Where Tomorrow Begins

By Dr. Carol Grant-Watt

Head of School

With the pace of innovation carrying us to unprecedented heights, it’s easy to forget that the future is not all about technology – it’s also about connection. The complexity of the human endeavour never ceases to amaze me, which is one reason I love being an educator. It feels like we are on the verge of a new era, and this year’s Optimum magazine theme, Where Tomorrow Begins, reflects how Strathcona- Tweedsmuir School (STS) is preparing our students for a successful future – one that is being built before our eyes in alignment with the pillars outlined in the Flourish 2031 strategic plan. 

In 2023, the word technology has evolved to be practically synonymous with connection — connection to information, services, ideas, and each other. Artificial Intelligence (AI) might be the topic of the moment, but we are the network creating this intelligence, and our students are the spark that will determine where it will evolve from here. 

I can promise without reservation that today’s students receive the finest education STS has ever provided. As I write this, the team behind our Campus Master Planning process is working on setting the direction of the School for the next twenty years, and that includes a re-examination of the role each program and space plays in a student’s educational journey. 

We are embracing high-level professional development, emerging pedagogies, strategies for developing genuine belonging, and neuroscience to determine how children, at every stage, learn best, and therefore flourish. New initiatives such as our flexible program STAND are making an STS education more accessible as we maintain the high standards we are so very proud of. Whether a student chooses in-class learning or a hybrid option, STS creates leaders who will step up, make tough decisions, and take on the world, all while never losing sight of their empathy and humanity. 

We have many exciting projects ahead that focus on building for tomorrow. As the bridge between the Elementary and Senior Schools, our Middle School space will receive functional and aesthetic updates that will enhance our students’ learning as it aligns beautifully with the ethos of the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and connects our entire student body from Kindergarten to Grade 12. 

One of the key pillars of Flourish 2031 is Global Hub in a Natural Setting. Every square inch of our campus is designed for one purpose: to create compassionate, curious, and creative global citizens who lead with courage. I often glance out my office window and consider how innovative spaces such as our Aspen Lodge allow the beauty and wisdom of nature to weave their way into the hearts and minds of our students. Just as they are exploring our expansive system of trails, so too are they connecting with 

all of the ways that they will become contributing members of the STS community and society as a whole. 

As the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu stated: 

We exist in a bundle of life. 

We say, “A person is a person through other people.” It is not “I think therefore I am,” but I am human because I belong. I participate, I share.” 

I would also like to recognize POSTS and our Alumni Association, two of the most visible examples of how connection creates this sense of community. From our sporting events to our Speech Day 75th anniversary, parents, alumni, and volunteers of all eras came together to make each of these a momentous occasion. They nourish these connections, and our STS family is stronger as a result. 

Margaret J. Wheatley, one of my favourite authors, has famously said, “Organizations are living systems with the ability to self-organize. They sustain themselves and move toward greater complexity and order as needed and can respond intelligently to the need for change.” This exemplifies, for me, the opportunities we have. 

It is important to acknowledge that our School, like any organization, is a living thing. The same is true of our campus, our programs, and our school community: we are challenged, we strive, we learn, and we grow. The challenge itself may be new, but that strength of spirit that has carried us through to today remains just as vital and steadfast as it has always been, and will most definitely carry us forward to tomorrow. 

Published in the 2023 Edition of Optimum Magazine