Dear RLC alumni,
In every way, 2023 is off to a great start. We recently held the Winter Semi-Formal, the first in three years. Despite unbelievably cold weather, our students were dressed in their finest, dancing together in the RAC. It is one of those great signature events, with students working with staff and the Parent Guild.
Our first board meeting of 2023 was on February 4th. RLC has an extremely dedicated and supportive Board of Directors. They are pivotal in RLC’s future direction and I am very fortunate to have their time and expertise as we journey forward as a school. We began our meeting with a frigid campus walk–it was in excess of-30℃ that day–discussing our campus master plan and the current strategic plan. Once settled into the beautiful refurbished Log Cabin, we engaged in generative discussions and strategies committed to elevating our school.
It is timely to share with all of you as we embark on our shared journey in 2023, that RLC is tracking extremely well in the following areas as outlined in the strategic plan:
- The Student Experience - our Outdoor Learning and Seven Generations work exceeds competitors and offers students an engaging experience. Our admissions funnel is attracting a diverse group of students who will thrive in the RLC environment
- Our Team - we are proud of our incredible staff who are so committed to the entire student experience. RLC truly boasts a team of professionals who know each and every student, creating an authentic community centered around our Rosseau Roots and Seven Grandfather teachings so a sense of belonging is shared by all
- Our Campus in Nature - our Master Plan is focused on a gap analysis of current facilities and infrastructure, mapping out capital improvements and development to facilitate world class opportunities for academic and co-curricular programs.
- Engaging the Extended RLC Family - Advancement, a culture of giving and a philanthropic energy is critical for our school to achieve its goals and ambitions. While admissions and tuition run the school, giving will grow our school. We are confidently ambitious in making this a school of choice for families from around the world, and will need your help in achieving this
We are on an exciting journey, and as details are unveiled appropriately, the opportunity for extensive stakeholder engagement will be true to RLC fashion. We will all need to roll up our shirt sleeves and stand together, keeping in mind that students - past, present and future - is what unites us.
|
|
Best,
Dave Krocker
Head of School
|
|
In this issue
- Jonathan Alderson on finishing his term as President of the Alumni Association
- A profile of Zoyer Clayden Tabobondung '14
- The Canadian Ski Marathon
|
|
Visit campus for Pink Shirt Day
Wednesday, February 22
This Wednesday afternoon we'll have four different activity stations with the students rotating in groups to each station. Alumni are welcome to join a group and participate in as many activities as you would like. Or, feel free to just observe.
You're also invited to join us for lunch in the Dining Hall. Plan to arrive at 11:45am to meet with some of your favourite staff members. Feel free to stay as long as you like.
|
|
|
|
This Winter/Spring we are looking forward to reconnecting with our RLC alumni and friends in Parry Sound, Huntsville, Calgary and Toronto at the first of many RLC Pub Nights in 2023. If you would like us to host one in your hometown, email Kim Bissonette Morton '88 at kim.morton@rosseaulakecollege.com
|
|
February 22 Young Alumni visit campus
February 22 Parry Sound Pub Night
February 23 Huntsville Pub Night
March 2 Downtown Toronto Pub Night
April 13 An evening with James Raffan
April 21 Hekkla/Hekklette
June 7 Pow Wow
June 17 Closing Day Class Reunion
|
|
|
Closing Day Class Reunion
|
|
|
Last June, we hosted our first 50-year reunion for the class of 1967-72 on campus after Closing Day. It was so successful that we would like to elevate this event to include one class from each decade. This year the Class of '23 will walk across the stage to accept their diploma. Wouldn't it be great if you and your classmates were there to cheer them on this year—and then 10 years from now celebrate the Class 2033 together! The event is on June 17. For full details, including accommodation, click here.
|
|
Join RLC staff, students, alumni and friends to cheer on Steve Priolo, RLC staffer and Buffalo Bandits captain at the game in Hamilton on April 1 (no fooling!) If you think you'd like to come, click here to indicate interest so that we gather potential numbers.
|
|
|
|
Seeking the next Alumni President
|
|
|
It is time for me to ask for the next ambitious leader to step forward into the role of President of the Alumni Association
|
|
In the spring of 2017 I was asked by the previous RLC Alumni Association President Greg Swift ’88 if I would consider leading the Alumni, as he stepped into his new role on the RLC Board of Directors. Greg had already volunteered a number of years organizing alumni events and fundraising for our dear school. The RLC Alumni Association is deeply grateful for Greg Swift’s long-time contributions. My three years of school at RLC from ’84 - ’87 shaped a studentship, work ethic, and love of learning that are forever framed by the fond memories I have of RLC outtrips, a caring community, and lifelong friends. So, when I was offered the opportunity to give-back to the college through leadership of the Alumni Association, without hesitation I said “yes”!
Around the same time, Kim Morton '88 began working at RLC in alumni relations and together the Alumni Association and school established some important traditions with an emphasis on alumni supporting current students and recent graduates:
- Resurrecting the graduate tie ceremony where each graduating senior is presented with a special RLC Alumni tie by the Alumni President at their graduation dinner
- Time capsule: Each Graduating class is invited to fill a ‘time capsule’ with mementos and notes that are then stored away for 10 years until a special Time Capsule opening reunion.
- Hekklette: This shorter 5KM version of the annual Hekkla gives alumni around the globe an opportunity to participate in the traditional spring run while connecting with fellow local alum
- Campus Connect: Each year graduating students are matched with RLC alum who are in their 2nd or 3rd year at the same post-secondary college or university the graduate will attend.
- Mentoring: Current students have the chance to attend annual career day information sessions led by RLC alumni from a wide range of professional fields and careers. Some students are then matched with an alum in their career field of interest for ongoing career mentoring.
These are a few of the programs and initiatives I’m proud the school has supported and will continue to include as part of the College’s traditions. Other important accomplishments include a complete update of the alumni contact list which spanned several years of ‘detective-like’ searching for alumni we had outdated phone numbers for and no email address (remember there were several decades of alumni who graduated and left campus at a time when email did not exist, so we didn’t have an email on record for many of our dear alum!) Once again, high praise and acknowledgement goes to Kim Morton and several volunteers under her supervision who searched and diligently got in touch with ‘long-lost’ alumni… who were, by the way, happy to be reconnected with the College.
A mandate we set out six years ago was to build better communication between the Alumni Association and the Parents Guild, the Board of Directors, the Headmaster, the teachers, and students. We have created dialogue opportunities with each of these stakeholders. We believe it is important for all parts of the College to have the opportunity to speak to the Alumni Association, one of the largest groups of donors, about how we can all work together as ‘one big family’ united by the common vision to ensure RLC’s thriving future.
And now, in the spring of 2023, as my term comes to an end, it is time for me to ask for the next ambitious leader to step forward into the role of President of the Alumni Association, as I shift my focus to other projects that need my full attention: This is a formal invitation to any and all alumni who are interested in nominating themselves for President of the Alumni Association.
Nominations will be accepted for the one-week period starting Monday February 20th through to February 27th. Nominations can be submitted to Kim at kim.morton@rosseaulakecollege.com. The nomination should include a cover letter answering the two questions: “Why do you make a terrific candidate for resident for the Alumni Association?” and “Describe your vision for the Alumni Association including several examples of specific initiatives or goals you think would be important.” A selection committee will review all applications and will short-list top candidates for an interview. Your next RLC Alumni Association President will be announced in early March.
Looking ahead, I feel more hopeful and inspired than ever about the future growth and development of our precious ‘gem by the lake.’ Our community is strong. Our teachers are deeply committed and amazing. Our students and parents are engaged on many levels of activity, learning, and fostering community. Our leadership, under the passionate direction of our Head of School, Dave Krocker, with the support of a visionary Board of Directors has infrastructure plans that will support students for decades to come. We are in good hands with Dave Krocker. And our enduring ever-faithful alumni … what can I say but THANK YOU! Thank you for collaborating with me and with Kim to keep this magnificent school moving forward. Thank you alumni for sharing your memories, your feedback, your time, and your friendship. Thank you alumni for loving your alma mater as much as you do.
It has been a great honour to serve this community. I have learned and grown from the opportunity. I have reconnected with old friends and teachers. I have made new friends. I have tied myself more deeply to a lake, to a land, and to a vision of more humanistic education. I will be forever grateful for all of this. Thank you Kim times a million, you’re an all-star. Thank you Dave for so passionately collaborating. Thank you Alumni for being the foundation. Thank you RLC for the exceptionally special gift that you are for so many. I will be back.
|
|
|
Canadian Ski Marathon
There's lot of big news from the Canadian Ski Marathon. Perhaps topping the list is Calum Herron '25, a Grade 10 student—that's him with the thumb up and the white t-shirt below—who completed the entire 180km over the two days of the event. That's like skiing from Rosseau to Toronto. (For an interview with him on his experience at event, click here.) Equally inspiring was the participation of former faculty member Peter Ostrom, as well as alumni Cullen Perry ‘84 and Jeffrey Dods ‘85, both of whom skied for RLC at the CSM when they were students.
|
|
|
Helping communities, affecting change
|
|
|
"I was dead set on being a hockey player," says Zoyer Clayden Tabobondung '14. That didn't happen. Instead, he's in Ottawa helping the country become the best version of itself.
|
|
|
Zoyer Clayden Tabobondung '14 and Minister Marc Miller holding the enacted Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement. "This agreement is 15+ years in the making," wrote Zoyer at the time. "My family and my people have been discussing the idea of ANGA for generations. Extremely proud to be a part of this work."
|
|
|
I reached Zoyer Clayden Tabobondung ’14 by phone in Ottawa while he was having a catch-up day. He’d spent the morning in the office on Parliament Hill, editing and drafting responses to people who had approached the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Marc Miller. He’d also prioritised some notes for Miller’s approval, including one about an addition to a reserve in New Brunswick, and another regarding an amendment to an existing agreement with a community in Labrador.
Zoyer is Special Regional Assistant for Ontario and the Atlantic to the Office of the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, a position he’s held since 2021. When not catching up on correspondence, he’s briefing the minister, getting him prepared for meetings with First Nations communities, and visiting with community leaders throughout the region. The mandate of the Ministry is to renew relationships between Canada and Indigenous communities and to support their visions of self-determination. Zoyer works out of the ministry headquarters in Gatineau as well as the office on the Hill. Many days he’s seated alongside the MPs and political staffers within the House of Commons, and at committees, affecting change.
So, yes. It's impressive. He admits that it really is a pinch-me kind of job. “Especially at first, for sure, you’re kind of in awe of the space you’re occupying. Politics aside, you’re working in the place where you can have the largest impact on Canadians.” That sense of awe remains, if somewhat muted. “Now it’s just a normal part of my life," he says. "But when you get the big win on policies or certain things, those are the days that are really good, because you realize the impact you’ve had on people beyond your community.” Like the day the Minister enacted the Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement. "This agreement is 15+ years in the making," he wrote in a social media post last April. "My family and my people have been discussing the idea of ANGA for generations. Extremely proud to be a part of this work."
" ... the opportunity to figure things out for yourself"
|
|
Zoyer was raised in Wasauksing First Nation, and grew up in a family of leadership. His uncle was a chief then, another is a chief now. “I was a little kid running around the kitchen table when all of the grown-ups were talking about politics and the things that they wanted to achieve as a community.” For his part, “I was dead set on being a hockey player.”
He arrived at RLC in 2010, enrolling for his Grade 9 year. His parents felt that it would open up his perspective on the world while offering a range of opportunity. And it did. When I ask him if there was a member of the faculty that he thinks of as a mentor, he names three. Trent Howell, the athletic coach, pushed him to be better and to work harder, “but he also gave me the opportunity to go out there and perform, which really helped build my confidence.” Len Beaulne "taught a lot of valuable lessons about the kind of person that I wanted to be as an adult.” Carl McCready, who taught economics and history and politics, “started getting me thinking about the systems that exist today that explain how the world operates.” He adds, “they didn’t’ push you to do a specific thing. They gave you the support and the opportunity to figure things out for yourself.”
RLC was also a new, and very personal, window on the world. His best friend was from Japan, there were friends from Spain and elsewhere, all within a student body that reflected, he says, “all the differences that people have that make the world such a great place.” Coming back to campus, the spaces are animated with memories. “It’s almost like you’re watching a movie." The RAC is full of good memories—“we spent a lot of time around the ping pong table"—as is the waterfront and the swim dock. He says, “those were the spaces where you could just be people. We weren’t students or teachers. We weren’t from Japan or Spain or Parry Sound. We were just coming together as friends and embracing the moment.”
Supporting relationships
In many ways, that sense of community—and the interplay of how we're all different in many ways and the same in many others—is something he sees as a gift that RLC gave him. “The opportunities to develop those skills and build those relationships,” he says, "that’s been a really foundational skill that I’ve developed. To develop and maintain a lot of really solid relationships. That’s what really makes RLC what it is.”
Today, that's what he does professionally, if on a decidedly larger scale. “Indigenous peoples themselves are diverse,” he says. “The minister will look to me to provide those regional insights, and how a program or policy might impact those communities, good or bad.” There's also time spent actively in the field, listening to people, hearing their stories and their aspirations. There is joy in “just being able to use the skills I’ve developed to build and maintain relationships between Canada and the First Nations communities, helping them to realise the change they want to see” in the country and in the world.
It’s perhaps easy to be cynical about government, which sometimes feels like the default setting these days. But Zoyer, instead, sees both history and possibility. “There’s still a lot more work to do, and I don’t think this government or any government always gets things right. But it's all about that ever-present goal of trying to be better and do better.”
It’s an extension of what he loved best about at RLC: allowing others the opportunity to find things out for themselves, to seek their own paths. “I think every Canadian has a responsibility to put their best foot forward … even in our day-to-day lives there are things we can be doing that help advance that goal. As Canadians, we’re all here and trying to do our best and live a good life.” He believes that the country is best when it’s a work in progress. “This idea of a place where everyone can come and have an opportunity to success … where we all have a voice. Democracy is only as strong as its citizens are willing to engage with it and support it. We all have a role to play.”
We do. While Zoyer might still pine for the life in hockey that wasn’t to be, what he’s doing is, in every way, pretty great.
|
|
|
Zoyer’s siblings MaryJoyce ’15 and Melizza ’17 are also graduates of RLC, and their mother Dawn Tabobondung, came on staff in 2022 as Indigenous Seven Generations Program Coordinator.
|
|
|
Left to right: Dawn Tabobondung, Zoyer Clayden Tabobondung '14, Minister Marc Miller, Melizza Clayden Tabobondung '17, MaryJoyce Clayden Tabobondung '15, and Tim Clayden.
|
|
|
|
|
|
We'd love to hear from you. Please email me with any thoughts, suggestions, news, questions, or things you'd like to see in upcoming editions of The Lighthouse.
All best,
|
|
Glen Herbert
Director, Marketing and Communications glen.herbert@rosseaulakecollege.com
|
|
|
|
|
