Be like Mike

Kieran started a brand new era in terms of education last month.
I was waiting till his jacket ceremony before i posted, and that happened this week.  They aren't allowed to wear their oversized blazers until after this ceremony. We weren't there, but the school is quite organized and keeps all the kids and parents on top of the goings on.  So we saw the video of the 20min ceremony in their courtyard.  It's quite something.

It was his choice to move on from HMS.
I was a bit sad that he was leaving the only school we've ever known.
It has been a second home since he was 3.
9 years later.  He's now at St Mike's.
And as soon as his hair reaches 8 inches, he needs to get it cut.  There's a strict rule at St Mikes that hair needs to be over the ears.  So right now he's got a hall pass because the VP is aware he's donating it.

So during the summer some time.  Or was it spring.  I forget because this summer was crap.  It felt like spring the whole time.  Except for Sept when the temps finally got over 30 deg C.  Summer was here for about a week and a half.

In any case we took the street car across to St Mikes.  Glad we did.  Because the drive across St Clair W is filled with a-hole drivers.
We are the first stop so there's always a seat.  And St Mikes is right next to a TTC subway stop so it's really easy to get to school.  It may be 2x the distance, but it's filled with traffic.  And TTC is the better way.  It takes 20 stress free mins once he's on the streetcar.  Then at the station, there's a parade of double-blue clad boys on their way to school.  So it's pretty safe.  He's never alone.  And his school is literally steps from the station entrance.  The logistics of getting to and from school are pretty simple.  Which we like.

His first week of school he wasn't even AT school.  From Tue to Fri they were at a camp in Haliburton.  So he'd been up in Cottage country since end of July and he was going back up there for the first week of Sept!  Which was really good. There he met his classmates and made some new friends.  This is the entire Gr7 class.  Some boys will have known each other from elementary, but many come from all over the city or even GTA, and they won't know any one.  This is a good time to come to the school because everyone is on the same level in terms of friends.  They are mostly friend-less. heh.  But it's good.  They will  get to know others and make some new friends.   Gr 7&8 are prep years for Gr9-12.  It will be better for them to know the system now, instead of adjusting later on in Gr9.  Also, they get to experience St Mikes from the ground floor.   The jacket ceremony, everything.  Those will be great experiences and memories he will have for a long time.


There's this brotherhood that is often reiterated.  And it's a pattern through all the boys.  It's something.   And it's quite amazing what this school will do for the boys even AFTER they are gone.  Because they will visit them wherever they go post-secondary.  I've read the history of the school and it's long and storied, and the alumni list is long and impressive.  But what keeps coming through is how much they care and how they do their best to prepare the boys for adulthood.  In the words of their mantra - Teach me Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge. We are hoping those words sink in.  Otherwise, we may just tattoo it on him, backwards so he can read in the mirror. Heh.

So I accompanied him for the second school week on the TTC. But by Thurs he didn't want me coming with him anymore, he was good to go on his own.  Tresa did pick him up after school but he no longer wanted that either.  And once the clubs started happening, he was staying after school for a while.

It's kind of neat seeing the boys at school and how they greet each other.  Not amp'ed up with a jump on the back or body slam sort of greeting, but a handshake.  It's something we'd do as adults when we are much older and more mature.  But these are teens.  It's respectful, yet indescribable because that's kinda what you'd hope for. But as we see all around us.  It's isn't the norm.  It's great to see that it's still alive and well.

The school has been amazing so far, and it's only been a month.
There's been parent meet and greets and overall the feeling of being welcomed is always there.  It's quite something.  They really encourage the boys to stay after school, whether it's for the homework club, chess, archery,  XC club, or Stock Market club, whatever club.  They want the boys to hang out and make friends and really enjoy their time there.  It's really cool.  And the teachers and staff - they care and want each and every boy to grow and become a successful man.  It's very cool.

One parent said it best - "it's how a school should be". I've met parents that have gone to this school and they just wanted to have their son to have the same great experience they did. I surely didn't feel that sort of attachment to my high school.   But it isn't so much the experience that I recall, I didn't have a bad experience in high school, but the lack of preparedness for beyond high school is what i remember most.

We haven't heard anything bad about St Mikes.  In fact it's been ALL good.  It's weird.  Kinda too good to be true sort of thing weird.  But i've also been hearing the same things.  People I know have said to me that when their boys are old enough they want to send them to this school.  They knew guys that went here and saw how they did afterwards, and that was proof for them.

No matter what, I was always a bit skeptical, and questioning whether this was the right thing to do or if this was the right place.  But as we've come to experience St Mike's more and more, the question mark of whether this was the right decision becomes less and less.  And there may not be a guarantee of success, but you can only do the best you can.  And we feel confident that this was the best choice for Kieran that we had.

I know it's a sacrifice for us, but this is important.
St Mike's Photos