Ringing in the New Year

Sarah welcomed back staff and students after a wonderful winter break and congratulated everyone who overcame challenges during their Winter Outdoor Education Week.

Read her remarks below.

“Congratulations and thank you to all staff and student participants on Winter OE. To those of you who overcame challenges to have a successful OE week, thank you in particular for your participation - I hope you got a lot out of it.

“Let us use what we learned on our OE experiences to continue to bring out the best in one another. Collectively, that will help us bring out the best in Greenwood.

“A special welcome back to a few teachers that have been away on leave. Ms Webster returned just before the Winter Break, and we are pleased to have Ms. Au and Mr. Brown returning today.

“I can hardly believe that it is now the year 2020. It seems like just yesterday that it was the turn of the century and everyone was worried that computers would fail to make the adjustment and that the world would stop functioning properly. We were told to unplug our computers and I did just that to save my sweet, orange iMac. On New Year’s Eve 1999, I went snowboarding and then went home, unplugged my computer and went to bed early waiting to see what happened. 

“Nothing happened. The doom and gloom and worry had been for absolutely nothing.

“Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in doom and gloom scenarios and to despair over bad news. Sadly, 2020 has started with tragedy and sad news across the globe. The wildfires in Australia have resulted in the loss of both human and animal lives as well as environmental damage and loss of property and livelihood. The recent downing of the Ukranian Airlines plane resulting in 176 promising lives, many of them Canadian, being cut short, is tragic and heartbreaking news. 

“What gives me hope is hearing about the response of firefighters around the world to the wildfires, and about the rescue efforts in Australia. Civilians, including teenagers, are doing what they can to save wildlife. 

“I remain optimistic that something can be learned from the tragic loss of lives in the airline tragedy to prevent future suffering of this nature.

“New Year’s is a time to be optimistic, set new goals, and aspire to do a little better than we have done before. One thing that I ask is that you look back at an important message that I delivered at the beginning of the year. I asked you to:

Take care of yourself
Take care of this place
And
Take care of each other.

“I want you to think of one resolution that you can make to do just that!

“Happy 2020 everyone, and have a great term!”
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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 as settlers, 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.
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