Having just completed our first full week of school, including both our Curriculum Night and Welcome Back Barbecue, the true spirit of community and energy is going strong at St. Clement’s. It is wonderful to catch up with students and families alike as we all settle in, and I particularly enjoy seeing our older girls guiding and supporting our younger girls. Those who have visited or know our school are aware of the unique physical layout of St. Clement’s, where students from Grades 1-12 share the same facilities, allowing them to get to know each other well. This ensures the informal yet powerful mentorship that occurs within the walls of our school.
While mentorship is important during our girls’ time at St. Clement’s, ensuring that our outstanding women of all ages remain connected as mentors and sponsors after graduation is just as important, if not more so.
This weekend, I was visiting my brother and sister-in-law in Halifax and was able to arrange to get together with two alumnae who share such a relationship. Margaret ’55 and Emily ’08 are family friends, and Margaret has been a mentor and support for Emily as she has pursued her entrance to medical school. While we talked over tea, it was evident that despite our graduating from St. Clement’s at very different times we share a common understanding of the importance of being challenged intellectually whilst also ensuring that our values align with the work that we are doing.
I watched Margaret and Emily as they talked with ease about their experiences and perspectives, and I couldn’t help but smile as we all said goodbye. It is heartening to know that beyond the informal mentoring within our walls at St. Clement’s, there is an ease between Clementines of all ages outside the school. I have no doubt that these relationships stand us all in good stead.
