SPRING 2008 • ST. MICHAELS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL

The Pillars of LeadershipFive Views

SMUS Alumni WeekendA Preview

Focus on AlumniThe Diplomats

Outstanding preparation for higher learning and for life.Kimbell Hall and David Heffernan are the Centennial Year Head Girl and Head Boy.

See page 6 for details.

Creating tomorrow’s leaders, one grade at a time.

• Co-educational • Day School - Grades K-12 • Boarding - Grades 8-12 • ESL - Grades 8-10• Financial assistance available

At St. Michaels University School, we are educating the leaders of tomorrow. That means integrating principles

of leadership into all levels of our curriculum.

Starting in kindergarten, students at Junior School are learning the foundations of leadership through the Virtues Project. By their final year

at Junior School, students are taking on active leadership roles in the school, reinforced by events such as the Grade 5 Leadership Assembly.

In Middle School, students continue to develop leadership skills and

character traits through programmes like the house system, student council, exloratory units and outdoor education.

By the time they reach Senior School, our students are ready to take full

advantage of the many lessons and opportunities that are available to them.

At this level, principles of leadership have been actively incorporated into

all aspects of the school – in classes, councils, the boarding programme and

extracurricular activities.

At the end of their time at SMUS, our students are prepared to take on

further leadership roles and make their marks on the world.

For more information about our leadership curriculum, contact our Admissions office at (250) 370-6170 or admissions@smus.bc.ca,

or visit our website at www.smus.bc.ca.

School Ties - Spring 2008 • �

School Ties is distributed to more than 5,500 members of the St. Michaels University School community, including current families, friends, and current and past staff and students. The goal of the publication is to communicate current activities and initiatives and provide articles and reports on the alumni community. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding this publication, please contact Louise Winter at (250) 370-6176 or email: louise.winter@smus.bc.ca

Published by the Advancement Office St. Michaels University School 3400 Richmond Road Victoria, British Columbia Canada V8P 4P5 Telephone: (250) 592-2411 Admissions: 1-800-661-5199 Email: info@smus.bc.ca

School Ties magazine and archive copies can be found in the publications section of the school website: www.smus.bc.ca

If you are interested in attending school events, call (250) 592-2411 for further details, or visit the school’s website Calendar of Events: www.smus.bc.ca

Editors: Laura Authier, Lisa Clement, Louise Winter, Cliff Yorath

Contributors (in no particular order): Robert Snowden, Robert Wilson, Ian Hyde-Lay, Louise Winter, Cliff Yorath, Laura Authier, Kent Leahy-Trill, Brenda Waksel, Erin Anderson, Lisa Clement, Peter Gardiner, Sean Hayden, Emma Houghton, Keven Fletcher, Doreen Metcalfe, Kathryn Wizinsky, Michael van der Westhuizen, Sam Witt, and SMUS community members. We apologize for any omissions.

Photos: Evan Effa, Mike Jackson, Kent Leahy-Trill, Erin Anderson, Lisa Clement, Cliff Yorath, Peter Gardiner, Gordon Chan, Diana Nason, Kirsten Davel, George Floyd, Sam Witt

Cover Design: Krucible Solutions

Design and Layout: Reber Creative

Printed in Canada W by Hillside Printing Ltd., Victoria, BC

2 TheunexaminedlifeWhat does it take for a student to turn the beam of light that questions the lives of others onto their own lives and onto the world they are beginning to possess? In the answer, says Bob Snowden, lies the beginning of leadership.

4 SMUS ReviewNews stories from all three campuses published on our website between September 2007 and February 2008.

8 CESIReportThe results are in – a summary of the report from the Canadian Educational Standards Institute’s visiting committee.

8 NationalDebateSeminarSMUS recently had the honour of hosting a portion of the Canadian National Debate Seminar. Organizer Sean Hayden gives us a review of the event.

9 StudyingAbroadGrade 11 student Emma Houghton on the Overseas Summer Credit programme.

10 AthleticsHighlightsandNewsSports highlights from September 2007 to February 2008. Plus a basketball revival at SMUS.

13 ArtsArts highlights and news featuring our students, alumni, and Advanced Placement Studio Art programme.

17 Feature:TheProcessBehindthePillarsRev. Keven Fletcher on how the building blocks of our Leadership curriculum evolved, and Doreen Metcalfe talks about the Virtues Project at Junior School.

Contents

This issue of School Ties was printed on New Leaf Reincarnation matte paper, manufactured with Green-e® certified renewable energy, 100% recycled fiber, 50% post-

consumer waste, and processed chlorine free. St. Michaels University School saved the following resources by using this paper: 16 fully grown trees, 3,504 gallons of water, 7 million Btu of energy, 766 pounds of solid waste and 1,295 pounds of greenhouse gases.

Calculations based on research by Environmental Defense and other members of the Paper Task Force.

20 Feature:ThePillarsinActionHead prefects Kathryn Wizinsky and Michael van der Westhuizen give the students’ perspective on how the Pillars have impacted school life.

21 Feature:OnaQuestforLeadershipRecent grad Sam Witt ’07 finds his first lessons in leadership beyond the SMUS years.

23 FocusonAlumni:TheDiplomatsThe US Ambassador to Nicaragua meets his new Canadian counterpart at a cocktail party in 1982. What happens next is one of those small-world coincidences.

24 FocusonAlumni:ReginaldEdwardBailey’43

25 AlumniNewsAn update from the Alumni Association, kicking off the Mentorship Programme and the Heritage Walk.

26 AlumniEventsReview of alumni events between September 2007 and February 2008 plus SMUS Alumni Weekend preview.

30 AlumniUpdatesNews from our alumni around the world.

36 ContinuingtheConversationWe share some of the letters and emails we received about the last issue of School Ties.

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obvious: couldn’t all schools be said to be engaged in this discussion, in one form or another?

Our current discussion is special, we believe. At least we believe our version of it is fresh, for us. A historic approach in many schools – and I dare say, our school, too – is that the institution’s learning is measured by the preparation of those brightest students who are the exemplars of the school’s academic performance. They are the ones who get perfect scores on provincial exams, and win scholarships to famous universities. The school’s academic programme, in other words, rests its laurels on pushing those top students to their greatest heights, and this propulsion of them will, by association and momentum, pull all other students along to do their best also.

Similarly: in the discussion of leadership, the historic approach in schools like ours is to create a system of responsibilities, teams and opportunities that allow students to demonstrate their leadership capabilities, and eventually they will rise like bubbles in champagne – the true leaders in the student body – to the top. These will be the prefects, the yearbook editors, the valedictorians and the team captains.

Many people will recognize both of these models, either in our school or in schools that they know or perhaps attended. Both of these models suggest that the quality of a school’s learning programme is measured by the performance of its top students, and the quality of a school’s leadership programme is measured by the quality of its most prominent student leaders.

We are questioning the adequacy of these models, because we doubt they are complete enough for a school that aspires to fulfill its own excellent promise. After a few years of examination, we have come to realize we are not alone in questioning them; a few other schools are doing likewise. On the learning question, the fact is that research has discovered that the brightest students are motivated and inspired by approaches to learning that don’t

Theunexaminedlife

The unexamined life is not worth living. It is wonderful to work at a school where many of the students know who Socrates is.

The dictum is double-edged, of course, especially when the life the students don’t want to leave unexamined is the life of their parents and teachers, rather than their own.

What does it take for a student to turn the beam of light that questions the lives of others onto their own lives? What does it take for students to turn the beam of light that questions the world they feel they have inherited – therefore not their own – onto the world which they realize they are beginning to possess? Thus begins responsibility for themselves, and thus begins responsibility for their world. It is the beginning of leadership.

Know thyself, the oracle at Delphi said. The questioning spirit lights the way to understanding of oneself and the world. Questioning can’t be unrelenting, and can’t spray like a shotgun at every target. If it is unrelenting, it doesn’t wait for answers; if it doesn’t want to wait for answers, then the questioning cannot be judged sincere. And if it sprays on all possible topics and targets, then it is uncritical, unintelligent, and more than likely designed to demonstrate how little everyone else knows than how one desires to know more oneself. More likely to be a metaphorical shotgun pellet, designed to wound the target, rather than that beam of light designed to illuminate the mind of the questioner. If I may resort to one last image from the ancient world: in a school with a Chapel, where the adults are apt to focus on the many stories of Jesus the teacher, it is actually the one story of Jesus the student, staying behind in Jerusalem to question the priests and elders, which is the emblematic story. Similar stories are found in all faiths. All faiths, after all, are interested in the pursuit of truth and goodness in leadership and learning.

Leadership and learning: at the moment, the meaning of these two words is one of the central dialogues – in the sense of Socrates’ dialogues – at the school. The dialogue begs the

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What does it take for a student to turn the beam of light that questions the lives of others onto their own lives and onto the world they are beginning to possess? In the answer, says Bob Snowden, lies the beginning of leadership.

School Ties - Spring 2008 • �

Vivatserve the less-than-brightest very well. Not only that: in the past many of the “brightest” have been overlooked by the ways in which we have traditionally taught such students – by pushing them, challenging them, goading them, inspiring them, or whatever else happens to be in the teacher’s bag of tricks. We now know much more about what happens in the moments between ignorance and understanding; it is commonplace now to observe that science has learned more about how the brain works in the past twenty years than was learned in the prior history of humanity. We now know explicitly what great, born teachers always knew by instinct: that we have to create a variety of approaches to success, so that we meet the needs of all learners in the school. All students have the right to fulfill their potential, along with the “best and brightest.”

In the same vein, shouldn’t our leadership programme benefit all students? What has the model of leadership in our schools looked like in the past? It depends how far back we go. I have met alumni whose experience mirrored mine, decades ago, in a school similar to SMUS. At this time there was a quasi-military order and set of expectations among those who did or did not have power and authority. In this world we climbed out of the ranks of the powerless to the ranks of the empowered by instilling respect or fear, and we did so according to a law of the jungle that was acted out against this backdrop of order. Once we had successfully navigated the various challenges, responsibilities and opportunities that tested us, the actual roles we played were more along the lines of wielding authority and power on the quad or in residence or in the dining hall and less along the lines of trying to make the world a better place.

Our school believes, now, that leadership is about developing in all our students the capacity to make the world a better place.

When we were prefects at school, having risen through the gauntlet of experiences that got us there, the purpose of that final prominent position was never described to us as developing our “capacity to make the world a better place.” It was more about our capacity to sway others, and keep them in line, and so on. When the school now undertakes the discussion of leadership around the notion of “making the world a better place,” we end up with a model that looks quite different from the traditional one. We have been having that discussion, and we have arrived at some conclusions that are described in this issue of School Ties, and in the past two issues.

In brief, our answer is that developing qualities of leadership should be an experience for all students, from kindergarten to Grade �2. Likewise our approach to learning now makes use of the significant advances in research that have taken place in the past two decades. Therefore, learning at SMUS serves all students, according to their learning styles and strengths – an advantage that was often focused in the fullest sense on those perceived “best and brightest.”

Returning to the theme of leadership, we have identified five “streams” of experience we want our students to have – all of our students, that is, from kindergarten to Grade �2 – in order to prepare them for the world they will be entering. These five streams are: global responsibility, the principles of leadership, experiential learning, service, and sustainability. Last year, a lively and thorough consultation among staff and the entire student body identified four “pillars” that will

be the underpinning of the Principles of Leadership stream – and, by extension, of character development in the school. These pillars are honesty, service, courage and respect. We are not dispensing with our prefects, or team captains, or other leadership roles, but we are certainly altering the ground from which these opportunities will sprout, and we are altering the way in which students will conduct themselves in these roles. In the meantime, in preparation for the world beyond the school’s walls, all our students will have meaningful experiences in these areas, with the foundation of these pillars to support their capacity to influence the world for the better.

The unexamined life is not worth living. Our entire school tries to live up to this ideal. Our school is a member of the Canadian Educational Standards Institute, which is the accreditation body for Canadian independent schools. As a member of CESI we are inspected every seven years by a team of approximately twelve members of other Canadian schools, a team that would include heads of schools, directors of schools, a business manager, advancement professionals, and classroom teachers. This team looks at every aspect of the school’s operations: academics, athletics, finance, advancement, the Board, boarding life, the Alumni Association, and everything in between. Prior to this visit the school completes its own self-study in eleven areas, a report that extends to about �75 pages. This was our second visit. Until now, we have been the only school in British Columbia to undergo CESI accreditation; two other schools are about to undergo a similar examination. In simple terms, as I have said to our staff in some of their long-suffering moments during this process, in order to achieve all our school can achieve, SMUS has to be willing to open itself up to the scrutiny of well-informed peers in Canadian education. Elsewhere in this issue of School Ties you can read a summary of the report of the CESI team. It was extremely positive, and its recommendations are very constructive. We have to practice what we want our students – and by extension all members of our community – to preach.

I am struck that the three references I invoked at the beginning of this rumination are all over two thousand years old. At a school like SMUS, students have the benefit of moving into the future with a solid grounding in traditions that have preserved the best of what the school has been doing for decades. The school, at its founding, reached back similarly to the best of educational traditions: mens sana in corpore sano (a healthy mind in a healthy body), and nil magnum nisi bonum (nothing is great unless it is good), the mottos of the two founding schools of St. Michaels University School. Nonetheless, education is about the future. These days there is no shortage of prognosticators who tell us what the future will be like, and most of their forecasts are tinged with apprehension, or even desperation, whether they are talking about climate, population, disease, or civilization itself. Authentic learning and leadership will be the surest preparation for taking responsibility for the world of the future, and it is the surest antidote for the helplessness that threatens to paralyze our thinking about tomorrow.

Our athletes, going into a game, use the cheer “Vivat!” – shortened from the phrase, “long live the school!” It is a word that spreads its hope and promise into all our students do, and there is no better word to take into the future.

Vivat.

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■ Senior School held its first Prefect Council retreat, where 20 students spent a weekend examining values, team-building and drafting their credo. Prefects are leaders within the student body, elected by staff and students. This is the highest level of leadership at the school and includes the six heads of house from boarding as well as the head boy and head girl. The retreat focused on how the Prefect Council can implement the four pillars of leadership at SMUS, which are respect, honesty, service and courage. (See the article in this issue “Pillars in Action” on page 20.)

■ Junior and Middle School students participated in the 27th annual Terry Fox Run. Junior School children donned bandanas as they ran together, sometimes hand in hand. Meanwhile the Middle School students went above and beyond in their fundraising efforts, bringing in $�22�.�� for cancer research. Fulfilling a promise they made if the students met the goal, teachers Nancy Mollenhauer and Bruce Kuklinski had their heads shaved while teachers Jerome Foenander and Jim Williams lost their characteristic facial hair.

HighlightsfromtheSMUS Review

■ Grade �0 students took part in some of the many adventure opportunities Vancouver Island has to offer during the yearly Outdoor Education trips. About ��0 students, led by 2� Grade �2 student leaders and adult guides, enjoyed activities such as sailing, hiking and rock climbing. Students, who each chose one of a possible �2 trips, could learn to sail, work towards their open-water diving certification or tackle “the Island Sampler,” which included surfing, kayaking and camping.

■ Thirteen students accompanied by teachers Mr. Tony Goodman and Ms. Kirsten Davel participated in the Harvard Model Congress (HMC) Asia in Bangkok, Thailand. The event is the largest congressional simulation conference in the world. Delegates

from more than a dozen countries worked together to discuss issues, draft policy, report news stories, decide court cases, address security crises, advise the president, and represent the needs of individual states and regions. Each of our students earned certificates of excellence and �� were honoured with distinction.

■ Grade 7 student Sophia Ducharme started a programme for the new class of Grade 6 students to help ease their transition from Junior to Middle School. The new Grade 6 students learned how they can get involved in clubs or sports, navigate the Middle School campus and balance classes. Sophia ran her programme by donation and with support from Middle School teachers Lindsay Ross and Kim Firth.

September

The SMUS Review publishes weekly on our website (www.smus.bc.ca) and covers school news from all three campuses. The following highlights were taken from stories published from September 2007 to February 2008. You can read more about these stories by going to our home page and clicking on the red “Read the SMUS Review” button.

Michael Zhou is one of 13 students who represented SMUS at the HMC Congress in Thailand.

O u t d o o r E d u c a t i o n p r o g r a m m e participants learn to sail with the Sail and Life Training Society (SALTS).

The prefects participate in a trust game during the first annual prefect retreat.

Junior School students wear bandanas and run holding hands in the 27th annual Terry Fox Run.

Grade 7 student Sophia Ducharme initiated a new programme to help ease the transition for Junior School students entering Middle School.

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October■ Middle School started its own E-team that focuses on recycling more materials than the usual pop cans and paper. The students worked to promote the recycling of items such as soft plastic, including candy wrappers and Styrofoam. SMUS has been recycling organic waste since November of last year, but Middle School is spearheading the soft plastics initiative to reduce waste dramatically, which in the end saves the school money on waste removal.

■ The Grade 5 class ventured to Fort Langley, a Parks Canada National historic site considered by many as the birthplace of British Columbia. They learned about life in the �800s by trying their hands at building a house, carrying bales of fur, sawing planks and writing a contract with the Hudson’s Bay Company, which gave students an appreciation of the challenges of the era.

■ At this year’s SMUS Debating Tournament, in which five other schools participated, our students took first place in the Senior and Grade 8 categories, as well as second place in the Junior competition. Grade 8 student Julia Milden took first place in the individual category with 87 points, while Kristijan Gjorgjevik, Charles Leitz, and Robyn Hope each placed in the top five.

■ The boarding community held their second activity weekend of the school year in October. The boarders had an opportunity to go ziplining or visit the Titanic exhibit at the Royal BC Museum. Boarders also participated in house games, including soccer, where they competed for house points, which determine who is awarded the house trophy at the end of the year.

November■ Former Olympic rower Jason Dorland visited campus as the first speaker in the Academic Council’s Scholar in Residence series. His talk focused on attitude and personal development and he stressed the importance of process

over results; development over trophies.

Lincoln brought the ocean theme into arts and crafts, reading time and hands-on scientific study. Senior School science teacher Mrs. Christie Johnson brought a live collection of sea creatures, including starfish, crabs and a sea slug, which the children were able to hold while the specific features were examined and explained.

■ The Senior School paper, The Ivy, started a new school year with the aim to produce more issues on a regular basis, as well as to ramp up the circulation. Armed with this desire to make The Ivy what it was designed to be, this year’s team of reporters and editors published the first issue of the The Ivy a mere six

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■ Junior School held a special assembly for this year’s Grade 5 students to mark their new role as school leaders. The students each read a short speech on what they considered leadership to be and how they planned to fulfill their responsibilities to their younger classmates.

■ More than 800 SMUS students and �00 staff lined the driveway to the Richmond campus, anticipating the arrival of 26 riders from the �0th annual Tour de Rock, a Cops for Cancer event. Each fall, Vancouver Island RCMP, municipal, and military police officers cycle the island to raise funds for paediatric cancer research and kids’ programmes. Many faculty, students and parents also shed their locks for cancer, with the annual Cops for Cancer head shave.

VisittheSMUS Reviewwww.smus.bc.ca

■ The youngest SMUS class spent November under the sea, learning about its aquatic inhabitants. Teacher Margaret

The boarding community goes ziplining, where students glide along a suspended steel cable 125 feet above the ground.

Jason Dorland speaks to s tudents on the importance of athletic development.

Curtis and Colin Smith make bald look cool as they get their heads shaved at the annual Cops for Cancer event.Grade 5 students Jennifer Shan, Athene

Kerin and Sage Friswell, hoist bales of fur on their field trip at Fort Langley.

The Kindergarten class wear snorkels and diving masks as part of their under-the-sea study of ocean animals.

continued on page 6

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December■ With over 900 students, it’s rare to get the whole SMUS population under one roof, but December’s all-school assembly got all students from kindergarten to Grade �2 together with faculty, staff and parents to celebrate the Christmas season and the end of the school term.

■ Students involved in service went out into Victoria to connect with local organizations in need of some assistance. Working with Our Place and the Victoria Youth Empowerment Society, the groups spent an afternoon answering phones, cleaning, packaging donations and anything else they could do to help out. With �5 members, Service Council is the largest council on campus.

■ Led by Mr. Jake Humphries, the Philosophers’ Café is a club that provides a casual atmosphere for interested students to come together to debate some of the questions that inquiring minds have examined for centuries. The Philosophers’ Café at SMUS is part of a

world-wide idea of the same name, which includes any and all opportunities for free debate and intellectual discovery by people interested in philosophical topics.

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January■ Three Grade 8 girls have been using their lunch hour to put leadership into action. Isabella Holt, Christina Chwyl and Michelle Wood started a lunchtime

group for Grade 6 girls, giving the older students a chance to mentor their younger counterparts. So far, activities have included baking, watching movies and making crafts. The Grade 8 girls initiated the programme to give students something to do at lunch, but the sessions have turned into a much more valuable experience for everyone involved.

■ The Parents’ Auxiliary opened a Used Uniform shop located at the school’s Shelbourne Street facility. All proceeds from used uniform sales and other PA fundraising activities go directly back to the school in the form of funding allocations. Last year the

Parents’ Auxiliary raised more than $58,000, $22,000 of which came from used uniform sales. So far this year, the Parents’ Auxiliary has raised close to $�6,000 with used uniform sales.

■ SMUS welcomed Tony Quainton ’�2-’��, a Distinguished Diplomat in Residence at American University in Washington, DC. Mr. Quainton spent three days on campus speaking to classes and gave a public lecture at the Copeland Lecture Theatre. He is the former United States Ambassador to Kuwait and Nicaragua and former Director of Office for Combating Terrorism. (See “The Diplomats” on page 2�.)

The Grade 3 class perform the Reindeer Rap for the enjoyment of the All-School Assembly.

Grade 8 students Isabella Holt, Christina Chwyl and Michelle Wood used their lunchtime to mentor Grade 6 girls.

Harmon Moon discusses the purpose of the universe at the Philosophers’ Café.

weeks into the school year and promoted the first issue with teasers sent to staff and students by email and volunteer “newsies” who hawked the paper to their fellow students on its release day.

■ At this year’s annual general meeting, Board Chair Stephen Martin, who has served in that capacity for the last six years, handed the baton to David Angus ’62. David Angus, a resident of Edmonton, Alberta, has been on the Board of Governors since 200�. During his school days, he was Head Boy, was an active participant in sports, marched with the Cadet Corps, and participated in the construction of the Chapel.

■ American boarding students celebrated Thanksgiving with a traditional dinner prepared by the Brown Hall kitchen staff. Surrounded by an American flag and many red-white-and-blue decorations, the students enjoyed the holiday with a delicious meal and good friends.

■ Both campuses held Remembrance Day services in honour of the many people across the world, past and present, affected by war. At the Richmond campus, parents and alumni joined students and staff in a service filled with music, hymns and reflections. At the Junior School, Grade 8 Strings students

performed music, while the Grade 2 students recited the poem “In Flanders Fields” and the Grade 5 students sang “Ordinary Miracle.”

At the Remembrance Day service, a Senior School group acts out some of the most famous passages in war literature.

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February■ Middle School French teacher Ms. Karen Oraas went to Winnipeg to teach an Accelerated Integrated Method (AIM) workshop, a programme designed for educators to learn how to teach French as a second language using interactive methods. Ms. Oraas is one of four teachers in the French department using AIM, which enables students in Kindergarten to Grade 8 to converse comfortably in French at a basic level with less than �00 hours of instruction.

■ SMUS welcomed John Dunn, a wilderness explorer and National Geographic photographer who has made more than a dozen expeditions to the Arctic. Mr. Dunn presented a series of lectures to students in both Middle and Senior Schools, discussing topics such as

the spirit of adventure, the value of proper planning, the feeling of satisfaction after tackling challenges, and teamwork. He also spoke about the geography of the Arctic, climate change and global warming.

■ The school welcomed Ms. Lori Adam, who joins the Advancement office as the new Director of Annual Fund. Ms. Adam comes to us from York House School in Vancouver, where she was Associate Director of Development. In her new role, Ms. Adam will help the school to raise $750,000 in the current school year.

■ The boarding students hosted an afternoon pyjama party in residence for the Grade 2 students as a way to build cross-grade and cross-campus connections. The Junior School students

arrived in pyjamas and were paired with an older buddy. This annual event allows the older boarding students, including some who have left younger siblings at home far away, a chance to connect with younger students. And it allows the Grade 2 students a chance to learn about the Senior School and the boarding community.

■ During Mid-term break, students in the Outdoor Leadership programme embarked on a two-day trip to Manning Park, where they endured tough conditions in order to gain winter camp experience, a course requirement for this intensive programme. Students enrolled in the programme trained for more than a year for the weekend excursion, which included skiing in back-country terrain and spending the night in snow caves they built.

The Outdoor Leadership group stop along their trek to look at a map and navigate to their next destination.

■ Over winter break, Senior School students and staff went to the Dominican Republic to participate in Orphanage Outreach, a programme dedicated to providing support to orphaned and disadvantaged children. At the orphanage, the students played with the children, taught English, and helped with maintenance. They brought suitcases filled with clothing along with a $�,000 donation. The Grade 5 class also contributed to the visit by making Christmas stockings filled with candy and toys for each child.

■ Grade �2 student Nicole Cook was named the Save-On-Foods A-Channel Amazing Kid of the Week. Nicole was

awarded $�,000 for her accomplishments in academics, sports and the arts as well as for her community involvement.

■ In all the excitement of tournament play, it’s easy to forget all the behind-the-scenes work involved to make an event like the Victoria Police senior girls’ basketball tournament a success. More than �5 Senior School students volunteered for the weekend event to work the scoreboard and shot clock as well as to record game points and statistics. The students volunteered more than 900 hours. SMUS parents and community members, including two police officers overseeing the tournament, commented on how well the weekend rolled out thanks to the volunteers.

Grade 12 student Hudson Allison gives a piggy-back ride to a little girl at Hope of the Child Orphanage.

John Dunn speaks to Senior School students on the spirit of adventure, describing detai ls of many of his expeditions to the Arctic.

Boarding students welcome Junior School students to residence for a pyjama party.

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SMUSHostsDebatersfromAcrossCanadaatNationalDebateSeminar

Each year the Canadian Student Debating Federation holds the National Debating Seminar, an event which aims to expose students to the art of debating while providing an opportunity for cultural exchange between young people from all regions of the country. Over the course of a week-long event, delegates attend workshops, are paired with other students for various styles of debate, perform public speeches, sit as members in a model parliament and experience a variety of events related to the specific cultural identity of the host province.

The Fall 2007 National Seminar was jointly hosted by Vancouver and Victoria, with St. Michaels University School as the venue for the model parliament portion of the event.

After three days of extensive debate competition in Vancouver, National Debate Seminar participants travelled to Victoria for the second stage of the event, which emphasized learning, sharing, consensus and collaboration.

Student debaters spent their first afternoon on the Island attending debating seminars, which included sessions taught

Parliament is in session: the Chapel was transformed into the Parliament of Canada during the recent National Debate Seminar.

TheCESIReportSt. Michaels University School has received a glowing report by the Canadian Educational Standards Institute (CESI). After a rigorous evaluation process that started in January 2007 and culminated in a visit from a CESI evaluation team in November, Head of School Bob Snowden recently received the report of the visiting committee, which contained 2� recommendations. A typical report, according to the CESI team, contains 50-60 recommendations.

First accredited by CESI in 2000, SMUS is currently the only independent school in British Columbia that is fully accredited.

The full CESI evaluation is a two-step process. First, a self-evaluation requires the school to thoroughly examine its practices in key areas, which cover everything from the learning environment and curriculum to the school’s financial and operational capabilities. The second part of the evaluation is a peer review, which is conducted by a visiting team of colleagues from independent schools across Canada.

“This particular team was a very strong one,” says Head of School Bob Snowden. “Chaired by Ted Staunton, Head of St. Andrew’s College in Ontario, it included two other heads of school, which is quite unusual.”

In its introduction, the visiting team commended the school’s mission, calling it “a living and breathing phrase that permeates all that the school does, in its daily actions and future planning.”

“A visit to St. Michaels University School is a wonderful experience,” the report said. “From kindergarten to grade �2, there is a culture where excellence is encouraged and recognized.”

The committee also commented on the strength of the SMUS Board of Governors, which it called “a group of dedicated and

skilled volunteers,” who provide “excellent direction by looking at the big picture,” citing their commitment to the school’s strategic plan and their determination “to make the school the best it can be.”

The Junior and Middle Schools received praise for being “efficient and happy places,” and the Senior School English, Music and Mathematics departments were singled out for their strengths. The role of character education and the place of the Chapel in that education was found to be pervasive and laudable.

As for the recommendations themselves, a good number of them are initiatives that are already planned or under way, such as curriculum mapping, a residential curriculum, planning the school’s management of debt, and renovating and expanding Brown Hall.

Recommendations having to do with health and safety, such as attention to venting in the Science labs, or paper hanging from the ceilings and walls of the Junior School, will be attended to immediately.

“The recommendations are all sensible and constructive,” says Bob Snowden, “and in some cases they identify issues we would not have noted without the scrutiny of external eyes. At the same time, the observations by the committee are an important affirmation of key strategic or tactical undertakings that we have devoted a lot of energy to – justifiably, it appears.”

A copy of the report will be available in the office of the Directors of the Senior School, Middle School and Junior School, and in the office of the Head of School for any parents, alumni or staff who want to come in and read the full version.

School Ties - Spring 2008 • 9

StudyingAbroadby Emma Houghton

W hen the opportunity arose for me to go on a �-week international summer school programme, I immediately jumped at the chance, as I knew it would be an experience I would always remember.

Shortly after landing in Heathrow, all 55 students, accompanied by teachers from SMUS and Collingwood, boarded a short flight to Edinburgh, Scotland. Our home for the next two weeks would be the residence at Edinburgh University. In spite of being very jet lagged, the group’s excited energy was unmistakable. Our two weeks in Edinburgh included a few hours a day of school, where every student was working towards acquiring their next year’s English requirements, then visiting famous landmarks such as Edinburgh castle, Robbie Burns’ birthplace and Loch Ness.

The two weeks spent in Edinburgh went by quickly and before we knew it, we were packing our things and heading for Oxford, England for the second leg of our trip. The school at which we stayed was hosting about �50 other students from a range of countries including Austria, Poland, Cyprus, and Spain. During our stay, we met many people and made many friends. The last two weeks of our international programme were incredibly busy as the teachers prepared us for our exams that would take place during the remaining few days of our trip. However, academic activities were not limited to the classroom: what I most appreciated was how day trips were arranged that related to our studies. I believe that this enhanced our learning greatly as we were able to visit sights such as the

Botanical Gardens, which was the main setting in the novel my class studied, Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh.

Every day we had class until the early afternoon, at which time we would usually go on a short trip such as punting on the Thames River or visiting the locations where the Harry Potter movies were filmed. Some days we had early mornings in order to catch a bus to London. Because many of the students were studying Shakespeare during our time in Oxford, we were all taken to see Othello at the Globe Theatre and again later in the week to see The Merchant of Venice.

In spite of a few hiccups, it was an incredible trip that I definitely would recommend to anyone and would love to experience again. This programme not only gave me knowledge about English �� but has given me a sense of independence and a newfound love for travelling. Every day brought something new and something learned.

The Grade 11 English class visits the Botanical Gardens, the main setting in Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited.

by current World’s competition coach Martin Poirier and Camosun College philosophy professor Megan Shelstad.

Later that evening, the model parliament began with an orientation session at which students were organized into the four main political parties: the Conservative Party of Canada led by Kristijan Gjorgjevik, Katrina Gong and Ross Prager; the Liberal Party of Canada led by Christopher Groot and Matthew Warner; the Bloc Québecois du Canada led by Charles Leitz and Eric Protzer, and the New Democratic Party of Canada led by Harmon Moon.

Once grouped into parties, the students quickly filled leadership positions within the party and collaborated to esablish the party line. Soon afterwards, several proposed bills were “leaked” to the Opposition parties and the National Seminar students were off to the races, planning possible amendments to the bills for committee sessions on Sunday.

The “��st session of Parliament” opened at SMUS the next morning with mock opening ceremonies in the Chapel followed by a five-minute Speech from the Throne by SMUS student

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Kathryn Wizinsky. Debate began in earnest over the three bills proposed by the government, then in Question Period, affairs heated up as all parties began to make their positions known.

At the end of this first “session” of Parliament, students went to Committee in various classrooms. After several hours of passionate committee work, the students returned to the chapel for closing debate, which turned out to be a very stimulating affair. By the end of debate, the Government was in danger of falling after only two days in session.

By the end of the model parliament, all students had put in amazing energy and effort and were elated by the experience.

All of the participants left the seminar filled with new sights, thoughts, and ideas and it was a privilege for our school to host such an exuberant and inquisitive group of individuals from all across the country.

The organizers for the Island portion of the National Debate Seminar included Sean Hayden (SMUS), Tony Goodman (SMUS), Ruth McGhee (Pacific Christian), John Baty (Glenlyon Norfolk) and Neil Bryant (Shawnigan Lake).

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■ In the Rowing City Championships, SMUS competed against �6 other high schools. Our athletes made the final of every event they entered and became the city champions. SMUS brought home �5 trophies from the event including first place from the Senior and Junior Girls, while the Junior Boys took second place. In the Senior and Junior divisions, our teams took first place for overall aggregate performance and overall efficiency.

■ Three SMUS swimmers qualified for the Swimming Provincial Championships, which were held at Saanich Commonwealth Place. Jeremy Bagshaw made the finals in four events and became the provincial champion in the �00m freestyle. On the girls’ side, Raquel Solmer was in the �00m breaststroke event and finished third in the consolation round. Vanessa Loewen was in the �00m backstroke event, and made the finals and finished 5th in the province.

■ Our rowing team did exceptionally well at the 22nd Annual 2nd Regatta at Elk Lake in October, taking first in Junior Girls doubles and Junior Novice Boys quad categories, as well as second and third in many other events. The two-day regatta featured over 20 events and included two singles competitions for the first time in high school rowing. SMUS duplicated the success they had last year at the event, which involves �5 schools from Lower Vancouver Island.

■ The SMUS field hockey team played in the Bridgman Cup, a tournament that features �6 of the best high school teams in the province. Coach David Kerr was impressed with how his AA team fared against some tough competition, including AAA teams. Although the team didn’t place in the finals, they qualified to participate in next year’s tournament.

■ Beau Parker and Mike Fuailefau participated in the National U�7 Rugby Tour. The Canadian Team was in Wales in November and both Beau and Mike represented the school and the country with honour.

■ The Middle School Cross Country team participated in the Beaver Lake competition. Jeremy Chan and Leanne Farmer both finished in the top ten while Michael Rossi completed an amazing sprint finish. All members of the team put in solid efforts, with some even running further than the required distance.

■ The Senior Boys’ Soccer team finished their season by defeating Spectrum �-2 to bring home the Colonist Shield. Benson Ling made some crucial saves and kept SMUS in the game. Congratulations to the team on a great finish to a successful season.

Highlights fromtheAthletics Week in Review

You can read more about these stories by visiting our website at www.smus.bc.ca and clicking on the red “Read the SMUS Review” button.

The 2007-2008 SMUS Rowing team.

Grade 11 student Ceilidh MacLeod at the Bridgman Cup Tournament.

Grade 9 students Vanessa Lowen and Raquel Solmer and Grade 10 student Jeremy Bagshaw swam in the Provincial Championships.

Grade 7 student Graeme Wheeler battles a rival school runner for the finish line at the Beaver Lake cross-country competition.

The Senior Boys soccer team in a match against St. Andrew’s.

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School Ties - Spring 2008 • ��

have made both individually and as a team, and their ability to play some great basketball.

■ Beau Parker (Grade ��), John Humphries (Grade ��) and Mike Fuailefau (Grade �0) were named to the Canadian U�7 rugby team. The three SMUS students were among 26 players selected to represent Canada in the Millfield Festival that will be held in England in April.

■ Grade �2 student Andrew Crow was recently honoured by BC Premier Gordon Campbell as one of BC’s top athletes for 2006-2007. The Premier’s Athletic Awards recognize the top female and male athletes from the provincial sport organizations and post-secondary institutions participating in the 2006/2007 BC Athlete Assistance Programme. Andrew was recognized for his achievements in rugby which include captain of Rugby Canada U�7 team at the International Millfield Festival in England; member of Rugby Canada/BC Rugby High Performance Academy 2007 National Championships; Captain of BC Rugby U�8 Provincial Men’s gold-winning team; and member of SMUS BC High School Championship-winning team.

younger SMUS students a chance to explore a few of the sports that they can pursue at Middle and Senior School.

■ The Senior Boys Basketball team wrapped up their season and went on to compete in the South Island Championship as the number four seed. In their first match, the boys played the number one team, Gulf Islands Secondary School. The boys managed to upset the top seed earning a spot in the semi-finals, and put themselves in a favourable spot for the Island Championships.

■ The Junior Girls Basketball team finished their season in the playoffs. The team’s win/loss record this season reflects the excellent improvements these girls

■ The Senior Girls Volleyball team participated in the city final where they were matched against Lambrick Park. In what was their best game of the season, the girls rose to the challenge and won the game. For their efforts, the girls took home the prestigious Vic Lindel Cup, a first for the school. The win took them to Island Championships in Nanaimo.

■ The SMUS rugby teams received world-class coaching when Graham Henry, the New Zealand All Blacks coach, paid a visit to the school. Mr. Henry led the All Blacks to the World Cup semi-finals against Australia in 200� and was named Coach of the Year in 2005. Mr. Henry spent the afternoon on campus and presented a lecture to both Middle and Senior School students, and then followed up on the field with the rugby teams who participated in a skills workshop.

■ Junior School started the Sports Club, an after-school programme dedicated to improving athletic skills. Once a week, Grade � and 5 students get together to exercise and have fun. The programme is not competitive, which allows all students to participate and feel comfortable no matter their athletic background. Sports Club also gives

The Senior Girls volleyball team pose with the Vic Lindel Cup at the city final.

Junior School students are having fun at Sports Club, a non-competitive, after-school programme.

The Senior Boys basketball team play in a game against Esquimalt High School.

Grade 12 student Andrew Crow poses with BC Premier Gordon Campbell.

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Graham Henry spends some coaching time with the SMUS 1st XV.

The Junior Girls Basketball team against Oak Bay in January.

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Without a doubt, SMUS had one of the dominant basketball programmes in BC during the 90s, with the Senior Boys claiming six Island AAA titles between �99� and �999, and a BC AAA championship in �992. The Senior Girls also made regular appearances at the BC provincials, with the �998 squad reaching the AAA semifinals, while, as recently as two years ago, the team won bronze at the AA event.

AlumniSportsNews■ Peter Jawl ’07 recently made the rugby world stand up and take notice during his debut for Canada U20 against the USA in Lakeland, Florida. Jawl, according to Rugby Canada News, “showed off a triple threat of skills, kicking from hand with pinpoint accuracy, goal-kicking to a seven for nine afternoon and to cap it off scored a try in the second half for 2� points.” Rugby Canada is calling his performance a debut record at that level.

■ In the meantime, Jawl’s Canada U20 teammate Alastair Crow ’06 has been garnering attention of his own. A fly-half on the McGill rugby team, Crow was named McGill University Athlete of the Week in September for his record-setting performance with the Redmen squad, earning 28 points and nine conversions in a single game.

■ David Spicer ’0�, Ed Fairhurst ’97 and Mike Pyke ’02 played in the 2007 Rugby World Cup as part of Team Canada. In their opening match, the team

took a surprisingly strong lead over Wales only to have the Welsh team rally in the last half-hour to win �2-�7. Despite the promising start, Team Canada ended the World Cup winless.

■ Jelena Mrdjenovich ’00 hung on to her World Boxing Council super featherweight title after �0 rounds with Dominga Olivo in December that ended in a draw. In September, Jelena added another title to her record when she became the WIBF Lightweight World Champion after a �0-round unanimous decision over Kelli Cofer.

■ In May, Gareth Rees ’85, a former Team Canada rugby player who played in four World Cups, will be inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2008. Many consider Gareth Canada’s finest rugby player, who obtained �87 points throughout his career. The former SMUS and UVic Vikes star captained Team Canada in two of his record four World Cup appearances.

■ NBA basketball star Steve Nash ’92 is among 6� new appointments to the Order of Canada. He was acknowledged for his sports achievements and charitable work with the Steve Nash Foundation. He was honoured as an Officer of the Order of Canada, which is the middle of the three levels of membership.

■ Vancouver Canucks fans were excited to welcome Matt Pettinger ’9�-’96 back home after the Washington Capitals traded the player to his home province. Originally from Victoria, Matt is excited to be back to reconnect with his family and friends. After leaving SMUS, Matt accepted an NCAA athletic scholarship to play at the University of Denver. He then went on to win a bronze medal with Team Canada at the �999 World Junior Championships and was selected ��rd overall by the Capitals in the second round of the 2000 draft.

SMUSBasketballLookstoRecaptureFormerGloryby Ian Hyde-Lay

A big emphasis on basketball – in both coaching and participation, particularly at the lower levels – is now starting to make some inroads, and hopefully the investment will see the school back among the provincial elite at the Senior level within the next three years.

Indeed, in 2007-2008 alone, SMUS won all but one division of the Victoria-wide Elementary “Future Stars” tournament (Grades �-7), while both the

Grade 8 Boys and Grade 9 Girls, for the first time in school history, qualified for their respective provincial tournaments.

We hope these teams and players will continue to flourish, with SMUS senior teams again participating at BC tournaments on a regular basis in the very near future.

School Ties - Spring 2008 • ��

■ Senior School students Jayne Hammond and Charlotte McGee were runners-up in the second annual Teen Arts Competition, put on by the Vancouver Island Arts Festivals Society.

The girls entered the contest on a bit of a whim after an entry form was passed on to them by Mrs. Forbes and Ms. Williams. The girls won second place for a song they co-wrote about teen romance.

■ As part of Education Extension’s annual Summer Musical Theatre programme, 22 students in Grades 9 to �2 put on a production of High School Musical as part of the Victoria Fringe Festival. Directed by Mr. Cam Culham and Ms. Donna Williams, the students delivered four performances after rehearsing for only two-and-a-half weeks. Another unique aspect of this production was its staging, which was set in a series of locales on the Senior School campus, with the cast leading their audience from venue to venue as the show unfolded.

■ Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) was produced by a crew and cast who presented four equally stellar performances of the award-winning play for students, staff and family. The theatre group earned a couple of standing ovations and much praise for their acting and production skills.

■ The first of several strings concerts took place in November, with the Grade 7/8 Strings class performing for parents, staff, family members and friends. Conducted by Mary Smith, the students played six different selections to a full house.

■ The assemblies at Junior School became more musical than usual, as both the Grades � and 5 strings ensembles treated their younger schoolmates to

Arts HighlightsOur singers, musicians, actors and artists continued to do our school proud on stage and canvas. Of the many creative triumphs from current students and alumni this year, here are a few of our favourites.

concerts. Both ensembles demonstrated that rehearsals have sharpened their skills and prepared them for many performances to come.

■ Three of our students took to the Royal Theatre stage with the Moscow Ballet for their production of Swan Lake. Lindsay Solmer, Julia Milden and Julia Rego performed marvellously in the second act for an audience of over �000 people.

■ The Senior School’s musicians and vocalists put on a fabulous concert at the Victoria Conservatory of Music in December, performing jazz, swing, choir and Christmas music for faculty and staff.

Students perform High School Musical on the steps of School House for the Victoria Fringe Festival.

Middle School students perform in their first strings concert of the year.

The cast of Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet).

Julia Milden, Lindsay Solmer and Julia Rego performed in Swan Lake with the Moscow Ballet.

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Jayne Hammond and Cha r l o tt e

McGee placed second in the Teen Arts Competition for their acoustic composition about teenage love.

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■ At just �2 years old, Grade 7 student Richard Cunningham landed a lead role in the opera production Amahl and the Night Visitors. Richard performed for his Grade 6 peers in a matinee performance at the Christ Church Cathedral, followed by a weekend of evening performances for the community.

■ More than �00 Senior School students showed off their musical talents in the Large Ensembles concert at the University of Victoria in January. For those students in Grade 9, this was their first Senior School performance.

■ Grade 9 student Nuraiyah Kassam sang with the Victoria Children’s Choir as they performed Vivaldi’s “Gloria” with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, an ensemble that performs on period instruments. The choir is one of Canada’s top children’s choirs and has performed many times with the Victoria Symphony and Pacific Opera Victoria, and even for the Queen. The choir is directed by Ms. Madeleine Humer, head of Senior Choral music at SMUS.

■ Middle School band students proved hard work pays off during their performance in the Winter Wonder Band Concert. The evening showcased just how dedicated the students have to be in order to learn their instruments. They have been practicing at early-morning and lunch-time rehearsals since September.

Senior School students sing in an ensembles concert at the Victoria Conservatory of Music.

Middle School band students showcase their musical talents at the Winter Wonder Band Concert.

AlumniArtsHighlights■ Marc Destrube ’7� was in town recently with the annual Pacific Baroque Festival, of which he is founder and artistic director. This year’s festival, entitled “Vivaldi’s Venice,” celebrated Vivaldi’s music, his influences and his rivals.

For the past decade Marc’s interpretations of baroque and classical repertoire on period instruments have allowed him to perform with many of the world’s leading period ensembles. A founding member of the renowned Tafelmusik Orchestra, Marc has been a guest concertmaster with both the Hanover Band and the Academy of Ancient Music.

Recently, Marc was appointed first violinist with the Axelrod String Quartet, in residence at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. Other recent activities include regular performances in the group L’Archibudelli. Marc also performs annually with the Oregon Bach Festival in Eugene.

■ Hugh Fraser ’76 has been nominated for a National Jazz Award, for best trombonist. The winners in 27 categories – who will be selected by fans – will be announced on April 8 at a Toronto gala.

■ It has been quite a year for Mairi Babb ’9�. The actress was in the spotlight on some of Winnipeg’s largest stages. She starred in three Manitoba Theatre Centre main stage productions: the Sound of Music, the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Our Town. She was named by the Winnipeg Free Press entertainment department as Newsmaker of 2007. Mairi also took the lead role in the comedy Educating Rita for a MTC provincial tour. After wrapping up a successful 2007 MTC season, Mairi enjoyed a long holiday in Victoria.

Next on Mairi’s agenda are auditions for a Toronto production of the Sound of Music. Given the success of her role as Maria in MTC’s production, Mairi is in the running for a part in the Toronto show, the casting process for which will air on the CBC as a reality show, entitled “How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria?”Keith and Nina in their gallery.

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Mairi Babb in MTC’s production of Our Town.

■ Keith Rogers ’88 and his wife, Nina, are dealers in original fine art – oil on canvas mostly. Their gallery, Diana Paul Galleries, has recently relocated to an historical building in downtown Calgary. They have two children – Tedra (��) and Miranda (6). Keith has taken a hiatus from a career as an electrical engineer specializing in commercial lighting design. He writes: “Between running the gallery and raising the kids it’s been rewarding but busy. We especially enjoy travelling and meeting artists in their studios. I’ll be out for our 20th reunion this May!”

School Ties - Spring 2008 • �5

“In the second term, they are self-directed. They have to choose a theme, and there has to be progression,” Mrs. Forbes says. “I’m just here as a guide.”

Though each portfolio is intended to be taught separately, Mrs. Forbes has combined the two that are most similar – Drawing and 2D Design – into one class. This has meant that the Grade �� students in the class can use their pieces from this year for their portfolio in Grade �2, or they can turn in a portfolio at the end of this school year and do a second, different portfolio next year (earning them two distinct credits if they score high enough).

“Many of the art institutes give credit for scores of � or 5,” says Mrs. Forbes.

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AP Studio Art is an intensive and expansive programme that challenges students to create original and evocative pieces in areas of concentration that include Drawing, 2D Design or �D Design. “It brings a deeper understanding and respect for the arts,” says instructor Anna Forbes. “There’s a lot of critical thinking; a lot of research.”

Unlike Art �2, where students are taught basic techniques and given opportunities to apply them, Studio Art is end-oriented. “It’s more focused than regular art,” says student Michelle Cheimak. “The course is much more in-depth, covers a wider range of art, and you get to choose what your work becomes.”

The programme relies on a portfolio instead of an exam. Students have to produce 29 pieces by May, which usually means producing twice that many and selecting the best ones for submission says Mrs. Forbes.

“You can’t do this course unless you’re prepared to work out of school,” she explains. “You have to be really passionate about art.”

The portfolios are marked in three sections. Students send in five pieces directly to the board to be judged on quality and synthesis of form, technique and content. Half of the pieces submitted on slides must show the student’s concentration, and the other half must show the diversity of the student’s studies.

APStudioArtmakesitsmarkoncampusby Erin Anderson

Advanced Placement Studio Art began at SMUS this September and already the programme has made its mark on students and staff.

Acrylic painting in the style of Roy Lichtenstein by Grade 11 student Shun Kinoshita.

Acrylic painting by Ceilidh MacLeod, Grade 11.

Grade 12 student Elysia Toporowski sketches during an AP Studio Art tour of galleries in Oak Bay.

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Island School of Art, a lecture from photographer Ilja Herb ’9� and a visit from print-maker (and SMUS parent) Chiarina Loggia.

“They get solid techniques here,” says Mrs. Forbes. “They learn the elements of art.”

In the future, Mrs. Forbes would like to see her students learn digital media, establish a pre-AP class for Grade �0 students and offer �D Design. This summer, she’ll be offering a one-week course for students who are in or want to enter AP Studio Art next year.

Though she was the staff member who backed the addition of Studio Art to an already extensive AP curriculum, Mrs. Forbes credits her former students Emma May and Diandra Barsalou for the programme’s inclusion. “Because the students asked for it, it was taught,” she says.

Emma is now flourishing at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, which might see a few more SMUS students as early as next September. “The students I have are so committed,” says Mrs. Forbes. “It’s wonderful.”

This year, the course included life drawing sessions at the Vancouver

UniversitiesthatacceptAPStudioArtcreditsUBCSimon FraserUVicU of Northern BCU of CalgaryLethbridgeSaskatchewanU of Regina

U of TorontoYorkWestern OntarioTrentConcordiaBishop’sWaterloo

Watercolour by Min Ju Park, Grade 12.

Acrylic painting by Liz Fenje, Grade 11.

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AP Studio Art teacher Anna Forbes has a look at Lulu May’s collage during a trip to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

School Ties - Spring 2008 • �7

There’s an iconic tale about a group of executives who decide that they need to articulate their organization’s desired values. They board a helicopter which whisks them to their retreat site. After a day of forming, storming, norming and performing, they craft a well articulated statement. Arriving back at headquarters, their words go to a graphic designer who forwards stunning prints to a framer who sets them in cherry wood casings and hangs them on key walls throughout the organization. Institutional trumpets sound and a lead article appears in their quarterly magazine.

It’s all very impressive, but in terms of the day-to-day life of the organization, the values are dead on the wall. Without broad input from the community; without some sense of having evolved from existing principles; without some structure for ongoing development and integration, the framed statements are little more than a sanctimonious decree: a striking collection of words, but only a collection of words.

In choosing our leadership pillars, we’re doing our best to not repeat the tale.

Leadership development has always been a part of St. Michaels University School. Since its inception some �00 years ago, there have always been opportunities for a small group of students to rise to the top. What became clear in 2005 was that our vision needed to broaden, embracing the potential of every student within our school.

Our Head established a Leadership Initiative Working Group, with an overall coordinator guiding five faculty members, each named to a stream: Service, Sustainability, Outdoor Education, Global Responsibility and Principles of Leadership. Although a great deal of progress has been made in each area, I’m going to offer a few thoughts about the one closest to my heart, the Principles stream.

A major step in my own thinking unfolded when I attended the Gardner Carney Leadership Institute in Colorado, a week-long event drawing on interdisciplinary research into adolescent culture, brain physiology and leadership development. Colorado was my helicopter retreat experience. When I left the Institute, I knew what to do for my school. I had a detailed plan that had been vetted by our gifted hosts. I assumed that MY-VERY-SMART-PLAN would become the foundation for our leadership programme.

Soon after I arrived at SMUS, it served its straw house purpose and found its place in the recycling bin.

What became painfully yet necessarily clear was that the Principles stream had to be shaped by the community itself. Rather than offering my plan for everyone’s acceptance, it became a tool for drawing others to shape our-very-own-plan.

This involved a great number of discussions, formal and informal. Combining my experience at the Institute with previous thoughts and additional research, members of the Leadership

TheProcessbehindthePillarsBehind every great programme is a solid set of principles to guide and direct our actions. Tasked with identifying the underpinnings of our leadership programme, Rev. Keven Fletcher finds that the strongest pillars are those built with the help of the community.

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Initiative Working Group offered presentations wherever possible within our community. Before the school year started, our management team went on a two-day, off-site retreat centred on leadership. Additional discussions were held with the Board and selected parents. Eventually, we agreed that our community needed to get clear about our pillars (the qualities we value in leaders) and our curriculum (both directly and indirectly related to leadership).

Selecting our pillars created a focal point for discussions on leadership. At all three schools, leadership became the dominant theme in Chapel. Through story, song, spoken word and YouTube clips, students and faculty were invited to reflect on leadership and what values they most wanted to pursue in our communal life. The question was set in a variety of contexts, using realities spanning from locker room scenarios to international incidents.

Along with Chapel, the Middle and Senior Schools were papered with flyers drawing their attention both to the Pillar campaign and to some of the front-running terms that arose from the Management Retreat (Awareness, Conviction, Courage, Empathy, Humility, Integrity, Legacy, Respect, Self-Awareness, Service). For six weeks, students were greeted with an ever-shifting variety of flyers, most serious and some comical.

Towards the end of the campaign, every student from Grade 6 to Grade �2 was given time during Chapel or their grade meeting to suggest four pillars. In the Junior School, every class was taken through a scenario and invited to name the virtues they felt played the most important roles. The staff was also encouraged to offer opinions. Through an article on our website, the broader school community (parents, alumni and Board members) was

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given its opportunity. We heard from our diaspora, who offered general thoughts, specific recommendations and a great deal of moral support. After every viewpoint was compiled, two additional meetings were held with keen staff members to review the responses.

It wasn’t until the end of the summer that the final decision was made. Three people (our Head, our Leadership Initiative Coordinator and me) decided on four terms that were well represented in the responses and spoke clearly to who we are striving to be as a community: Service, Honesty, Respect, Courage.

As is ever the case in these situations,

the value of the pillars lies in the process by which they were chosen. The same holds true for their integration into our community. To this end, thoughts were gathered on how to proceed.

Coming out of these conversations, three realities are abundantly clear. First, it is essential that the pillars be understood as a reflection of our continuing development, rather than being something “new.” Second, the terms should be incorporated into our language and life in a natural manner, rather than being “imposed” or “trumpeted.” Third, the pillars need to become a consistent part of our general culture, not relegated

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TheProcessBehindthePillars

to a particular aspect of our school’s life.We are beginning the integration

journey. The pillars and their rationale are being shared with the community, particularly through Chapel. They are highlighted during special gatherings, like our Founders’ Dinner. Middle School students are nominating their peers to recognize when they live the pillars.

Rather than setting definitions and asking groups to apply them, working units around the school are being asked to come up with examples of what it means for them to live the pillars. For instance, our Prefects were asked to give three concrete examples of what courage looks like when one is a

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As I sat at the Junior School assembly, I looked toward his parents, beaming with pride as their son addressed the audience. I will never forget the first time I saw that same face as one tiny fist clenched the pleats of his Mom’s skirt, while the other wiped a tear from his cheek. His crisp new shirt, shiny black shoes and oversized grey shorts were a definite sign that it was his very first day of school. The boy now holding the microphone is such a contrast from our first encounter. His confidence, courage, and assertiveness are there for all to see. How do such transformations occur for our students?

At the Junior School, we believe that the recognition and practice of virtues are the elements that form the basis of a child’s values and provide the building blocks of character. Inspired by two strategies from the Virtues Project*, we strive to identify and name the virtues inherent in the actions of children. Using teachable moments to guide behaviour, we encourage the practice of virtues in every day life.

Virtues are integrated into the fabric of our school. Each week we gather to hear stories from Reverend Fletcher and Mr. Snowden that teach moral lessons connected to virtues. Mrs. Richards chooses virtue cards and reads them to the students, staff and

parents as a catalyst for clarity and direction. Primary and Intermediate buddy classes focus on a virtue, such as respect, and create posters to teach others. They make seasonal cards for one another, using virtues to describe their friend. A sense of unity is developed as school-wide projects offer service to those outside our community.

If you take a closer look at the day-to-day interactions of students and teachers you will find the heart of how we bring out the best in children. There is nothing more touching than seeing a child’s eyes light up when you recognize and name his character traits. You can be guaranteed that the positive act will be repeated. “Thank you for being …courteous by holding open a door, responsible and diligent by completing the task in a timely manner, flexible by saving your ‘show and tell’ until after recess, or respectful and patient while the string orchestra was warming up for their performance.”

The boy takes a deep cleansing breath as he prepares to read the concluding paragraph of his essay entitled, “Perseverance.” The heartfelt stories he has shared about his friend’s parents and grandparents who had carried on with difficult and life-threatening circumstances touch everyone. I am reminded of the gift of compassion,

a magic energy that is part of the foundation of the whole St. Michaels University School community. I feel reassured knowing he will be in good hands as he moves on to the Middle and Senior Schools.

* The Virtues Project was founded by Linda Kavelin Popov, Dr. Dan Popov and John H. Kavelin.

Virtues,theBuildingBlocksofCharacterandLeadershipby Doreen Metcalfe

Doreen Metcalfe, Junior School Teacher and qualified facilitator of The Virtues Project.

School Ties - Spring 2008 • �9

Prefect. Our Chapel Team was asked to do the same for what honesty means in their work. When our teachers last gathered, we broke into working groups to explore what the pillars mean for us in our professional lives. Eventually, similar tasks will be undertaken by everyone from the Athletic Council to the Grounds Crew.

Of course, some aspects of this integration plan may well find their way to the recycling bin. Like the plan that arose from the Institute, this seemingly

essential starting point may become a straw house which will be dismantled and rebuilt by our community, who themselves will determine what happens next.

However, in the continuing process of integrating our pillars, we are growing clearer about what good leadership entails and how we can broaden the range of

opportunities for all of our students to exercise their potential. At the end of the day, the pillars are simply a continuation of what has gone before and a foretaste of where we’ll delve more deeply in the future. So, you can anticipate their impact on our daily life as a community, but expect very little in the way of helicopters, trumpets and gilded frames.

Yet you’ll notice, we did manage an article in

School Ties.

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The Middle School has integrated the pillars into their house system and recently created a bulletin board that celebrates the pillars and students who have been recognized by their peers for demonstrating characteristics of leadership.

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As prefects, we are often faced with tough decisions that require sober second thought; in these situations, it’s very important to have the pillars as a waypoint.

When this year’s Prefect Council came together for the first time in September of 2007, we brainstormed about what we wanted the school to be like for the students and how we as leaders could serve them. To help us in our thinking, we drew the shape of a body on a thermarest, which every prefect decorated with a single leadership quality. As we created the ultimate prefect in the foam shape lying in front of us, our ideas for how to serve the school kept coming back to the four pillars: service, honesty, respect, and courage. We agreed that there must be an environment that provides support and encouragement so that students have the courage to get involved and serve the school. We also agreed that students needed to interact with each other in a respectful way where everyone is welcome, and no one person is better than the other.

When we expanded upon the pillars, it was SMUS students’ actions that provided the greatest concrete examples. Service can be achieved on a school level through Peer Counselling, or on a global scale with Free the Children. Honesty is demonstrated at school when a student is willing to pour their heart into a love poem that they read in assembly or try to get others to “Stand Up Against Poverty.” Simply by wandering through the school quad during Chapel or lunch time, you see respect. Bags ready for next class are tucked in every corner of the quad; students trust that no one will go through their personal belongings. Courage shines through at drama nights and acoustic concerts when people get up in front of their peers and share their talents.

As our discussions continued, we came to the realization that Prefect Council’s job was to build upon what SMUS students already do innately. Students are fully aware of what is expected of us; if we veer off track, a funny little skit or announcement is usually all that is needed to promote a change of action. Our environment of honesty and respect gives us the courage to lead change and peers are comfortable reminding each other of what is expected. In the end, the Prefect Council discovered that the role we play in SMUS is supporting the continuous evolution of our school culture and promoting the idea that living the pillars is the “cool thing to do!”

As leaders in the SMUS community, it has been a powerful experience interacting with our fellow students. People wonder why SMUS is such a united community; it is because of the principles instilled by the four pillars. These are not simply principles that should be followed by the SMUS community; rather they are essential maxims for any relationship. The SMUS community is, in its spirit, a powerful group relying on the input of its members to grow and sustain these pillars.

ThePillarsinActionby Kathryn Wizinsky and Michael van der Westhuizen

Service, respect, honesty and courage: four very simple words that form the strong supporting foundations of our school’s culture. ServiceOur school is extremely aware of the Global Village, and does its best to take care of it. With numerous service initiatives, some of the prominent ones being visits to an orphanage in the Dominican Republic, as well as building schools in Kenya and several other local service objectives, our school allows us to branch out into the community, and give a serving hand. The school puts huge emphasis on the necessity of serving others, and ensures students know that by having many service initiatives available to them.

RespectOur school community is built on relationships between students, staff and the community as a whole. Two key ingredients of these relationships are respect and honesty. We have a trust between the students and the staff, and it creates a very special bond that brings the two closer together than a professional relationship.

HonestyHonesty goes hand in glove with respect, and the trust bond between the students and the staff allow both to recognize these convictions in each other. Not only are the staff looked up to for their professionalism, they are also looked up to for a much stronger reason: students feel they can trust the teachers and that the teachers have the students’ best interests at heart. By trusting the students, teachers show that they acknowledge the trust bond, and that they also respect their relationship with the students.

CourageService, honesty and respect are all needed for a community to live in harmony, and are also necessary character traits for an effective leader. However, these characteristics are nothing without the one trait that binds them all together: courage. Courage is what is needed to carry out tasks involving service, honesty and respect, and is often the difference between a good leader and a great leader. Courage allows us to voice our opinions, to be brave enough to stay honest in times of distress, and to maintain respect for others, even when we may doubt them. In times of trouble, the great leaders stay courageous and keep their minds on the task at hand.

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School Ties - Spring 2008 • 2�

OnaQuestfor

LeadershipAfter graduating last year, Sam Witt joined the Sail and Life Training Society (S.A.L.T.S) vessel Pacific Grace for part of its Pacific Odyssey voyage. As he discovered, lessons in leadership continue beyond the years at SMUS.07/2�/07 | �27° Magnetic | Wind �5 knots | 5.� knots �° �8' 6.0" N ���° �6' 58.0" WLast night we had wind squalls with lashing rain that lasted 1.5 to 2 hours. The sky was very dark all around the boat. Trainee Jamie said she couldn’t see anything. It was probably the blackest night she has ever experienced. The motion is extreme again – fore and aft as well as side to side… – Bonice Anderson, www.salts.ca

I boarded the ��8' schooner Pacific Grace in Honolulu on July ��, 2007. The next day we left for a three-month voyage in the South Pacific. We made many stops along the way: in French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji, where I left the boat. It was during that time that I made amazing friendships, experienced unbelievable sailing, saw some stunning places and transited a small portion of the world’s vastness. I also had a lot of time to witness leadership – true leadership, and I had an opportunity to uncover my own views of what leadership is.

In a confined space, let alone in one you can’t leave, individuals are in constant contact with one another. There is virtually no privacy or personal space on board, which forces people to display their true selves – there is no uniform or curtain to hide behind. It is the interaction of pure character that creates a sense of community, and on a boat like the Grace, community is an important component of daily shipboard

operations. It allows the boat to run effectively and efficiently. Building upon this, leaders are the people in this microcosm that go the extra mile. Usually, but not always, they are more experienced. The leaders that emerge are the people who help and teach others, volunteer to work with the cooks in the galley (in all sea conditions) and interrupt their much-needed sleep to help with night sail changes.

There is a single wake up call: “Spare hands to raise the trysail and furl the jib.” Voluntarily, a dozen sweaty and groggy individuals fumble around in the darkness, tripping over sleeping bodies and fallen bags, attaching night harnesses and slowly climb onto the deck, getting almost instantaneously wet. Half asleep, the majority of the trainees make their way to the stern to handle the lowering of the mainsail; however there are five or so that head forward, a couple of which strap themselves into another harness and climb out over the water – a warm but frothing sea. They will spend close to 15 minutes wrestling with a huge, wet, flapping sail and eventually lash it down. They return to the deck exhausted and thoroughly drenched from the spray, rain, bow height waves and the sail itself. In the stern, there are people hauling on lines and letting others go. The mainsail is a monster – thousands of square feet in size, and diligence is the key to success when manoeuvring because a single mistake can be devastating. Then the trysail gets assembled on deck and raised in the place of the main. After the sail change is complete, people drift back down below to continue their sleep; others stay a bit longer and snack on the previous evening’s baking. At this point, the squall usually subsides, the wind lightens, and there is a peaceful remainder to the night.

Our skipper Tony Anderson is one of the greatest leaders I have ever met. He is an amazing teacher, capable of explaining

Pacific Grace lies at anchor off the island of Tahuata in the Marquesas.

Local children wait to use the ship’s rope swing at the town of Apitaki, French Polynesia. continued on page 22

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anything ship-related in a simple but effective manner. He is also able to connect with youth in a way not many adults can, and he uses this skill to successfully run a boat full of young people year after year. Being in charge of a crew and a vessel is a huge responsibility. Every day there are stressful situations to deal with, and every leader on board must keep situations positive, otherwise the crucial sense of community will begin to weaken because of hard feelings and frustration.

In the South Pacific, it is very hot and humid. On a boat such as the Grace, there is no air conditioning, which makes sleeping every night an uncomfortable and rather damp experience. During the day, however, the sun’s intense rays make the deck and the galley even hotter. With the combined heat of the sun and the diesel stove, cooking for �5 people in a small space that is constantly heeled over to angles of up to �5° is an exercise in patience and good balance. Cooks Gillian Hoyer and Katie Neale alternate days cooking for the boat, always with a smile and never with complaint. Same with the ship’s bosun, Jordan Campbell. His office is a neat and tidy engine room, with temperatures that range from �0° on a cool day to 55° on a hot day with the engines going. Many of his days are spent in the engine room, fixing problems, and the rest of his time is spent on deck making the boat look pretty. Keeping a tall ship in working order is no small task, and Jordan is always calm and collected, willing to teach, as well as just hang out with whoever is around.

These crewmembers are just a few in a team of eight that leads 22 trainees every hour of every day. They lead by example – through hard work, courage and determination. Much of the time they are tired, but they always find a way to dig deep and

keep going. On top of this, they care. They care about their fellow shipmates like they were brothers and sisters. They have an open ear in the tough moments, and always have a helpful response for those who need it. What you see is what you get. There isn’t a made-up outer shell, a fake interest, or short-lived commitment and effort. They are genuine, open and honest. They possess the qualities I think all true leaders should have.

09/07/07 | 220° Magnetic | Wind �5 knots | 7.8 knots 20° �9' �7.88" S �59° �0' �9.20" W The day started out ok, but got progressively worse, with squall after squall of rain and intense wind. Waves came from all angles, some upwards of 30 feet high. In the moment, we were playful. I was up in the bow with some friends riding the waves in my thin, asparagus green rain suit, with mask and snorkel as extra protection. In the stern, things were a little more intense. Skipper was especially stressed, mostly about the boat. He’s been up most of the past few nights running sail changes every few hours. In the galley, Gillian was cooking with the help of Carolyn. They made foccacia bread and hummus for lunch. It really is an amazing feat to make a meal when most of the time everyone is holding on for dear life. At one point, a huge wave slammed into the hull and the bowl of chick peas for the hummus went flying across the galley, eventually ending up on the sole, where they rolled back and forth like an avalanche. As the day progressed, the storm dissipated, and we began work on creating a Cook Islands courtesy flag, as well as some laundry and reading.

So what did I learn? I learned that it takes a great deal of effort and commitment to keep a position of leadership in the real world. I learned that leaders are the people who volunteer to check on the rigging in a storm, teach people who have less experience, and pick those chick peas off the sole. I learned that leaders are the people who strive to help others, both directly and indirectly and that they are the people who guide others to their true potential. I have also learned that anyone can be a leader in many different settings and capacities, based upon what one finds on one’s own quest for leadership.

Sam Witt on Palmerston Atoll, Cook Islands.

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A boy rests in the ship’s life ring.

continued from page 21

OnaQuestforLeadership

School Ties - Spring 2008 • 2�

It’s the sort of story that makes that off-hand phrase “small world” seem inadequately descriptive:

Two diplomats meet at a cocktail party. It is �982 in Managua, Nicaragua and all of Central America finds itself at the centre of a Cold War drama. The US Ambassador to Nicaragua, Anthony Quainton, has just taken up his post in March, while his Canadian counterpart, Francis Filleul, arrived in the region a little bit later, in September. The two have much to chat about – the US cut aid to Nicaragua the previous year for supplying arms to leftist rebels in El Salvador, where a civil war is raging. Contra rebels in Honduras are conducting raids throughout northern Nicaragua, driving refugees into Costa Rica, and Panama is just starting a slow boil that will eventually lead to the US invasion in �989.

After the requisite amount of politics, the ambassadors’ talk turns to more personal topics: previous postings, education. Before much longer, they will discover that they share more than Nicaragua in common, because they are also both alumni of St. Michaels University School.

Anthony (Tony) Quainton, a native of Seattle, came to St. Michael’s School in �9�2. His family ties to the school ran deep – his uncle Eric was a long-time teacher, his grandfather was Dean of Cathedral and wrote the school’s hymn, his aunt, Florence Oates, was a school

FocusonAlumni:TheDiplomatsby Laura Authier

nurse, and his father taught there for a short time. In �9�5, the Quainton family moved to Mexico City, where Tony went to the American School. He finished his secondary education at Phillips Academy Andover before going on to study languages at Princeton and Oxford.

Francis (Chips) Filleul started at University School in �9�9. Like Tony, Chips had lived a rather international life, going to school in England and Portugal and living in Morocco before his family moved to Victoria. He graduated from University School in �95� at the age of �5 and started his university career at Victoria College before moving on to the University of British Columbia and then studying languages at Oxford and the Sorbonne.

When asked why they chose to go into the diplomatic corps, both men give

strikingly similar answers. “I didn’t have a specific ambition when I left school,” Chips remembers, “and it was a miracle that I got through math (thanks only to Mr. Timmis’ instruction), so I decided to focus on literary subjects, and possibly a career in teaching.” Tony also remembers being more drawn to ideas and language, and although he didn’t know exactly what field he wanted to pursue, he was encouraged to write the Foreign Service exam as a way of expanding his career options.

Tony recalls that his first foreign posting, to Australia as US Vice Consul, was a bit of a disappointment. “It was

kind of the equivalent of being posted to Canada – it didn’t require any foreign language, there were few issues to deal with, so it wasn’t considered one of the more exciting assignments,” he laughs. Chips’ first posting was to the United Nations General Assembly as an advisor to Canada in �96�. Tony’s career took off after he expanded his language repertoire to include Hindi and Urdu and over the next decade he held posts in Pakistan, Nepal and the Central African Republic. After the UN, Chips was posted to Ankara, Turkey and later become responsible for the European Division.

For both men, Central America marked a shift and they increasingly found themselves taking up appointments as ambassadors to the world’s hot zones. Tony was the US Ambassador to Kuwait in the �980s while the Iran-Iraq war was raging in the Persian Gulf. Chips became Ambassador to Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti in �989, just as Ethiopia was in the middle of a bloody civil war. Chips later had to evacuate his family when the fighting threatened the capital, Addis Ababa. Violence came even closer during Tony’s posting as US Ambassador to Peru when his house was blown up by a car bomb planted by a terrorist group – fortunately, he and his family were away at the time. In Haiti, Chips’ final assignment before retiring, he recalls looking out the window of his Port-au-Prince office to see the US naval fleet arrive for the United Nation-backed invasion of Haiti in �99�. “It looked like D-Day,” Chips says today from his

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Chips Filleul before presenting his credentials as ambassador to Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama, September, 1982.

Tony Quainton looks out over the Richmond Road campus during his January visit to the school as Scholar in Residence.

continued on page 24

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continued from page 23

FocusonAlumni:TheDiplomats

home in Ottawa, where he is enjoying the relative quiet and the chance to spend time with his grandchildren.

Since his retirement from the Foreign Service, Tony has parlayed his experience into a second career as a

teacher and lecturer, and is currently the Distinguished Diplomat in Residence at American University in Washington, DC. In January, he returned to Victoria and spent three days with us at the school. Over lunch one day, he casually inquired

whether we had heard anything recently from Chips Filleul. We hadn’t, came the reply from Cliff Yorath, when did Tony last hear from him? “Well, it’s a funny coincidence,” Tony replied, and then told us the story of Nicaragua in �982.

Reg Bailey visited the campus in September with his wife Gwyn and his sister and brother-in-law. As Grade �2 student Sara Traubel toured him around on a warm fall day, he noted the contrast to the weather he faced as a student journeying back and forth from his home in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta.

“At Christmas, they made a special effort and got out the snow plough so that I could get home,” he recalled. When he couldn’t make it back to Alberta, he spent his other holidays with day families and the families of other boarders.

The tour led him past both his old classrooms and the athletic fields where he accomplished so much. In Grade �2, Reg was Head Boy as well as a member of the Gym VIII and First XV rugby team. The Black and Red’s “Characters of the First XV” describes him as a very effective hooker and the backbone of the pack. “His tackling was keen and his work in the lineout intelligent.” In the Canada Rifle Shooting Association competition he scored 97.� per cent, making him the best shot in the school.

Inside School House, Reg passed by the wooden plaque that commemorates the winners of the Ker Cup, which he won by unanimous selection in �9��. On the fourth floor, he saw the picture of Cadet Lieutenant Bailey and Cadet Captain Gordon Coglin, who teamed up to revive the Cadet band after they discovered the armouries were full of band instruments as well as rifles. As Head Prefect, Reg Bailey went to the formidable Headmaster Scarrett and suggested that it was a terrible waste

FocusonAlumni:ReginaldEdwardBailey’43by Peter Gardiner

to see these lying around. Mr. Scarrett grumped, growled and chewed on his pipe, but grudgingly agreed that they could give it a try and so began the �70th Cadet Corps Band.

One of Reg’s strongest memories from those days is of the parades to St. Luke’s Church with drums and bugles. When he visited Victoria with his mother years later, he was proud to see the University School Cadet Corps Band playing at the Sunset Ceremony on the grounds of the BC Legislature.

After his time in the Cadets, it seems natural that Reg went immediately into the Air Force before he attended the University of Alberta. After earning a BSc in engineering, Reg went to work for the provincial government, his first project being a dam on the Hart River north of High Prairie. He went on to become Assistant Deputy Minister of Water and Resources.

As Reg walked by Crothall, he commented on the low windows and recalled that in his day, students enjoyed climbing out of windows during prep and then circling around to join boys who had

asked to leave the room. Reg chuckles at how the master didn’t seem to notice that significantly more boys were entering the room than had asked to leave.

This reflection leads him to think of Reg Wenman, who, he says, doled out commendation with a simple smile but had an intimidating side as well. “If he smiled on you that was reward enough but if you got on his bad side then you were for it!” laughed Reg. “He was one of the finest gentlemen that I have ever known.”

After climbing the stepladder to the bell tower – a place that was strictly off limits when he was a student – he tapped the bell and gave a broad grin. “I never thought that I would see it.”

The last stop was the archives, where Reg scanned through photographs for familiar faces and helped archivist Brenda Waksel recover some of the missing names. He showed great appreciation for the work that had been accomplished on the archives of the school before remarking that he and his wife were recently invited to a �0s-themed event and when he tried on his era-authentic school blazer, it still fitted perfectly!

Reg Bailey with the Ker Cup, 1943.

Reg Bailey during his recent visit.

School Ties - Spring 2008 • 25

Alumni News

The Alumni Association, in conjunction with the school, is planning to launch a mentorship programme that would enable current students in Grades �0 to �2 to seek advice from former SMUS students. Our alumni community possesses diverse talents in

The Heritage Walk was constructed thanks to a very generous gift from the Alumni Association in December, 2007 to replace the Heritage Wall, the construction of which began in �997. In all, �200 names were transferred from the gym wall to the new quad walkway, which is surrounded by School House and the Crothall Centre. All of those who have purchased bricks in the past are featured in the walk.

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innumerable academic and career fields. This vast reservoir of experience would be of incalculable value to our current students who are preparing themselves for university and beyond.

The programme will be administered by the University Counselling department,

RegisterintheAlumniMentorshipProgramme

TheHeritageWalk

Since I last communicated with you in School Ties, more progress has been made towards the vision and goals of the Alumni Association.

The inaugural golf tournament at the Cordova Bay Golf Course in September was a huge success, raising over $�0,000 for the Alumni Bursary Endowment Fund, which is beginning to show a healthy balance. Besides the photos of the event published in this issue of School Ties, you can see more (including video) on the SMUS Photo Gallery at http://gallery2.smus.bc.ca/gallery2 (login: parent; password: vivat). This year’s golf event promises to be even better, so mark Thursday, September �8, 2008 in your calendars and full details will be available very soon.

Another Alumni Association-sponsored event also proved to be very

UpdatefromGarethRees

successful when Graham Henry, coach of the world-renowned All Blacks rugby team visited SMUS in January. He coached an excellent session with the SMUS �st XV in the afternoon, which attracted over one hundred local coaches and rugby stalwarts. In the evening Graham spoke at a wonderful dinner in Brown Hall to an enthusiastic audience of Alumni and other invited guests. This kind of Alumni occasion has set the standard for future events featuring other distinguished individuals in a variety of interesting fields.

Regional alumni receptions are being very well attended so far this year and I would urge you to show up when one comes to your area. Over 2�00 former SMUS students have re-engaged with the school by registering on the Alumni Directory which can be found at

http://alumni.smus.bc.ca. Please take a few minutes to get connected.

We are kicking off our mentorship programme and are looking for volunteers from the ranks of our Alumni. Your support of this initiative will help us make a real impact in the lives of current SMUS students.

I hope that many of you plan to be at this year’s Alumni Weekend on May 2-� and the trustees of the Alumni Association and I look forward to welcoming you. There is a schedule of events in the Events section to give you a preview of the weekend.

Vivat!Gareth Rees ’85 President, SMUS Alumni Association

The Heritage Walk will be dedicated during Alumni Weekend immediately after the Chapel Service on Saturday, May � (approximately �:�5 p.m.).

It is never too late! If you wish to purchase a brick to immortalize your good name, it will cost you $�00 and the proceeds will be added to the Alumni Endowment Fund. Contact donna.ray@smus.bc.ca or (250) �70-6�75 for details.

who will match students to alumni mentors and connect them through email or telephone.

Contact louise.winter@smus.bc.ca and help give something back to the current generation of students at your alma mater.

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Alumni Events–Fall/Winter2007AlumniandFriendsGolfTournamentSeptember27,2007,CordovaBayGolfCourse

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The SMUS community raised $�0,000 for the

Endowment Fund through the annual SMUS Alumni and

Friends Golf Invitational, which took place at the

Cordova Bay Golf Course. Over a hundred alumni, parents and staff played

�8 holes and had a chance to win prizes that included a baby grand piano, a golf trip for two to San Diego,

and a BMW Mini.

Stephen Selina ’81

John McIntyre ‘66, Colin Dykes ‘66, Jim Wenman ‘66, David Helm ‘66

Chris Collins ‘63, Andrew Timmis ‘65, Nick Walton, Rob Wilson

Cathy Dixon, Joanne Turner, Mieke Wizinsky

Brian Kliman ‘82

David Angus ‘62, Sasha Angus ‘90

Nick Grant ‘84, Damian Grant ‘93, Peter Robb ‘92, Chris Isherwood ‘92

Matt Geddes ‘93

School Ties - Spring 2008 • 27a

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Then and now: Rob Oswald and Peter Gardiner, June 1976 at John Humphrey’s house the night before speech day; Rob Oswald and Peter Gardiner at the Calgary Alumni Reception

CalgaryAlumniReception:November22,2007Held at the Ranchman’s Club (With thanks to Hugh McGillivray ’6�)

OkanaganAlumniReception:November20,2007Held at Quails’ Gate Estate Winery (With thanks to current parent Tony Stewart)

EdmontonAlumniReception:November21,2007Held at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club (With thanks to David Angus ’62)

Those in attendance: David Finnis ’72-’75, Jeremy Harris ’92, Bruce Falkins ’70, Elizabeth Walton ’89-’90 and Margaret Anne Rose (guest), Tony Stewart (current parent), Ron Solmer (current parent), Er ic ’73 and Kathy Heffernan (past parents), Susan Saunders and Peter Gardiner

Left to Right: David Angus ’62, Susan Angus, Peter Gardiner, Greg Clarke ’90, Yori Hagi ’02, Spencer Goodale ’84, Leo Caffaro ’92, Keldi Forbes ’02, Katy Rich ’89, Michaël Strocel ’06, Chris Wynters ‘80-‘85, Kim Nordlund ’99, Sue Saunders, Gerald Drews ’84, Randy Schafer ’79, and Chelsea Phipps ’04

Left to right: David Angus ’62 (Board Chair), Peter Gardiner, Lindsay Giles ’77, Ash Jaffer ’91, Michael (Mehrdad) Mohtadi ’81, Rob Oswald ’76, Shiraz Jaffer (past parent), Bruce Burns ’68, Michael Witwicki ’76, Chris Holenderski ’99, Keith Kerr ’65, Alastair Handley ’81, Morgan Price ’01, Denis Gourdeau ’76, Ann Behennah ’92, Joanna Wynn ’02, Kathryn Watson ’99, Shannon (O’Sullivan) McGregor ’87, Bryan Pullman ’86, Kelly (O’Sullivan) Whitley 83, and Robyn Ivany ’97

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VancouverAlumniReception:January31,2008Held at the Terminal City Club

TokyoAlumniReception:November30,2007Held at the Westin Tokyo (With thanks to Shingo Hirao ’97)

HongKongAlumniReception:December1,2007Held at the Hong Kong Club (With thanks to Tony Souza ’72)

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Joanna Forbes ‘95 and Rory Forbes ‘90 Gareth Rees ‘85 with Graham Snowden ‘99

Left to right: Ryusuke Matsui ’95, Peter Gardiner, Michael Passmore ’00, Shingo Hirao ’97, Paul Speed ’00, Satoshi Kikuchi ’93, Maya Ikezawa ’99, Olivia Limbu ’97, Eun Young Kim ’00, Chihiro Takahashi ’00, Yuri Saito ’96, and Susan Sin ’98, John Davies

Left to Right: Cliff Sun ’72, Peter Gardiner, Tony Souza ’72, John Davies, Renton Leversedge ’93, and Mel Reeves ’70

Peter Gardiner, Koji Masuda ‘88 and John Davies

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Friday, May 24:30 pm

Billy G. Alumni Basketball Classic (Small Gym) – all Alumni welcome

6:00 pmOfficial opening of the Monkman Athletic Complex. Alumni from the Class of ‘68 and earlier are invited to attend the opening and the reception that follows in the Double Gym.

Reception for all other Alumni in marquee on field with complimentary appetizers and drinks – many of your former teachers will be in attendance

8:00 pmClass gatherings in various locations

Saturday, May 310:30 am

Alumni Association Annual General Meeting (Copeland Lecture Theatre)

11:30 amComplimentary brunch in Brown Hall for all attending AGM and/or Chapel Service

1:00 pmAlumni and Graduates Chapel Service

Dedication of the Alumni Heritage Walk

International Market and Cultural Extravaganza

Student musicians

Campus guided tours

Campus Store open

2:15 pmSenior Girls Soccer vs. Pacific Christian School

Bar open at Wenman Pavilion

3:30 pm1st XV Rugby vs. Oak Bay

5:00 pmComplimentary barbeque and cash bar in main marquee

The band Nova (featuring Tony Cordle, SMUS grads and parents)

Everyone is welcome, in particular the special year classes of ’58, ’68, ’78, ’83, ’88, and ‘98

SMUSAlumniWeekendScheduleMay2-3,2008

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The ’50sGlen simpson ’59 wrote to us in February, from his home in Fairbanks, Alaska:

“Hello, fellow Old Timers who are the University School class of �959. Concentrate, do the math and you’ll discover that 2009 will mark the passage of fifty years. GPS coordinates will be mailed to all of you to help you find your way back for our fiftieth high school reunion. Don’t trust your memory alone to guide you; geological events and vandalism have greatly altered the landscape. For example, Mt. Tolmie weathered away and in the spring of �99� it actually inverted to become a shallow canyon! Come check it out for yourselves. I’ll see you there.”

The ’80sMarvin Nicholson ’89 is back on the campaign trail! After working as a personal assistant to Senator John Kerry in 200�, Marvin is now Barack Obama’s chief travel planner. As the man in charge of logistics for a relentless schedule of rallies, fundraisers and public events, he books flights, reserves hotel rooms, clears up scheduling conflicts, organizes venues, and works out security details.

The ’90sAfter graduating from SMUS, sasha angus ’90 went off to pursue an honours degree in economics from Carleton University. The ensuing years saw Sasha move back to Alberta, where he founded a successful investment practice before going to work in provincial politics as the Chief of Staff to the Minister of Economic Development in Alberta. Sasha is glad to be back in Victoria, recently appointed as the Economic Development Officer for the newly established Greater Victoria Development Agency. A third-generation SMUS alumnus, Sasha and his wife Dr. Li-Shih Huang are expecting their first child, and future fourth-generation “SMUSer” in July of this year.

WEWANTTOHEARFROMYOU!

The Alumni Updates section is a very important part of our School Ties magazine. It is a fabulous way to keep in touch with your former classmates and teachers, and also a great forum to share the interesting and enriching experiences of your lives after SMUS.

Please take a moment to tell us about your studies, travels, careers, weddings and additions to your family.

We also encourage you to register on our alumni email directory; if you haven’t done so already. It’s simple! Visit the SMUS Alumni website to register (http://alumni.smus.bc.ca/).

If you would prefer to give us a call, Cliff Yorath can be reached at (250) 5�9-7508 and Louise Winter at (250) �70-6�76. Many thanks for keeping in touch!

Cliff Yorath Director of Alumni Relations (cliff.yorath@smus.bc.ca)

Louise Winter Alumni Relations (louise.winter@smus.bc.ca)

Kristian Gustafson ’92 sent news of his new book, Hostile Intent, published in December by Potomac Books, Washington DC, and available now through Amazon. It is the history of the CIA in Chile during the �960s and �970s.

Paul Malin ’92 sent this update in November: “I have just graduated with an MBA from the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and I am currently working at Vortex Mobile in Toronto as the Director of Business Development.”

Kari (Badwi) stein ’92 sent this note in February: “I have finally walked the road to becoming a pediatric dentist, graduating from University of Buffalo, NY in June 2007. My husband and I drove across Canada (a first for me) to get reacquainted with our wonderful country after living in NY for the past seven years. Over the last few months I have worked hard to build a dental practice just for kids in my hometown of Calgary, AB. It was a long road, but I love what I do. Hi, to all my fellow alum!”

Tamara Knott ’93 earned her BA from Queen’s, followed by a BComm from Royal Roads University. She spent eight years as a pharmaceutical rep and then two years as a project manager for a hydroelectric development. She wrote this update in February: “I have opened up a �/�D Ultrasound clinic for fetal imaging in Vancouver at 205-�5�5 W8th Ave. We have a spa-like atmosphere so that parents-to-be, family and friends can bond with their baby in a relaxing atmosphere before it is born. We project all of the images on a 50" plasma screen TV and parents can take home pictures, a CD and DVD of the experience. Often babies can be seen sucking on their thumbs or yawning among other things and it is a good way to involve fathers in the birth process. The clinic is called �D BabyVision Fetal Imaging - Vancouver and the website is at www.�dbaby.ca”

eric Kerr ’95 has relocated to Vancouver. He joined Bull, Housser and Tupper LLP

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(www.bht.com) in January as an associate with the firm’s real estate group, where he assists senior counsel in the various aspects of real estate transactions including acquisitions, development, commercial leasing, sales and due diligence. Eric also has considerable experience in corporate and commercial businesses, Canadian chartered banks and credit unions and various levels of government.

sara Perry ’96 earned her BComm from Queen’s University in 2000 and went on to work as an Advertising Account Manager for Grey Worldwide Northwest and Rethink Communications where, in 200�, she was recognized by Marketing Magazine in “Ones To Watch: Marketing’s Next Generation” as one of Canada’s top marketers under �0. After earning her LLB from UBC in 2006, Sara has been working as an associate with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in New York City in the mergers and acquisitions and project finance departments. In May 2007, Sara founded a not-for-profit organization called the Earth Rising Foundation (www.earthrisingfoundation.org) with her brother Adam Perry. The organization is dedicated to building homes, orphanages and other structures using natural and sustainable materials and techniques for families and orphans in Africa who have been affected by AIDS/HIV poverty, and/or illness.

eric larsen ’99 is an investment banker with Citibank, San Francisco. He graduated from the University of

California, Berkeley in 2006 with a degree in business. He also continued the SMUS tradition of playing rugby, playing for Cal during his college years!

Graham snowden ’99 is pursuing an exciting new endeavour and told us about it in a recent email:

“Last fall I joined a fundraising program called Team in Training, which is part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. For the past 20 years TNT has provided coaching and support for over ��0,000 people to participate in endurance events: half marathons, marathons, walks, century rides and triathlons. Since its inception TNT has helped raise over $850 million so that blood-cancer patients can live longer, better lives.

“On May �8, 2008 I will be participating in the Honolulu triathlon – a �.5-km swim, a �0-km cycle, and �0-km run. In addition to training six days a week I have set an initial goal of raising $�5,000 to help find a cure for blood cancers. Over the past 9-�0 weeks I have successfully raised over $�0,500 and I am reaching a point where I may in fact decide to increase my fundraising goal.

“In re-establishing my goals I am also trying to focus some of my efforts on broadening the exposure of Team in Training and the purpose of its mission. I would love to have people contribute towards my campaign but I would also love to have people decide to participate with TNT themselves. It is truly a rewarding experience that I am only just beginning to understand.”

You can learn more about what Graham is doing at http://www.active.com/donate/tntvan/GrahamSnowden

The ’00ssandy lont ’00 wrote to us in February: “I am happy to say that I have been living in Australia now for two years with my girlfriend (who is Australian) who I met in Europe. We did some travelling around the country and now I am currently working as an automation and controls engineer for Honeywell here in Perth.”

Farhad Merali ’01 graduated from McGill with a BComm in finance and international development studies. He received the 2006 Stephen S. Goldbloom Memorial Prize for academic achievement and outstanding contribution to school life. Farhad passed the CFA Level I exam in June 2007 and will be taking the Level II in June 2008. He is currently working at CIBC World Markets as a corporate banking associate in Calgary.

There were bells...doug easdon ’88 and Heidi Ewing were married twice last year – once at her parent’s home with family and friends in Franklin Village, Michigan and a second wedding in Mazunte, Mexico with a few friends. In attendance at the Michigan

Graham Snowden is raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through the organization Team in Training.

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wedding were Murray Anderson ’88 (best man), Susie Stewart ’88, Michelle Pollard ’89, Leigh Ann Hazell ’88, Mike Druce ’89 and Taylor McLeod ’89. Steve Robb ’88 and Chris Talbot ’87 joined Doug and Heidi in Mexico.

stephanie lewis ’88 married Timothy Sorensen on November �, 2007… a beautiful fall day at the Rosedale Presbyterian Church in Toronto with 200 guests attending. Her sister, Pamela (Lewis) Kilburn ’9� was Matron of Honour and Leigh Ann Hazell ’88 was a bridesmaid. Other alumni in attendance included Michelle Pollard ’89 from New York, Derek Kilburn ’9�, Jill Dorazio ’96 and Ann Glazier ’85. The reception was held at the Gardiner Museum. Stephanie is a PR consultant in Toronto and Tim is Head of Sales in Canada with Macquarie Bank. Stephanie may be contacted at stephanielewis_2002@yahoo.com

adam Molineux ’96 married Samantha Scott on September �5, 2007, in Victoria. The best man was John Thomson ’96, the groomsman was Karl Molineux (�978-�980), and the MC was Chris Molineux (�978-�980). The marriage was blessed by former SMUS Chaplain, Rev. Lynford Smith.

Brad stevenson ’96 and Laura Query were married on November �, 2007 at Thornewood Castle in Seattle, WA. SMUS alums in attendance: Marcus Kirk, Steve Lobb, Jack Wong, Matt Wenman – all class of �996, and Andrew Dewar ’98.

Brad and Laura live in the Green Lake area of Seattle; Brad is a Lead Program Manager at Microsoft and Laura handles Strategic Communications for Regence BlueShield.

lindsey larsen ’01 married Mariusz Sawicki on September 2�, 2007, in Seattle. Mariusz has his Maritime Engineering degree from the University of Krakow, Poland. He came over to fish on his father’s boat, The Ocean Prowler, when he decided to join the US Navy and became an American citizen. Lindsey has her degree in business from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, with a minor in languages. They spent their honeymoon touring Europe for three weeks.

New on the sceneBruce holms ’71 and his wife, Abigail, welcomed their son Bruce Patrick Mackenzie Holms on December ��, 2007.

Bruce Patrick Mackenzie Holms

Michael Andrew Elliot

Stephanie Lewis ’88 and Timothy Sorensen

Brad Stevenson ’96 and Laura Query Desmond Patrick Higgins Clark Grant

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Adam Molineux ’96 and Samantha Scott

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stephen elliot ’83 and his wife, Andrea De Gorgey, welcomed their second son. Michael Andrew was born on September 2�, 2007.

Nick Grant ’84 and his wife, Colleen, are happy to announce the birth of their son. Desmond Patrick Higgins Clark was born on February 2, 2008, in Victoria.

sheryl Yung ’84 and her husband, Craig Nicol, welcomed their daughter Olivia Lynne on September �7, 2007.

Bion dolman ’87 and his wife, Julie, announce the arrival of their first child. Jonah Rhys Dolman was born on December 7, 2007 at �2:�5 am at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, BC.

sandy (McInnes) Rozecki ’87 and her husband, Lance, welcomed the arrival of baby number two. Bryce Alexander Rozecki was born on October �0, 2007, little brother to Kailyn.

Kari-lynn Murphy ’88 and her husband, Peter van den Berg, welcomed their first child, a girl. Kiera was born on July 8, 2007, in North Vancouver.

elizabeth Middleton-Jones ’89 and her husband, Justin Jones, announce the birth of their second child – a boy. Andrew Cameron was born on July �5, 2007. Big sister is Ella.

derek Kilburn and Pamela lewis (both sMUs ’91) welcomed the arrival of their first child, Wyatt Lewis Kilburn, on July 6, 2007.

Kristian Gustafson ’92 and his wife, Christina, announce that their baby girl Evadne was born December �7, 2007 at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, UK.

Kristian Gustafson ’92 and his wife, Christina, with daughter Evadne

Avery Jun Geddes

Olivia Lynne Yung

Jonah Rhys Dolman

Bryce Alexander Rozecki

Kiera van den Berg

Wyatt Lewis Kilburn

Andrew Cameron Jones

Henley Blanche Leversedge

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Mathew (Franklin) Geddes ’93 and his wife, Lindsay Brooke, welcomed their baby girl on October 2�, 2007. Avery Jun Geddes weighed in at 8 lbs. �5 ounces. Jenny Franklin ’98 is now an aunt!

Renton leversedge ’93 and his wife, Shannon, are pleased to announce the arrival of their daughter, Henley Blanche Leversedge. She was born on October 26, 2007, in the year of the Golden Pig, at Matilda Hospital in Hong Kong.

Gethin Jones ’95 and his wife, Starr, have a baby boy – Mason Rhys Jones was born on September �0, 2007.

steve lobb ’96 and his wife Josie are proud to announce the birth of their first child, a daughter. Elliana Marie was born in Victoria on February 27, 2008, 7 lbs. �0 oz.

Joywin (cummings) clayton ’99 and her husband, Ryan, announce the birth of their first child, a son. Caelum was born on October 2�, 2007. Joywin writes: “Caelum is such a happy baby. He has a smile for everyone, loves to chat up a storm, giggles and laughs, and has already pushed out his first tooth.”

Caelum Clayton

PassagesRichard Gardner ’31 passed away on October 2�, 2007, in Southern Alberta, at the age of 96. He was born on the family-owned Mt. Sentinel Ranch, near Nanton, Alberta, and on leaving University School in �9�� returned to the ranch to work with his father and later to run the operation until �970, when he moved to nearby Cayley for 20 years, followed by a move to High River. Meanwhile, the ranch was passed to the capable hands of his son Francis ’60.

Dick enjoyed a successful four years at University School and was a prefect and cadet officer in his final year. The Gardner family has had further representation at the school: Richard’s brother, Donny, attended University School from �926-�929 and his grandson, Ian, (son of Francis), graduated from SMUS in �99�.

We recently received word that edward (‘Ned’) c. dobell ’32 died on May 2, 2006, aged 92, at Lions Gate Hospital, Vancouver. Ned attended University School from �9�0-�9�2, as a boarder from Edmonton for his final two years of high school. School magazines show that he won his colours in gymnastics and participated in debating. The school alumni directory of �99� listed Ned as a retired entrepreneur from West Vancouver. His son, Reid, also attended University School for six years, graduating in �962.

alan Patrick Izard ’36 passed away February 9, 2008, in Victoria. Pat was a member of one of the most supportive families of St. Michael’s School. He completed high school at the advent of World War II, and attended Dartmouth Naval College before enrolling in the Royal Navy for the duration of the war. Some of this time was spent in support of the Murmansk convoys. After the war, Pat returned to Victoria and was an accountant for R. Angus Ltd. until his retirement. He then went to the University of Victoria to complete his degree in history. Very much a family man, he leaves seven children and fifteen grandchildren.

leslie John creery ’39 died on December �, 2007, in Vancouver, in his eighty-second year. He was one of a strong Creery family presence at University School. From �909 to �9�5, five Creery boys attended University School and John Creery was one of four more Creerys of the next generation. He was a lifelong resident of Vancouver, a law graduate of UBC, and since �95� has devoted himself to his law practice as well as a keen interest in gardening, car-collecting and trains.

Brodie cupples ’42 was born in Edmonton on January 20, �926, and died on November ��, 2007, at Ganges, Salt Spring Island, BC. He was the top University School student in the �9�2 Junior Matriculation and went on to Victoria College, UBC, and McGill, where he completed his degrees in medicine. For many years he had his medical practice in Victoria, and in retirement spent much of his time on Salt Spring Island.

Belated news reached the school that charles arthur Panet ’42 passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Shawnigan Lake on March �9, 2007. Charles attended St. Michael’s School from �9�5 to �9�8 and University School from �9�8 to �9�2.

Patrick huus ’51 died on September �6, 2007. During his six years at University School, he was remembered by fellow students as a spectacular gymnast, a good scholar and a fine person. He went on to have a long career with the provincial government’s mining sector. His interests were centred on gardening, photography and golf, as well as supporting a fund in the name of his daughter – the Lisa Huus Memorial Fund.

donald Napier ’51 died peacefully in his sleep on December 5, 2007, on Salt Spring Island. He was a good athlete and Captain of the �st soccer team in �95�. The �99� school directory listed Don as the Manager of Baton Broadcasting in Vancouver. He suffered ill health in recent years but his friends remember with great fondness an outgoing, athletic, cheerful companion with whom there was never a dull moment.

Elliana Marie Lobb

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John Michael Turner ’53 d ied in Vancouver on June 29, 2007. He attended University School as a boarder from Shanghai, China, where he had grown up in an internment camp. He came to University School as one of the Brentwood College students who transferred here in �9�8 after the old Brentwood College folded.

John completed his Junior Grade �2 Matriculation at the age of �7 and went on to the University of British Columbia, after which he became a stockbroker in Vancouver. At University School he was a fine rugby player – an elusive wing three-quarter who scored most of the tries for the very successful �st XV team of �952-�95�. He also won the Middleweight boxing title (�952 and �95�) and was a member of the Shooting VIII (also �952 and �95�).

John’s obituary portrays him as a fascinating personality, a raconteur, and a fine musician.

Gary Murdoch ’62 was born in Dawson City, Yukon, on October 8, �9�� and he passed away on December 8, 2007. He attended University School from �957 to �962 as a boarder from Whitehorse. A scholar, athlete and fine character, he was the worthy winner of the �962 Ker Cup. After earning his BSc degree at UBC, he went on to attend the Canadian Chiropractic College in Toronto. Gary spent most of his working career as

a chiropractor in a sports medicine partnership in Smithers, BC. Education for Gary was a high priority and once in practice, he followed up his studies by achieving his master’s in nutrition and a diploma in acupuncture.

Rob Wilson writes: “In the last �2 years I had seen Gary in both Victoria and Smithers and was much impressed by his incredible fitness and the fact that he had changed but little. His sudden passing came as a great shock to all who knew him at University School. I also remember him as a devoted family man, whose children were successfully involved at a high level of competition in cross-country skiing.”

Gary simonson ’64 died in Seattle on November 2�, 2007. During his University School career (�959-�96�) “Simo” was a great presence both physically and in his devotion to the school. He was a great athlete who will be particularly remembered as a rugby player: three years on the �st XV and captain of the �96�-�96� team which enjoyed such a successful tour of England and Wales in �96�. Indeed, the tour was a personal triumph for Gary. In the years since his graduation, he has been a regular attendee at alumni weekends and at the annual Seattle alumni receptions. Always a larger-than-life character, he would have been pleased at the strong University School turnout at the January 2008 wake to celebrate Simo’s life. (NB: he loved Hawaii and aloha shirts).

Gary Simonson ’64

alexandra cecchettini ’05 was taken from us suddenly on August ��, 2007, following complications that arose from a car accident several months earlier. She leaves behind her mother Laura, father Gilbert, younger brother Julian and younger sister Audrey, all in California.

Alex spent Grades �0, ��, and �2 as a boarder at SMUS. She participated enthusiastically in campus life in such diverse activities as rowing, dancing in the musical Evita, and attending glacier school for her Grade �� outdoors trip, while attaining excellent marks in her courses.

After graduating from SMUS, Alex attended Boston University and University of California, San Diego. Inspired by Doctors Without Borders while on a visit to South America, she intended to enter the medical profession. Her intelligence, wit, vivaciousness, humour and sensitivity would have made her a wonderful physician.

During the period following her accident, she was able to reflect on her time spent at SMUS, and had made plans to return to Victoria for a visit to reconnect with her SMUS friends. Her death is an incalculable loss – for her family, her friends, and for the world at large.

In her memory, school friends and staff have begun a named fund in her honour: the Class of 2005/Alexandra Ceccettini Fund. Donations have also been directed to Doctors Without Borders. In accordance with her spiritual explorations, another memorial service will be held for Alexandra in California on August ��, 2008, for placement of her tombstone.

Death lies on her like an untimely frost Upon the sweetest flower of all the field.

Gary Murdoch ’62

Alexandra Cecchettini ’05

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Senior School Head of Geography Kirsten Davel read the article “Our Global Responsibility” with great interest, but pointed out that we failed to mention certain activities like the World Vision �0-Hour Famine, which intersects both the Global Responsibility and Service streams.

She writes that “the World Vision �0-Hour Famine has been a major part of [the Global Responsibility stream] for literally decades at the Senior School. Introduced by the former Head of Geography Stewart Dunlop many decades ago, it continues to be a major event for our students who have raised tens of thousands of dollars towards fighting poverty and hunger in both Canada and the developing world. The event also has a major goal of creating awareness of these issues in our students – those who participate, are changed in their attitude and outlook and they are frequently moved to continued action throughout their lives.”

Joe Barber Starkey ’�2 also contacted us in response to our feature on Global Responsibility. He tells us “I encourage you and your students to read Plan B �.0, which gives in its first part a detailed summary of the problems to be faced, and in part two encouraging news about what remedies are available.”

Mr. Starkey goes on to say that “the biggest task is to educate and motivate our leaders and the public – particularly in the Northern hemisphere, whose citizens choose to make efforts to help our less fortunate world citizens through NGOs or else to ignore their plight.”

“Congratulations on your project,” he concludes, “I wish all senior secondary schools would do the same!”

Former University School teacher Nick Prowse (�960-�96�) wrote to us after reading about the passing of John Graham ’66:

“I was greatly saddened by the sudden and unexpected death of John Graham

ContinuingtheConversationIn this new segment of School Ties, we share some of the email and letters we’ve received in response to the last issue.

(’66). John was one of an outstanding group of young Americans who made an important and lasting contribution to the life of University School in the �960s. I was lucky enough to be the teacher and/or coach of most of them including Herb Watson (’62), George Abel, Chris Collins, Jim Crumpacker, Jim Mousel and Tim Yaryan (all ’6�), Jack Allen, Jim Allen, John Herpers, Mark Johnson, Matt Kelly and Tom Seeger (all ’6�), Porter Condon, Chuck Holm, Bob Kelley, Chuck Lenfesty, Tooey Meyer, Peter Wilde and Tony Zedick (all ’65), John Graham and Martin Seeger (both ’66), Mark Wyatt (left in ’62) and Don Dillon (left in ’6�).

“John brought energy, enthusiasm, commitment and heart to all his athletic endeavours and also maintained a similarly responsible attitude in the classroom. Above all he was a first class citizen of great integrity with his usually serious side enlivened by a wonderful sense of humour. In this way he exemplified all that was best about this phenomenal bunch of young men whom I was lucky

enough to teach in my earliest years in the profession. In the forty years of my teaching career that followed I came in contact with many remarkable and talented students but this group of young Americans has remained special for the impact they had on a young teacher just beginning his chosen career. I thank them all.”

And finally, Mindy Mayo ’52 called to tell us the photo that ran with John Turner’s obituary was actually of Al Tozer. Our apologies to Al, who took the news of our premature celebration of his life with good humour. We also send out a sincere apology to John Turner’s family for the mistake, and have run our tribute to John again in this issue with the correct photo. Thanks to Mindy and others who made us aware of the error.

If you would like to continue the conversation, email Laura Authier at laura.authier@smus.bc.ca or call her at (250) 370-6164.

Young Americans: Mr. Nick Prowse with several of his American students in the 1963 basketball team photo. Back row, l-r: Harry Pollard, Tony Zedick, Dave Webster, Mark Johnson, Nick Prowse, Don Dillon, Tooey Myer, Frank Hinman. Front row, l-r: Porter Condon, Tim Yaryan, George Abel, Cam Crofton, Scott McCardell.

Photos by Evan Effa

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