I hope that whether you are working, retired, on holiday, or with family, that you are regularly asked how you are doing and if you enjoyed your most recent weekend. One of the myriad benefits of my job is that I am surrounded by 600 kids and 200 adults and we exchange with one another these basic, friendly, caring, short, impromptu moments every day. I will never tire of these greetings; they warm my heart every day.
At the time of writing this particular blog submission, it is a Monday morning (Monday, September 26th, to be exact) and the usual “How are you?” was quickly followed by, “What did you do this weekend?”
Because time was a factor, I responded, “Lots!” I would have loved to have had the opportunity to respond with a more replete answer that would have outlined the various events that took place at the School over the September 23rd-25th weekend. Whereas, the vast majority of schools and principals close their school doors for the weekend, between Friday and Sunday at TCS, I had the opportunity to:
- Host 15 former TCS students (including my daughter, class of ’16) for dinner at The Lodge on Friday
- Attend Bear Fair, which had been superbly organized by our TCS Parents’ Guild, lead by Mrs. Lisa Bailey P’21 ’23 ’24 and approximately 50 parent volunteers. The event included jumpy castles, a silent auction, outdoor games, a petting zoo, live music interludes and many more activities.
- Enjoy a hot dog lunch at the outdoor barbecue on the terraces along with approximately 850 other hungry students, kids, moms, dads, alumni and staff
- As part of our Alumni Celebration (to celebrate classes whose reunions were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic), I was able to watch portions of the alumni soccer and field hockey games and see our TCS Bears football team take on St. Andrew’s College
- Attend the dedication and blessing of the Clinton T. Sayers ’80 Service Learning Centre & Award
- Help to dedicate the new football seating in honour of long-serving former faculty member and coach Drew Allen
- Provide a school update to alumni, some who had travelled from as far as Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, New Zealand, South Korea and the USA; some in attendance were students at the School as far back as 1956
- Present the School’s highest award for service to TCS – the Colin T. Brown ’75 Leadership Medal – to Brenda and Roger Glassco ’65
- Join more than 200 TCS alumni for dinner in nearby Cobourg
- Participate in a special alumni chapel service on Sunday morning in memory of alumnus, Bishop Michael Bedford-Jones ’61
- Enjoy a special brunch in Osler Hall, alongside alumni and students
- Attend a celebration of life service in Kingston, Ontario, to pay respects to the late Michael Davies ’55, former chair of the Trinity College School Board of Governors and founding chair of the TCS Foundation. Michael was a philanthropist, supporter of dozens of community organizations, and the recipient of numerous awards including the Order of Ontario; he was also a Member of the Order of Canada.
As I mentioned to my interested questioner, regarding my engagement on the weekend prior, it was easier to simply say “lots” when pressed for time! But what an honour it is that I get to fill my days celebrating, honouring and connecting with the people of TCS.
