How We Come Together

Last week was another super week at the school. It included the Appleby Walkathon – a whole school event where all students and employees play a role. All of our students – old and young, short and tall, athletic and not so much – ran or walked 21 km throughout Oakville while raising funds for local causes as determined by the students themselves. At last count, the kids raised in excess of $60,000 and the tally continues to grow.

What I loved was the smiles on so many faces. Smiles as they warmed up to talented direction of Mr. Buchanan (Boy, do I have a hard time showing any sense of rhythm in aerobic routines – thankfully I wasn’t also trying to chew gum at the same time!) Smiles as they huddled together in the cool, clear morning air before the race; smiles as they made their way along the route; and smiles that were broadened as the passed by refreshment stops staffed by myriad parent, student and employee volunteers.  While some kids/staff went all out in a highly competitive race, others went back and forth between running, jogging and walking, and yet others had a refined slow amble that would seem to prepare them well for life as an octogenarian in a rocking chair in front of a country store.

And the competition at the front of the pack was intense. I was delighted that a student stopped in my office early that morning confidently calling out for a top 5 finish … as “a gift to you, Mr. V.” Indeed, he finished #5. Talk about smooth.

It was one of those really special days when a whole community comes together in a positive, engaging and purposeful way.

Indeed, the whole week was special. Earlier, we held our final two Optimates dinners, honoring our top academic achiever from last year. Will Hackney, our Academic Prefect, spoke very well at all the events and I was delighted to see the pride of both students and their parents. Fraser Grant ’87, our Assistant Head of School (Academics), served as the Master of Ceremonies at the dinners, and provides different but superb remarks at each of the four dinners. In my next posting, I am going to speak a bit about one of his speeches relating to developing innovators.

The week finished with Harvest Colours, the incredible fall fair put on by the ACPA (Gay Longo chaired this year’s version.) My mother and aunt joined us for this wonderful day. Our kids particularly enjoyed the baked goods, and the whole family contributed significantly to the coffers of the many artisans present. The number of volunteers – especially parents and students – showed another perfect example of the power of coming together as a community.

For three days last week, I was also at the meeting of Heads of Independent Schools from across Canada hosted by CAIS and held in Toronto. While hearing lots of great tales and war stories, it struck me how lucky I am to be at Appleby and what a remarkable community we have here. Last week was an impressive series of activities that spoke to the power of collective experiences for both teenagers and adults. It is a critical aspect of building community and family. Last week, I was particularly proud to be the Principal of Appleby.