Our staff and faculty embarked on exciting experiences, experienced major milestones and reached new achievements over the summer break. Celebrate their highlights with us in this staff edition of our Good News Roundup.
A Peak Behind the Mask
This summer Mr. Walker went back to school for a five-day professional development course on Commedia Dell’arte, led by expert Susan Bertoia. Commedia is a theatrical art form that originates in the mid-1600s Italy, based on archetypal characters, identified by masks and big exaggerated performances improvised within a specific plot structure. It is also the first unit that the Grade 8 theatre students undertake, which was why Mr. Walker wanted to undertake the training. “There’s always something to learn, even after teaching this for 15 years. I wanted to be brave and go through what my students go through.”
After four days of training, Mr. Walker and his troupe performed first in a park to a public audience, and then in a theatre for an invited group of friends, families and industry professionals. “It’s important to remember to be playful and to challenge yourself. It’s as I tell my students, ‘the process is more important than the product,’ and Commedia Dell’arte is a great way to practice that.”
Welcome Oliver!
On June 22, Ms. Chow and her husband welcomed baby Oliver into the world, and they couldn’t be more in love with him! Both mom and baby are doing very well, and Ms. Chow is looking forward to visiting in the future so his SJS family can meet him too. Congratulations Ms. Chow!
A New Calling?
A spontaneous moment found Ms. Lam, Junior School Art Teacher, behind the turntables during the grand opening of akāra, a pilates studio, which is owned by Ms. Lam’s friend and SJS alum, Simran Cheema! “It was really special getting to be a part of such an exciting milestone for Simran,” says Ms. Lam. Way to go Ms. Lam, and congratulations Simran and her sister Bhag for this exciting new business
Running Down Under
Last week Calvin Lee, Director of IT and Risk Management, ventured to Australia to run in the Sydney Marathon. This was an exciting opportunity for Mr. Lee, as entry to the marathon is largely based on a lottery system. He ran strong under the Australian sun and finished in 3 hours and 42 minutes, even helping a fellow runner to cross the finish line after their legs gave out. Congratulations Mr. Lee, your hard work and training paid off.
Love on the Irish Coast
Back in June, Enrolment Manager Dristy Rahman and her partner Darragh were in Dalkey, Ireland to visit his family. On a beautiful afternoon at Sorrento Park, overlooking the Irish coastline, Darragh surprised her by getting down on one knee! It was a quick “yes” from Ms. Rahman, and they enjoyed the rest of their visit celebrating with his family. Congratulations Ms. Rahman!
A Step up in the HR World
Congratulations to Kam Kulewski for receiving his Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) certification. The CPHR is a nationally recognized designation for HR professionals in Canada, and reflects a combination of HR education, professional experience and knowledge across a range of areas, as well as a commitment to ethical practice and ongoing professional development. It took a lot of hard work and studying to complete the certificate. Well done, Mr. Kulewski!
