Celebrating Greenwood's Renovation and Expansion

Kate Raven
The evening included the unveiling of Greenwood’s new Cumulative Giving Wall, which recognizes donors who have given over $100,000 to the school. Guests also had an opportunity to learn more about “Singing the Light,” the glass artwork installed in our feature staircase, from artist Sarah Hall.
 
For Greenwood founders Richard Wernham and Julia West, it was hard to believe that they were standing in a 60,000-square-foot expansion to Greenwood’s original building.
 
“When we started the school along with John and David Latimer, we were just hoping we could entice 72 students to enroll for the first year,” Richard says. “We never dreamed of being where we are today.”
 
Richard and Julia deeply appreciated seeing many of the major donors who contributed to the project. “The community has been so generous,” Richard said. “It was wonderful to be able to thank a good number of our donors in person. What their donations have helped to achieve is truly impressive.”
 
The Cumulative Giving Wall was a highlight for Richard and Julia. “What I like about it is that it acknowledges in a totally unusual and rather subtle way those people who have made financial contributions to the school,” Julia says. “But it is in a main artery of the School, so we will be reminded every day of how many generous people had a hand in making the new building possible”
 
A total of 52 people have donated over $100,000 to Greenwood since the school’s founding. “It’s extraordinary,” Richard says. “As two of Greenwood’s founders, there is something very gratifying about people not only entrusting their children’s education to us, but making significant donations as well. It speaks to how strongly they feel about the school.”
 
Richard and Julia also enjoyed meeting with many of the people who contributed to the planning and construction of the expansion, from architects and designers to city planners and contractors.
 
“Having folks there who had really worked so hard to bring the project to fruition was very appropriate,” Richard says.
 
“Many of them had never seen the school in its current condition,” Julia adds. “When you’re engaged in construction in any capacity, it’s wonderful to see things lifted from the page and made real.” 
 
And what do they think of the building itself?
 
“The architects did an excellent job of understanding the school and its goals, and the needs of staff and students,” Julia says. “They really listened carefully to what everyone had to say.”
 
“It’s really terrific, and very distinctive,” Richard adds. “It doesn’t look like any other school.”
Back
No comments have been posted

Greenwood College School

443 Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto, ON M4S 2L8
Tel: 416 482 9811
We acknowledge with gratitude the Ancestral lands upon which our main campus is situated. These lands are the Ancestral territories of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Anishinabek and the Wendake. The shared responsibility of this land is honoured in the Dish with One Spoon Treaty and we strive to care for the land, the waters, and all creatures in the spirit of peace. We are responsible for respecting and supporting the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. When away from this campus we vow to be respectful to the land by protecting and honouring it. We will create relationships with the people and the land we may visit by understanding the territories we enter and the nations who inhabit them.
Copyright © 2022 Greenwood College School

Greenwood College School Charitable registration number: 873553317RR0001
Greenwood College School Foundation Charitable registration number: 860082247RR0001