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The LCS THRIVE / Jack Chapter Club: Warriors for well-being

Posted on 21/12/20187/06/2019Categories boarding schools

It's 5:15 on a Monday night in November. About 30 teenagers sprawl on couches, armchairs and the floor, propped against cushions and each other. They're wearing sweats and jeans and look like a close group of friends hanging out in someone's rec room. But in fact, they're in the School Life Centre at Lakefield College School. And although it's likely they'll become friends, they're LCS boarders and day students, all from different grades, houses, backgrounds and countries. What they have in common, what brings them together on this frigid winter night, is their mutual desire to increase the happiness and well-being of every person in the school. Many names come to mind to describe this keen, compassionate group: Sensitive Superheroes; Warriors for Well-being; Champions of Cheer. But the actual name is more prosaic. These students have joined an LCS club called THRIVE/Jack Chapter, which aims to promote the values of…

Mamma Mia! Takes the Stage

Posted on 7/12/20187/12/2018Categories LCS Learns

By Rory Gilfillan, LCS Teacher Shakespeare was wrong. While all the world may be a stage, a musical is categorically different. Unlike life, actors can’t take a sick day, can’t ask for an extension and can’t opt out because, when the curtain goes up, whether they are ready or not, for two hours the oldest show business cliché comes into effect; the show must go on. In terms of authentic experiences nothing approaches an enterprise of this magnitude and Lakefield College School’s production of Mamma Mia! was no different. Mamma Mia! is the highly acclaimed Broadway musical (and film) that tells the story through the music of ABBA, of free-spirited Donna, who is the proprietress of an inn on the fictitious island of Kalokairi. Little does she know that her soon to be married daughter, Sophie, has invited three of her mother’s former paramours in the hopes of discovering the identity…

Crisis Management Simulation—Learning Important Life Skills

Posted on 6/12/20187/12/2018Categories leadership development

By Peter O'Grady, LCS Teacher The Crisis Management Simulation has been an integral part of the Grade 12 Outdoor Education experience at Lakefield College School for almost 20 years—teaching teamwork and the building of communication and collaboration skills. Combining amazingly realistic make-up, a story that involves multiple injured persons, an amazing outdoor wooded campus and an often wet and cool late November day, the stage is set for an impactful and meaningful experience. Students are asked, in advance of the simulation, to consider and identify their unique strengths and how they align with the type of leader they are. For this particular activity, students are assigned to roles that align with their particular strengths and areas they feel confident with. While wilderness first aid, in general, is part of the experience, in this context, introducing students to this skill area - of identifying and working to personal strengths - is the key. We build on first aid training…