Head of School’s Report

9:10 am, January 22nd – I found myself outside Room 303 in the Ross Centre. Palms sweaty, heart racing, and nervous pacing – me, the Head of School – waiting for English 11 class.   Earlier in the term, Ms. Hedquist, Houseparent of Hope House and English teacher, asked me to take part in a Grade 11 project – Sell the Book. Based on certain criteria and with a detailed evaluation rubric, students are asked to “sell their book”, to encourage their classmates to read their chosen book. Ms. Hedquist needed a guinea pig so she politely chose me. At the time it seemed like a great opportunity so I leapt at it...and now I was here! My book was Malcolm Gladwell’s latest inspirational work, David and Goliath. The thesis of the book is that many successful people turn their supposed disadvantages into motivational fuel and, ultimately, a significant advantage. Yes, it’s all about using “grit" to push through challenges to move along a successful path. The presentation – I nailed it…or so I thought!  At cookie break, Ms. Hedquist slipped me a piece of paper – my mark!  Like most students, I didn’t read her comments but focused solely on the mark - 82.6666% - so I rounded it up to 90%. I was about to march back to her office and begin the mark-grubbing phase but stopped short and took the higher road – I’ll learn from the experience and do better next time – just like Gladwell would have wanted. Thank you to Mrs. Hedquist and her Grade 11 class for allowing me to share their class that day – it was an honour. Mr. Bud Patel, Head of School Please follow all our Head of School tweets on twitter @headofbrentwood