Headmaster's Welcome

    Dear Visitors,

    There is an old adage which says “If you want to get something done then give it to the busiest person”. This would be a good metaphor for the boarding life at Ridley. It is an exciting whirlwind of opportunity which never stops; this campus is truly engaged from dawn to dusk.

    The great advantage of boarding school is that it teaches rigor, resourcefulness and respect. These are vital attributes for life. With a strong residential program, deep friendships are formed and support is provided for academic and social needs. At the same time, the campus delights in a very broad extra-curricular program.

    After 20 years of Headship, I believe that a happy and engaged campus results in the chance for healthy all round growth. Clearly, there also needs to be a strong emphasis on academics. After much careful deliberation, Ridley is extending its reach and embarking upon the new option of the International Baccalaureate Diploma program, available from September 2012. We look for pupils to achieve to their highest possible level of achievement, and then ask if there is just a little bit more – believing that education is an experience of a lifetime of growth. Finally, with so many options and great facilities available, we look for their involvement in any number of other areas, again at a level which is far greater than average.

    It is evident that the boarding opportunity is for everybody, largely due to the choices that abound in this busy place. When one adds in our beautiful campus, there really is something for every pupil who wishes to partake at Ridley. I very much look forward to welcoming you to it and hope that you will want to be part of the global legacy which stretches out from the Canadian base of this school.

    Yours sincerely,

    Jonathan Leigh,
    Headmaster.
     
    Headmaster's Updates
    Breakfast at Ridley
    Approximately four times a week, as has been the custom throughout my Headship, it has been a privilege to have breakfast with four or five Ridleians. Often this turns out to be the most instructive and interesting moment in my day. Really there is nothing like the combined interest of optimistic school pupils when it comes to considering their background, their present conditions and their future aspirations.

    The privilege of such meetings lies in the fact that, invariably, they will represent five different nations. This is not surprising when one realizes that thirty-six nations descend on Ridley College from all corners of the globe at the start of each term. What is unique about the experience, however, is that they are achieving world connectivity through the “true boarding” experience. Frequently they speak anywhere between two to five languages. The ability to think in other people’s shoes through intelligent use of their own language is undoubtedly one of the ways to combat the seemingly intractable global problems which they confront. It gives real hope for the future.
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