A leading university-preparatory day and boarding school for girls in Toronto, Canada
Students and Old Girls often talk about the positive influence that their education at Havergal had on their lives—how their teachers and their experiences at the school helped to shape who they are and what they hope to achieve.
Our community members experience the enduring values that are at the centre of a Havergal education first-hand. Teachers and students worked to articulate these values—to define what has always been there, and to make meaningful connections between the everyday learning that takes place at the school and the overarching themes that are the Havergal Framework for this learning.
The values included in Havergal’s Framework not only give direction to all our work, but also identify us as a community which strives for excellence, a community that incorporates the most promising of the new while building on the richness of the past.
IDEALS: our enduring values Imagination
The Framework articulates our enduring values: Imagination, Diversity, Excellence, Altruism, Leadership and Spiritual Life. It also draws from these values a number of key themes—commitment statements of more specific goals and the activities through which they are consciously nurtured. By articulating these values and themes, the Framework enables us to see more clearly how we can aspire to the vision we have set for ourselves. It is our intentional focus on these values and themes that make the Havergal Difference. The Havergal Difference is the mentoring of Junior School students by Senior girls. It is the spirit and enthusiasm demonstrated for the efforts of each member of the Havergal community. It is the community itself, composed of people who value excellence and recognize that through effort comes achievement. It is our proud commitment to our history, values and traditions.
How girls learn
Our approach to learning is based on substantial research on how girls learn best. This research indicates that in a single-sex classroom girls show more confidence, participating fully in class, tackling problems and expressing ideas. They demonstrate greater willingness to take risks and are more likely to pursue advanced studies in math and science. Girls thrive in a rigorous academic environment where a cooperative, collaborative and reflective learning environment is provided.
Each person at Havergal contributes in a unique way to this difference and each will articulate what this difference means in a unique way. This difference can be heard in our hallways, at Prayers, at athletic competitions, while participating with our community partners and while taking a moment to reflect on Havergal’s place in the global community. Together, the values and key themes of the Framework constitute our vision, a declaration of who we are and what we are striving to become as a school dedicated to preparing young women to make a difference.
Havergal is committed to:
•Contributing to a more civil, just and equitable world through critically examining the power and experiences of women and through demonstrations of responsible leadership.
•Embracing individuality, imagination and creativity by studying the richness and complexity of human achievement and by expressing a deepening understanding through creative expressions.
•Valuing diversity, democracy and change through studying the Canadian experience in relation to other cultures and nations around the world, and by building a community of diverse learners.
•Pursuing excellence, engagement, inquiry and reflection through active learning in an enriched liberal arts program and through participation in and contribution to a wide selection of co-curricular activities.
•Developing generosity, resilience, confidence, hope and wonder by respecting religious traditions and teachings and by active participation in community service.
Senior School: Setting a Course for the Future
Our Senior School (Grades 9 to 12) prepares Havergal students for university in Canada and abroad. Equally important, we prepare young women to become informed and responsive global citizens. Senior School students are challenged to reach their full academic potential in an environment where learning is increasingly independent and where emphasis is placed on synthesizing and evaluating information to gain a deeper understanding of each subject area. In the Senior School, students increase their knowledge but also construct their own meanings and understandings. They consider conflicting interpretations, arrive at their own informed opinions, actively participate in cross-discipline learning and often experience deep pervasive shifts in their perspectives and comprehension.
Opportunities for growth are provided to students, including highly able students, through differentiated instruction, independent study and individual research projects. Provincial and national competitions, such as contests in math, science and modern languages, enable motivated students to stretch their learning in specific subject areas.
Our faculty encourages interested students to pursue Advanced Placement studies to deepen their knowledge of a subject, to challenge themselves and to prepare for university. The Advanced Placement (AP) Program gives students exposure to university-level material and, in some cases, credit towards university courses. Havergal offers Advanced Placement courses in biology, calculus, statistics, French and Spanish. The school also provides support for students who choose to write Advanced Placement exams in studio art, chemistry, physics, economics, English language, English literature, European history and U.S. history.