On Friday evening I attended our St. Clement’s School production of Cinderella. It was a remarkable performance filled with superb singing, acting and choreography. It was evident that the cast thoroughly enjoyed their time on stage and were proud of themselves at the end of the evening. It was also evident that the audience enjoyed the culmination of very hard work.
I can’t help thinking that all of our girls’ journeys could be likened to the process it takes to put on a production. While I am in no way a drama expert, I know that the polish of a final performance often conceals the hard work, stumbles and risk-taking necessary to arrive at a successful result. In celebrating a superb culmination of work, we forget the time, effort and patience required to get there. In particular, the role of the staff and family is key to guiding, challenging and supporting our girls.
I have had several conversations with Clementines in Grade 12 this past week- some receiving news about university acceptances, some having attended a candid LINCWell session with returning alumnae to hear the ‘real deal’ about the transition to university. These girls are in their final stage of the St. Clement’s journey- their work, time, and stumbles all contributing to a culminating decision that will take them on to the next stage.
In addition to Friday being an important day for our staff and cast of Cinderella, it was also the day that our School notified admission candidates of decisions. For these girls and families, their SCS journey is just starting. We know that our new families are looking to work alongside the School to develop their daughters into outstanding women who are intellectually curious, courageous and compassionate. We look forward to doing so with our culminating work ultimately affording these young women success beyond their time at the School.
Regardless of the journey we are on, we must be careful not to focus solely on the perfect culminating performance but rather embrace and trust the hard work, ups and downs and the courage the girls will need to get there.
