Head Space

Around the world, there are various structures for international schools; however, the most significant point in our context is that Mulgrave is a registered charity. This means that every dollar of tuition funnels back into the school for student benefit - there is no one making a profit, there are no shareholders, and all of our Board members are unpaid volunteers. The next important point is that 88% of our annual revenue from tuition and fees – so about $28.4 million of $32 million – is dedicated to faculty and staff compensation...

In follow up to the communication regarding Mulgrave’s shift in approach to laptops, we have compiled a set of Q&As. Please take the time to read through these responses and connect with the research links included to ensure you have all of the latest information about this initiative.

Following our very successful initiative to restrict the use of phones during the school working day, inevitably we have also been conducting a review and audit of general laptop technology use in the school.
Multiple instances of distraction continue to remind us of the imperative to do better. The research about phones applies equally to laptops, namely that the efforts of well-intentioned students and committed teachers monitoring screen use are inadequate to address the current situation.

Cultural celebrations and traditions hold a special place in my heart. Having lived in multiple countries, I have a special affinity for things that remind me of home and my roots. Being in new places has also afforded me and my family the opportunity to participate in events that help us learn about the traditions, history, meaning, and importance of celebrations that are unique to various cultures. I know many of our community members feel the same, particularly as we hail from such a long list of places from around the world...

I recently had conversations with some Mulgrave parents about shared anxieties related to our rapidly changing world and our students’ capacity to navigate overwhelming complexity against a backdrop of rising mental health concerns. As we grow further away from the experiences, curricula, pathways, and schooling we had in different countries, and different eras, the advice and life experiences we might normally share to help positively guide our children may no longer be relevant or effective...

As we move through our strategic planning process to get ready for the launch of a new publication in August 2025, I want to provide an update of completion points so far and our next steps.

Primarily, celebration collectively ensures the safety, sense of belonging, and respect for each and every member of our community. This requires empathy, understanding, and an open mind towards those who may have different practices and identities than our own. Celebration also shares and demonstrates acceptance of practices that may have historically been marginalised. As the International Baccalaureate Organisation identifies in their values, there is a clear humanitarian need to “celebrate difference” as part of an intentional mission to support intercultural understanding and acceptance...

Earlier this week, we were challenged by our guest speaker, Dr. Jonathan Foley from Project Drawdown, to shift from a ‘game over’ narrative to a ‘game on’ mindset when helping to address the climate crisis...

With the dawning of spring this week, and some very special celebrations that mark the equinox calendar - Norouz, Navroz, and Easter - I want to take a moment to reflect on the notion of renewal. Spring, the season of rebirth, symbolises the power of incremental small changes ‘budding’ into dazzling impacts…like the cherry blossoms we will soon see around Vancouver. I see the same in our approach to tackling big issues like climate change or resolving major conflicts between countries...

I want to raise an issue that has been prevalent in the media over the past two months and I suspect will resonate with many Mulgrave families. The issue relates to phone and screen use and the impact this is having on teenagers worldwide. Social media, the U.S. surgeon general wrote in an advisory this year, has a clear, evidential link to the growing mental health crisis among teens in North America...

I had the privilege of hosting an onstage armchair conversation and interview with Dr Barry Craig, President of Huron University, the founding institution of Western, one of Canada’s oldest universities. We covered topics ranging from best fit university choices, the different learning experiences between universities, the value of Canadian education, the truth about university rankings, and what Dr Craig thinks best prepares students for success whilst at university and life beyond.

As a follow up to my post before the November Break, here’s a little more on the Town Halls we held in October. There were many more topics, but I want to focus on two more that garnered a fair bit of discussion…AI and the future of education as well as uniforms.

This Remembrance Day, I am struck more than usual by the meaning of this event. The memorial began in 1919, a year after the Armistice Agreement was signed between Germany and the Allied Forces in Paris, on Monday, November 11th. So much has transpired since, and while the human race has accomplished a lot in the last 100-plus years, we still cannot find a way to worldwide peace. 

Over the last month, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with many parents through a series of Town Halls. I’d like to thank everyone who attended and engaged in these conversations - as your new Head of School, they were a valuable way for me to learn more about what is top of mind for our families and to get to know you a bit, too.