Inside King's-Edgehill School
Dear KES Family:
We were inspected by the Ministry of Education and Early Childhood Development yesterday. The two inspectors were very professional and extremely experienced educators. They had diligently read through all our submitted policy documents and manuals, our course descriptions and offerings, our faculty credentials and extra-curricular programmes. In short: everything.
However, all they really needed to know was what they learned in the first two minutes of being on campus. After parking their car they were greeted by Chris Northup, our friendly and fabulous groundskeeper and gardener. Full of good cheer and warmth, Chris directed our guests to Marshall House where they met up with me, Derek Bouwman, and Aynsley Sasaki. After a day of touring the School and being spell bound by Efra Gonzalez’s unscripted piano playing in the Performance Hall (they were astounded that students could be trusted to hang out in the music room unsupervised), captivated by Sandy Stewart’s energy and the exceptional quality of her students’ artwork, and enthralled by Mr. DeCoste’s description of fractals and Pollock’s art, they finished up with a glowing report of the School. Hurrah! However, before they departed it was mentioned that everything they really needed to know was captured in their first interaction with Chris Northup. Everything else they did, be it talking with our students in the Student Lounge or feeling the ‘vibe’ in the Dining Hall, confirmed their first impression.
I have been dying to take some photographs of Mr. Foley’s High Performance sessions that he has been running all year. The problem is that they take place outside at 6:00am and, while I am up and about walking my dogs at that hour, it is generally far too dark to take a photograph. The dedication of this group has been impressive! Not everyone was there this morning, but I was able to take a few humble photos of the group as they went through their morning paces. Well done!
Senior Boys Rugby has a tradition of awarding a ten-pound sledge hammer nicknamed “William” to the man-of-the-match after each game. For his superb efforts against Horton yesterday, Gregorio Bontoux earned the honour of having to carry William wherever he goes for the next week. He is not “allowed” to leave William behind anywhere. Imagine Gregorio’s concern when this morning he dressed as a Sacristan for Chapel and then was faced with the dilemma of having to substitute William for a ceremonial candle. Hahaha! Fortunately, Reverend Curry forgave him and Gergorio did not have to carry both a candle and a ten-pound sledge hammer into Chapel at the same time.
Sincerely,
Joe Seagram
