Welcome back. I hope you are all as excited as I am at the prospect of a new academic year. They say, ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’. For me that rings true. Having been away from school since March, I am delighted to return from a revitalizing sabbatical. My first and priority message is one of gratitude to Eliot Anderson, who led so ably as Interim Head of School, and all those who were flexible in adjusting their roles to make my absence so seamless for all concerned.
For Elizabeth and I, the summer has proved to be a cornucopia of good things. Not least amongst them was the example of international cooperation and aspiration provided by the Olympics. The Olympic motto, ‘citius, altius, fortius’ – together, is an inspiration to our school and students as we come together from around the world. Our ambition this year both as an institution and individuals, will be to run faster, aim higher, and be stronger – more resilient, as we face the inevitable ups and downs in the path ahead.
As I have caught up with news, I am pleased to report that at the beginning of my 30th year as a Head of School, one of our major priorities will be preparing the ground for the arrival of our new Head of School, Jeff Aitken, from September 2025. Jeff comes with a strong pedigree of achievements and experience from a range of leading schools around the world. I know that there will be rising excitement at the prospect of the fresh vision and energy that he will bring.
In absentia, I was delighted to read the biographies of our 163 graduates. Once again, I was hugely impressed by the diverse experiences, range of achievements, and intellectual curiosity developed by our departing Class of 2024. The evidence shows that our graduates are in high demand from leading universities and schools around the world. I wish them every success as they journey to broader horizons beyond SMUS this fall.
As I wander the campus, I see that for many the summer has not been a time of rest and relaxation. Our ambitious $25M Middle School expansion project, if judged by the size and hole of the excavation, is off to a strong start. We will be steering this project to schedule and budget over the course of this year, with the aim of completion of the new extension by January 2026. It is also good to see that the gyms have been refurbished, 20 boarding rooms have been fully renovated as part of our boarding program, and a whole host of further improvements have been completed. Kudos to our Grounds and Maintenance teams for keeping our beautiful campus in ship shape condition.
We have much to look forward to in the next few months. Visitors to the Richmond Road campus will see our shrouded Welcome Pole, designed by Indigenous Scholar, Dylan Thomas, and carved by many of our students. After liaison with our Indigenous Elders, we will be hosting an unveiling ceremony in the fall.
Behind the scenes there has also been significant change in the Sun Centre – Graves Hall. We welcome our new caterers, Sage, and with our new partners will be intentionally aiming to raise the bar as far as our food services are concerned.
As I traveled the world from the equator to the Arctic these last few months, I have become repeatedly reminded of the importance of encouraging critical thinking and diversity of opinion. Unfortunately, the current zeitgeist seems to encourage the polarization of views at the extremes of the spectrum. We will be encouraging our student leaders to challenge orthodoxy, but also to understand the nuances, sensitivities, and complexities, of the challenges facing their generation.
Since my last letter I have traveled many miles both literally and figuratively. I have journeyed with pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela and with ‘voyagers’ on ancient canoe routes in the tundra. I have been repeatedly reminded of the importance of appreciating the journey and not just focusing on the destination.
C. P. Cavafy in his poem Ithaka, based on the journey of Odysseus from which we derive the word odyssey… meaning long adventurous journey, wishes that all our journeys should be full of adventure and discovery. He urges travelers to enjoy good things, “to learn, and to go on learning”.
Wherever you are on your SMUS journey as we start this new year, I hope that you will experience many good opportunities, build strong relationships with your fellow travelers, and learn, and go on learning.
With best wishes,
