The history of St. Clement’s School (SCS) in midtown Toronto dates to 1901.
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history → date → 1901
, it transitioned to an all-girls model after the First World War.
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it → transition → War
While the school has maintained its founding core values over the past 125 years, it has also continuously evolved to meet the needs of the future.
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it → maintain → future
Recognizing that the definition of student success is changing, the school spent the last year reevaluating its educational framework.
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school → recognize → framework
Committed to academic excellence since the school’s founding, the results of that deep dive will be shared with parents and students beginning this fall — as the evolution of SCS’ approach to learning.
“‘Excellence Evolved’ is a detailed blueprint for where we go next as a school, to keep up with and get ahead of global trends in learning and the skills required of our students, now and after they leave SCS,” said Heather Henricks, vice principal of research, learning and innovation.
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Henricks → commit → research
“It’s not a deviation from our current approach to deeper learning — or as we like to say, ‘learning how to learn’ — but it is an evolution and a way to ensure our students and graduates are as prepared as possible for an ever-changing future.”
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students → ’ → future
The driving force behind “Excellence Evolved” is the recognition that the “perfect-on-paper” graduate is no longer enough.
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graduate → drive → paper
Today’s rapidly changing world doesn’t just need students who can memorize a map — it demands adaptable problem-solvers who can navigate without one.
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who → change → one
While foundational skills like literacy and numeracy remain essential, SCS is expanding its focus to include what the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) identifies as transformative competencies for the 21st century.
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Organisation → remain → century
That list includes having the ability to manage ambiguity and consider opposing viewpoints, as well as the courage to own their mistakes.
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list → include → mistakes
To bring that philosophy into the classroom, the school has translated those concepts into eight actionable “Lived Behaviours.”
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school → bring → Behaviours
By encouraging students to wrestle with complexity, embrace discomfort, forge solutions and serve something greater, SCS is empowering them at every stage of their educational journey.
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SCS → encourage → journey
The goal is no longer just academic achievement but intentionally developing the difference-makers the future demands.
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future → develop → makers
While it is not new to SCS having launched in 2014, one key offering is LINCWell — which stands for learning, individualization, nurturing, creativity and wellbeing — a full school approach from grades one through 12.
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which → launch → 12
“The overarching goal of LINCWell is to provide each one of our students with resources or tools — like resiliency, self-advocacy, positive self-talk, mindfulness and executive functioning skills — as well as the ability to know when to use each tool,” Henricks said.
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Henricks → provide → tool
“Having this toolbox of key resources to pull from contributes to each student’s wellbeing.”
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toolbox → have → wellbeing
For example, Grade 3 students recently worked with a LINCWell strategist to design personalized daily mindfulness routines, giving them a practical way to self-regulate and build resiliency whenever they need it throughout the day.
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they → work → day
This holistic approach is strengthened by SCS’s unique structure, housing grades one through 12 under a single roof.
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approach → strengthen → roof
This shared environment creates daily authentic opportunities for mentorship, through both natural interactions and planned curricular connections — like older students acting as museum tour guides and subject experts for Grade 4s.
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students → share → Grade
Henricks notes the true impact of “Excellence Evolved” is best understood in person and encourages families to visit, see the approach to learning in action and experience a tight-knit community that’s small by design and deeply supportive.
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that → note → design
Ultimately, she hopes they’ll leave knowing SCS is a place “where every student is known, challenged and valued.”
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student → hop → ?
The Aporia
