By Anne-Marie Kee, Head of School and Foundation, Lakefield College School The scourge of anxiety, depression and loneliness among teenagers today is all the talk among educators. And it should be, because we see it every day in the students we are charged with preparing for their next stages in life. It’s put down to all sorts of causes. Parental pressure to get high grades, build a resume and get a job. Speculation that the jobs of tomorrow don’t exist today. Stories of unemployed graduates with useless degrees. Social media pressure to present a perfect picture of happiness, beauty, sexuality, prosperity, fashion awareness or whatever other winds fill the sails of popularity. Then there’s the pervasiveness of electronic devices, which can connect people—or make all connection remote and two-dimensional. And of course, the lack of time to “just be kids.” That’s only a taste. The list is long. All take their…
Author: social@lcs.on.ca
LCS Chapel Talks: Sharing Life’s Defining Moments
By Lorraine Brown, Director of Spiritual Wellness and Diversity This is my second year in the newly created role of Director of Spiritual Wellness and Diversity. If you were to ask our students who I am you might hear, “She’s the Chapel Lady,” or “She teaches AP Lit,” or “She says good morning to us in Chapel.” All of those statements are true. I am in Chapel each morning and I greet our community as they enter and exit the Chapel. I coordinate the programming of chapel and I also teach English courses as well as Spanish. I love our chapel, I have since I started working at LCS in 2003. It is a sacred space. You can feel how different it is from the other spaces in our community. And it’s not just the architecture that sets it apart (although it is a beautifully constructed space), it is the…
The LCS THRIVE / Jack Chapter Club: Warriors for well-being
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…
Read moreThe LCS THRIVE / Jack Chapter Club: Warriors for well-being