On November 30th, a group of eight Trinity College School students from Grade 11 had the chance to take part in the annual CIS Thrive Student Leaders event hosted by Lakefield College School. Thrive provides emerging leaders with the chance to talk with their peers, sharing best practices and problem-solving in a collaborative setting.

Below, Grade 11 student Suzy Craine reflects on her experience at Thrive and how, perhaps to her surprise, it provided an inspiring and  memorable experience for attendees:

“The air buzzed with an especially stale quality on the morning of November 30th as myself, alongside seven other 11th-grade students sluggishly prepared for our trip to the leadership symposium held at Lakefield College School. Though we were informed that during this event students would be given the opportunity to share their thoughts on the strengths/weaknesses of our respective schools, an essential pillar for continuous improvement and mutual learning, all we students could discern from these adult-directions was another typical, educational exercise. However, our ears couldn’t have deceived us more, as this was an eye opening day for each and every one of us.

“Each session at the symposium was like a breath of fresh air…student-run, breaking the mold of the usual day-to-day classroom elements. My morning kicked off at the Mental Health and Awareness presentation, wherein students from other schools shared their experiences regarding such. It turns out we at TCS are pretty pampered…we’re lucky enough to be decidedly supported both in the educational department and in the ‘feels’ department; a double-whammy in encouraging a more efficient, and also more comfortable learning environment that most schools we heard speak, unfortunately, lacked. We’re pretty lucky here at TCS, our support systems and teams are heroic.

“After a quick lunch, I sat-in on the DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) presentation in the afternoon, where I heard schools speak on issues that appeared almost completely alien to our TCS bubble. It was like discovering a whole new world of problems and solutions. Alongside the epiphanies of TCS’s next-level accommodations I faced, we also stumbled upon some pretty incredible ideas that, I think, could jazz-up our already amazing school. Picture this: posters plastered everywhere, reminding us that help is just around the corner, a squad of student volunteers serving as the welcoming committee for newbies to ensure they don't feel like they’ve landed on Mars in their first few months. Hearing this, and considering I myself am a new student, I thought that this especially could take TCS’s student life to another level of phenomenal.

“Wrapping up the day, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d hit the jackpot being part of the TCS community. Of course, we all know that us Bears have got our ducks in a row, but there’s always room for even more beneficial ideas in furtherance of our already amazing misè en scène within TCS. This day wasn’t merely a day out of school that the students involved were anticipating, but was a powerful reminder of how truly fantastic TCS’s community remains, and how even the best can get a little bit better. Go Bears!”