Havergal College | |
Address: | 1451 Avenue Road |
Country: | Canada |
Coordinates: | 43.7201°N -79.4143°W |
Principal: | Katrina Samson |
Grades: | JK–12 |
Enrollment: | 920 |
Enrollment As Of: | 2012–2013 |
Colours: | Green and Gold |
Mascot: | HaverGator |
Team Name: | Havergal Gators |
Havergal College is a private day and boarding school for girls from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school was established in 1894 and named for Frances Ridley Havergal, a composer, author and humanitarian.
Today, the 22acres campus is located at 1451 Avenue Road, at the corner of Avenue Road and Lawrence Avenue in midtown Toronto. Facilities include an Upper School, an athletic centre with a pool and fitness center, music studios, a theatre, computer labs and a Junior School.
In 2012, Havergal's elementary school was ranked first by the Fraser Institute amongst Toronto schools, receiving a "perfect score of 10".[1] In 2015, Havergal's secondary school was ranked second by the Fraser Institute amongst 749 Ontario secondary schools.[2]
Havergal was founded in 1894 as a Church of England Ladies' College, under principal Ellen Mary Knox. She held a first-class in the final honour examination at the University of Oxford, a Cambridge University diploma in teaching, and a First Division Government certificate. Havergal was the sister school of Ridley College for the first several decades of the schools' history.
In 1898, a new building was constructed for the school at 354 Jarvis Street.[3] By 1903, Havergal College had 120 boarders and 200 day girls, a staff of 20 resident teachers (chiefly from English universities) and a number of nonresident visiting teachers.[4] The former Havergal Ladies' College building at 354 Jarvis Street is now the Margaret McCain Academic Building at the National Ballet School of Canada.[5]
Havergal has several symbols. The Havergal Crest, comprising maple leaves, laurel branches, a torch, and a lamp of learning, symbolizes the school motto of Vitai Lampada Tradens — passing on the torch of life. The marguerite was chosen as the school flower "because it grew so cheerily wherever its luck found it, and because it looked up so steadily at the light that its heart was pierced with purest gold, its petals the purest white." (First Principal Ellen Knox)[6]
Havergal College's official mascot is the HaverGator,[7] an alligator dressed in the Havergal school uniform. The HaverGator, known as "Allie Gator" amongst Havergal students, represents the Havergal Athletics program and school spirit.
The Upper School refers to both the Middle School and the Senior School (together, grades 7 to 12) and is located at 1451 Avenue Road. The building was completed in 1926.
The Liberal Arts program exceeds the expectations of the Ontario Ministry of Education. All courses are college-preparatory and are at the advanced level. A credit is granted with the successful completion of a course for which a minimum of 110 hours has been scheduled. Many students choose to write Advanced Placement exams. Upon graduation, students receive the Ontario Secondary School Diploma.[8]
The Languages Department at Havergal offers courses in French, Spanish, Latin, and Mandarin.[9]
Students learn the fundamentals of web design, video and multimedia production, animation, and graphic design. Courses provide the opportunity to explore current industry-standard software, including PhotoShop, InDesign, GoLive, Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Soundtrack, LiveType, Motion, Dreamweaver, Flash, and Microsoft Office.[10]
The Advanced Placement (AP) Program gives students exposure to university-level material and, in some cases, credit towards university courses, and helps students acquire the skills and habits they will need for success at university.[11] Havergal offers Advanced Placement courses in biology, calculus, Mandarin, statistics, French, seminar, and research.[12]
The boarding school is a residence for approximately 50 students (Grades 9 to 12), representing countries all over the globe.[13] Fully integrated in the life of the school and with Day Students, boarding students participate in life skills programming, recreational programming and The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, in addition to the curricular and co-curricular programs. The Boarding School also hosts exchange students who visit for several weeks each term from partner schools located in six countries worldwide.[14]
In May 2020, the school was the defendant in a lawsuit filed by a student of the school and her mother alleging 'relentless' bullying, both digitally and in person, that the school did not prevent, seeking $38 million in damages.[15]
This is not the first time the school has been the subject of lawsuits about failing to prevent bullying, with a $5.5 million lawsuit filed in November 2019 after the school allegedly expelled the victim in question, following her parents complaints.[16] A report by York University psychology professor Debra Pepler found bullying to be a "significant, systemic problem" at the school (the report was commissioned by the victim's father).[17] As part of the latter case, allegations of racism were made (the victim in question is of Asian heritage).[18]
The house system forms the basis for organization in the school. The Houses have been named for women who have contributed to the welfare of Havergal.
House name | Colours | Mascot | |
---|---|---|---|
Agnes Hansen | Pink & White | Panther | |
Catherine Steele | Purple & Silver | Unicorn | |
Edith Nainby | Red & White | Lion | |
Ellen Knox | Green & White | Frog | |
Frances Ridley | Black, Orange & White | Penguin | |
Kate Leonard | Baby Blue & White | Elephant | |
Marcelle De Freitas | Royal Blue & Silver | Dolphin | |
Margaret Taylor | Orange & Dark Blue | Butterfly | |
Marian Wood | Yellow & Black | Bumblebee | |
Mary Dennys | Teal & Gold | Dragon |
The House system recognizes the contributions of ten women to the life of the school, and provides a link between students and Old Girls.[21]