Dear KES Family:

 

It was uplifting seeing the whole school outside yesterday afternoon for cadets.  It was a gorgeous day, and everyone was in a good mood. Being the only Cadet Corps in all of Canada to be operating normally is a huge distinction.  It is also a tremendous benefit to our students.  Handing out promotions yesterday was fun.  Spirits were high and the leadership games and drill instruction that followed were full of great camaraderie and laughter.  I love seeing the different personalities of each Section Sergeant and Warrant Officer reflected in their platoons.  Our RSM (Regimental Sergeant Major) this year is Sarah Hillborn, and she commands the whole Corps with authority and good humour.  It is hard to do!  Given that over a third of the School is new to cadets this year, and many of our youngest students in Grade 6 (ten and eleven years old) are volunteering to be a part of the School’s biggest team, it was certainly a wonderful introductory day to the 254.

 

Our service model of leadership at KES is off to a great start. Raising over $26,000 for Cancer Research through the Terry Fox Run is but one outstanding example of working hard to help others.  It is clear that our Prefects and Stewards are stepping up in unprecedented ways.  Whether it is Day Prefects helping with morning screening, or the Boarding Prefects organizing weekend activities and managing flat morale, positions of leadership at KES involve meaningful work. There is honour in being a Steward and helping with the orderly spacing and pace of the kitchen lunch line, but the work is not token and thus the title means something. 

 

Just recently I learned that my son did not know how to change a flat tire on his car and had to call CAA.   I was mortified.  As a parent I felt like I had missed something in his education.  As adults we often jump in and do things which our children can do, or could do, with a little guidance and instruction. We need to resist this impulse. The old saying, “If you want something done well, do it yourself,” doesn’t apply in an educational context. When teachers (or coaches, or parents) do something themselves they miss an opportunity to provide a student with a learning opportunity.  This is why we have students read in Chapel and lead us in prayer. It is also why, for example, it was a Grade 10 student from Switzerland, Stella Kapp, who brought our assembly to order on Wednesday and invited me to the podium. 

 

It is important that leadership positions are held for reasons of merit. As we enter into October and our second month of school, I am thrilled to see the students “stepping up” and making a positive difference in the lives of others.  As with so many other aspects of our lives here, I am also truly grateful.

 

Sincerely,

Joe Seagram