The Babineau Boys: Soaring with a Safety Net

"The first time we were on campus was the day Christian '14 started school in September 2012." Simone Babineau says with a smile. "Classes hadn't started yet, and we ran into Ian Armstrong—who we'd met before—walking down a corridor. He immediately came up to Christian, put his arm around his shoulder and said, 'I'm so glad you're here!' I'll never forget that. We knew Christian was where he was supposed to be." The Babineau family—Phil, Simone and their two sons, Christian '14 and Alex '16—had never considered boarding school when the boys were growing up in New Brunswick. But one winter after Christian returned home from playing hockey against some prep schools in Ontario (both Christian and Alex are skilled players), he said he rather liked the idea of boarding school. Simone and Phil were taken aback. They'd always told their children they could achieve anything their hearts desired, to…

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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…

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Lessons from “A Teenager’s View on Social Media”

I recently came across this post A Teenager’s View on Social Media and it made me think about how quickly technology is changing and how far ahead (in what a different space) young people are. The post contains the personal views of an “actual teen” (his words), a 19 year-old student in the U.S. commenting on the apps teenagers use and don't use. The young man admittedly writes (in his follow up post) that his views are based on personal opinion “to provide a different view based on [his] life in this ‘highly coveted’ age bracket.” I found his perspective interesting both as an educator and father for many reasons and have shared my observations below. Meeting our students where they are My first thought to the blog post was a question: How do we meet (communicate with) our students where they are? While I recognize that it is not considered "social media" (the…

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