 895-9076 E-MAIL [email protected] • WEB www.pickeringcollege.on.ca
© Copyright 2026 Paperzz