The Gold Report
What do the following four situations have in common?
1. a Jarvis student facing deportation to a “home” country where he has no ties;
2. the female washrooms at Jarvis Collegiate Institute;
3. a former Jarvis student fighting to stay in Canada to continue
his education;
4. students who will one day attend a
newly-built school in Sierra Leone.
To the person walking along Jarvis Street, this riddle is probably incomprehensible.
Even for a number of students who make up the current Jarvis C.I. community there might be a moment of asking, “What the heck is he talking about?” For those of us who are privileged to attend (or work at) Jarvis C.I. and have chosen to become fully involved in the life of this wonderful school, the answer is hopefully
a little clearer.
All four of these situations have a number of elements in common. I would like to share those that are most important from my perspective. In all four of these situations Jarvis staff and students witnessed the following aspects:
* capable young student leaders coming together for the
benefit of an individual or many individuals who they may
or may not even know personally;
* hours of intense dedication and hard work without
knowing that the end result would be one of success, and choosing to work even harder in the face of that
uncertainty
* the ability to quickly build relationships and network with
community groups, political organizations, bureaucrats,
etc., in a mature and sophisticated manner;
* groups of people consciously and collectively deciding on
the right thing to do and acting upon it in a collaborative
and positive manner;
* the focus on improving the life and/or circumstances for an
individual or for a group or for a nation was the glue that
held people together through challenging moments.
The list of common elements is definitely much longer that the five I have listed above. I am also certain that many could give a more thorough answer to the riddle I have posed above.
It is also important to note that the specific details of each situation do not really matter. Rather, it really is the answer to this riddle that I hope all of our students will take some time to think about. Regardless of the specific elements you would list I can only hope that you recognize that you are part of a community that offers you great opportunities to learn and contribute. The classes on your Jarvis timetable help you learn and practice how to analyze, to think critically, to solve problems, to express yourself creatively, to read, to write, to investigate and so much more. But it is also your membership
in this community and the opportunity to watch and learn from others that can give you so much more.
All of the situations above happened in the past 3-5 months and we can be fairly sure that some other situation will cross our paths. I can only hope that you will take what you are being taught at Jarvis, inside the classroom and inside the community, and show the same learning that you have already seen around you.
JargOnline 2006 - 2007 
