Looking Forward: Celebrating 125 Years of Crofton House School

As we begin the new year, Crofton House is preparing to mark an important milestone in our history: 125 years of delivering inspiring, girl-centred education. We look forward to celebrating this significant anniversary with our community over the next 12 months. We are also excited to share our new strategic plan with the community next month. Coinciding with the School’s 125th anniversary, the plan is a thoughtful balance of stability and progress, guiding CHS toward 2030 and beyond.

Over the course of the upcoming year, several special events and initiatives will help us honour our history and celebrate our continuing evolution. You will also see the theme of celebrating 125 years woven through our regular events and programming.

In the header of this email, you will see the 125th anniversary commemorative logo which we will be incorporating into our communications and celebrations this year. Its design complements the current logo and incorporates several traditional CHS elements, including the shape of the original CHS ivy leaf and the Gordon tartan.

At this early point, we would like to share with you some of the plans that are taking shape for this year. We will be communicating regularly with you about events and celebrations, and encourage you to join us in celebrating this special occasion.

Events and Activities:

• Marking 125 throughout the year - the theme of celebrating our 125th anniversary will run through our annual events and activities, including the Carol Service, Parents’ Auxiliary events, such as the Welcome Back BBQ, and publications such as The Ivy magazine.
• Celebrating 125 Years - we will create a special section of the School’s website to be a place to learn more about our history and find out about events and activities.
• Collection of CHS 125 stories - we will be collecting stories from the CHS community related to the School’s history throughout the year with the goal of sharing 125 stories at year-end.
• Community recognition - we will take this year as an opportunity to recognize members of our community who have played a special role in the School’s history.
• Staff celebration - early in the year the School will host an event to recognize the contributions of our previous and current staff.
• Notable alumnae - this year will also be a time to call attention to some of our alumnae with notable accomplishments and unique stories.
• Commemorating our history - we will find ways to share our history through ‘Throwback Thursdays’ on social media and special exhibitions and displays created by the School’s archivist.
• Student involvement - students will be involved in many aspects of this special celebration, including learning about the context of girls’ education in 1898 and what was going on in the world at the time, as well as researching different aspects of the school history, from notable alumnae to the destinations of the first generations of CHS graduates.

Alumnae Highlights:

• Open Houses - Starting in February, monthly CHS Alumnae Open Houses will take place on campus every third Saturday of the month. Registration details to follow.
• Homecoming - We are excited to invite all alumnae to a homecoming weekend event in the fall. More details to follow.
• Reunions - If your graduation year ends in a 3 or an 8, you’re sharing your reunion year with CHS’ milestone anniversary! We would be happy to help you celebrate with an event on campus.
• Contact our Alumnae team: alumnae@croftonhouse.ca.

While much has changed in the 125 years since Dr Jessie Gordon welcomed the first four students into the billiard room in her parent’s home on Georgia Street in 1898, the relevance of girls’ education has never been greater as we look to building a better, kinder, fairer future for all. We are excited to celebrate this important milestone with the community and look forward to sharing more details in due course.

Servabo fidem.

Ena Harrop