What makes a great STEM school?

It’s not what you have. It’s what you do with what you’ve got. I was asked recently by an editor for Toronto Life about what kind of technology resources Rosseau Lake College offers students. In the popular imagination STEM is about stuff, which is why every media presentation of it shows 3D printers, snap circuits,Continue reading “What makes a great STEM school?”

Taking learning outside

“My dad showed me a map of where it was,” says Martin Birthelmer ’87. “I was ‘What’s all that stuff around it?’ And he says, ‘The woods.’” “It’s a lifestyle,” says Graeme Smith. “Outdoor education isn’t separate from education or environmental education. It’s all interwoven.” Smith is the Outdoor Education Lead at Rosseau Lake College,Continue reading “Taking learning outside”

” … all of us are given a chance to have our own magic.”

A graduating student reflects on why she came to RLC, and what she’s taking with her A sign of spring at Rosseau Lake College are the community talks given by the Grade 12s. Each has a chance to speak to the whole school, and the talks tend to be very personal, thoughtful. During a recentContinue reading “” … all of us are given a chance to have our own magic.””

Reversing the effects of acid rain

RLC students have partnered with the Friends of the Muskoka Watershed to address a decades-long problem. And it’s working. First the bad news: the forests and lakes in Muskoka are in decline due to the leaching of calcium, the result of decades of acid rain. Now the good news: researchers at Trent University, in partnershipContinue reading “Reversing the effects of acid rain”

Food is home 

For any school, gathering over food is key to student life. At Columbia International College, with students arriving from all corners of the globe, that’s true in ways, and at level that is unmatched in the world of private and independent schooling. Partnering with Chartwells has helped CIC students access healthy options and new experiences,Continue reading “Food is home “

Everything starts with a breath

Sonya Scodellaro, marketing manager with Geox Canada, admits that it’s been an interesting year, particularly around order fulfillment and the growth in online sales. “We’ve really seen the demographic come down in age,” she says. “We’re seeing those young moms and dads—from that 25 to 34 age-range—as the largest share of our audience online, andContinue reading “Everything starts with a breath”

Living in the moment with Adolphous Greely

Twenty-five men, 350 pounds of supplies, and a chance to change the world. “This was not simply some new Arctic expedition,” says historian Michael Robinson, “this was really an attempt at a new science of the world.” It was the international polar year, and fourteen expeditions set off to collect data about the world. Together,Continue reading “Living in the moment with Adolphous Greely”

Ralph Waldo Emerson on living with intent

by Ralph Waldo Emerson Living with intent may prove to be the coin of the year, bumping mindfulness out of the bestseller lists. Both, of course–and indeed all the other topics under “well-being” at the bookstore–are attempts at answering a question that has long been with us: How do we live better? While popular authors suggest journaling,…

Through this life, part 1

“When I left I had no idea whatsoever, no inkling at all, that anyone else would ever follow me. So when I said goodbye, it was goodbye forever.” That was 1954. Herbert Gerber was 19 years old and had inherited his father’s determination as well as his destination: Canada. It was English speaking, didn’t have a draft.Continue reading “Through this life, part 1”

What we talk about when we talk about life

Herbert, Richard Louis Passed away peacefully at McNally House in Grimsby, on Wednesday, September 26, after a long illness. He was in his 72nd year. A longtime resident of Fort Erie, Richard was a dear husband and best friend to Judie (nee McNally) and loving father to Peter (Nady), and Glen (Laura). He was aContinue reading “What we talk about when we talk about life”