When students graduate from Trafalgar Castle School, in Whitby, Ont., the Grade 12s are more than ready to take on life beyond the castle walls.
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Grade → graduate → walls
From the time they step into the independent girls’ school in Grade 4, they’ve learned how to be leaders and keep “the big picture” in mind.
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they → step → mind
“We integrate leadership training and weave it throughout the curricular and co-curricular programs,” said Kate Hebdon, deputy head of School, “When they launch, they feel ready to pivot, think through a systems approach, and consider multiple perspectives.”
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they → integrate → perspectives
Grade 4 students are given opportunities to test ideas, take responsibility and find their voices.
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students → give → voices
By the senior years, leadership becomes a formal part of the curriculum through the mandatory, two-year Leadership in Action program.
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leadership → become → program
Students take responsibility for clubs, events and initiatives while learning practical skills such as interviewing, giving and receiving feedback and self-leadership.
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Students → take → feedback
“We want our students to stand out,” said Hebdon, pointing out that having a well-rounded academic education is no longer enough for today’s postsecondary systems.
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having → want → systems
“Students also need to demonstrate what distinguishes them.”
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what → need → them
With a 100 per cent postsecondary acceptance rate, the approach seems to be working.
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approach → seem → rate
Students come from around the world, across Canada, and the local area, including Toronto, with a mix of day students and boarders from a range of racial, ethnic and faith backgrounds.
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Students → come → backgrounds
Leadership skill development is just one part of Trafalgar Castle’s educational approach, which is organized around seven future-ready competencies: collaborative leadership, systems thinking and design, creativity and innovation, critical thinking and decision-making, confident communication, global citizenship, and self-directed learning and unlearning.
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which → organize → competencies
, Trafalgar’s technology education starts on day one.
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education → start → day
Grade 4 students begin coding with Sphero robots before moving on to Lego, VEX, microprocessors and other tools through Middle and Senior School.
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students → begin → School
In June, the senior team, which develops underwater robots, was the only Ontario high school and all-female team to qualify for the MATE ROV Competition World Championship.
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which → develop → Championship
Generative AI has also taken centre stage in the classroom.
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AI → take → classroom
Teachers receive professional development in using the technology, while students are encouraged to approach AI with what Hebdon calls “constructive doubt,” questioning how an answer was produced rather than accepting it at face value.
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answer → receive → value
For all its focus on technology, however, future readiness is about skills that can’t be automated.
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that → automate → skills
“The bigger driver is [developing] those human skills,” Hebdon said.
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Hebdon → develop → skills
“How do you collaborate?
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you → collaborate → ?
How do you listen, how do you respond to someone without shutting them down?”
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you → listen → them
Those skills are tested through hands-on projects.
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skills → test → projects
A Grade 8 class might identify physical barriers at the school and use robotics to develop accessibility solutions.
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class → identify → solutions
And for more than seven years, students have monitored the local watershed, conducting water-quality analysis with the community to examine the effects of human activity on the environment.
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students → monitor → environment
The school’s annual Beyond the Castle program gives students the opportunity to travel across Ontario, meeting professionals, alumnae and community members.
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program → give → professionals
A Grade 10 visit to Deloitte, for example, is where students learn from women in executive roles that career paths rarely follow a straight line.
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paths → learn → line
The objective, Hebdon said, is about building “a network of skills and connections to learning.”
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Hebdon → say → learning
Failure is also considered part of that learning process, said Hebdon, with the school providing a “psychological safety net,” where students can work through mistakes without an adult immediately stepping in.
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adult → consider → mistakes
In an all-girls environment, she added, students can take on technical challenges, leadership roles and creative risks without encountering some of the social pressures that often hold girls back.
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that → add → girls
That confidence is also extended to the broader community.
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confidence → extend → community
Grade 9 students have taught digital literacy skills, while robotics students have shared their knowledge with younger learners in local schools.
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students → teach → schools
Other community groups and activities expose students to questions involving ethics, global issues, diversity and inclusion.
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groups → expose → ethics
“We’re continually building that,” Hebdon said.
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Hebdon → build → that
“How do you give back?
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you → give → ?
Are you contributing?
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you → contribute → ?
What can you do?”
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you → do → What
For Hebdon, the real measure of success is not just about how a student has performed at Trafalgar Castle but how they continue learning once they leave.
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they → perform → Castle
“In a perfect world, in five years, that student has found an area of study that they have become passionate about,” she said.
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she → find → that
“They find flow, and they find joy in it.”
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they → find → it
That means remaining curious, she added, rather than ever assuming they have mastered everything.
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they → mean → everything
“It’s really about lifelong learning,” she explained, “they see themselves not as the expert, but rather as bringing their expertise to collaborate in service to others.”
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they → ’ → others
The Aporia
