Past and Present

Crescent School • Fall 2012

NOVEMBER Wednesday 7 Remembrance Day Assembly Friday 9 – Monday 12 Midterm Break Friday 16 Faculty visit to Waterloo and Laurier Wednesday 21 Holiday Sale Cocktail Party Thursday 22 Holiday Sale Friday 30 American Thanksgiving Mentoring Panel

DECEMBER Saturday 1 FIRST Lego League Competition Wednesday 5-Friday 7 Death of a Salesman (US drama performance) Tuesday 11 LS Winter Celebration Thursday 13 MS/US Winter Celebration Thursday 20 Bidiak Basketball Challenge/Alumni Holiday Reception Friday 21 start of Winter Break

JANUARY Tuesday 8 return from Winter Break Wednesday 30 & Thursday 31 Julius Caesar (MS drama performance)

FEBRUARY Friday 15 – Monday 18 Midterm Break Saturday 23 CISAA U10-U12 basketball finals

MARCH Friday 1 Faculty visit to Queen’s Friday 8 – Friday 22 March Break

White events are of most interest to current familiesGrey events are exclusive to AlumniGreen events are of interest to the entire Crescent community

Upcoming Events 2012/2013

Centennial Year at Crescent SchoolNOVEMBER Wednesday 7 Opening of the Centennial

Garden & Planting of Bulbs

Wednesday 14 Centennial Speaker Series(Stephen Lewis)

FEBRUARY Wednesday 20 Centennial Hockey Day

TBA Sealing of the Centennial Time Capsule

MAY Friday 10 Friday Night Lights (Rugby)

JUNE Saturday 8 The Crescent Centennial Bash (The Party of the Century)

1Past and Present • Fall 2012Past and Present • Fall 2012

Headmaster's Message ...........................2

Deputy Headmaster's Message ..............4

Board Report ...........................................5

New Board Members ..............................6

CPA Report ..............................................8

School Leaders ......................................10

Prize Day................................................11

Athletic Awards .....................................14

Athletic Achievements...........................15

Events ....................................................16

Angela Farr ............................................18

Jane Fleetwood-Morrow .......................20

Jeff Mitz .................................................22

Centennial Opening Ceremonies..........24

Crescent School Timeline .......Centre Spread

Centennial Committee Co-Chairs' Message ..............................28

News from Advancement ......................29

Tooting Our Horn ..................................30

President of the Crescent Alumni Executive's Message .............................32

Alumni Events ........................................33

Alumni Internship Programme ..............34

Fraser McKee '38 ..................................36

Thomas Symons '41 ..............................37

Brian Smith '56 ......................................38

Alex Dean '66 ........................................39

Mike Smith '87 ......................................40

Jesse Wente '92 ....................................42

Sheldon Kwok '08 .................................43

Andrew DeFalco '11 ..............................44

Alumnus of the Year ..............................45

University Placements............................45

Golf Tournament ...................................46

Alumni Branch Visits ..............................48

Life After Crescent .................................49

In Memoriam .........................................50

Excerpt from A Crescent Century .........51

Table of Contents

CRESCENT SCHOOL2365 Bayview AvenueToronto, ON M2L 1A2

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Past and Present is published for the entire Crescent community

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2 Crescent School • Since 1913

Finding SustenanceMessage from the Headmaster

A hundred years of anything is a pretty good run. Life magazine, a mainstay

in many households in the mid-to-late 20th century managed only 71; innovative and ubiquitous Apple has been around since 1976, and powerhouse Honda has been churning out cars since 1963. Crescent is a comparative Methuselah. We’ve been plying our trade in education since 1913, and while most would agree that Crescent doesn’t have as deep roots in Torontonian or Canadian psyches as a few other notable schools, we’re working patiently on cracking that nut. Each year we strive to be the best school we can be for our students, their parents, our alumni and our staff. For a centenarian, we’re in pretty good shape; we continue to be pretty nimble and spry.

A newly-minted hundred-year-old should be allowed the privilege of a breath or two for reflection. A lot of water has flowed under Crescent’s bridge; I’d like to hope that it provides us with some wisdom as well—or at least should grant us a moment of pause.

As you will read later in this issue of Past and Present, Colin Lowndes writes a very thoughtful piece on the importance of caring, inspiring teachers in the lives of students. Educational fads and

technological revolutions can change seasonally, but some realities remain constant. He makes a strong case for those perennial truths. I’m sure you will enjoy the article as much as I did.

As Crescent comes to its 100th birthday, however, there are strong forces at play in our lives and the lives of our students that threaten to tear at the fabric that keeps us together. Interestingly, these forces seem largely to be centred on a current, all-consuming pursuit that

presents more like an itch than an inclination: social networking.

“Belonging” has never been as complicated as it is today in our lives. The Internet presents with a seemingly infinite number of very attractive groups who just may want us to join, no matter how obscure our interests. Marmalade and snuffbox makers, hamster owners, and people who like to salsa in Brighton

have online communities to which they belong and feel connected in some manner. E-mail boxes around the world are being bombarded by what one blogger has wittily described as “invitaspam.” In the 21st century, that old torch song could be renamed, You’re Nobody Until Somebody Friends You.

This is all relatively new to me, but to our children and my students, this is about

3Past and Present • Fall 2012

If our students are convinced that they belong, that they are cared for and are known, and that they are appropriately challenged to explore their limits, then that bedrock of knowledge will sustain them.

as noticeable as inhaling and exhaling. Socially and virtually they are being pulled outward (like Einstein’s vision of an ever-exploding universe), powerfully compelled away from the centre of the self towards the alluring virtual world—and the implication of not belonging to a virtual tribe, or six, is social suicide. Ironically, some might assert that the desperate anxiety to belong can have a similar, catastrophic outcome. I’ve heard some of our students bemoan the fact that Facebook is a huge distraction that they’d love to live without—but only if everyone else promises to check out at exactly the same time.

Social networking is not going away anytime soon, and I’m certainly not advocating for a revolution or return

being pulled ever outward to connect to more and more virtual people and “tribes,” it may have become even more important to be grounded in the joyful, personal reality of school with real people, real friends, and real, immediate responsibilities that don’t go away with Ctrl Alt Delete.

In Franklin Foer’s How Soccer Explains the World, he writes,

… humans crave identifying with a group. It is an unavoidable, immemorial, hardwired instinct. Since modern life has knocked the family and tribe from their central positions, the nation has become the only viable vessel for this impulse. To deny this craving is to deny human nature and human dignity. (p.198)

are convinced that they belong, that they are cared for and known, and are appropriately challenged to explore their limits at their school, then that bedrock knowledge will sustain them in times of despair, loneliness and uncertainty—far more than any virtual connection.

Crescent aspires to provide that sustenance. Yes, we give them a great academic education; however, I contend that we do our best work at those times when our students feel fractured by the complexity of their world’s demands, and we take the time to assure them that there will always be someone to turn to: friends, classmates, mentors, advocates and teammates—many of whom regularly wear green (or blue) blazers.

to the past. Social networking is an incredibly efficient way of sharing and creating knowledge. It can connect people for the benefit of not only those individuals, but for the furtherance of the subject matter for which they have gotten together in the first place. Sharing ideas and perspectives has never been as easy, and I think that capacity has led to some important and innovative new ideas. But I also believe that there may be something fundamentally Newtonian about human psychology. As we are

He’s mostly right; however, the nation is not the only viable vessel for this hardwired craving. School, independent schools in particular, can fill that gap of belonging so necessary for human dignity—and it’s never been as important in our students’ lives as it is today.

Great, progressive independent schools are mindful of this fundamental human need to belong. Along with family, we can be the greenhouse for healthy, human development. If our students

It’s no mistake that our School song is entitled Sons of Crescent. We aspire to have our students feel as if this is their home away from home, with all the messiness and certitude that metaphor entails. It’s been that way for our first hundred years. I strongly suspect that the noble cause of making students feel connected to their school, that forms and informs them, will continue at Crescent for the next hundred.

Geoff RobeRts, HeadmasteR


Rigour and RelationshipMessage from the Deputy Headmaster

Birthdays, anniversaries and similar events provoke reflection. We find

in them the opportunity to pause and look back and, as well, to look ahead. It seems to me that the older I get the more pronounced is this tendency. There are few provocations for reflection more pronounced than a centennial. At Crescent, as we celebrate, we are also thinking hard about who we are as a school, how we got here, and where we need to go.

These are tumultuous times in education. There are many, often competing, proposals to transform schools, from technology to architecture to curriculum, pedagogy and assessment strategies. The debates play out in the popular press and in electronic media, as well as in professional forums. It’s impossible to attend an educational conference without hearing about the revolution that is 21st century learning, variously defined. In the current educational climate it can be difficult to keep from being buffeted from trend to trend, from one bright, shiny new idea to the next.

One of the advantages of a long history is that your identity is clearly defined. Crescent has always been a very particular kind of school community. Recently I was listening to a talk by David Brooks, the well-known journalist and commentator on American culture. He was surveying the last 30 years of educational reform. He observed that we have tweaked everything: technology, curriculum, facilities, furniture—everything, but the results have been disappointing because the reformers have failed to grasp a simple, critical truth: in his words: “People learn from people they love.” Effective education is grounded in “the individual relationship between teacher and student.” This truth has been at the

heart of the Crescent experience from the School’s first day. As the School’s historian Neil Campbell writes of Jimmy James, Crescent’s founder, “According to his pupils, Jimmy James was an unusual teacher for his generation. Rosedale parents may have been quite clear about what they wanted for their sons—a solid education in the basic subjects—but James created ‘...a far gentler place than the fierce caning world’ of other private schools at that time.” This is Crescent’s

enduring identity: a sound education in a caring environment; what Brooks refers to elsewhere as “rigour and relationship.”

Of course, this doesn’t mean we wish to sit back and relax. Rigour and relationship will always be at the core of what Crescent does. However, we recognize a parallel tradition, enhanced by our position as a small, independent school, of being innovative and nimble in applying our best understanding of what our boys need to continue to thrive in the world. As we face our second hundred years, we recognize that our boys’ world continues to become more compact and complex. We know that it’s highly competitive. We know that the pace of change can be ferocious and unforgiving. This awareness has spurred not only a curricular response, but also our development of a far-reaching and very hands-on Outreach Programme over the past decade, designed to get boys out and engaged in their world, together with our current and ongoing focus on the increased importance of languages, most obviously with the recent introduction of Mandarin. Similarly, we recognize the ubiquity and importance of technology; it’s not the main event, but it can be a valuable and powerful tool and so we have developed our own BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) approach, unique among our network of

independent schools. Competition and relentless change can lead to increased stress and anxiety (as can many other aspects of contemporary childhood and adolescence.) Crescent Student Services (CSS) is purpose-built as the nexus of emotional, academic and health support. All of these responses are informed by our emphasis on research.

So what’s in store academically for Crescent School as it faces its second century? We remain grounded in our historic identity: rigour and relationship. We will continue to be innovative and nimble as we challenge ourselves to find the best ways to prepare boys of promise to thrive, not only at university, but as good men active in the world. It is our conviction that, now more than ever, the world needs men of character: men with the courage, the skills and understanding, the habit of engagement, to stand up, no matter where they may find themselves, and ask, “How can I help?”

Colin lowndes, deputy HeadmasteR/Head of uppeR sCHool

This is Crescent’s enduring identity: a sound education in a caring environment.


As Crescent School marks its centen-nial, we look forward to celebrat-

ing the School’s past achievements and milestones this year. Guided by a century of experience, a School-wide commit-ment to excellence, and very supportive constituents (including parents, alumni, faculty and students), Crescent continues to be a leader in educating boys.

Crescent is in a strong position. Careful strategic planning and operational improvements have enabled the School to move forward, with strength, to ensure our boys receive a deep and rewarding educational experience.

• Thebeginningoftheschoolyearwasfull of excitement with the opening of the new Lau Family Wing and the Margaret Donnelly Library. We also made extensive renovations to our music and robotics learning spaces. As a result of the new environments, boys have experienced new learning techniques, many gleaned from Crescent’s research and development in boys’ education.

• TheBoardcontinueditsworkondeveloping an ongoing process to measure and prioritize strategic risks. In addition, we kept close attention to our Strategic Plan by measuring what

has been executed, and scrutinizing what remains to be completed.

We complemented our strategy by analyzing the thoughtful responses from the Parent Survey, and examined an important cultural issue by undertaking a survey that assessed the level of social cruelty at Crescent. The surveys reported an extremely high satisfaction rating; notwithstanding, we look forward to continued developments to augment further the Crescent experience.

• Admissionsandthequalityofmission-fitboys entering the School remains strong. Data points that include Open House attendees, overall applications and actual student accepted offers indicate a high degree of success—and the high value parents place on a Crescent School education. The Leadership Team and Board of Governors remain committed to Crescent’s character-based academic excellence.

• Duringtheyear,theBoardremainedfocused on supporting the Leadership Team and assisting them to ensure the integrity of Crescent’s mission and core values. Strong school governance, and fiscal discipline and

responsibility continue to drive all Board decisions.

On behalf of the Board, I thank Mr. Geoff Roberts, his Leadership Team and the faculty and staff of Crescent School for an exceptional year. Their dedication and commitment to the boys is inspiring.

I am delighted with the quality and degree of engagement of those we have been able to attract to our Board and Committees. To my fellow Governors and Committee members, I thank you for your wisdom and commitment to the School.

bill fieldinG (p’09,’13), boaRd CHaiR

Board Report 2011/2012

Bill Fielding ........................................................................................Board ChairBryan Kerdman .......................................... Vice-Chair, Governance Chair, FinanceMichael Donnelly ’88 ........................................................................ Development Sam Duboc ......................................................................................Finance Chair Andrew Flynn ’88 .............. Development (President of Crescent Alumni Executive)Jane Freund .......................................................................Centennial Celebration Barry Gordon...................................Finance, Chair of Crescent School FoundationMay Lee ............................................................................................ DevelopmentKate Lisus ..................................................................Communications/MarketingStuart Raftus........................................Communications/Marketing, DevelopmentDavid Sculthorpe ........................................................Communications/Marketing Glenn Shyba ....................................................................Facilities Chair, FinanceGordon Stein ................................................................. Technology Chair, FinancePaul Tompkins .........................................................................Development ChairAmanda Walton ................................................ Communications/Marketing ChairMary Wellner .............................................. Crescent Parent Association PresidentAndrew Williams ’83 ........................................................................... Governance Bill Young ........................................................................................... Governance

BoarD of Governors 2012/2013

6 Crescent School • Since 19136 Crescent School • Since 19136 Crescent School • Since 1913

Barry GordonBarry Gordon ’87, father of Oscar Gordon ’21 and an alumnus himself, will be joining the Board this year. Barry also serves as Chair of the Crescent School Foundation Board.

Barry graduated from Queen’s University with a BA in 1991. He received his LL.B from the University of Toronto in 1994, and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1996. Barry’s professional career includes practising securities law at McMillan Binch LLP (now McMillan LLP) in Toronto, and senior roles in financial services firms. Barry has been President and Chief Executive Officer of First Asset Capital Corporation, and its predecessors since 2001, and together with several colleagues, purchased the firm from its former owners in 2007.

Education remains a focus for Barry, a passion he inherited from his father, Christopher Gordon, former teacher and headmaster of Crescent School from 1970-1982. In addition to the Crescent School Foundation Board, Barry sits as a director of the Havergal College Foundation Board, is a former director and treasurer of the Torch Educational Foundation, and is involved with Pathways to Education Canada.

Barry is a member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), the Law Society of Upper Canada, and is involved with several non-profit organizations. Barry and his wife Wendy have two children, the aforementioned Oscar who is in grade 4, and Hannah, who is in grade 6 at Havergal College.

Kate LisusKate has been an active volunteer at Crescent School for years, and her most recent volunteer stint was serving as Chair of the CFC (Crescent Family Committee) in 2009. She is currently sitting on the Communications and Marketing Committee.

Kate and her husband, Jonathan, are the parents of two Upper School boys, Daniel (grade 11) and Asher (grade 9). Both boys have been at Crescent since grade 3. Their daughter, Madeline, has just started at the University of Toronto and studies Ethics and Philosophy in the Trinity One Program.

Kate received her Honours BA in Psychology from York University in 1988 and an MBA from Schulich School of

Business in 1990. She joined Procter & Gamble in 1990 where she worked in brand management and competitive analysis. She resigned from P&G in 1997 and founded Lisus Marketing Inc., providing marketing and promotional services to primarily packaged goods companies.

In 2005, Kate decided to focus on volunteer work. Her prior board experience includes The Leo Baeck Day School, Yorktown Family Service Board, and the Arthritis Advisory Board of Ontario.

Kate spends as much time as possible with her husband and their kids and dog up north in Thornbury. As a family, they enjoy travelling, skiing and hiking.

New Board Members2012/2013

7Past and Present • Fall 2012 7Past and Present • Fall 2012 7Past and Present • Fall 2012

Stuart RaftusStuart joins the Board of Governors after serving this past year on the Development Committee. A graduate of Saint Mary’s University, he started his career in Halifax as a Financial Consultant with Merrill Lynch Canada in 1985.

Stuart moved to Toronto with his wife Tracey in 1994. During the past 18 years he has held senior executive roles within the financial services industry both in Canada and the United States. Currently he is President and Chief Operating Officer of Beacon Securities Ltd.

Stuart and Tracey have four boys: Walter is in grade 8, Harry in grade 7, John in grade 2 and Michael is in junior kindergarten. As a family they enjoy su mmers in Nova Scotia, skiing and travelling.

mergers and acquisitions and merchant banking services across several core industries. He has spent over 20 years in the commercial real estate industry in Canada and is focused on the principal investing side.

Prior to Origin Merchant Partners, Mr. Shyba was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Osmington Inc., and was Vice President, Development at Bramalea Inc. He also participated in the development of Canada’s first property valuation software program for commercial real estate.

Glenn holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from UBC with a major in Finance. Glenn serves as a director on two public company Boards, both of which participate in the real estate investment sector.

Glenn and his wife Sylvia Baumann are the parents of Blake, who is currently in grade 9, and Corie who is at Havergal College in grade 7.

Mary WellnerMary Wellner joins the Board as President of the CPA (Crescent Parent Association). Prior to taking on this role, she was CPA Vice President and has been an active member of the Crescent community.

Mary has a degree in Political Science and English Literature from Queen’s University, and has held numerous positions in communications including her role as a Market Research Analyst at A.C. Nielsen, and stints at Leo Burnett and Concerned Children’s Advertisers—both in Toronto.

Mary (with her husband Tom, and son and daughter) lived as an expatriate for 10 years in the United States, England and Germany. She has travelled extensively throughout Europe and brings global understanding to her work. In addition to her involvement at Crescent, Mary sits on the board of the Esprit Orchestra, and is an active volunteer at Havergal College.

Mary and Tom have two children: Nicholas, grade 9 and Anna, grade 7.

Glenn ShybaGlenn Shyba is a Founder and Principal of Origin Merchant Partners which is an independent investment bank that provides value added corporate finance,


The CPA (Crescent Parent Association) has much to celebrate. The

year 2011/2012 was successful and productive on every front thanks to the supportive leadership of President Anne Marie Mayne, and to the work of our community of over 500 volunteers.

The CPA is fortunate to have a vast number of committed parents who enthusiastically donate their time to the School. Parent involvement creates a lively environment of community for all. Crescent volunteers come from a very broad school base representing every division of the School. This allows for parents of boys in the Lower School, Middle School and Upper School to come together and meet each other, and to be involved in shared interests and common goals. CPA volunteers create opportunities for parents to socialize together, contribute to outreach programmes together, to support the School in its objectives together, and to fundraise together.

Last year, the opportunities to build community came in many forms. Coffee in the Courtyard offered the chance to meet each other in the first week of

school. Last year this event was very well attended. Also well attended—with record numbers—was the Lower School Halloween Party in October, and then in February, the Annual Parent Luncheon. There were also a series of social events, both evening and daytime affairs, organized by our incredible team of Grade Parents. These volunteers were very successful at bringing parents together and enabling community and communication.

There are a number of areas where the CPA works to support School initiatives. The CPA organized the annual Coat and Boot Drive, which last year provided several car loads of warm clothes to Firgrove Public School and Willow Park Junior Public School, The Birthday Book Programme, the School Ambassador Programme, the PEP (Parent Education Programme—new this year), and events like House Day and Coyote Kickoff are all

CPA Report2011/2012


Coyote’s Den Used Uniforms ...................................................................................Pam BinnsHoliday Sale Vice Chair ....................................................................................... Allison SmithGarage Sale Vice Chair .......................................................................................... Karen Tang School & Community Vice Chair ............................................................................Diana Allion Birthday Book Convenor .............................................................................. Domenica Ganguli Lower School Liaison ........................................................................................Sheila Centner Middle School Liaison ..............................................................................................Lori FisherUpper School Liaisons ................................................................Debbie Bell, Natalie WilliamsCoffee in the Courtyard ............................................................................................. Irene Kou Lower School Halloween Party ............................................................................. Joelle CoronaPlant Sale/Gift Wrap/Magazines ...............................................................................Tee BurkePast Parent Representative ............................................................................ Sharon FieldingAnnual Parent Luncheon ..........................................................................................Kelly OslerParent Ambassadors ......... Mary-Martin Morris, Sharon Cheng, Meme Seto, Michelle Hayward, Anne Conlin, May Wah Lau, Nancy Baker

President ...................................................................................................... Mary WellnerPast President .......................................................................................Anne Marie Mayne Vice President .................................................................................................... Tara BorgSecretary .............................................................................................Lynn Porter ZechnerTreasurer ...................................................................................................Maria DavidsonCommunications Chair ............................................................................. Sylvia BaumannHoliday Sale Chair .......................................................................................... Laurie FooteCoyote’s Den Chair .................................................................................... Jennie FergusonGarage Sale Chair .................................................................................................... Ivy Lit Social Events Chair .................................................................................... Sheila CentnerSchool and Community Chair ........................................................................... Liz KennedyParent Ambassador Programmes Chair .........................................................Flo ChapmanPEP (Parent Education Programme) Chair ..................................................Sally-Ann Main

supported by dedicated CPA volunteers. These events represent opportunities for the CPA to support the School directly.

Another very important and integral part of the CPA is the fundraising initiatives. The Coyote’s Den, the annual Holiday Sale and Garage Sale are incredibly important to our community, and in realizing our fundraising objectives. All funds raised at Crescent from these volunteer efforts are donated to the School to support the Great Boys campaign. For the last five years, the proceeds from CPA fundraising initiatives have been donated to endow the CPA Centennial Scholarship.

This fund was established in 2007, with a pledge to raise $700,000 toward a scholarship for a new grade 9 boy. This pledge was realized last year, and the scholarship was awarded to a very deserving young man, who started at Crescent in September—our centennial year. Thank you to the myriad of volunteers for their collective effort over the last five years to make this exciting scholarship a reality.

The current CPA pledge is to raise $600,000 toward the final phase of the Great Boys campaign. This fund will support the new Library and Commons. The CPA will donate all Coyote’s Den

and CPA event proceeds over the next five years to fulfill this pledge.

Just as there is much to celebrate from the year 2011/2012, there is much to anticipate in the upcoming year. We have a very enthusiastic and dedicated group of volunteers, many of whom are new to the CPA. It will be an exciting year, especially so as our community celebrates Crescent’s centennial. Come out and dip your toe in. We welcome everyone, and know that much of the success of our next 100 years will be the result of our parent community, and its continued dedication to the School.

maRy wellneR, Cpa pResident 2012/2013

CPa CoMMITTee 2012/2013

CPa CoorDInaTors 2012/2013


School Leaders2012/2013

Head Boy Jack Hayward

PrefectsAssembly

Adam Brooks, Chris Grant

ArtsKevin Chien

CommunicationsSpencer Belyea

Grad Class & Alumni LiaisonJeffrey Carlin

Lower School LiaisonTaylor Keating

Middle School LiaisonStefan Losberg

OutreachGiorge Voutsas

SocialColin Williams

SportsWill Christodoulou

Upper School LiaisonToms Black

GOLDChristopher HatsiosMarko Popovic

SILVERCole HalbertLeonard ChiuNicholas Chiu

Gavin LeungAlexander HutcheonSpencer RoseNevin KongNicholas MehtaGraham PitfieldJethro KwongChristopher Hatsios

Blake RosenbergScott SoGrant Mercer

BRONZEBen PitfieldNicholas FreundBernie Yeung

Stefan LosbergMichael HatsiosGraeme HardieJonathan Allion Matthew AllionAndrew KungKevin Chien

House Prefects Cartier

Troy Crema

HudsonJack Hogarth

MackenzieMatt Buckles

MasseyAaron Rose

SimcoeAlex Gerlings

WolfeAdam McBain

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Recipients 2012

House CaptainsCartier

Alex Karayannopoulos, Alex MacNicol

Hudson Jake Fisher, Ryan McCabe

Mackenzie Peter Milazzo, Barrett Geisler

Massey Jacob Kachura, Ben Pitfield

Simcoe Evan Shibuya, James Weiss

Wolfe Spencer Grimes, Trevor Noskiewicz


Lower School Awards Prize Day 2012

★ Sheila Barber Citizenship Awards Grade 3 Fionn Lay

Grade 4 Adam Berry

Grade 5 Jackson Margach

Grade 6 Rohan Jain

★ Lower School Spirit Awards Grade 3 Simon Malone

Grade 4 Scott Robertson

Grade 5 Liam Livingstone

Grade 6 Robbie Mason

★ House Captain AwardDaniel Goldman

★ CPA Effort Prizes Grade 3 Matthew Diduck

Grade 4 Matthew Bisset

Grade 5 Cole Starkman

Grade 6 Ryan Cheng

★ French PrizesGrade 3 Nathaniel Ho

Grade 4 Derin Uzumeri

Grade 5 Adam Zufferli

Grade 6 Max MontgomeryMax Montgomery

★ Language Arts Prize Grade 3 Michael Mackie

Grade 4 Ian Devlin

Grade 5 Aidan deVilla-Choi

Grade 6 Henry James

★ Art PrizesGrade 3 Riley Xian

Grade 4 Aidan Maunder

Grade 5 Mark Xiao

Grade 6 Justin Shapiro

★ Drama AwardsGrade 3 Noah Maunder

Grade 4 James Conlin

Grade 5 Malcolm McOuat

Grade 6 Owen Cumming

★ Music Awards Grade 3 Connor Colfer

Grade 4 Marcus Yau

Grade 5 Spencer Charlton

Grade 6 Choral Daniel Goldman

Grade 6 Instrumental Daniel Solomos

★ Mathematics PrizesGrade 3 Ryan Chan

Grade 4 Michael Farkouh

Grade 5 Kyle Chang

Grade 6 Nicholas Swerhone

★ Science PrizesGrade 3 Jack Murnaghan

Grade 4 Drew Pilkington

Grade 5 Cory Gill

Grade 6 Andy Mavroudis

★ Social Studies Prizes Grade 3 Jonathan Voutsas

Grade 4 Christopher Hughes

Grade 5 Jordan Kronis

Grade 6 Liam Lynch

★ Health and Physical Education AwardsGrade 3 Hunter Skurka

Grade 4 Ethan Krakower

Grade 5 Marcel Lui

Grade 6 Christian Gnam

★ Valedictorian Henry James

★ Proficiency PrizesGrade 3 Nicholas deVilla-ChoiChristopher Law

Grade 4 Ekansh ChandariaAndrew Ng

Grade 5 Andre CoronaAidan deVilla-Choi

Grade 6 Charlie FisherAndy Mavroudis

★ Coyote Award Jack Wallace

★ Philip Ambrose Award Carter Morrison

★ William Burridge Scholarship Kyle Chang

★ CPA ScholarshipNicholas Swerhone

★ Colonel J.B. Rogers TrophyHudson House

★ House Captain’s CupCartier House

★ The Lamp of KnowledgeCartier House

★ Dean Voutsas House CupMackenzie House

★ Board of Governors Boys of Promise AwardsGrade 3 Ryan Paikin

Grade 4 Curtis Boothe

Grade 5 Mathieu Schneider

Grade 6 Charlie Fisher

★ David Heaney Character Education AwardDrew Mehta

★ J. Sean Buckley AwardsGrade 3 Will Christodoulis

Grade 4 Liam Engel

Grade 5 Jay Higgins

Grade 6 Alex Malone

★ J. W. James AwardHarry Raftus


Middle School Awards Prize Day 2012

★ CPA Effort PrizesGrade 7H Chris Overvelde

Grade 7F Jonah Mandel

Grade 7MKabir Kahlon

Grade 7A Will McKay

Grade 8H Noah Harkness

Grade 8D Harrison Hui

Grade 8S Matthew Wong

Grade 8W Rick Martell

★ Sheila Barber Citizenship Awards Grade 7H Ben Klassen

Grade 7F Avram Kachura

Grade 7M Duncan Henry

Grade 7A Eric Cislak

Grade 8H Cam Smith

Grade 8D Galen Frostad

Grade 8SBrett Balcom

Grade 8WColsen Centner

★ Spirit AwardsGrade 7H Sam Charlton

Grade 7FKyle Mahoney

Grade 7M Frank Kelly

Grade 7A Christian Metivier

Grade 8H Christopher Yoannou

Grade 8D Jordan Abramsky

Grade 8SAbhishek Chandaria

Grade 8WSamuel Rose

★ Anniversary Ties

ArtGrade 8H Christopher Yoannou

Grade 8W Samuel Rose

Grade 8D Tyler Mark

MusicGrade 8S Ronald Chow

Grade 8W Nolan Toomey

Grade 8S Nathan Li

Drama Grade 8WRussell Goldman

Grade 7F Alex Logan

Grade 7AJosh Limpert

★ John Tansey Award Andrew Youngson

★ Art PrizesGrade 7 Kabir Kahlon

Grade 8 Nathan Li

★ Drama PrizesGrade 7 Yale Sussman

Grade 8 Neal Ganguli

★ Public Speaking PrizesGrade 7 Matt Wolff

Grade 8 Alastair Lewis

★ English PrizesGrade 7 Elywn Zhang

Grade 8 Jack Zechner

★ French PrizesGrade 7 Sam Eplett

Grade 8Ronald Chow

★ Creativity and Innovation in Science and Geography PrizesGrade 7 Liam Thomas

Grade 8 Neal Ganguli

★ Science and Geography PrizesGrade 7Andrew Youngson

Grade 8 Tyler Mark

★ History PrizesGrade 7 Josh Limpert

Grade 8 Thomas Lieou

★ Mathematics PrizesGrade 7 Andrew Youngson

Grade 8 Ronald Chow

★ Mathematics Contest PrizesGrade 7 Elwyn Zhang

Grade 8 William Bai

★ Health and Physical Education PrizesGrade 7Ben Debresser

Grade 8 Brad Ashby

AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

★ Ronald Memorial ScholarshipOmar Elmor

★ Director of Admissions AwardEric Cislak

★ Denise Manikas Crescent Spirit Commemorative AwardEmanuel Vella

★ Middle School Liaison AwardNicholas Chiu ’12

★ Proficiency PrizesGrade 7 Kabir KahlonElwyn Zhang

Grade 8William BaiHarrison Hui

★ C.B. Gordon ScholarshipAndrew Youngson

★ Pat McDonnell ScholarshipRyley Mehta

★ Bronze Medal of KnowledgeAndrew Youngson

★ Board of Governors’ Boy of Promise AwardGrade 7 Christian Metivier

Grade 8 Spencer Blackwell

★ J. Sean Buckley AwardGrade 7 Carter Brown

Grade 8 Michael Palma

★ House Captain’s CupWolfe House




★ William L. Scandrett AwardRyley Mehta

★ The Music AwardGrade 7 Gabriel Mok

Grade 8 Omar Elmor

★ Middle School Valedictorian AwardChristopher Yaonnou

Middle School Awards


Upper School Awards Prize Day 2012

ACADEMIC AWARDS

★ Business Studies PrizeMichael Milazzo

★ Symons Canadian Studies ScholarshipTyler Kerdman

★ Civilizations in History PrizeSpencer Belyea

★ John Grenfell Wright MC Prize in HistoryGraham Rotenberg

★ Philosophy Prize Tanvir Deol

★ James Ballard Memorial Award/French SwordNicolas Christodoulou

★ Spanish PrizeJeff Mills

★ Geography PrizeJayme Nadolny

★ Mathematics PrizeAlex Mahoney

★ Man Family Mathematics PrizeJuniorHugh McCauley

SeniorTudor Datcu

★ Computer Studies AwardPatrick White

★ Health and Physical Education AwardTaylor Keating

★ Science PrizeMarko Popovic

★ University of Toronto Book PrizeAidan Solala

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER AWARDS

★ Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science AwardTaylor Keating

★ Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award in Humanities and Social SciencesCarter Smith

★ George Eastman Young Leaders Award and ScholarshipJack Hayward

★ Xerox Award for Innovation and Information TechnologyWarfa Jibril

★ Vladan Milic/Ontario Association of Architects ScholarshipCharles Kim

★ George S. Blodgett Memorial PrizeNicholas Chiu

★ The Creative Writing PrizeTristan Chiruvolu

★ CPA Effort PrizesGrade 9 Nathaniel DiakumJason SpevackMatt Riley

Grade 10Alex MacNicolRyan WaldermanRyan Tam

Grade 11 Jonathan BellToms BlackTim Law

★ Jerry Friedman ScholarshipHugh McCauley

★ Burgess ScholarshipTyler Kerdman

★ Grade 11 Academic AwardTaylor Keating

★ Silver Medal of KnowledgeHugh McCauley

★ Governor General’s Academic MedalAlex Mahoney

ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY AWARDS

★ Anniversary TiesGrade 9 DramaJason Spevack Petr Schumacher

Grade 9 MusicJohn ConlinNathaniel DiakunNaveen GuptaAndrew KungOllie LauDanny LiuJamie MorrittAdam MuraiAndrew PhamMark RichardsonJacob Su

Grade 9 Visual ArtHugh McCauley Matthew Riley Jason LiebovitzDean Perlman

Grade 9 RoboticsHugh McCauley Jason Spevack Adam MuraiMatthew Riley Jeffrey SetoJonathan PearceIan Lo

Grade 9 STACMatthew Cheung

Grade 10 DramaBen Pitfield

Grade 10 MusicEric Noble-MarksJason KattanJamie Rose Nevin Kong

Grade 10 RoboticsJonathan LauJacob KachuraMatthew LangRyan FredricksonJordan GrantJamie Rose

Grade 10 Visual ArtAdam LeungKevin Clifford

Grade 10 Business Team Student ExecutiveSam Davison

Grade 11 Business Team Student ExecutiveIan Ko

Grade 11 Business Team CompetitionAlex McRaeAlex Hutcheon

Grade 11 MusicOwen BrownJack HaywardEnoch KimDylan ShiffmanJordan Young

Grade 11 RoboticsQuinton YauTim Law Ian Ko

Grade 11 Visual ArtsTim Law

Grade 12 Diplomacy ClubGabe Sliwowicz

Grade 12 Business Team CompetitionRyan Fung

Grade 12 DramaJimmy Huang

Grade 12 MusicLeonard ChiuNicholas ChiuJames CoholanJethro Kwong

Grade 12 RoboticsPeter Harquail

★ Art PrizeCharles Kim

★ Drama AwardTristan Chiruvolu

★ Technical Merit AwardNick Lao

★ Appoggiatura/Music PrizeDaniel Oh

★ Ronald Memorial Upper School Music PrizeAdam Noble-Marks

★ Norris Family Robotics and Technology AwardAidan SolalaChristopher Hatsios

HOUSE AWARDS

★ House Captain’s CupMackenzie House




COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS

★ Ian Roberts Community Service AwardChristopher Hatsios

★ Lieutenant Governor’s Community Volunteer AwardCharles Kim

★ Bruce M. Hicks Public Service AwardGrant Mercer

CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP AWARDS

★ Environmental Leadership AwardChristopher Hatsios

★ Board of Governors AwardsGrade 9Matthew AllionNathanial Diakun

Grade 10Jason KattanAlex MacNicol

Grade 11Toms BlackNicholas Mehta

★ Dentonia ScholarshipsDeen Choudhury

★ CPA Centennial ScholarshipCooper Midroni

★ Ron Bertram/Quill and Quire AwardAndrew Leung

★ Headmaster’s MedalMatthew Hudson

★ Guild Founders ScholarshipAdam Scott

★ Graduating Class TrophyJacob Macdonald

★ G. H. Corolis Crescent Spirit CommemorativeLeonard ChiuAdam Noble-Marks

★ W.R.E. Williams AwardGrant Mercer

★ Osler TrophyMichael MilazzoMatt Lord

★ Thom Family AwardMarko PopovicGraham Rotenberg

★ Susan Denton Massey AwardGeorge Mavroidis

★ Old Boys WatchGraham Rotenberg

★ Board of Governors Medal Graham Rotenberg

★ Head Boy PinJack Hayward

GRADUATION DAY AWARDS

★ Board of Governors AwardNicholas Chiu

★ Scott Macdonald AwardMathieu Wong

★ Effort AwardBlake Rosenberg

★ Crestissimus Crescentium (Improvement Award)Nicolas Tompkins

★ ValedictorianJimmy Huang


Athletic Awards spring Term 2012

BADMINTON Senior MVP – Bernie Yeung, Quinton Yau Coaches Choice – Leonard Chiu Junior MVP – Samuel Goh MIP – Jonathan Allion U14 MVP – Ronald Chow Outstanding Leadership – Tyler Ferguson

GOLF Senior MVP – Jeffrey Miller Coaches Choice – Justin Smith Junior MVP – Will Leak, Sean Chung

RUGBY The Dave LaForest Memorial Senior Rugby Award – Michael Milazzo Senior Rookie of the Year – Alex Gerlings Adam Winterton MVP – Matthew Geisler MIP – Nicolas Tompkins Commitment Award – Matt Lord, Justin Potts, Nicolas Christodoulou,

Jay McConnell, Graham Rotenberg Junior Best Forward – Peter Milazzo Coaches Choice – Spencer Grimes Best Back – Trevor Noskiewicz U14 MIP – Conor Lynch, Jack Zechner Spirit Award – Zach Chan U13 MVP – Andrew Youngson MIP – Sam Charlton Heart Award – Sam Eplett

SOFTBALL U14 DI MVP – Andy Binns DI Pitcher of the Year – Andrew Lang DII MVP – Mark Otton DII Leadership Award – Ryan Kennedy U12 MVP – Matthew Donnelly The Quiet Determinator – Daniel Solomos

TENNIS Senior MVP – Matt Erdman Coaches Choice – Andrew Parker Junior MVP – Asher Weiss Outstanding Determination – Griffin Baker U14 MVP – Jack Garrett Coaches Choice – Ty Sullivan

TRACK & FIELD Senior MVP – Will Christodoulou MIP – Matthew Corolis Coaches Choice – Graham Pitfield, Nicholas Mehta

Junior MVP – Jason Kattan MIP – Sam Dobbin U14 MVP – Ray Kang, Ryley Mehta U13 MVP – Rees Ferguson Coaches Choice – Curtis Lee U12 MVP – Matthew Jenkins Coaches Choice – Maxie Liang U11 MVP – Ian Dilay Coaches Choice – Will Webster U10 MVP – Rhys Holman Coaches Choice – Matthew Bisset

ULTIMATE D1 MVP – Jacob KachuraFRISBEE Commitment and Leadership Award – David Wright D2 MVP – David Ferris

Commitment and Leadership Award – Peter Harquail

BASEBALL MVP – Matthew Kowal MIP – Mark Besse Rookie of the Year – Christopher Yoannou

Athlete of the Year AwardssCHool awaRd ReCipientUpper School Lawson Athlete of the Year Award Matthew Geisler Fitzpatrick Award Graham Orr

Middle School Athlete of the Year Michael Palma Lachowicz Award Alex Johnston

Lower School Duane Livingstone Athlete of the Year Award Matthew Donnelly Wylie Coyote Award Peter Youngson

– Leonard Chiu

– Matt Lord, Justin Potts, Nicolas Christodoulou,


Athletic Achievementsspring Term 2012

RugbyU13 – CISAA ChampionsU14 – CISAA Semi-Finalists Junior – CISAA Champions – undefeated seasonSenior – 3rd place in CAIS National Tournament & CISAA Semi Finalists

TennisU14 – 3rd place CISAAJunior – 3rd place CISAASenior – 3rd place CISAA

BadmintonU14 – 3rd place CISAA Junior – 3rd place CISAA Senior – 4th place CISAA

Baseball 3rd place East

SoftballU12 – 3rd place CISAA

Ultimate Frisbee D1 – CISAA semi finalists

Track & FieldU10 – CISAA Champions U14 – 2nd place CISAA Senior – 2nd place CISAA

GolfJunior – CISAA Champions

Noteworthy CISAA Accomplishments8 Matt Erdman – Champion and 2nd

at OFSAA in senior tennis8 Jake Erdman/Anthony Palma – 3rd

in first division senior doubles tennis

8 Blake Rosenberg/Liam Caven – 3rd at CISAA in second division senior doubles tennis

8 Rhys Holman – U10 1st in 80m hurdles, 2nd in 80m

8 Matthew Bisset – U10 2nd in 80m hurdles, 2nd in 150m

8 Ryan Chang – U10 1st in 800m8 Ian Dilay – U11 2nd in triple jump,

3rd in 80m hurdles8 Will Webster – U11 3rd in 150m8 Campbell Hunter – U11 3rd in

400m8 Max Walters – U11 4th in high jump8 Matthew Jenkins – U12 2nd in 80m

hurdles8 Max Montgomery – U12 2nd in

long jump8 Maxie Liang – U12 3rd in 80m

8 Taylor Eccleston – U12 5th in 80m hurdles

8 Rees Ferguson – U13 3rd in 80m hurdles

8 Ryley Mehta – U14 1st in 800m, 1st in 1500m

8 Ray Kang – U14 1st in 80m hurdles, 3rd in high jump

8 Milan Miladinovic – U14 2nd in high jump

8 Asher Lisus – U14 2nd in triple jump8 Jason Kattan – Junior 1st in shot

put, 2nd in 200m 8 Sam Dobbin – Junior 5th in 800m8 Will Christodoulou – Senior 1st in

javelin, 2nd in discus8 Graham Pitfield – Senior 1st in pole

vault, 3rd in javelin, 4th in 400m hurdles

8 Nicholas Mehta – Senior 2nd in pole vault

8 Matt Corolis – Senior 3rd in 400m hurdles

8 Kelvin Li – Senior 3rd in triple jump

Metros & OFSAA8 Jason Kattan – at Metros 5th

in 200m, 3rd in shot put and at OFSAA 15th in shot put

8 Will Christodoulou – at Metros 2nd in javelin, 4th in discus, 8th in javelin and at OFSAA, 16th in discus

8 Graham Pitfield – at Metros 1st in pole vault and at OFSAA 10th

8 Nicholas Mehta – at Metros 4th in pole vault, 16th at OFSAA


Eventsspring Term 2012

Nicole Swales (P’19), Helen Lerberg (P’18,’19), Nita Major (P’19)

Liz Kennedy (P’17) and Barb Warren (P’11,’12)

Cee Cee Robertson (P’20) and Rita Caporiccio (P’17,’20)

Laurie Roberts and Karen Holland (P’18)

Fred and Anne Conlin (P’15,’20)

Fran Brown (P’17,’20) and Carrie Stinson (P’13)

Sharon Hudson (P’15), Carol Lloyd-Pinnington (P’15,’17), Flo Chapman (P’13,’15)

Kin May Yeung (P’18) and Ivy Chan (P’17)

Allyson Landry (P’13,’15), Paul Grimes (P’11,’14), Audrey Newman (P’12,’14)

Sally-Ann Main (P’11,’13), Christine Corolis (P’11,’13), Jocelyn Macdonald (P’09,’11)

Susan Silma (P’18), Nina Kachura (P’14,’15,’17,’20), Shaki Ravindran (P’14,’16)

Volunteer Reception – May 20

Nina Kachura (P’14,’15,’17,’20), Tara Borg (P’18), Christine ten Brummeler (P’16,’18)


Catherine Bongard (P’12,’14), Ingrid Faber-Stein and Gordon Stein (P’11,’13)

Nadine Gilchrist (P’11,’11,’17) and Susan Hogarth (P’13)

Laurie Foote (P’17), Charlotte Youngson (P’14,’17,’18), Kathy Besse (P’14)

Nancy Baker (P’14,’18) and Sylvia Baumann (P’16)

Mildred Davis and Sue Thornburrow (P’08)

Anne Marie Mayne (P’14,’16), Mary Wellner (P’16), Kate Lisus (P’14,’16)

CPA Past Presidents Luncheon – May 23

Back left to right: Cathy Macdonald (Guild ’04), Barb Black (CFC ’07, ’08), Cathy Carl (Guild ’02), Catherine Demeroutis (Guild ’08), Lynn Bury (Guild ’94), Sue Jenkins (Guild ’95), Betsy Bertram (Guild ’73), Julia Thomson (CPA ’10), Carol Eplett (Guild ’82), Cathie Singer (Guild ’96), Nancy Wright (Guild ’06)Front left to right: Anne Marie Mayne (CPA ’11), Alison Metrick (CPA ’09), Sharon Miller (Guild ’05), Sue Riedlinger (Guild ’07)


Angela FarrCrescent says Goodbye

La Dame de Fer (Iron Lady)

Angela Farr: Born in the County of Sussex, England, on a farm (explains

a lot); education: convent (explains even more), Grammar School; graduate, University of Manchester, BA in French and German; post-graduate studies, Canterbury College, University of London; taught in London, and France, prior to spending three years at Holy Trinity School in Richmond Hill; appointed to Crescent School in September 1990 as the Head of French; a lover of books, skiing, riding, global travel, and certain domesticated animals; wife of 29 years to Tony Farr (an energetic, retired OPG executive).

She has coached 1st Squash, U16 Squash and U12 Cross Country and assisted Margot Beech-Kennedy with the Lower School Skiing Club for many years; organizer of the annual St. Donat trip; an efficient manager of Crescent School’s Modern Languages Department; supervisor of the Board Games Club; pioneer and senior supervisor of the Silent Reading Club!

When I started at Crescent School in 1992, Angela was appointed my teacher-mentor. I was never officially told that, that was her role. She just started bossing me around and giving me things to do. I quickly started to understand where I stood in Angela’s universe. You see in her frame of reference, starting from the top, you have The British Royal Family ... and their polo-playing acquaintances (like herself), horses,

dogs, cats, ... her husband Tony, and “other people.” I slotted in with the “other people” category.

I have always felt that I was a person who could stand up for himself, if pushed around... except when it came to, Madame Farr. I am not sure if it was her commanding British accent, or the fierce expression of indignation on her face when I would say, or do something wrong. She had this way of saying, “David Grant, come here,” as she beckoned me with her long finger. It would just freeze me in my tracks; my whole body would almost be immobilized. It was as if I was expecting to see The Lady of the Manor staring down at me, in knee-high riding boots, with a horse crop in hand—and believe it or not, there were a couple of times (on her way to the stables after school) that that is exactly what I saw.

To engender fear, is not a characteristic that one would associate with a good teacher. But as one of four female faculty appointments in 1990 (that included Linda Gray, Jennifer Speakman and Melanie Hazel), these women joined forces with the three existing female teachers: Aldonna Stremecki, Angie Beck and Linda Price. Fear, was a very effective technique for teaching boys and transforming Crescent culture, in those less enlightened times. In fact, I recently spoke to a former student of Madame Farr, who is also a Crescent

faculty member. To paraphrase his words (and demonstrate his actions) he said, “We were just so scared of her… everyone was scared!” But, what I found most impressive was the fact that the same student (now a teacher and big-tough rugby coach) admitted he is still a little scared of her!

Angela was never one to engage in gossip. But as one teacher stated, “I do know, that if I ever needed to know something about what was going on at the School—about staff or future plans, or students—Angela was always the one to go to. She was miles ahead of anyone else. She always told it to me, as if it was last week’s news, and that I really, should get my head out of the sand!”

It would always bring a smile to my face and a shake of my head when I would observe someone trying to explain something to Angela with earnest, using big buzz words, and at great length. She would listen intently, analyze, and in about 0.25 nanoseconds come to a conclusion that was comprised of only one word—poppycock, balderdash, drivel, hogwash, twaddle, inane, and my favourite, imbecile!

Pragmatic, stubborn, principled, brutally honest. This “lady was not for turning.” She was Crescent’s own Iron Lady.

So when my son Jordan was accepted, my wife and I were understandably over the moon. It was a dream, come true. Until we found out… he had Farr for French. Without being too unprofessional about the whole situation, I provided Jordan with a little cautionary advice about his new French teacher.

It was not as though he did not know who she was. In fact, he had known of Madame Farr since he was a small child. His older brother and he would argue about who should take credit for throwing-up all over Madame Farr. The family joke goes as follows: As a proud young father in 1995, I was going around the Staff Room showing off my new infant son, and knew full-well of Angela’s total aversion to dribbling, smelly babies (without a governess or nanny in tow) who were thrust upon unsuspecting individuals like herself, for no other reason, other than the fact that one works in the same institution. So, I intentionally and enthusiastically thrusted Ryan (Jordan’s

[From the remarks of David Grant, Upper School Faculty, at the Retirement Event]


It gives me great pleasure to have this opportunity to honour and say goodbye to Angela Farr, Crescent’s long-standing and highly respected Head of Modern Languages

who is retiring this year. I first met Angela at Holy Trinity School nearly 20 years ago. I was part of an independent school evaluation team, and part of that evaluation entailed speaking to the teachers. I noted that Angela was chosen by her peers to speak on behalf of the staff—she had built up that level of credibility with them—and she impressed me with her candid comments and the clarity of her thought. When a position became available at Crescent in 1990, and we noted that Angela had applied, it didn’t take my predecessor, John Tansey, very long to invite Angela to join the Green team.

She has never outwardly sought leadership. It has come to her because she is a natural leader. She is trustworthy, discreet, hard-working, doesn’t suffer fools lightly, and yet has a quiet and compassionate side to her that rounds out a very impressive list of personal qualities. All of us here who have had the pleasure of working with her at Crescent consider Angela to be the consummate professional.

She is also a very private individual, and is an equestrian of some note.

On behalf of all of us, Angela, and for the hundreds of students and parents who aren’t here today, I congratulate you on a magnificent career. You have changed lives and perspectives. You have enabled a generation to bridge the divide that often exists between Canada’s two solitudes: French and English. We wish you well in your retirement, and thank you for dedicating 22 years of guiding our imperfect boys through the joys and nuances of the imperfect tense.

Thank you, Angela. Enjoy your retirement.

brother actually), directly into Angela’s arms —all the while, faintly hoping, that the action might squeeze out some dormant maternal instinct deep within her. While she was helplessly pleading with me to retrieve my child, Ryan did the honours—all over her!

One thing I do know about Angela, is that she has a great memory: she never forgets. So I had good reason to put Jordan on notice, as to what to expect. I don’t think he really understood. Throughout his life he had always heard about Madame Farr. My wife would refer to her as Dad’s “other woman” (the boys correctly interpreted that as, the other woman who bosses dad around. And in this case, at work.) So Jordan considered her to be perfectly normal.

Anyway, after a couple of weeks, driving back and forth to school, the conversation with Jordan developed like this:

How’s French going, Jordan?

She’s not that bad, Dad.

Well, give her some time.

Madame Farr is actually... really nice, Dad. Dad, Madame Farr does so many fun activities in class, she is always

doing a variety of different, cool things. Dad, you know Madame Farr is the fastest marker in the School—you get your work back almost immediately! Dad, Madame Farr’s trip to St. Donat was the best trip ever.

Better than Robotics?

Yes, definitely! Dad, you should do things the way Madame Farr does! Dad, I’m thinking of dropping French next year.

Why?

Madame Farr will be retiring. I am going to miss Madame Farr, Dad.

Me too.

Angela and I shared a mentor group for over 10 years. I knew many of the students who studied French with her, all the way through to grade 12. The relationships were always strong and respectful. She tended to attract the intellectual and more thoughtful student.

I would intentionally wander into her classroom (not knowing one word of French) just to look at the thought-provoking pictures she stuck on her walls; from Paris Match and other French publications. She expertly used these images to not only

teach French, but to move students outside of their comfort zones, to engage their intellect and emotions, to connect them to a bigger world.

To conclude, I will quote a colleague, who has known Angela since her days at Holy Trinity School. He states, “I just have this big picture of a very talented teacher, a good colleague, and a great friend with a wonderful personality and a terrific sense of humour.”

[From the remarks of Geoff Roberts, Headmaster, at Prize Day]


Jane Fleetwood-MorrowCrescent says Goodbye

[From the remarks of Jamie MacRae, Head of Art, at the Retirement Event]

I am reminded of the saying “you never know when you say goodbye, if it will

be for the last time or not.” Jane, while I trust this will not be the case, I do want to ensure that we honour you—a special woman—before you depart on your well-earned retirement.

Twenty-one years ago, the Art Programme needed another teacher. I myself had just begun to connect with the philosophy that “the universe will give me what I need, if I trust and let go.” I envisioned that the person who would come to help enrich the programme, would be one that had the following attributes:

8 a person who was doing their own art exploration

8 a person who would love to work and inspire children to believe in the creativity with which they were born

8 a person who would not need me to tell them what types of art projects to do

8 a person who knew (at their core) that it was possible for inner creativity to

be let loose on the outside, and be celebrated

8 a person who believed in themselves

And, Jane applied and the rest as we know it is history, or dare I say “herstory.”

What has transpired over these past years (not only for the boys of Crescent, for me and for us as a community) for the woman herself—Jane, a mother, a wife, an educator, a human being finding her way, and an artist—is that Jane the artist has been recognized for her talents in the Canadian art environment, and too, has been inspirational.

It has been said that when a woman becomes a mother she tends to give up her identity and becomes a “mum.” Jane is a mum, but was also able to continue her passion as an artist. For managing all of these roles I give you my admiration; I am sure at times it was no easy feat.

Jane, our boys have had their lives enriched in a special way by you. I can tell you that our boys have had a truly

remarkable programme created for them. You have the ability to understand and encourage each boy from where they are in their creative belief, and will often rekindle (yes even in grade 3-6) the creativity that boys were beginning to doubt, or who had already accepted the belief that they were not creative. The boys grew in their ability and confidence and soon became infected with the love of making art.

I would venture to say that many alumni still have their artworks created during their time in Lower School, and think back to the experience they had in your Lower School art studio. I am not sure everybody is fully aware of what is required to run an art programme such as Jane offered, but I assure you she is admired by the parents of the boys for providing the depth of the artistic experience they had.

Being an art teacher is one of the most challenging and rewarding of the teaching profession; challenging because


there is no textbook to follow, one chapter after the other. An art teacher needs to rely on their experience and the willingness to work on tangents as they arise. They need to be able to meet a student at the level of creativity they are at, and guide them on a journey that may be unfamiliar to them. It requires thinking ahead and collecting what materials are going to be needed for the seed of the next project.

Jane was a collector: every bit of wire, leftover computers parts, empty boxes, cans, string—even the leftover cut offs of projects completed—all inspired a new and exciting direction in which to go. As a result she developed an art programme that was rich and varied and offered her boys a journey of discovery; about themselves and the world around them.

Jane continually took the time to share with me what she had been doing with her painting and art projects for the boys, her struggle and dreams, and her questions about her experiences.

Whether it was the creation of a book on using paper fabric, her latest exploration from her painting classes that ended up inspiring a new project for her Lower School students, she shared freely her excitement and passion. Yes, she had doubts (like any artist) about where she was going, but she never let that doubt take her from pursuing her passions and creativity. Her paintings have become, over the year, a clear representation of her inner self.

As I look ahead to next September I wonder what it will be like when Jane—another part of the history of Crescent—is not walking the halls of the Lower School. I will probably still think for brief moments that Jane is just down the hallway or that she will pop in anytime with a new painting, or a thought to share. And then I will shake my head and remind myself that she is somewhere in Tuscany, sipping wine and finding new inspiration for her next artistic exploration.

Mark [Hord] you have Jane for your lifetime, I/we have had the privilege of a relationship with her for 21 years and, I trust that the universe will let the relationship continue. But if it does not, I want you to know, Jane, that over these past 21 years, you have inspired us all with your creativity and passion for life, and to me you have been a mentor, and I thank you for that.

Jane, know that you will always live on in, not only in my heart but in the hearts of so many others. As you fare forward in your life, continue to explore, challenge yourself, cry, laugh, dance, paint, reflect and wonder... and know that you and your life are a beautiful work of art that will only grow in value.

So Jane, go with our love and most importantly our gratitude for having graced us with your spirit.


Jeff MitzCrescent says Goodbye

[From the remarks of Don Haag, Associate Director of University Counselling, at the Retirement Event]

Jeff Mitz and I came to work at Crescent in the year 2000. I was

to be a Business Studies teacher and Jeff was to be Head of Guidance. As I watched Jeff work for those first several years I was able to watch a master at his trade. As Head of Guidance, Jeff always warmly welcomed students to his office, had a comfortable chair to sit in, and a sympathetic ear to bend.

In 2006, a new position came about with the creation of the University Counselling Department. I thought about applying for the position of Associate Director of University Counselling, but was unsure of what the role would entail. Jeff Mitz sought me out, informed me of the work, and suggested that I apply for the job. I did. I got the job, and from that moment on, my life at Crescent School has never been better.

I owe so much of that daily joy and excitement to Jeff. He has always been supportive of me in my role in our office, and at the same time supportive of my other roles in the School, that take me out of our office.

From day one, I watched as Jeff was able to make boys and parents comfortable when there may have

been some tension in the air. When a student was having some difficulty, he was able to get the boy to talk about his dreams and aspirations. He was able to travel the treacherous path that would allow the boy to find his voice so that he could explain to his parents why he wanted to pursue a career in music, business or history, versus a parental wish to have a doctor, engineer or banker in the family. Jeff told me his father said to him, and Jeff passed this on to so many of our boys, “Find a job you would be willing to do for free, and then figure out a way to get paid for doing that job.” It was always about allowing the boy to operate from a position of strength and self-assuredness. And all the while Jeff performed this high-wire act with grace, a great laugh, and a wonderful smile.

I must admit that Jeff got me addicted to the role of University Counsellor when I saw the impact he was having in the lives of Crescent students. Jeff got me addicted to another of his past times (which feeds off of his highly engaged and academic brain), Sudoku. Often we would take a break and race through the daily puzzle in the Toronto Star. And when it was a tough puzzle on a Thursday or Friday, he would often

come into my office with a sly smile and say something like, “It’s a tough one today” or “You’ll get it, but it’s tricky,” as he slapped the completed puzzle down on my desk or showed me the finished product in his shirt pocket.

In fact those Sudoku puzzles and Jeff’s ability to solve problems are at the essence of this wonderful man. His ability to find a solution when it appears to be a dead end; to test several options; to look at problems from different levels; to experiment; to learn, and to succeed by finding the right fit for a boy—just like putting the right number in a certain square of Sudoku. And then, when one puzzle was completed, he was ready to tackle the next one.

Throughout the past six years of working with Jeff, I have come to realize the value of the knowledge that he possesses. I have seen the high regard his colleagues across the country have for Jeff, as Jeff is, without a doubt, one of the best university counsellors throughout both independent and public schools, in Canada.

Jeff, at heart, is a teacher. And it was in this role, that he was able to have the greatest impact on me. He was


[From the remarks of Diane Groenke, University Counselling Coordinator, at the Retirement Event]

I was truly honoured when I was asked to say a few words about Jeff but I

soon came to the realization that it would be difficult to find the right words to summarize his 12 years at Crescent School.

I first met Jeff Mitz when he arrived at Crescent to assume the role of Head of Guidance. As I came to know him, and saw how he interacted with the Crescent boys, their parents and also with staff, I quickly realized that he was a man of incredible compassion and caring. The Grads, and

staff members alike, knew that Jeff’s office was a welcoming place where they would find not only a place to talk, but also an offer of a cookie. They quickly learned that they had found someone who would truly listen to what they had to say, and also knew unequivocally that Jeff genuinely cared about them. He has always had an innate sense of what one needed and would, without hesitation, champion for them. Jeff always had a solution to their query or problem or would most assuredly know where to find one.

It is a true tribute to Jeff that so many of the Crescent grads have formed a bond with him, and return to visit year after year. And I might add… not only Crescent grads, but grads from Northern Secondary School as well.

I wish you well Jeff, as you begin the next phase of your life’s journey. Whoever is fortunate enough to cross paths with you in the future will be enriched from the experience. You are not only my workmate, but I am grateful to call you my friend. Jeff, you will be missed.

my teacher in the art of the role of University Counsellor. He taught me how to love the pursuit of knowledge and nuance; the subtle differences between schools, he gave me the opportunity to travel to schools across the country and around the world to gain first-hand knowledge of the places our boys might go; the importance of being connected with admissions officers; the importance of networking with other independent school counsellors, and most importantly—how imperative it was to listen to our boys. He is the best listener and the most gentle and thoughtful person with whom I have ever had the chance to work. I can only hope as the years progress, that I have learned enough from the master in our six years together in the office.

I wish Jeff all the best in his retirement, and would like to finish this way: The other day I received an e-mail that had the following comment from a parent, “I tell the kids they are lucky if they have one or two teachers who truly inspire them throughout all their schooling.”

This could not be any more true of my colleague, my staunch supporter, my sounding board, my teacher, and more importantly my friend, Jeff Mitz.


The Centennial Opening Ceremonies on the 7th of September were an absolute

success and joy to witness. The Centennial Celebrations Committee imagined a glorious autumn day with 700 students and guests sitting on Innes Field listening to the inspiring words of Headmaster Geoff Roberts, and feeling proud of their school while wearing their new centennial ties, and feeling fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful community.

The event was conceived perfectly. Lasting about an hour and ending with the unexpected delivery of the centennial flag, the boys were thrilled, while staff and faculty, and parents and guests, were impressed with the event’s precision and management.

When Mr. Roberts asked the crowd to turn their heads skywards and look for a low-flying plane circling in the distance, he quipped that the Queen had already debuted her skydiving skills at the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, so was not available for ours. Shortly after seeing the plane, not one, but three skydivers leapt from the clear blue sky and descended downwards towards Innes Field, aiming for a big orange X that directed them to their point of landing. It was thrilling to see all three set down only steps away from the assembled guests—with one fellow hot-dogging it for the crowd, as the boys cheered with excitement and appreciation at witnessing such a spectacle!

In a touching moment, the youngest Crescent student, grade 3 lad Kiyan

Makanjee, received the flag from the skydiving special delivery service, along with Head Boy Jack Hayward, and walked with the oldest alumnus Mr. Thomas Symons ’41 to the flag pole for a ceremonial raising of the centennial flag.

With months of preparation and planning, the Centennial Opening Ceremonies were conceived as an event to celebrate a milestone, reflect on successes and a school’s history, and to set a path for a wonderful year of commemoration and special events. There were many variables in play to make this day a success, and it was a little luck with the weather, and careful planning and execution, that made the start to Crescent’s centennial year so memorable and exciting.

Centennial Opening Ceremonies

Guests of Honour: Standing left to right: Roger Rowan (P’00), John Tansey (PS, P’90), Hugh Thom ’58 (P’92,’95), Bruce Burgess ’57Sitting left to right: Fred May ’53, Fraser McKee ’38, Thomas Symons ’41, William Mills ’45, John Cernik ’54


Crescent Celebrates 100 Years!Message from the Centennial Celebration Committee Co-Chairs

Over two years ago, we were charged with the task of putting

together a year-long celebration to mark Crescent’s centennial milestone. It all started with a few meetings with Geoff Roberts to discuss the vision of our Centennial Celebration. During these meetings, a few key paradigms were readily agreed upon: we wanted to celebrate Crescent’s evolution from a Rosedale living room to present day—cutting edge facilities, and exemplary curricular and co-curricular activities—we wanted every member of Crescent’s extended family to feel part of the celebration, and finally, we wanted our celebration to reflect the character and values of Crescent School, and our constituents.

The plan was put into motion following a brainstorming session with representatives from all of Crescent’s constituent groups, resulting in a myriad of fantastic ideas that excited all of us about the task ahead. The Centennial Celebration Committee was formed consisting of the co-chairs, event coordinator Alison Metrick (P’09,’12) and Don Haag ’86, who have played a key role in the planning and implementation of all aspects of the celebration. Our committee spent the first year meeting with members of the Crescent family to share our vision of the centennial year, and in September of last year, 10 committees were convened, each chaired by dedicated, enthusiastic parent volunteers who willingly took on the task of organizing, managing and ultimately executing the events.

As our centennial year officially began the first week of September, each boy in the School received a centennial tie and pin to be proudly worn and displayed throughout the year to mark this momentous occasion in the School’s history. The centennial was formally opened, in the presence of honoured guests, by Headmaster Geoff Roberts, with the centennial flag delivered by skydiver, and now flying in front of the School. Our photo exhibit of Crescent’s history has already been on display at School events, and our centennial website is live—showcasing our history,

centennial events and an array of centennial merchandise. Our Centennial House Day saw an aerial photograph of all the students forming 100 on Innes Field (in their House colours), and was then followed by a revamped Coyote Kickoff where all families participated in Crescent’s Terry Fox Run.

This year’s Friday Night Lights soccer game included guest appearances from alumni who have been part of Crescent’s soccer history, with November bringing us the first of our centennial speakers: world-renowned AIDS activist/humanitarian, Stephen Lewis. Additional speakers will be announced throughout the year.

The annual Remembrance Day assembly will be followed by the formal unveiling of the Centennial Garden at the west end of the Formal Garden, which links our past with our present. Every Lower School boy will plant a tulip bulb in the Formal Garden to be enjoyed by future Crescent boys and their families.

The new year, as we start 2013, will be marked by the Centennial Hockey Day. This will be enjoyed by all current students and culminate in a much-anticipated, alumni hockey game followed by our varsity team taking on one of our rival opponents. February will also see the sealing of our Centennial

Time Capsule that will hold a personal piece of writing from every current student, including their predictions of future Crescent experiences. This capsule will be housed in the entrance to the Lau Family Wing (directly off of the Formal Garden) and is due to be opened on the 25th graduation anniversary (2048) of our centennial grade 3 class.

Our rugby Friday Night Lights game in May will be attended by special alumni guests, and promises to have our School spirit on full display. The grand finale of the year will be the highly anticipated Crescent Centennial Bash—The Party of the Century when the Field House will be transformed into an extraordinary event space where students, staff, parents and alumni will enjoy mouth-watering food and beverages while being entertained by fantastic musical acts.

We, the Centennial Celebration Committee, invite you to join us at all our events to mark Crescent’s 100 year anniversary. Please follow the updates at www.crescentschool.org/centennial and join us at as many events as you can. Mark your calendars, and see you on Innes Field, in the Upper Gym, in the Formal Garden and on the ice!

Jane Freund (P’12,’14,’15) and Paul Joliat ’94, Co-Chairs, Centennial Celebration Committee

1913 1923 1933 1943 1953 1963 1973 1983 1993 2003 2013

Celebrating 100 years of educating boys

1913 - CRESCENT FOUNDED BY J.W. JAMES AT 43 ROSEDALE RD. GRADES 5-8

John William James opened his school at 43 Rosedale Rd. The institution was named Crescent School. In its first academic year, Crescent had 21 boys enrolled in grades 5-8, enough to fit in the “living room experiment” that Mr. Jimmy James had envisioned.

43 Rosedale Rd.

J.W. Jameswith the School Captains of 1921and 1922

1920 - CRESCENT’S FIRST MOVE

The Rosedale Rd. property issold, and after a year at St. Simon’s Church Parish Hall, in 1920, Jamesrelocated Crescent in expanded facilities at 76 Collier St.

A woodcut of the 76 Collier St. address

J.W. James and a class of studentsat the Collier St. address

Falconbridge Cassels, the first studentenrolled in Crescent School in 1913(pictured at Crescent’s 80th Anniversary in 1994)

The annual Sports Day at Crescent

1930 - J.W. JAMES DIES, CRESCENT AND 76 COLLIER ST. BOUGHT BY W.R.E. WILLIAMS

1932 Crescent Cricket Team1931 Annual Boxing

Tournament

1931 Crescent Soccer Team

1930s CRESCENT FIRSTS:

1931 - 1st Yearbook - The Quill 1st Old Boys’ Association - George Hees, President1932 - 1st play - Robin Hood1934 - 1st Debating Club1935 - 1st student trip to Europe

1933 - CRESCENT MOVES TO DENTONIA PARK

Through the generous donation ofMrs. Susan Massey, the Massey estateat Dentonia Park becomes Crescent’snew home.

1937 - BOARDERS ADDED

1938 - FORMER U.S. PRESIDENTHERBERT HOOVER VISITS

1938 - MRS. SUSAN MASSEY,CRESCENT’S GREAT BENEFACTOR, DIES

1935 - Crescent students first trip bound for Europe

In 1930, Crescent came under the leadership of Walter Williams. The new Headmaster had grand plans for Crescent School.

Crescent play

1942 - 1st Newsletter - Crescent School News -1st Debating Club -1st Annual Concert

1941 - GOVERNOR GENERAL THE EARL OF ATHLONE PRIZE DAY VISITOR

The Arrow Bus - Crescent’s first method of transporation

1941 Cricket Team

1940 Soccer Team

Lieutenant Douglas Snively, class of 1935

Wing Commander Peter O’Brian, class of 1928

Class of 1957

Denton House andDentonia property

1950s Sports Day

1950s Boxing Team

1956 - HEADMASTER WILLIAMS DIES; I.S. CARROLL NEW HEADMASTER1958 - HEADMASTER CARROLL REPLACED; J.S. BUCKLEY NEW HEADMASTER

1959 - Crescent Hockey Team and theChicago Black Hawks(Bobby Hull, Tod Sloan, Glenn Hall,Al Arbour, Eddie Litzenberger)

1964 - HEADMASTER BUCKLEY RESIGNS; E.E. SENIOR NEW HEADMASTER

1967 - HEADMASTER SENIOR DIES; W.L. BURRIDGE NEW HEADMASTER

1960 Prefects

1963 Prospectus

1965 CrescentHockey Team

1969 Grade 8 Class

1969 - DENTONIA PROPERTY SOLD; 2365 BAYVIEW AVE. PROPERTY PURCHASED

1960 - The Crestyearbook

Crescent Choir

1967 Staff

1966 Crescent Cricket Team

1975 first Soccer Team (1st CISAA Champions)

Aerial shot of the School, 1970s

Front hallway, Bayview mansion

1970 - C.B. GORDON APPOINTED HEADMASTER- BOARDING ENDS- NEW LADIES GUILD FOUNDED

1976 - BUILDING ADDITION: HYLAND HALL, SIX CLASSROOMS, BIOLOGY LAB

1978 - Sons of Crescent, School song composed - Permanent Old Boys’ Association founded (previous OBA in the 1930s and 1960s)

1982 - C.B. GORDON RESIGNS, J. TANSEY NEW HEADMASTER

1982 - 1st Crescent Review1985 - 1st Past and Present1988 - Crescent 2000 Building Expansion1989 - 1st dinner auction, Playing the Field

1987 Prize Day

1986 first Tennis Team

1987 Crescent 75th Anniversary Celebration

Crescent students using early computers

1988 - CRESCENT 2000 EXPANSION: GYM, LIBRARY, SQUASH COURTS, ART AND MUSIC ROOMS

Crescent’s 80th Anniversary, 1994

The Coyote

1997 - SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY WING ADDED

1995 - MIDDLE SCHOOL CREATED

1999 One Bizarre Night dinner auction

Portfolio 1998

1994 - ROLLING STONES

REHEARSE AT CRESCENT

(again in 2003)

First Crescent Times, 1997

2000 - HEADMASTER TANSEY RETIRES; G. ROBERTS NEW HEADMASTER

2002 - FIELD HOUSE ADDED

2004 - CENTRE FOR CREATIVE LEARNING ADDED

K3 Club dinner auction, 2003

2000s Crescent Internet to present

Four headmasters in 2000

Crescent hockey team on European Tour, 2002

Raising the Roof Toque Tuesday, 2002

2001 - PAST & PRESENT

Upper School Mentor Group, 2010

Lower School Sunnybrook Hospital Ceiling Tiles, 2011

Margaret Donnelly Libraryopens, 2012

Innes Field completed, 2010

Friday Night LightsSenior Rugby, 2012

Dentonia Luncheon, 2008

Celebrating Lunar New Year, 2008

Coyote Green Jacket Golf Tournamentcelebrating 23 years

Environmental Action Committee established, 2010

Great Boys Campaign Launch, 2010

Students meet Justin Trudeau, 2011

Lau Family Wing completed,2011

Crescent Parent Assocation renamedfrom Guild & CFC, 2010

Outreach Trips to Indiaand Tanzania, 2008


News from Advancement

On occasion, say, every 100 years or so, it makes sense to pause and

reflect upon past accomplishments, while being ever-mindful that we live in the today, with tomorrow right around the corner, leaving neither time nor appetite for complacency.

From its humble beginnings with a handful of boys in the living room of a private home in Rosedale in 1913 to the bustling campus on Bayview Avenue occupied by almost 700 boys today, there have been many accomplishments in the past 100 years for this “little school that could,” with numerous people having played important roles in moving Crescent forward.

It always starts with good leadership and Crescent has been ably served by caring Headmasters and dedicated Board Chairs. The fact that Crescent has had just three Headmasters (Chris Gordon 1970-82, John Tansey 1982-2000, and Geoff Roberts 2000-today) during the past 42 years is the envy of every Canadian independent school.

Crescent has also always been blessed with supportive alumni and parent communities, and some very special friends. Susan Denton Massey set the bar high in Crescent’s formative years with her donation of the Massey Family Estate at Dentonia Park for Crescent School to call home from 1933–1969. There have been several fundraising campaigns to provide resources for the physical expansion of the School at the Bayview campus since 1970, building upon the historic Frank Wood Estate to the comprehensive grade 3–12 school of today.

During the past 10 years alone, more than $33 million in philanthropic support has been generously pledged to Crescent by its community members, making possible the additions of the Centre for Creative Learning (CCL), the Field House, Innes Field, the Lau Family Wing, and the Margaret Donnelly Library, to name just some of the major capital initiatives.

More expansion of academic resources is on the horizon, with a new $13 million university-styled Library and Commons planned for construction in 2013/2014, conditional upon sufficient additional donations being made to the School. The Crescent School Endowment has also made strides in recent years, reaching an impressive high of $5.4 million this year, with unique academic programme initiatives and life-changing student financial aid being funded in perpetuity.

And what has been the collective impact of all of this effort and generosity? Nothing short of what is widely acknowledged in the independent school community as one of the finest schools for boys in Canada, with its graduates attending the world’s top universities, and many having a positive impact by providing service to diverse communities on every major continent. Crescent is being true to its mi ssion: Men of Character from Boys of Promise. Imagine what the next 100 years will bring!

The Advancement Team standing left to right: Valerie Morrison, Jill Palmer, John Lynch, Jill Cannon, Sue Iwan sitting left to right: Kathryn Rutherford, Lizz Armstrong


Tooting Our Horn

Crescent Gold Medal Provincial Champions In June 2012, four Middle School boys teamed up with four girls from Havergal College to form two coed teams to represent the Independent Schools of Ontario Math Association (ISOMA) in the Ontario Math Olympics (OMO).

Earlier in the year at the ISOMA competition the Crescent team of Ronald Chow, William Bai, Gabriel Mok and Elwyn Zhang, and a team from Havergal, finished in the top two places, and were awarded the opportunity to travel to Windsor, Ontario to represent ISOMA at

the OMO. Once a year the top math students from across Ontario, who represent the 13 Ontario Math Chapters, gather for this one day competition. Each team must include two grade 7s and two grade 8s with a boy and girl at each grade level.

Events included an individual test and three team challenges, all focused on problem solving. When the final results were announced, the ISOMA team that included Crescent students Ronald Chow and Gabriel Mok (pictured) along with their Havergal teammates (Angela Pan and Charmaine Koo) finished in first place, and were crowned provincial champions.

100 Year Starship SymposiumHeaded by former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison, and funded in part by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), 100 Year Starship is an organization comprised of elite scientists, scholars and researchers. Its highly ambitious goal is to send human beings to another star system within 100 years.

Upper School faculty member Jeff Lee was invited to present his research paper, Challenges and Implications Imposed by Time-Distance Solutions for Relativistic Space Flight, at their symposium in Houston, TX in September. Jeff spoke about the times, distances and speeds required for such a voyage. Additionally, he provided an outline of several theoretical propulsion schemes that may make such a journey possible. Jeff also discussed the degree to which collisions with interstellar dust, and radiation, pose a hazard.

AP Success Marks Best Results Crescent is an AP (Advanced Placement) school, and there are many reasons why students choose to write AP exams. It is usually the students themselves who want universities to know that they have taken the most rigorous courses available. They also want to know how they stack up against other students from around the world.

AP Exam scores are reported on a 5-point scale as follows:5 Extremely well qualified*4 Well qualified*3 Qualified* (a 3 is considered to be equivalent to a B on the corresponding course given at university)2 Possibly qualified*1 No recommendation*** Qualified to receive college credit or advanced placement** No recommendation to receive college credit or advanced placement

Results for the past academic year are that 90.1 per cent of our students scored a 3 or higher. This is the best Crescent has achieved in the past five years.

By comparison, 78.9 per cent of Ontario students scored this well. Globally 61.5 per cent of the AP exam writers scored a 3 or higher.

As has been the case since Crescent first participated in the Advanced Placement programme, the highest marks went to our mathematics students. Of the 16 boys who wrote AP Calculus AB (Mr. Tessaro), 14 scored a 5 and two scored a 3, resulting in an average score of an incredible 4.75. Of particular note were our Economics (Mr. Muranaka) students with an average mark in Macroeconomics of 4.5 and in Microeconomics of 4.75. Physics B (Mr. Lee) took a giant step forward moving from an average mark of 3.43 in 2010/11 to 4.25 in 2011/12. In English Literature (Mr. Cruttwell), there were more 5s, 4s and 3s than ever before. Fine marks were also earned on all our other AP exams: Chemistry (Mr. Jansen), Biology (Mr. Cumner), Human Geography (Mr. Nicolucci) and Statistics (Mr. Pintilie).

These are truly first rate results.

Head of English publishes her first novelUpper School faculty member Aggie Maksimowska has had a great year! She presented at the IFOA (International Festival of Authors) at Harbourfront in October, as well as being a part of the run-up to the Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist when she was nominated for CBC’s Giller Reader’s Choice competition. Aggie’s first novel, Giant, is about an 11-year-old girl in an adult’s body whose coming of age in a country undergoing a revolution is interrupted by a sudden and cruel move to Canada.


Grad earns UofT National Scholarship The award is called the University of Toronto National Scholarship, and recent graduate Aidan Solala ’12 is one of 10 recipients who have been awarded a full scholarship to the university.

The initial application process involved reference letters, an essay and the creation of an original project. Aidan’s essay was about his experiences in India on an International Outreach Trip and specifically on how the popular cola Thums Up (the logo is a red thumbs up) is reflective of the country’s positive philosophical outlook. Aidan was then selected as a finalist amongst 20 other students, invited for a three day experience at the St. George Campus to spend some time onsite, and with the other finalists (all of whom stayed at a hotel downtown), and amongst other activities, was interviewed by a faculty member, as well as a panel of judges.

A major determinant in being awarded the scholarship involved a project. Aidan’s project stemmed from his work with Sunny View Public School as a result of the relationship Crescent has with this school via the grade 12 Technological Design class taught by Mr. Morrison. Sunny View is a congregated special education setting for students with high physical and health needs. As a result, many devices are quite challenging for them to use.

Aidan made adaptions to a toy called the Colour Bug, to make the device easier for Sunny View students to operate. The toy is in the form of a small vehicle (with a marker attached to it) that the children used to make drawings. Aidan created a new controller, replaced the joysticks with touch sensors, and assembled all of the new electronics for it.

Not surprisingly, Aidan is enrolled at UofT’s faculty of engineering (ranked 15th worldwide in engineering programmes), and will be in residence at Innis. The scholarship is sponsored by BMO and was brought to Aidan’s attention after Mr. Mitz saw Aidan at a University Visit when UofT was presenting.

Congratulations to Aidan for winning a scholarship that covers tuition, incidental fees and residence for four years after he was able to demonstrate superior academic performance, original and creative thought, and exceptional achievement in a broad context—and gives all the credit to his Crescent School education for getting him there! Aidan says, “Without the robotics programme, or my experience on the International Outreach trip, I wouldn’t have had all of that knowledge from which to draw from, and this allowed me to be competitive.”

Cracking the Stereotype—Gaming is LearningMiddle School faculty Jeff Adams ’94 was recently published in the spring 2012 edition of iLeader (Journal of the School Library Association New South Wales). Jeff’s work is explained in the article; how he uses GBL (game-based learning) to elicit creative responses from his students as they planned a sustainable village/world, and how this teaching technique has become a part of an action research project. Jeff’s full report on GBL will be published on the IBSC (International Boys’ Schools Coalition) site in the near future.

Academic Competitions in the SciencesCrescent students did well in our first non-Ontario curriculum contest when competing in the UBC Michael Smith Science Challenge for grade 10 students. One student placed in the top three per cent, and four placed in the in top 25 per cent. In the UofT National Biology Competition, 12 of the 19 grade 12 students who wrote the test were in the top 20 per cent.

In more science competition news, 39 per cent of Crescent’s AP chemistry students placed in the top 20 per cent of the University of Waterloo’s challenging CHEM 13 News Exam. These are the best-of-the best, officially recognized by the University.

Results from our grade 11 chemistry students are equally impressive. This puts 44 per cent of our grade 11 chemists in the top 20 per cent of this take-no-prisoners examination. Congratulations to these incipient rocket scientists.

TennisIn June, Matt Erdman (currently in grade 12) represented Crescent in the OFSAA tennis championships— a three day competition at the Rexall Centre. Matt came home from the provincial finals with a silver in open boys singles.

Beck’s Beer sporting Crescent Alum’s Label DesignIf you were in the States this summer, and ended up somewhere with a bottle of Beck’s beer by chance, you may have noticed you were holding one of their limited edition art bottles. Created by six artists from across the U.S., one of the six designs is by Chicago-based installation artist/sculptor, and Crescent alumnus Willy Chyr ‘05.

Willy moved to Illinois to attend the University of Chicago after graduating from Crescent, has an economics and physics degree, and now works as an artist. His success includes installations in Millennium Park and the Biological Sciences Learning Centre in Chicago, and in Toronto for Nuit Blanche.

Beck’s and the participating artists all believe that the beer labels (part of Beck’s Green Box Project) is a pathway to art. Willy designed a colourful label featuring his signature media: balloon sculptures. Willy says, “I think it’s so much more exciting than people going to an opening in a white-cube gallery. This is much more accessible; I think that’s what’s really exciting.” Willy’s label (one of the six winning artist’s designs) is entitled A Glimpse of Something Ephemeral. Learn more about Will and his Beck’s beer label project on YouTube (Beck’s and Will Chyr: A Glimpse of Something Ephemeral).


Message from the President of the Crescent Alumni Executive

As we embark on a monumental year for Crescent School, I have taken

some time to reflect on what it means for our School to be celebrating its centennial. Over the past 100 years, Crescent has grown into an esteemed boys’ school. Built on a foundation of strong principles and core values, Crescent School is one of the finest schools in all of Canada. As the President of the Crescent Alumni Executive, I have the honour of working with 11 dedicated alumni who share my passion and commitment to the values, principles and experiences of Crescent. We share the common goal of strengthening the mutually beneficial bonds of alumni and current students. We work tirelessly and diligently to produce events, programmes, resources and services that are both innovative and reflective of the changing needs of our dynamic and growing alumni.

As you are aware, Crescent boasts beautiful grounds and state-of-the-art facilities that are continually being built. However, it is my strong belief that it has been the people—the teachers, headmasters, students, parents and alumni that have made Crescent the place it is today. As alumni, we have an important role to preserve the legacy that has been established over the years, while guiding

the vision for the next 100. What makes me most proud is to see that we have an ever growing group of second generation Crescent boys coming to the School. It is amazing to see Crescent alumni believing so much in the Crescent experience to want to share it with their sons.

Just as the School has grown and evolved over the past 100 years, so has our alumni organization. Thanks to the many dedicated volunteers throughout the years, our alumni network is as strong as ever, putting us

in a position to support our students when they graduate. The programmes offered via our alumni association support our alumni in all aspects of their post academic life. Alumni mentoring, internship initiatives, events, professional development and networking opportunities have opened the door to new prospects for alumni and current students alike. As recognition of the growth of our alumni association, Crescent School now employs a dedicated professional whose sole responsibility is that of alumni relations. This has made a huge difference in the advancement of our mandate, and without this support, and that of the entire Advancement Office, our growth would not have been so rapid.

As Crescent School embarks on its second century, I ask that that all alumni pause and reflect on the impact Crescent School has had on their lives, and consider the legacy to leave behind for boys who will attend our prestigious school in the years ahead. As alumni we have an important role to play in contributing to the strengthening of the Crescent community.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the numerous centennial celebrations planned for this year. For those who have been in touch with us over the years, we thank you and look forward to seeing you again. And for those who have not made it back to the School in a while, I hope you will use this time in our School’s history to re-connect with the Crescent family. We enjoy a tremendous history, and each of our alumni has a role in carrying on this tradition.

andRew flynn '88, pResident, CResCent

alumni eXeCutiVe

President: Andrew Flynn ’88

Board Members: Bruce Burgess ’57 (Dentonia Representative)

Chris Candy ’02 (Chair, Marketing & Branding)

Jamie Coulter ’87 (P’21)

Andrew Day ’80

Steve Dubrick (S)

Hessam Ghadaki ’99 (Chair, Activities Committee)

D.J. Lynde ’03 (Chair, Governance & Nomination)

Jay Mansoor ’92 (Chair, Alumni Internship Programme)

Myles Slocombe ’92

Jason Steel ’93 (Chair, Mentoring Programme)

Rob Watt ’85 (P’14) (Chair, Fundraising Programme

& Chair, Class Representative Programme)

Tim Usher-Jones ’01Secretary: Kathryn Rutherford (S)

CresCenT aLUMnI eXeCUTIve 2012/2013


Alumni Eventsspring Term 2012

Douglas Kennedy ’57 and Tony Andras ’55

Matthew Geisler, Nicolas Christodoulou, Jay McConnell and Charlie Benson

Dentonia Alumni

2012 Graduating Class

Gordon Berry (PS) and David Varley ’63

Marco DePasquele, Jake Mandel, Duff Isberg

Bruce Burgess ’57 and Alison Metrick (P ’09,’12)

Alex Courteau, Wes Harper, Graham Orr, Nick Freund, Graham Rotenberg

Dentonia Luncheon – May 4

Welcome to Alumni BBQ – June 11


Alumni Internship Programme

Crescent School’s Alumni Internship Programme has become one of the

marquee programmes for our alumni across the world. Since its inception in 2010, the internship programme has placed seven alumni in outstanding positions including two in New York, one in Australia and in one of Toronto’s most reputable hospitals. This summer, five of our young Crescent alumni were placed in internships offered by four of our alumni and one Crescent parent.

We spoke with three interns about their experiences. Sam Hall ’07, who has been studying business at Dalhousie University, was fortunate enough to fly half way around the world to Melbourne, Australia where he gratefully accepted a position with Peter Lalor ’92, Co-Founder of and Accountant at Blue Rock Chartered Accounts. Hanson Mak ’07, who studied Architecture at Carleton University,

travelled to New York City, where he joined David Thom ’92, Vice President, Design and Development at LeFrak Organization. Ryan Yau ’07, a Business Administrative student at Wilfred Laurier University joined Martin Ritchie ’92, Chief Financial Officer at JCM Capital in Toronto.

This is what they had to say.

What does your internship entail?Sam Hall: My main responsibilities at Blue Rock include preparing sales forecasts, completing tax planning and tax returns, data entry, and research.

Hanson Mak: My daily tasks range from designing furniture layouts for residential lounges and amenity spaces to generating photorealistic renderings. We find the photo renderings are helpful when trying to communicate our ideas to the construction team and for proposing different design options for approval.

Ryan Yau: I identify potential projects to be secured for solar development and financing. I am also involved in conducting market research, analysis and creating white papers for potential investors.

What have you been able to derive from your internship so far?Sam Hall: I have been exposed to a professional work environment and job duties that have taught me valuable skills. I have learned techniques such as sales forecasting and tax planning, which will be relevant in future job positions. Specifically, Peter Lalor has allowed me to sit in on client meetings and has given me insight on more senior business activities.

Hanson Mak: The internship has allowed me to gain a better understanding of how a development company works. It has also given me new insights into the concerns that developers face such as project marketability and maintenance challenges.

Ryan Yau: This internship has really given me an opportunity to try a variety of different types of jobs. I thoroughly appreciate the scope of work that I have been given thus far, as it is providing insight into specific fields of business and the type of work each entails.

How would you rate your experience?Sam Hall: My experience so far has been fantastic. By working and living in Melbourne, I have been able to meet new and interesting people and experience new things. Everyone at Blue Rock has been enthusiastic about having me here, and the dynamic office environment is great.

Hanson Mak: It has been a phenomenal experience working with David Thom. He has taken the time to explain some historical information to me and this has helped me gain a better understanding of how developments in New York and New Jersey became the way they are.

Ryan Yau: If this experience were to be measured on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being totally unrivalled, I would rate my time at JCM Capital as an eight. The experience has been overwhelmingly positive so far, the JCM Capital team

David Thom '92 and Hanson Mak '07


is highly professional and the company culture fosters a highly supportive environment.

What has been your favourite moment on the job to date?Sam Hall: I cannot say that I have had just one favourite moment, but learning many new things at work has probably been the best aspect of the job so far.

Hanson Mak: One of my favourite moments was the opportunity to attend the Battery Park: Coming of Age Conference, where principals from some of the most influential architecture firms discussed the history of the successes of development in Lower Manhattan and shared their vision on how to move forward.

Ryan Yau: My favourite moment on the job has been more in regards to the social environment rather than the work itself. The work is good, and I have had the opportunity to work on a variety of tasks rather than one set job, and the culture at JCM fosters a close knit team. My favourite moment was probably when we had an office meeting at a local bar! I had not experienced this kind of work culture before, and it was a pleasant surprise.

Have you had a mentor during this experience? Sam Hall: My mentor and fellow Crescent alumnus, Peter, has been immense in helping me get the most out of this experience. When I initially came to Australia, I did not know anyone. The link between working at Blue Rock and Crescent School was Peter. This provided a common ground for the two of us because of our time spent in Canada, Australia, and of course, at Crescent School.

Hanson Mak: David has been a great mentor during the internship. He specifically assigned tasks that would expose me to a wide variety of things. The internship has given me the opportunity to visit sites in various neighbourhoods and travel to places that I otherwise would not have gone to. The Crescent experience proved to be invaluable and it was an absolute joy to have the ability to reconnect with my fellow classmates that are also working in the area.

Ryan Yau: The entire JCM Capital team has been extremely supportive and has offered guidance. However, one of my co-workers, in particular, has been a great mentor for me. We have frequent meetings to ensure that I am fitting in nicely at JCM and achieving the goals that I had personally set at the beginning of the work term.

Would you recommend the Alumni Internship Programme to other Crescent alumni?Sam Hall: I would highly recommend the programme to Crescent alumni who are interested in working and living abroad. Experiencing another culture will allow you to meet new people, be independent, and broaden your horizons through overseas experience. Being able to be part of the Crescent community is important to me, and this experience is something that I will never forget.

Hanson Mak: The programme was definitely worthwhile in itself. I believe that the accumulated experiences will lead to something greater in the future that it unforeseeable.

Ryan Yau: I believe the programme is a highly valuable tool for recent Crescent alumni. Especially given today’s job market, it provides a great way for undergrads to get a foot in the door and experience a variety of job duties.

Sam Hall '07 and Peter Lalor '92

Ryan Yau '07, Martin Ritchie '92 and team


Fraser McKee ’38

After growing up through the Second World War, and serving in the Navy

and its reserves for over three decades, many would say that Fraser McKee ’38 is a living piece of history. It is a rare opportunity to get a first-hand glimpse into what it was like to live through the war, and Fraser McKee has dedicated a great deal of his life to preserving this history.

Mr. McKee is a Canadian naval historian, the author of five books, and several other articles, detailing Navy History, or Merchant Navy history. Before he became the naval historian he is today, his initial interest in serving in the Navy was something that he chose to do out of familiarity. The war had a huge influence on his entire generation, and his father also served in the Navy—so joining the Navy was something that made sense.

He describes his time in the war as being “enjoyable for the most part, and highly educational for an 18-year-old—a far more valuable growth experience

than what going straight into university would have been.” Mr. McKee says, “I specialized in anti-submarine warfare, unusual for a Reserve or Regular force, and spent time in submarines and in anti-submarine RCAF aircraft; but that’s just the wartime part. Post-war, in the Reserves—up until 1975—being in the service provided an association of like-minded people, across a wide spectrum of types, experiences, and inter-connections. It was a hobby, like golf or sailing, but with a purpose. I had the feeling that I was making a contribution to my country that I would never have had enough money to do otherwise. Not only was it inexpensive—unlike golf or sailing!—but in fact, it paid me a little to participate in it, and provided some travel as well, for free.”

When looking at how different things have become over the past few decades, and seeing how things have changed across generations, Mr. McKee describes his experience as a young boy modestly,

and feels that the current generation does not work any less than he did. He is the proud father of four children, grandfather of eight, and great-grandfather of one. He feels that he has seen countless examples of dedication and hard work in his own family, as well as in others.

Mr. McKee feels that the biggest difference between his generation and current generations is the general way of living. Current generations experience a linear lifestyle, from school in childhood, then to university and work or travel in young adulthood, and

onto families later. For his generation, they went straight into the war, without choice. They were taken away, put into dangerous situations; situations that would disrupt their lives.

With some of the unpredictable and disruptive situations he experienced in the war, it is no surprise that Mr. McKee remembers Crescent as a place that allowed him to be a kid—it was innocent and worry-free. He laughs as he recalls his many fond memories of Crescent, from climbing the old oak tree in the driveway, listening to classical music, and playing cricket and soccer. And there was the time when he was caned twice after he tripped and fell while running through the library—a fall which ended up with Mr. McKee pulling over and breaking the fish tank; killing all of the fish. Mr. McKee went to Crescent from age 8 to 12; an age that he described as less ambitious academically, but a time that provided him with a solid foundation upon which to build, and one that he has carried with him throughout the years.

Alumni Profile


Thomas Symons ’41

Keep on learning. Learning is something that needs to be tended

to for all your life; it is very rewarding and should receive ongoing care and attention.”

Thomas Symons ’41 reflects back on his years at Crescent with gratitude. Having spent just three years at Crescent, he recalls his time as being “very formative to what I have done, and to who I have become.” With a long list of extraordinary accomplishments, it is an honour for Professor Symons to hold Crescent School in such high regard.

Professor Symons is a writer, teacher, founding President of Trent University, Chairman of the Commission on Canadian Studies and of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, Companion of the Order of Canada, a member of the Order of Ontario, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and most recently in February 2012, conferred by the Pope, the title of Knight in the Order of St. Sylvester.

As one of Crescent’s most decorated alumni, it would take pages to list all of Thomas Symons’ achievements. His accomplishments and contributions in the areas of education, national unity, social justice and heritage conservation have been, and continue to be, remarkable. For many, meeting such an accomplished individual would be intimidating; however, within seconds of speaking with Professor Symons, the warmth and integrity of his character are what become most apparent; shining brighter than any medal or award received. His passion to educate and his tenacity towards the betterment of humanity have been unwavering.

After Crescent, Professor Symons went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, and he obtained a Master of Arts at the University of Oxford. In addition, Professor Symons held a Rockefeller Fellowship at Harvard University and Visiting Fellowships at both the Scott Polar Institute and the Centre for International Studies at the University of Cambridge.

Although Professor Symons has many personal educational achievements,

his effort to improve and promote education for others has been most prominent to his list of accomplishments. As an educator, Professor Symons has held many posts, including Assistant Dean of Men, Trinity College and Instructor of History, University of Toronto, 1953-1955; and Dean, Devonshire House, University of Toronto, 1955-1963. However, his most notable post was as the founding President and Vice-Chancellor of Trent University, 1961-1972.

With this vested interest in educating others, it is not surprising that Professor Symons’ efforts have been honoured by some of the world’s highest ranked leaders. Created in 1967, Canada’s System of Honours recognizes outstanding individuals for their dedication, bravery, valour and sustained contributions to our country. These honours are presented, on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, by the Governor General of Canada. Professor Symons was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1976, and a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1997, and a member of the Order of Ontario in 2003. A Companion of the Order of Canada—the highest level of the Order of Canada—has demonstrated the highest degree of merit to Canada and humanity, on a national or international setting. Up to 15 Companions are appointed each year, with a limit of 165 living Companions at any given time. As of May 29, 2012, there were currently just 149 living Companions in Canada.

In addition to Professor Symons appointment to the Order of Canada, he has also been given the title of Knight in the Order of St. Sylvester by the Pope. This was a position that came as quite a surprise to Professor Symons. “I

come from a long line of Methodists, so receiving such an honour from the Vatican was quite a surprise,” he said. “Also, there are some special privileges this Knighthood allows me; I am permitted to ride my horse through St. Peter’s Cathedral should I choose to do so. I thought that this was an interesting privilege and kind of fun too.”

Currently, the Premier and the Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island have requested that Professor Symons join them in Charlottetown to assist in planning their celebration of the 150-year anniversary of the Confederation of Canada. “To be engaged in planning, to remember and honour the birth of our country, on the spot where the fathers of Confederation originally met, is pretty exciting and challenging. What they did was a very admirable achievement, and I feel honoured to be involved.”

Alumni Profile

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Brian Smith ’56

I remember Mr. Williams, who was Headmaster during most of my time at

Crescent, who said, ‘To those whom much is given much is expected’. It is amazing how a few words said at one occasion stay with you through the years.”

As the self-proclaimed “runt of the litter” during his years as a Crescent boy, Brian Smith ’56 has grown to be the exact opposite of what he has described. As a dedicated father and tireless community advocate, Brian has grown to be an extraordinary example of what it means to be a true Man of Character.

Since 1978, Brian Smith has held the position of President and CEO of WoodGreen Community Services—one of the top five leading social service agencies in Toronto. During his tenure, Brian has devoted himself to WoodGreen’s tradition of growing and diversifying programmes to meet the needs of the community. Following alongside Woodgreen’s vision for a Toronto where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, Brian has advocated for policy changes that allow social service agencies to better serve vulnerable populations, and has served as a leader and a voice for those who are faced with adversity.

After Crescent, Brian completed further studies in Quebec and Ontario, an Honours Certificate in Voluntary Sector Management from York University, a Bachelor Degree in Sacred Theology from Trinity College in Toronto, a Bachelor of Arts from Bishop’s University, and a MBA from The University of Western Ontario. Although his original plan during his time at Bishop’s University and Trinity College was to eventually become a minister, he quickly learned that his true interest was aligned with social justice and poverty—an area in which the church did not offer the same opportunities for work as did the social work profession.

His first job was working as a social worker in child welfare at the Children’s Aid Society in Toronto. The work was challenging and presented many barriers related to resources and child protection that made it difficult to respond in the most effective way to some of the

crises experienced by families. Through his social work, Brian retained close connections to the church and eventually joined Woodgreen under the guidance of Woodgreen’s founder, Reverend Ray McCleary.

During the Depression, what started as a child care and sports programme operating out of Rev. McCleary’s home in Riverside with a 40 person staff, Woodgreen has grown to become an organization serving over 45,000 people across 27 locations in Toronto, and offers over 75 programmes including newcomer and landed immigrant support, housing, a seniors programme, tutoring, adult day programmes and has a 650 person staff with over 1,500 volunteers.

Going forward, Smith said Woodgreen and its staff will continue to try to meet the needs of the community, through programmes such as Homeward Bound; a programme that provides single mothers with housing, child care and a post-secondary education so they can improve things for themselves and their children. The programme began in 2004 and Brian is amazed by the success of

the women. “It is great to see how they have transitioned; their success is what makes my day easy,” he says.

Brian’s passion for social service and justice does not end during his work hours at Woodgreen, as he is also a dedicated husband and proud father of four children (three daughters and a son) who also all take pride in giving back to the community. With a simple message heard from his Headmaster while attending Crescent School, Brian has stayed true to his roots and has made a point to carry out Mr. Williams’ words every day—both personally and professionally.

If there are any words of advice that Brian could pass on to future Crescent students he says, “No matter what, in everybody’s life, with whatever career you embark on, there are so many opportunities to contribute to society. All people should have a dimension in their life that helps contribute to the betterment of society. Not only does this provide support to those in need, but it also provides one with the opportunity to have a well-rounded life, and that is invaluable.”

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Alumni Profile


Alex Dean ’66

Music was something that I always enjoyed and seemed to excel in.

I never knew what I wanted to do, but I was playing [gigs] all through high school and then just kept playing and practicing. Eventually, I sort of assessed where I was at and realized I was a player.”

In his grade 9 music class, Alex Dean ’66 was left to choose between three instruments; a tuba, saxophone and percussion. “I think I chose the saxophone because it was the easiest to carry!” Little did Alex know what weight the saxophone would carry in his life.

Described as one of Canada’s foremost jazz saxophonists, Alex has built his

career and life around the saxophone. Coming from a musically gifted family, music was engrained in him at a young age. During his time at Crescent he especially remembers teacher Bill Burridge, who happened to play bass in his Dad’s band, as well. Leaving behind the infamous cab rides to Crescent and the freezing swims in the basement pool, Alex continued his secondary education at North Toronto Collegiate Institute.

Upon graduation, he studied privately with Paul Brodie, who was for Alex “a great teacher and the most recorded Canadian classical artist at the time.” Under Paul’s direction, Alex’s career as a saxophonist began to grow.

During his lifetime, Alex has recorded what he believes to be well over 100 CDs for various artists and about 20 where he was personally involved as a writer or contributor. He has performed in countless shows in numerous venues, including a week at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City with Roger Whittaker and once in front of a crowd of 20,000 at the Montreal Jazz Festival with a group called DEW EAST.

His career has also afforded him the rare opportunity to not only meet, but perform with some legendary musicians, including Phil Nimmons and Dave McMurdo, two individuals that Alex says he learned a lot from and who helped to develop his skill. A highlight for his career, Alex also had the distinct pleasure of performing and touring with Ray Charles. “I loved the few gigs I did with Ray Charles…I had to play oboe and flute as well as take the saxophone solos, which were formerly played by Ray.”

Along with being a professional musician, Alex is also a teacher. He has worked at the University of Toronto and Humber College for more than 20 years in their respective music departments. A student of both institutions, Alex finds great pleasure in watching his students perform. “I have fantastic students! When I look down at the sax section and see my students, I love it, or when I go to a club here in Toronto or in New York or anywhere and see my students on stage or teaching a class, I love it.”

And while music has always been a fixture in Alex’s life, he cites that having a career in music is one of the hardest things about being a musician. He says that it is hard to come to the “realization that you play music because that is what you’re meant to do, not because it is a career choice.”

Alumni Profile

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Mike Smith ’87

When asked for his favorite quote, Crescent alumnus Mike Smith ’87 offered Dr. Suess: “You’ll be sort of surprised what there is to be found once you go beyond Z

and start poking around.” Mike has built a successful career doing just that! An Executive Creative Director for BBDO New York, Mike has created ground-breaking work for high profile clients like HBO, FedEx, Monster, Target, and eBay. He was Executive Creative Director for the critically acclaimed HBO brand campaign Imagine, and a creative director on the team that brought the incredibly awarded HBO Voyeur project to life in 2007.

Before BBDO, Mike hung his hat at shops like Fallon Worldwide and Wieden+Kennedy, where he both created and helped shape many celebrated advertising campaigns for Nike, Microsoft, Amazon, Citibank and EDS. Mike’s work has won numerous awards worldwide, including multiple Grand Prix, Best of Shows and a Best of the Digital Decade honour from shows like the One show, Cannes, Communication Arts, D&AD, The Clios, The Addy’s, and The Andy’s. He has also received a few Emmy nominations along the way. In 2008, Creativity magazine recognized Mike as the most awarded writer in the world. Mike also currently serves on BBDO’s board of directors.

Q. Was advertising always on your radar as a career? What drew you to advertising initially, and what do you think has helped you be so successful?

A. I didn’t actually start out in advertising. After Dalhousie, I moved to Vancouver, and worked in film business as a Production Assistant (PA). PA is “production-speak” for coffee-getter and producer’s girlfriend’s dog walker. But still it gave me an inside look at film production (and a few good stories!). Then I moved to Atlanta, where I took a job as a contractor in construction. I have always enjoyed building things so that was fun. It was also crazy hot. Crawling around under houses in the Georgia summer was nuts.

Then I met a guy who lived across the street. He was in advertising, and over a few beers I just kind of got it. I applied to and was accepted at the Portfolios Centre, the number one school for advertising copywriters at the time. And I discovered being in advertising was kind of a Mr. Roberts English “B” class, but for fun and profit. Indoor work, no heavy lifting, making stuff up; it was a done deal.

Q. Advertising is a bit of a blood sport. What do you think has helped you be so successful?

Probably the ability to just keep getting up and climbing back into the mix. Failing is part of the process. Not everything works out as planned. You have to embrace that and keep on going. And if you are trying to do something, anything, that has never been done before you have to be comfortable going off-road a bit.

Plus I’ve been lucky to work on things I have had a passion for with some really great and talented people. I don’t think anyone truly acts alone.

Q. What is the best part of your job?

A. The best part is that every day is different. It’s pretty much a blank page. And you get to fill it with whatever you can think up. That tends to make it pretty challenging.

Q. What were you interested in/involved with as a Crescent student? What were your career aspirations?

A. I really didn’t have any career aspirations other than I wanted to find something I would enjoy doing for a living. I just tried to keep an open mind. I wasn’t the most engaged student, to put it nicely, so sports were my thing. Basketball was where I felt the most comfortable and how I generally defined myself. But with basketball came all the good stuff that is sports: teamwork, sacrifice, work ethic, pride, character, honour and what it means to be part of something bigger. Those things are a good foundation for any career.


Q. Looking back, were there any teachers or coaches who were particularly influential?

A. [Ross] MacDonald. [Pat] Mills. [Doug] Smith. [Geoff] Roberts. Those guys were pretty terrific at keeping me pointed in the right direction. They had a nice balance of inspiration and motivation. And, for lack of a more scientific term, they “got me.”

Terry Bidiak was a very special guy. He marched to the beat of his own drum. There is nothing more influential than unwavering support, and Bidiak gave me that in spades. I will always be extremely grateful for that.

Q. Do you have a favourite or stand-out Crescent memory or anecdote?

A. We won the School’s first basketball championship when I was a senior. That sure stands out. The seven-day party that followed also stands out, and is still a topic of conversation with my parents. I have many other standout memories but if you haven’t heard those stories by now, it’s clear that you are not meant to.

Q. If you could recognize one Crescent thing that shaped you, what would it be?

A. Our class. It’s that simple. A great mix of guys all the way down the line. Just really good, really exceptional people. I can’t say enough about those guys. They would help you when you needed it. Congratulate you when you earned it. And call you out when you deserved it. I remember everyone genuinely wanted each other to do well at whatever they were doing. A very inspiring bunch to be around and to go through school with. And, a whole lot of fun.

Q. If you could go back to Crescent, what would you do differently? What advice would you give today’s students?

A. Nothing good ever comes from anyone going back in time. Back to the Future taught us that!

As for advice to current Crescent students, I would say put yourself out there. There is no better place to screw up than where you are right now. Don’t play everything so safe. Try something new. It won’t mess up your chances of getting into university or whatever you are currently stressing out about. Worst case you will end up with an interesting story to tell.

Q. What do you feel is your greatest successes in life so far? Why?

A. Years ago a kid wrote a letter to Nike saying that an ad he saw inspired him to go out for his football team. He always wanted to play football, but he was scared to try out for the team. He thanked Nike for getting him off the couch and onto the field. I wrote that ad. There is nothing I have done professionally that has meant more to me than that.

Any success in life always comes back to the people in your life. And I have found if you treat people the way you

want to be treated, you will be more than successful.

Q. How did Crescent prepare you for your current successes?

A. Just about anything I say will sound like a cliché. Like I might as well just sing the School song or something and be done with this question. And, it all will be true. But I think Crescent was remarkable because the faculty and staff were committed to letting me be me. Not an easy thing to do. Crescent let me find my way, and in doing so gave me the confidence to be successful at just about anything…except French.

Q. When you look down the road, what’s next?

A. My Dad once told me that, as I was going to be working for the next 30 or 40 years, I might as well take the time to find out what I liked. I love what I’m doing now, and I’ll keep on doing it until the passion fades.

Alumni Profile


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Jesse Wente ’92

Cinema is an art that encompasses all other art forms into one… and when

that art is good, it should cause you to fade away and exist solely in the moment of the film.”

When Jesse Wente ’92 reflects on his career path, he sometimes can’t believe he is doing what he is. As the Head of Film Programmes for the TIFF Bell Lightbox, and also appearing every Tuesday morning as the pop culture critic on CBC’s Metro Morning, Jesse is living out his dream job.

In 1977, when Jesse went to the University Theatre on Bloor Street to see his first-ever film, Star Wars, his life was forever changed. He describes himself as a “movie obsessed kid,” who was keenly interested in everything that pop culture had to offer, including cinema, comics, and video games.

During his time at Crescent, Jesse recalls seeing some films at the School, but it is not so much his extracurricular activities as his Crescent School education that Jesse credits as the reason he was able to get into the University of Toronto

(UofT). “The School gave me a great education and allowed me to pursue my interests at a higher level,” he stated.

Upon graduation in 1992, Jesse embarked on a four year degree in cinema studies at UofT. He then successfully obtained a summer internship at the CBC. This required that he chase down news makers whom CBC wanted to profile on their radio shows. Essentially, “I was cold calling people all the time,” Jesse explained.

Jesse decided to forgo further education when CBC offered to hire him full time. Throwing caution to the wind, and not knowing what to expect, Jesse accepted the position.

Alumni Profile

Jesse worked his way up at CBC, eventually landing a weekly report on Metro Morning and a segment on Q.

In 2006, Jesse’s career took another unexpected turn when he received a call from Noah Cowan, the now-Artistic Director, TIFF Bell Lightbox. Over dinner, Noah convinced Jesse to apply for a job at TIFF as one of the programmers for Canadian feature films. A couple of years and another dinner with Noah later, Jesse landed the job of Head of Film Programmes at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Jesse naturally spends a significant amount of time watching films. He estimates he watches 1,200-1,500 films a year or three to four movies per day. With a personal screening room in his house, a flat screen TV in his office and access to the private screening room and five theatres at TIFF Bell Lightbox, Jesse is not lacking viewing space.

Between writing scripts for his radio shows and choosing the upcoming films to show at TIFF Bell Lightbox, Jesse has volunteered with two prominent indigenous arts organizations in Toronto, as a programmer at imagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival, and as the president of the Native Earth Performing Arts, Canada’s oldest Aboriginal theatre company.


When referring to quantum mechanics, Einstein once famously

said, “I, at any rate, am convinced that He does not throw dice.” For Sheldon Kwok ’08, this quote is pure inspiration. He believes quantum mechanics to be humanity’s greatest achievement, and is captivated by the enormous implications and philosophical challenges it presents.

When thinking of Sheldon Kwok ’08, the words “unflagging intellectual curiosity” spring immediately to mind. Sheldon has devoted his life to the pursuit of knowledge in a continued quest to learn, to grow, to solve problems, to increase mankind’s understanding of the world, and to make that world a better place.

“Crescent taught me to work hard, have an open mind, and to give back to the community,” says Sheldon. His goal is to pursue a career in academia or scientific research. “A lot of people have advised me to concentrate my efforts toward one goal or career, and to work solely toward this goal to achieve it most efficiently,” he says. Instead, he is committed to exploring his own interests, and to satisfying that intellectual curiosity that defines him as he works toward his goal. He credits Crescent for teaching him the value of the journey. “Looking back, there are aspects of my Crescent education that still stand out today,” he remembers. “Crescent gave me the freedom and support I needed to pursue whatever I wanted to do.”

From academics to sports to extra-curricular activities, Sheldon tried everything at Crescent, and he had an impact on many aspects of school life. In addition to earning the Board of Governors Scholarship, the Science Prize, and numerous other awards, he achieved the highest overall average in grades 9, 10 and 11. He also earned the Governor General’s Medal as the top scholar in the graduating class, participated in Firgrove Tutoring, Intramural Basketball, peer tutoring, the Science Olympics, and was the Academic Prefect in his graduating year.

In the spring of 2011, Sheldon made two oral presentations at the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine’s annual conference, and was one of

seven finalists for the New Investigator Award. He considers this to be one of his greatest successes because “most of my fellow presenters were PhDs or physicians, and I had to prepare the presentations in the midst of an extremely busy academic semester.”

He graduated summa cum laude from his honours BA in Chemical Physics from Columbia this past May. He was inducted to the Phi Beta Kappa academic society, the highest scholastic distinction available, and awarded the Richard Bersohn Prize as top graduating senior in the Chemistry Department.

His hunger for learning, and the belief in an all-round education that Crescent has instilled in him, are reflected in the degrees he pursues and in the wide range of academic subjects that interest him. His motto is to find the opportunity to learn in all areas of life. While completing his degree at Columbia, Sheldon studied literature, philosophy, Chinese history, chemistry,

physics and biology, tutored elementary school students, was a chemistry teaching assistant, and was president of a student organization called Scientists and Engineers for a Better Society. He continues to be heavily involved in physical chemistry research, and has written a number of published papers.

Sheldon strongly believes that his successes and his diverse interests stem from the open and engaging atmosphere at Crescent, which pushed him to test his limits. “Crescent allowed me to place education in a larger context, and encouraged me to find an environment that fit my way of thinking,” he says. The intellectual curiosity that drives him, and the opportunities and friendships he has forged at Crescent and at Columbia University will both stand him in good stead as Sheldon begins the Health Sciences and Technology (HST) MD programme at Harvard Medical School this fall, and in his future pursuit of a PhD in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics at MIT.

Sheldon Kwok ’08Alumni

Profile


Andrew DeFalco ’11

When Andrew DeFalco graduated from Crescent School in 2011, most

of his fellow graduates were getting ready for first year university. Instead, Andrew was preparing for the trip of a lifetime.

As an American citizen whose family was transferred to Canada while he was in secondary school, Andrew knew that when it came time to choose a university, it would be south of the border. After considerable research and consultation with Mr. Mitz, Andrew chose Middlebury College, a small liberal arts school nestled in Vermont’s Champlain Valley.

“From the outset, I knew Middlebury was the place for me,” Andrew explained. “I toured the school and found its size of just 2,500 undergrads and the location in rural Vermont to be really appealing. It had the academic challenge I was looking for, and a great sense of community, so it all fit together into a place I wanted to be.”

Following his acceptance to Middlebury, Andrew was confronted with an unexpected opportunity. Middlebury offers a programme of deferred acceptance, whereby students can start school in February. “Febs” as they are affectionately called, are encouraged to take the first term off to gain some real-world experience. Andrew was one of the 100 students offered this opportunity.

“Initially, I was quite nervous about it,” he said, “but I was strongly encouraged to take advantage of the offer.” Ms. Maksimowksa, Ms. Trippini, and Mr. Lowndes offered helpful advice, but it was Mr. Mitz whom Andrew said was his “ever-quiet but constant guiding force.”

Andrew set to work on how to constructively spend his first semester. He joined a Facebook group with the other Febs, and decided to join four of them, whom he had yet to meet, to tackle the Camino de Santiago, or The Way of St. James, a 500 mile pilgrimage that begins in France and ends at

St. James Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, Spain.

Andrew flew to France in September, met his fellow Feb trekkers, and set out. Taking just over a month, he hiked at least 30km a day. His worst experience came on the third or fourth day of hiking.

“It was a brutal day, and the mass exhaustion and foot pain became too much. I remember finishing my 30km and sleeping for the next eight hours. I woke up, ate dinner, and went back to sleep. The next day, however, I felt amazing, and never had a day like that one again.”

Andrew’s best experience came when at last, he and six fellow trekkers walked into the plaza in front of St. James Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.

“It was an incredible feeling,” he said. “Definitely something I will not soon forget.”

Following his incredible journey, Andrew began his studies at Middlebury in February, having yet to declare a major, and showing a keen interest in Political Science and Economics. Taking the first semester off helped his transition from Crescent to Middlebury, he says.

“When I started college in February, it did not seem at all intimidating. I entered with a relaxed and confident outlook, and didn’t have a lot of the worries typically associated with the first semester.”

Alumni Profile


Each year, the Crescent Alumni Executive elects an individual who

has been nominated by his peers as the Alumnus of the Year. This award recognizes personal and professional achievement, including volunteer service to the School, and contributions to society. The award highlights a Crescent man of character whose actions embody the four core values of respect, responsibility, honesty and compassion. This year, Ted Livingston ’05 is the honoured recipient of this award.

Ted was a Crescent student from 1997-2005. During his eight years at Crescent, Ted claimed in his yearbook quote that Crescent “provided an education which couldn’t be more perfect for me as an individual. It allowed me to grow and develop my own philosophies and directions in life.” After Ted graduated from Crescent he moved to the Waterloo/Kitchener area where he studied Engineering at the University

of Waterloo. Ted didn’t graduate from Waterloo; his life began to take him in a different direction.

During his time at Waterloo, Ted created and founded Kik Messenger, a free smartphone instant messaging application. Kik’s success was so immediate that Ted was forced to choose between completing his undergraduate degree and throwing caution to the wind to run Kik Messenger. Ted chose the latter. In the first two weeks of its inception, Kik Messenger was downloaded one million times. Today, Kik has 10 million users with over 1 billion messages sent each month. If running Kik was not enough, Ted recently launched his newest application, Clik. Clik turns a smartphone into a remote control device with the ability to stream content over any web–connected screen.

The resounding success of Kik and Clik has left Ted, who graduated from

Crescent just seven years ago, in a very fortunate position. In March 2011, at the age of 23, Ted donated $1 million to the VeloCity Programme, where he got his start. VeloCity is a residence-based learning programme at the University of Waterloo, designed to foster innovations in various disciplines. Ted’s gift was used to enhance the programme and provide mentoring and entrepreneurship support. In April 2012, Ted warranted more credit when he was named in Maclean’s Magazine, “Canadians Under 25: Here are the Ones to Watch.”

Ted has since come back to Crescent, visiting the Computer Science classroom to talk with students about Kik and Clik, and the trials and tribulations of starting his own company. Crescent School is very fortunate to include Ted and the Livingston family in its close knit community. Congratulations, Ted on being named the 2012 Alumnus of the Year.

OntarioThe University of Western Ontario ........30Queen’s University ...................................12University of Waterloo ...............................6University of Toronto .................................3McMaster University ..................................3University of Guelph ..................................3Carleton University ....................................2Wilfrid Laurier University ...........................1

Other provincesMcGill University ........................................6The University of British Columbia...........2Dalhousie University ..................................2Bishop’s University .....................................1University of New Brunswick.....................1

United StatesNorthwestern University ............................2Boston University .......................................1George Washington University ................1New York University ...................................1Syracuse University ....................................1University of Pennsylvania .........................1Wake Forest University ..............................1

OverseasRoyal College of Surgeons in Ireland ......1Durham University .....................................1King’s College London ..............................1London School of Economics ...................1St. George’s, University of London ..........1University of Edinburgh.............................1

Gap year...........................................6

Alumnus Of The Year2012 award recipient

University Placements


2012 Golf Tournament an Unprecedented success!

On June 22, 2012, 95 Crescent alumni, families and friends took

to the links at Angus Glen at the 23rd annual Crescent School Golf Tournament, raising more than $30,000 in support of the William L. Burridge Bursary Fund for student financial aid.

“This year’s tournament was an unprecedented success,” said Chris Candy ’02, tournament chair. “The committee worked diligently to secure new and more sponsors, and to improve the golf experience with more and different contests. And it worked.” Great sponsors, great contests, great weather, and great golf made this year’s tournament an overwhelming success, both financial and experientially, and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

Sponsorship and contests were an integral part of the tournament’s success, and the tournament committee (Chris Candy ’02, Chair, Andrew Gallo ’02, Don Haag ’86, Cam Heaps ’92, Jeff Larcina ’03, Alistair Corbett P’15,’20,’22, and Mark Suckling (S)) would like to thank Will Leak ’15 and Bill Leak ’78, who withstood (and more often than not, bested!) competition at the Beat the Future Alumnus contest, and the many wonderful sponsors who supported this year’s event: 8 Presenting sponsor Barry Gordon ’87

and First Asset Capital Corporation, an independent management company focused on delivering superior risk-adjusted investment returns to Canadian investors and their investment advisors.

8 Gold sponsor GoodLife Fitness (Chris Candy ’02)

8 Silver sponsors Royal LePage Realty (Chris Slightham ’89), the Lynde family, and Pfaff Motors;

8 Bronze sponsors Gluskin Sheff (Jeremy Freedman P’16) and Cassels Brock (Andrew Gallo ’02); and,

8 The many wonderful contest and hole sponsors.

Planning is now underway for the Centennial Crescent School Golf Tournament, which promises to do the centennial proud. Details will be available later in the fall, and we hope to see you on the links next June!

Presented by

Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsors Bronze Sponsors

Hole Sponsors

Thank you to our wonderful sponsors!

Contest Sponsors

Luncheon

Registration

Crescent School Golf Tournament

Lynde Centre for DermatologyAndrew Lynde ’99Eddie Lynde ’00James Lynde ’02

D.J. Lynde ’03

19th Hole

Chris Slightham ’89

Ronald ShihPrivate Tutorial Services

Audi Downtown Toronto


Tournament and contest winners:Tournament Champions: Chris Candy ’02, Derek Chow ’02, Andrew Gallo ’02 and Elliot Starr ’03

Most Honest Golfers: Cameron Heaps ’92, James Shone ’92, Myles Slocombe ’92, Jesse Wolfson ’92

Steam Whistle Closest to the Keg: Mark Cameron ’09

Gluskin Sheff Longest Drive: Andrew Lynde ’99

Straightest Drive: A.J. Ferroni (S)

Putting Contest with Headmaster Geoff Roberts: Aaron Dion (S)

Audi Closest to the Pin: Andrew Lynde ’99

Sisley Honda Closest to the Pin: Nick Warwick ’06

Integro (Mark Rankin ’83) Closest to the Pin: Jamie Price ’93

McAlpine Ford (Don Haag ’86) Closest to the Pin: George Tory ’06 Robert Coulter (P ’87), Bruce Burgess ’57, Jamie Coulter ’87 (P’21)

and Rob Vanderhorst

Elliott Starr ’03, Chris Candy ’02 and Derek Chow ’02

George Tory, Reid Horkin, Jack Forsayeth and Ian Grundy, all class of ’06

Andrew Lynde ’99, Eddie Lynde ’00, D.J. Lynde ’03 and James Lynde ’02

Jason Steel ’93, Jamie Price ’93, Brian Morgan ’93, and Angus Glen staff member

Sebastian Centner (P ’16,’19), Allan Kiddell (PS), Chris Slightham ’89, and Jonathan Pollack ’89

Luke Connell ’03, Toni Toth ’03, John Boxer and James Kilpatrick ’03

David Kerr (P’91), Ross Kerr ’91, Stephen Martin ’91 and William Kerr (P’91)

Andrew Gallo ’02, Derek Chow ’02, Elliott Starr ’03 and Chris Candy ’02

Will Leak ’15 and Bill Leak ’78 (P’15)


Alumni University Branch Visitsspring Term 2012

Queen’s University – March 30

University of Waterloo – March 2

Jamie Spencer, Duncan McDonald and Jason Flannery, all class of ’09

Wesley Cranston ’11, Scott MacDonald ’11, Andrew McNicol ’11 and Jeff McFarland ’10

Philip Lloyd ’09, Jason Flannery ’09, Robbie Bowler ’09, David Cronin ’09 and John Lynch (S)

Jay Shah ’06, Michael Poy ’10, Stephen Daniels ’08, A.J. Delzotto ’08, Ducan Bull ’08 and Chris Singh ’10, Paul Comeau (S), Brendan Lippa ’09, Erik Evans ’10 and Doug Smith (PS)

Stephen Daniels ’08, Duncan Bull ’08, A.J. Delzotto ’08, Chris Singh ’10, Michael Poy ’10 and Erik Evans ’10

Doug Smith (PS), Brendan Lippa ’09, Mark Suckling (S), Jay Shah ’06 and Paul Comeau (S)

Peter Little ’10, Mark Suckling (S) and Cody Hull ’10Chase Heinemann ’11, James MacVicar ’11, Paul Comeau (S) and David Williams ’11


Life after Crescent

After a career in the naval reserve and in the railway business, Peter Dederer ’77 is now a professor at George Brown College.

Bruce Farrand ’79 is currently a manager of R&D at ArcelorMittal Dofasco in Hamilton. He recently passed the half-way point in his life to being a steelmaker and living in Hamilton. His wife Jody and son Graeme are both great.

Chris Beck ’87 recently wrote and produced the musical score for the 2011 movie The Muppets. He also wrote the score for The Hangover Part II.

Brian Lang ’87 completed six marathons in five days as part of the Jordan Ultra Marathon. He is living in Dubai, and working for MasterCard.

C.J. Gauss ’90 has lived in Boulder, Colorado for over 15 years, and believes he is living in one of the best places in North America! C.J. and his wife, Melanie, are blessed with two little boys, Chance and Mason, who make life fun and keep it interesting. He is a Resident Director with Merrill Lynch, managing the Private Client office in town. If you find yourself in Colorado, C.J. invites you to get in touch.

Brian Morgan ’93 married his wife Lauren in 2008. In May 2010, Brian and Lauren welcomed son Alexander,

and are now expecting a second son in October. Brian is busy on both a personal and a professional front. He works for The Morgan Group as a Manufacturer Representative for commercial and residential heating and plumbing products, and he and Lauren have just bought a house in Leaside with renovations to begin soon.

Timothy Tsang ’97 was recently married to Dr. Miranda Mok on May 5 at the Ritz Carlton in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Crescent School was well represented with many alumni in attendance including Eugene Chan ’97, Joseph Borgo ’97, Terence Tsang ’98, Dr. Vishal Joshi ’97, and Peter Bacardi ’97.

Ryan Fleming ’01 became engaged to Kelly McCauley (Lakefield College, class of 2002) in Barbados last February and will be having a winter wedding in 2013. Scott Rambeau ’01 will be best man and Michael Fleming ’95 and Sean Fleming ’97 will be part of the wedding party.

Kieran Quinn ’01 is currently in his final year of medicine at Queen’s University. Kieran also earned his master’s degree in cardiovascular physiology from the University of Toronto in 2008. Kieran plans to pursue a career in internal medicine and hopes to specialize in cardiac electrophysiology with the intention of being able to continue caring for patients with cardiac arrythmias, while engaging in ongoing medical education of medical residents. He hopes to partner with a scientist in running a laboratory focused on translational medicine that bridges the clinical and basic sciences to strive for new innovations in providing optimal care to his future patients. Kieran has been happily married to Lynn (sister of Rob McLernon ‘01) for two years. They live in Kingston with their yellow lab, Chloe.

Hats off to Andrew Rance, Will Demers and Fraser MacDonald, all class of ‘04. Doug Smith (PS) had the opportunity to meet these alumni at Kingsleys Restaurant riverside in Brisbane, Australia. All three

s Stuart Mercier ’00 married Jen Vanderherberg on June 23 in a ceremony in Toronto. Standing up with Stuart and Jen were fellow Crescent alumni Tim Lamont ’00 and Reid McGregor ’00, and longtime friend Pat Mills (PS) joined in for the festivities. Stuart and Jen are currently living in Hong Kong.

s Brice Chan ’00 and his wife have a baby girl named Stella, who turned two this past April.


been busy competing in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track. With teammates that span three continents, including North America, Europe, and Australia, Jake is looking forward to his final year racing with his tight-knit squad. Long distance running has a low retention rate and his teammates have learned a lot from each other through the many grueling hours of training and races. Throughout his time competing in the CISAA and NCAA, Jake has realized how important it is to always “push the envelope… if you are excelling at one level, don’t be afraid to throw yourself in the deep end of something else.” After Wakeforest, Jake will hang up his spikes for a while and has plans to travel and pursue a career in marketing/advertising.

Johnny Caputo ’11 was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 12th round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft in June.

Dominic Chu ’11 has finished his first year of pre-med at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland. Dominic reports that the first of his six year degree hasn’t been too difficult with academics, and he has been able to balance his time, and still have fun.

are in the accelerated law programme at Bond University, which requires three years of law in six semesters over two years with one month off each winter.

Patrick Merrithew ’09 spent this past summer in Masai Mara, a rural area of Kenya. In addition to soaking in the local culture and Masai life, he was assisting volunteer healthcare professionals and leading a trip of high school students on an exchange programme. Patrick is currently at Queen’s studying Physical Education and is looking forward to a future in medical school.

Will Heisey ’09 graduated from Durham University with a BA in Archaeology, specializing in Mithraism, which he describes as “an ancient Roman mystery religion.” While many of his classmates are gearing up for their fourth year of undergrad, Will has already set his sights on Oxford. He has been accepted into the master’s programme in World Archaeology, with an emphasis on the Iron Age and Anglo-Saxon Britain. Will is excited to be studying at a nearly 1,000 year old institution, combined with dinners in a medieval great hall and, of course, the local English pub. Will has also been spending time preparing for his LSATs which he plans to write in the fall.

Jake Graham ’09 has continued his Crescent athletic legacy down at Wakeforest University in North Carolina, where he has

s After graduating Dalhousie University in Halifax, Chris Metler ’04 spent extensive time in Southeast Asia, specifically living and freelance writing in the beautiful Philippines. Now back in Canada, he has been working as an assistant editor and contributor for a number of prominent Canadian fashion publications, including Fashion Television Magazine and S Style & Fashion. He has plans to move permanently abroad to build a career as an international travel writer and full-time adventure partaker.

Ryan Austin ’04 is currently completing his second year of training in the Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Toronto.

Gabe Diamond and Lee Berger, both class of ’05, have launched a new website WinJunkie.com, a contest-hosting website which runs daily, weekly, and monthly contests for local goods and services.

Jay Shah ’06 and two classmates from the University of Waterloo founded Bufferbox, a network of parcel delivery kiosks in November of 2011. This summer, Bufferbox expanded to Toronto, with a goal of establishing 20 kiosks by the end of 2012.

Vitali Bourchtein ’07 has been living in New York since his graduation from Crescent. In May 2011, he graduated from New York University Stern with a double major in finance and accounting. Vitali now works at J.P. Morgan in the Mergers and Acquisitions advisory group.

Oluremi Ojo ’08 launched the startup Loop Notes at Queen’s University in the fall of 2011. The business is expanding, and Loop Notes now has partnerships with the bookstore, with promotional and events companies in the Kingston area. Its reach has also expanded to include Trent, Dahousie and Carleton universities.

In MemoriamEdward Cartwright Cayley ’33

Edward Cartwright Cayley ’33 passed away on August 17 at the age of 91, leaving behind five children, 12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Edward served with distinction in the Second World War as a submariner in the Royal Navy, achieving the rank of lieutenant commander. In 1950 he found his vocation as a teacher and taught at TCS (Trinity College School) in Port Hope, Ontario (1950-1955), Holderness School in Plymouth, New Hampshire (1957-1962, 1966-1978), where he was assistant headmaster,

and at Stanstead College in Stanstead, Quebec (1962-1966) where he was headmaster. Edward spent his retirement in Toronto. �

Rob Druzeta ’89 Rob Druzeta ’89 lost his struggle with brain cancer on August 6, 2012.


A Crescent Centuryabridged excerpt from the upcoming book by neil Campbell

When the first few students arrived at the door of 43 Rosedale Rd in

September 1913, they were met by Jimmy James, the founder, owner, headmaster, and sole employee of Crescent School. The School consisted of one room—his living room. The annual budget was perhaps $2,000. The boys, largely from the upper echelons of Rosedale society, would begin to play three sports in a loosely organized fashion over the next few years. James was personally of modest means, and there were neither ties with, nor support from established religious bodies, educational institutions, or wealthy and influential patrons. Arguably, none of the other leading independent schools in Canada had more simple or unassuming beginnings.

In the years since those distant days, there have been challenges and difficulties. Crescent has operated at five different locations (three were within the first 20 years). Three of the first five headmasters died in office, another was suddenly let go after less than two years, and during one 12-year period, the School experienced five different headmasters. The faculty was of uneven quality, and turnover was unacceptably high for many years. And, the School’s finances remained a constant concern for decades—years at Dentonia Park with buildings and campus deteriorating.

Yet despite the various challenges, the School succeeded in providing a solid

and stimulating education to its students, who have gone on to play a responsible, and often noteworthy, role in society.

Crescent alumni have attended universities from coast to coast both in Canada and the United States, including every Ivy League college and such institutions as Stanford, Duke, and Johns Hopkins, and overseas at such universities as Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, St. Andrews, the London School of Economics, and Trinity College, Dublin. Many, especially in recent decades, did so on scholarship, and the School numbers Rhodes, Fulbright, and Commonwealth Scholars among its graduates.

While still young, a considerable number of students achieved significant athletic success. Crescent has been represented on Canadian national teams in at least seven different sports, and alumni have competed in Olympic, Pan American, and Commonwealth Games, as well as in world championships, winning medals

at each. Several have had professional hockey careers, both in the NHL and also in Europe. In football, there have been Grey Cup, Vanier Cup, and Super Bowl victories. There has also been a Queen’s Plate in thoroughbred horse racing, a North American Sculling Championship, and the award for the Canadian Junior Athlete of the Year.

As they settled into careers, what is most interesting to note is the broad scope alumni have displayed. As might be expected given the demographics of the Crescent community over the years, many went into such professions as medicine, law, architecture, accounting, and education, while many others carved out careers in the financial world of

A CRESCENT CENTURY10 11War and Consolidation

mercial activity on Sundays — shopping, the theatre, or professional sports — was maintained. The Palace Pier, featuring the big band sound of Les Brown, Harry James, and others, and nearby Sunnyside were popular destinations for relaxation and amusement. Despite the Sunday ban, it was a great era for professional sports in Toronto, with the Grey Cup regularly being captured by Balmy Beach and especially the Argonauts, while the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup no fewer than six times between 1942 and 1951, as Foster Hewitt’s “He shoots, he scores!”on radio broad-casts of Hockey Night in Canada became ingrained in the public consciousness.

Not surprisingly, it was not as dynamic a decade as the previous one in the history of the school, but there was natural and necessary consolidation of the growth and gains of the preceding years. Walter Williams continued to implement his educational philosophy. He argued that there were fine schools in the public system, but that their “activities must be limited by the immensity of their task”, and that “there is no excuse for the existence of (independent) schools if they are unable to give something more than it is possible for government schools to give”. He believed that schools such as Crescent had a great opportunity to build on the experi-ence of public schools, to experiment, and to provide educational leadership. And he was not hesitant to advocate for change. He suggested that the matriculation exami-nations should be spread over several years and not all be given in the final year, that they should not be viewed solely as “a receptacle for memorized knowledge”, and further that there should be included in the set of examinations one dealing with “the general knowledge of affairs”. At Crescent, there was considerable focus on general and global knowledge, and much environmental awareness — in both cases display-

Crescent was advertised to be “a happy and

healthful environment”, one “possessed by

few schools anywhere”, with “small classes.

•


banking, investments, and insurance. But there have also been journalists and publishers, caterers, chefs, pub owners, golf and tennis professionals, a race car driver, the general manager of a CFL team, RCMP and armed forces officers, a national park warden, commercial pilots, a train conductor, a firefighter, a hotel manager, a camp director, a fashion designer, a film critic, an art gallery owner, an international wind farm developer, and an Arctic glaciologist, as well as others in such fields as real estate, construction, and retail trade.

In finance, alumni have served as chair of the Toronto Stock Exchange and of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada and as president of the Montreal and Canadian Stock Exchanges. Others have been chair of one bank, president of another, and president of at least four investment firms or mutual fund companies. More broadly, others still have headed up one of the nation’s largest communications companies and two beer companies, while one founded the first craft brewery in Ontario.

In the political sphere, Crescent graduates have been elected members of Parliament, one has served as a powerful member of the federal Cabinet, and another as Speaker of the House of Commons. They have also acted as president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and chair of the Canada Export Development Corporation and have earned the rank of ambassador in the foreign service.

As well, there has been noted success in the field of culture. A number are published authors—of both fiction and non-fiction—and playwrights, and screen

writers for both television and films. Crescent alumni also include television hosts and directors, art department and special effects directors, award-winning documentary filmmakers, and still photographers whose works are held by the NFB and museums across North America. The musical talent of composers, vocalists, and instrumentalists has been on display with the TSO and every major symphony in Canada, with Ray Charles and many other leading musicians, and in performances around the world for popes, queens, and presidents. Over the years, alumni have earned Academy, Emmy, Gemini, Juno, and Grammy Awards.

There have also been significant contributions to society in the fields of public service and philanthropy. Alumni have served as chair of the United Way Campaign of Greater Toronto, the Princess Margaret Hospital Capital Campaign, the Board of Trustees of the University Health Network, the Ontario Human Rights Commission, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, and the Royal Commonwealth Society.

In addition, over the decades alumni have distinguished themselves on a number of other fronts: the founding president of Trent University, a founder of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, physician-in-chief of St. Michael’s Hospital, director of the ROM, a justice of the Supreme Court of Ontario. Alumni’s military service includes a brigadier general, a commanding officer of the 48th Highlanders, two

honourary colonels of that regiment and one of the Queen’s Own Rifles, a group captain in the RAF and an aide-de-camp to Queen Elizabeth II. One has earned a National Newspaper Award, and another the award for the world’s top advertising writer. Three independent schools have been chaired by Crescent alumni, while three others have had alumni as headmasters. And the nation’s highest honour, the Order of Canada, has been awarded to several Crescent Old Boys.

When 700 students arrived on campus in September 2012, to begin Crescent’s centennial year, they were met by a staff of 140, and modern and extensive facilities. The School fields 74 teams in 17 sports, as merely one aspect of a rich and diverse co-curricular program. The annual operating budget will exceed $20,000,000 under the general overview of a dedicated and professional board of governors.

It might be suggested, that few if any schools, have come a greater distance over the past century.

neil Campbell p’94 (ps)

3

3

War and Consolidation

IN THE EARLY MORNING of September 1st, 1939, wave after wave of Stuka dive-bombers headed into the rising sun as divisions of Panzer tanks and infantry rolled east across the border with Poland in a massive German blitzkrieg. The last domino had fallen and, less than a generation removed from the “war to end all wars”, the world was plunged into a second vast global conflict.

Once again, Canada punched well above its weight, as it had in World War I. Over 1,000,000 men and women served in uniform, and the country developed the third largest Allied navy and the fourth largest air force, while providing vast quanti-ties of war materiel to the Allied cause. The nation’s economy was carefully managed by Ottawa and Canada was soon operating at complete industrial capacity. There was full employment and before long the Great Depression was just a memory.

For the next six years, civilian life — and life at Crescent School — went on in the shadow of World War II. News of the war would dominate the newspapers’ head-lines and family discussions. There was rationing, and ration books for such needed war supplies as gasoline, sugar, meat and butter. There were Victory Bond drives. There was much knitting of socks and sweaters, and a steady stream of care packages

•

September 1st, 1939, wave after wave of Stuka

dive-bombers headed into the rising sun as

divisions of Panzer tanks and infantry rolled

east across the border with Poland in a massive

German blitzkrieg.

A CRESCENT CENTURY24

•

J.W. James, founder and first headmaster

of Crescent School

maximum enrolment in the school for the next decade and more — radiated out on both sides of the headmaster’s command centre.

Crescent’s new location lay at the western edge of Rosedale and, while not quite as central as the original site, was still easily accessible for Rosedale families. There was little traffic on the meandering streets and many footpaths crossing the ravines, and it was a simple and safe enough walk or bicycle ride to school. But the location opened up new possibilities as well; the school was now within easier reach from the Annex and the southern parts of Forest Hill, and it began to attract students from these areas. Dalton came over from his house in the western half of the Annex, and

comp #2

A Crescent Century 100 Years of Educating Boys is the story of Crescent School.

Researched and written to provide as much factual and anecdotal information as possible, this is a wonderful story of a school that started with a philosophy that was unique.

The values of respect, responsibility, honesty and compassion were there from day one in 1913. Read ALL about it in 2013.

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:

CRESCENT SCHOOL2365 Bayview AvenueToronto, ON M2L 1A2

40018682

I n t r o d u c i n g o u r N e w e s t A l u m n i

Class of 2012

Past and Present

Documents

Transcript of Past and Present