Following a well-honoured BSS tradition, once-pristine uniform shirts have been tie-dyed and signed by fellow students as our 2012-13 graduates prepare to leave campus. There was a lot of emotion on the front ...Read more steps of the School this morning as girls were feeling the excitement of taking their next step in life, knowing they have to say goodbye to do so.

Deryn Lavell addresses BSS students at this year’s final Senior School Chapel,  May 21, 2013.

Today is about accomplishments and achievements, about celebrating and about looking forward and it is also a chance ...Read more for me  to talk to you about something important.

I’m tweeting!

Well, not right now and not perfectly. Does anyone know what a ‘perfect’ tweet looks like? I have 19 followers! If you want to follow me to see what I think about education and girls you can find me @derynlavell.

There’s one word I want you to focus on about what I just said… ‘Perfect’ don’t be it, don’t do it, don’t want it. Humans aren’t meant to be perfect – girls aren’t meant to be perfect in every way. Even Mary Poppins was only ‘practically perfect’ You are meant to be you – to be a person who learns what to value, how to be a thoughtful, ethical citizen, who learns about herself and what she values and treasures in relationships – who learns what goals are worth striving for. To learn from mistakes – small ones, hurtful ones, colossal ones – to allow yourself the opportunity and the freedom to do that – because when you make a mistake and take the time and allow yourself to learn from it rather than focus on how stupid or imperfect you are…then you really learn and the new understanding you get can rocket you forward towards your goals…now that’s worth focusing on.

Let me tell you about a mistake I made as I planned my first ‘tweet’… it took an hour! 140 characters and it took an hour. And not only that, I wouldn’t do it alone – I had the entire Marketing and Communications team with me. We pressed the tweet button and lo and behold – I had a spelling error! Yes – my first tweet – wanting to make the very best (the most perfect!) tweet as a Head of our School so I would come out of the start gates in the social media world as the best representative for BSS and what did I do – made a mistake. My first thought – EVERYONE in the whole world will think that this Head of School has no idea how to use social media and even worse – can’t spell…and therefore had somehow failed BSS. How in the world did I jump to THAT conclusion? It’s because even at my age the urge to be ‘perfect’ can be overwhelming. The good news is that I quickly calmed down and went back to the tweet feeling a bit like a twit but I learned how to ‘recall’ a tweet and how to correct my mistake and then we sent it out again. What did I learn – oh a small lesson about how to manage twitter but an even bigger lesson – a reminder to never succumb to that urge to be ‘perfect’.

‘ Perfect’ doesn’t exist… to be successful doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. So, on your ‘to do’ list, strive for excellence, strive for knowing who you are and what you want, strive to learn from your mistakes – small and big…strive to know that this is not only OK – it’s going to be your road to excellence to success. And, whatever you do – never, ever, ever…. strive to be ‘perfect’.

It’s not worth it and more importantly – not needed.

Congratulations to our extraordinary Class of 2013 – graduating from BSS with offers from the best universities around the world. Check out our ad  in the national edition of The Globe and ...Read moreMail on Friday, May 17 (pictured above).

Last week, the entire Grade 10 cohort gathered to hear presentations from the 6 finalists in this year’s Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI). YPI is an award-winning international education program that provides high ...Read more school students with hands-on experience assessing and advocating for local social needs, and making grants to community-based charitable organizations. This project gives students the opportunity to research, visit, advocate for and present on a local grassroots organization of their choice. This is the eighth year that BSS has participated in YPI.

After several rounds of presentations, one group was selected as the YPI winner for the School and received a $5000 grant for donation to their chosen organization. Congratulations go out to everyone involved in making this year’s decision so difficult. The 2013 BSS winners of YPI are Somerset Jarvis, Jessica Eldridge and Lauren Adolphe for their creative presentation on behalf of Pelletier Youth in Transition.

May 10: Former Head of the United Nations visits BSS

On Friday, May 10, Dr. Mukesh Kapila,former Head of the United Nations (UN) in Sudan, gave an engaging and interactive presentation to the  ...Read more BSS Community. Dr. Kapila shared his thoughts on a wide range of topics including the philosophy of good and evil, the history and efficacy of the UN and a clear definition of leadership and personal courage.  During his time with the UN, Dr. Kapila served the organization in several roles, including; Special Adviser to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Special Adviser at the UN Mission in Afghanistan; United Nations Resident; and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sudan.

In his role as the Head of the UN in Sudan, Dr. Kapila was witness to what he described as the failure of the UN to stop the genocide. He challenged BSS girls to strive to prevent such future atrocities and organizational failures by exercising their own courage by speaking up as leaders. He drew upon his extensive international experience working within the UK government, the UN and Red Cross movement that also took him to Rwanda and Bosnia. Dr Kapila was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his international service and recently published a book, Against The Tide of Evil.

“When I was at BSS, we sure didn’t have conversations like this! These girls are spectacular!” Just one of the comments from the audience at the BSS Theatre on May 6 as eleven ...Read more students from Grade 10 to 12 shared the stage with author, journalist and activist Irshad Manji to discuss their experiences as interactivists on the Moral Courage Task Force. One interactivist summarized her learning by saying, “Throughout this process I have rediscovered the power of a simple conversation and the ability it has to open doors to small changes that eventually will effect us on a large scale.”

More audience feedback.

May 29: A Whole New You

Join BSS on May 29 at 7:00 pm for an exhilarating  production of Whole New You. This dark, comic exploration of  teenage identity ...Read more and perfection will be offered for one show only. You don’t want to miss it! Get your tickets now!

Synopsis:
High school sophomore Sandra Malcher is called into her guidance office where her parents, teacher, and boyfriend act out scenarios in which she failed herself — quitting soccer, failing a Shakespeare assignment, resisting intimacy, and breaking curfew. Each person insists on bringing in another Sandra “option” with them — a girl that looks like Sandra and replays the scene behaving perfectly. Enter the CEO of NYE (New You Enterprises), who informs Sandra that her loved ones don’t want to change her; they want to replace her completely.

July 3-5: Reggio-inspired learning for educators

Register now for a chance to extend your thinking and your practice by considering an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning. Learn more about Investigations & Expressions sessions.

On April 16, BSS students in both the Middle and Senior School were visited by Emmy and Oscar award-winning Pakistani-Canadian journalist and documentary filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

Sharmeen’s talks were thought provoking, hopeful ...Read more and insightful, stressing the importance of education and human rights for girls and women around the world.

Conversations throughout the day focused on ‘taking action’, telling the stories of those who are affected by issues and leading change. As a young, investigative journalist, Sharmeen was the victim of bullying. Instead of bowing to the pressures of society, she uses this experience to identify with the subjects of her films and fuel her passion. To this day, she draws inspiration from that situation and her father’s encouragement, “If you speak the truth, I will stand with you … and so will the world.”

The Spring 2013 edition of the BSS Magazine – The Link – is now online.