2008 - 2009 Annual Report - St. John's-Kilmarnock School
2008 - 2009 Annual Report - St. John's-Kilmarnock School
2008 - 2009 Annual Report - St. John's-Kilmarnock School
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<strong>2008</strong> – <strong>2009</strong> To<br />
Letter from the<br />
Acting Head<br />
be headmaster at SJK is a privilege not experienced by many and I have been fortunate to be one of<br />
those souls. Whilst this mantle was temporary in nature, it gave me a wonderful opportunity to provide<br />
leadership at a critical time in our history. The overwhelming success of this year is due to the<br />
tremendous support that I received from all around me, from colleagues, students, board members,<br />
parents and alumnae.<br />
We not only opened in September with 420 students, well ahead of projections, but also received our<br />
accreditation from CESI. In addition, the school underwent a Ministry of Education inspection, that<br />
received a flawless report and evaluation.<br />
Throughout the year, our teachers and students threw themselves into everything with tremendous<br />
energy and enthusiasm, never letting up as one month rolled into another. The support and office<br />
personnel were just as helpful, pitching in wholeheartedly to do all that we asked of them. Although this<br />
was a transition year, we not only checked all sorts of things off the “to do” list, both in academics and<br />
the business area of the school, but also continued to move the school forward.<br />
On the financial front, Mr. Beacock, Assistant Head of <strong>School</strong> - Business and Finance, did an amazing<br />
job of managing the business side of the school. His hard work ensured that we are in a solid financial<br />
position with a surplus on the bottom line. As well, we are continuing to pay down debt.<br />
One of the principal thrusts of the year was Trek Nepal <strong>2009</strong>, led by Mr. Spackman and his wife, Judy.<br />
The whole school got behind this venture and lent both their moral and financial support. Through a<br />
host of activities, the student body raised over $30,000 to be used over the next few years to support<br />
building projects, teacher training and salaries. This money will also be used to cover the costs of the<br />
material needs of the schools that we support.<br />
We were fortunate to be the recipient of a significant financial gift to the music program from the Bill<br />
Harrison family. Mr. Harrison’s children are alumnae and his grandson is a current student. The impact<br />
of his generosity was experienced by all at the ArtsAroundsUs evening as the fledgling band<br />
accompanied the <strong>Kilmarnock</strong> Singers in one of their numbers.<br />
Our students continue to shine, performing well at the provincial and national levels in academic<br />
competitions for debating, science, mathematics and the arts. Even though we are a small school, our<br />
varsity athletes continued to perform at the highest level and our arts program is growing from strength<br />
to strength.<br />
I look forward to working with our new Head of <strong>School</strong> and to provide for him the same support that<br />
was so generously given to me.<br />
Ian Hornsby<br />
Acting Head of <strong>School</strong><br />
<strong>2008</strong>–09