Chapel
Philosophy and Goals
zz Cross-Campus Life: Chapel Philosophy
Our school overflows with the stuff of life: academic, artistic and physical opportunities. In the midst of all this activity, Chapel offers an intentional pause so that students can reflect on what a meaningful life truly entails.
In Chapel, we catch our breath and remind ourselves of who we are now and who we feel we should become. We ponder our relationships with those in our immediate community and with our neighbours around the world. We talk about justice, leadership, character and belief. It is where we remind ourselves of our vision as a community and the pillars that we strive to uphold.
Our hope is not to conform to any one person’s thought, but to explore and clarify our own understandings of life’s purpose.
Chapel is grounded in the Christian tradition, embracing its most inclusive principles so that our program is open to the wisdom and practice of other faiths and philosophies. A single service might include a Jewish story coupled with a Sikh prayer, followed by a Christian hymn. Our focus is on vision and values, rather than a particular doctrinal approach.
Junior School
zz Junior School Life: Chapel
Every Monday morning, a Chapel service is held in the gym. Along with students and teachers, parents are always welcome to attend.
Chapel time is centred around a story, usually connected to the virtue we are focusing on that month. We invite children to be mindful of their breathing, and to take three breaths as a group before one of them lights the candle. We sing hymns and share prayers. After the story, we often ask students to identify which virtues stood out for them. The service closes with three more collective breaths; we extinguish the candle and begin our day with an invigorating sense of purpose and well-being.
Middle School
zz Middle School Life: Chapel
Every Tuesday morning, the Middle School community gathers in the Chapel. The time is centred around a story, which is often chosen to reflect a current event in Middle School life.
The students are invited to be mindful of their breathing, taking three breaths as a group before a student lights the candle. We sing hymns and share prayers that rotate between the Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Sikh and Taoist traditions. The service closes with three more collective breaths, we extinguish the candle and begin our day with an invigorating sense of purpose and well-being.
There is a Middle School Chapel team that meets once a week with Reverend Fletcher and provides him with the feedback he needs to make sure Chapel is relevant and effective as a school program. The Chapel team also hosts at least one Chapel service each term, and these events are always alive with energy and good humour.
Senior School
zz Senior School Life: Chapel
Every Wednesday and Friday morning, a service is held in the school’s Chapel. Due to the size of the Senior School population, only three grades attend each session while the "grade out" has homeroom or a meeting led by their grade advisor.
Senior School Chapel varies greatly. Occasionally, the service is a combination of story, prayer and song. More often, the time serves as a crossroads for the school’s leadership activities.
Groups arriving back from service trips abroad share not only what they did, but how the experience shifted their outlook. Scenes for school musicals and plays are presented, exploring their philosophical and moral content. Campus groups inform the student body about their work and the reason for their passion. Students representing different parts of the globe strive to create bridges between campus cultures. A diverse array of guest speakers share their world views and life experiences. Assumptions about ourselves and others are prodded and tested, prompting deeper reflection on who we are and who we hope to become.
The tone of one gathering might be serious, while the next is comical. Student musicians offer selections that can be contemporary or classical through covers and original work.
The whole endeavour is guided by the Senior School Chapel Team, a group of students that offer feedback on the program and help to coordinate the groups, speakers and musicians. With over 30 members on the roster, the Chapel Team meets on Tuesday mornings during flex.
Boarding
zz Boarding: Chapel
Boarders gather once or twice a month on Sunday evenings for Chapel, in addition to the morning sessions they attend during the school week. Chapel sessions focus on different cultures, religions, life experiences and spiritually. Chapel is a time for self-reflection. Some of the most enjoyable and meaningful sessions are led by one of the six houses, built around a theme of their choice.