To Friendship and New Adventures

I don’t think that I have ever smiled or laughed at a school production as much as I did at last week’s Puffs. The story, which takes place at “a certain school of magic and magic” and tells the story of the lesser-known characters of Hufflepuff House, was filled with quips, puns and Harry Potter references galore. When I wasn’t grinning because of the play, I was filled with happiness for our students. Forty-nine students across many grades were part of the cast and crew – the highest number we have ever had involved in a senior play. I am so proud of their achievement and I am delighted that they had this opportunity to shine.  

Comedy aside, I couldn’t help but make connections between what the characters in the play learned and what our students learn over the course of their time at Greenwood. We don’t have Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors competing for the Quidditch Cup, but we do have eight Houses vying for top spot in our House standings. Just like the characters in the play are looking forward to (or anxiously awaiting) their school dance, our students have a semi-formal on the horizon. You won’t see a moving staircase at Greenwood (or, thankfully, have a near miss with a troll), but like the fictional school portrayed in Puffs, we are a close-knit community.

The play emphasized that friendships are a big part of community; it also demonstrated that friendships have their ups and downs. Like many of the best things in life, they can require work and understanding. As students prepare to embark on our first Winter Outdoor Education trips in three years, my wish for them is that they will be open not only to new experiences, but to new friendships. Boarding the bus with a kind, inviting attitude will help students to build unexpected and highly valued bonds. Even many years later, our alumni still vividly recall their OE experiences - but what they remember more than the trips themselves are the new relationships they forged with classmates. 
 
Over the past couple of years, I have been waiting for the day that we could bring back opportunities like the senior play and the upcoming trips – I’m so delighted that that day is here! I hope that our students continue to seize the many opportunities available to them, to find joy in their successes, and to learn from their challenges.    
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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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