Archive Announcements

Becky Hazen’08
Following in the footsteps of her grandfather, Becky joined the Canadian Forces upon her graduation from HGS.  A Trooper in the Lord Stratchona’s Horse  (Royal Canadian) [LdSH(RC)] regiment, based in Edmonton,  she is currently engaged in work-up training in southern Alberta and expects to be in Afghanistan in September for approximately 7 months.  Becky is headed to Germany in June for a month of advanced training with the Leopard II tanks where she will have ample opportunity to put her German language skills to good use. When she deploys to Afghanistan, she will likely divide her time between driving tanks and providing close support from the back of a LAV.  She reports that she is “having a great time; loving every minute of it!”  Becky expects to be back in Halifax on leave in Sept and will attempt to get in touch with whose who are in town at that time. When asked how her parents feel about Becky’s career choice, father David replied, “Pam and I are very proud of her...a bit nervous, but proud nonetheless.  Her words when she announced her decision a year ago were "Dad, I am going to make a difference in this world, and this is how I am going to do it..."  She has taken on a very tough but vitally important job.  It would be hard to ask for more.”

April

Ben Goldberg’05 received a Leadership Certificate from Mount Allison University for his extensive co-curricular involvement on campus and/or in the local community as well the Commerce Departmental Award for outstanding contribution and excellence in the Commerce Faculty over the past four years.

Ben will be graduating this spring with a BA, majoring in Commerce and with a double minor in Geography and Environmental Studies. Ben took full advantage of his undergrad experience as co-facilitator for Leadership MTA and Commerce Society Executive. He also founded the Jewish Students’ Association, of which he was President. In October, he writes, “I also won "Best Case" at the Altlantic Schools of Business Case Competition at Memorial in Newfoundland.”

After his return to Halifax this summer, Ben will be attending Dalhousie's Corporate Residency MBA program beginning in July.

Peter Bryson’73 

Our latest Alumni Distinguished Speaker was Peter Bryson’73, who returned to Grammar on March 25 to address almost 400 students, staff and faculty. Dr. Bennett instituted this series during the Jubilee Year as a ‘showcase of prominent alumni who have made their mark in business, public life, the professions and the arts.”

Peter gave an amusing and engaging talk about student life in the ’70s, in which he incorporated a serious message about perseverance and loyalty. He spoke movingly about his friend, Grammar student Markus Jannasch’73, who passed away at age 16. The memory of Markus inspired Peter to take up running. He trained intensively and won the Cross Country race, the major running event for Grammar students at the time. Peter’s impetus to endure was “what would Markus have done?” Peter’s and his fellow students were then inspired to establish the Markus Jannasch Cross Country Award, which is presented annually.

We thank Peter for his compelling speech, which spanned the interests of, as he wrote in a subsequent note, the “10 to 50-year-olds” in the audience. To read more of what Peter had to say, click here.

Jeanette Huck'06
Huck Family Continues Sports Dominance

(from a Dalhousie University publication)

For the third year in a row, a member of the Huck family earned the Class of ’55 award as Dalhousie’s top female athlete. This year’s winner, Grammar 2006 graduate Jeanette Huck, of the women’s soccer team, followed nicely in her sister, Grammar 2003 grad Leanne’s footsteps, who earned this honour the previous two seasons. Also an Academic All-Canadian, Jeanette was a key factor in the Tigers’ success this season on the field and had been recognized for her outstanding play with an AUS First Team All-Star award as well as being named to the CIS Second All-Canadian Team.

March

Eric Bednarski'95

Eric is on an NFB-Grammar Alumnus Eric Bednarski’95 is on an NFB-sponsored sponsored screening tour of his newest film, The Strangest Dream.

Eric Bednarski attended the HalifaxGrammar School in the early 1980s. He is a Halifax-based documentary director who has studied history and filmmaking in Europe and North America. His work has screened on Canadian, Danish and Polish television, at international festivals, and at the State Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Like The Strangest Dream, his National Film Board of Canada feature-length debut, Bednarski’s earlier films display a passion for history.

The Strangest Dream tells the story of Joseph Rotblat, the history of nuclear weapons and the efforts of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, ­ which he co-founded, ­ to halt nuclear proliferation. Rotblat was the only scientist of the Manhatten Project team to walk away rather than participate in the completion of the first atomic bomb. Senator Roméo Dallaire  hailed the documentary as “…a worthy tribute to a heroic humanitarian and a powerful warning to us all to abolish nuclear weapons or face the ultimate global warming – nuclear holocaust.”

Eric is arranging to show his film at HGS to faculty and students and will visit in May to address an assembly as part of the Jubilee Alumni Speaker Series. For more on the tour and film click here.

February

Michael Hawkins'80

Michael will be consecrated the twelfth Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Saskatchewan on March 6, 2009 in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Prince Albert and installed on March 7. Michael entered HGS in grade 1 in 1968 and graduated in 1980. In his senior year at Grammar, Michael served as President of the Student Council, overseeing a complete redraft of the Council’s constitution. At Graduation in 1980 he was awarded the Birks Medal for outstanding leadership in student affairs. 

The Grammar community sends its best wishes to Michael and his family as he continues his vocation of leadership in the Anglican Church.

For more on Michael’s story, please go to http://www.skdiocese.com/home/2008/12/7/the-very-revd-michael-hawkins-elected-bishop.html

Clare Ryan'00

Clare is in the third year of a four year Law degree at McGill University. Clare completed an exchange program at Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) this past fall. In January, Clare began a four month work experience at the law firm Shearman Sterling, Paris and will return to Montreal to finish her studies.

Iain MacLeod'82

After graduating from HGS in 1982, Iain attended Acadia University where he earned an Arts degree. Armed with a love of writing, Iain went to Toronto in 1986 and joined the advertising agency, J. Walter Thompson Company Ltd. For the next eight years, Iain created advertising for a wide variety of clients before embarking on an independent career in 1994.

For the past 15 years, Iain has operated his own company, writing and producing advertising for local and national clients. Married since 1992, Iain and his wife, Trena Josey, have three daughters - Lucy, Julia and Lila - and live in Dartmouth.

Iain stays in touch with a number of HGS schoolmates but is keen to expand the list. Please feel free to get in touch at ns.sympatico.ca

Peter Nicholson'83

Peter has been working in the financial services business since graduating in 1987 with a BComm from Dal. His business has grown over the last 22 years from a one man shop, to recently hitting a peak of ten people, only to be knocked down to seven due to the financial crisis. The firm advises in the areas of tax, philanthropy, investments and insurance, thus the name Wealth Creation Preservation & Donation Inc (WCPD).

A combination of a change in charity tax law, and a trip to Bangladesh in 2006 with "Care Canada" executives triggered Peter’s passion for philanthropy. Since then, he has been focusing on helping his clients donate more to their favourite charities and foundations via public stock, resource flow-through shares and life insurance.

Peter lives in Ottawa and has three children, Sabrina 12, Gabriel 10 and Jacqueline 2. No stranger to Grammar since he graduated, Peter enjoyed his term as HGS Alumni Association President from 1990-1992 and continues to serve as 1983 Class Rep. He is looking forward to the HGS 50th Anniversary celebration at the Jubilee Gala this May, and is hoping other out-of-town alumni will join him with a special trip home.Peter can be reached at 613.851.0417 (cell) or email wcpd.com.  

Julia Carroll'91

After graduating from HGS, Julia attended Queen’s and completed a BSc at Acadia University.  She used the leadership skills honed at HGS to become President of the Acadia Student Union.  She writes, “One of our biggest accomplishments that year was to usher in the ‘wired campus;’ seems like a foregone conclusion now but it was very "avant garde" at the time.”

Degree in hand, Julia took a year off and backpacked through Asia and Europe, an adventure she would highly recommend to any young alum before taking on postgrad studies. She continues, “My next move was to DalMedSchool.  There I was reunited with fellow Grammarians including Suzanne Godsoe’90 and Tammy Attia’92. While in MedSchool I had the opportunity to do a research project in The Gambia in West Africa.  A classmate and I spent three months there, teaching and doing research in AIDS Education and Pregnancy Prevention.  It was a fascinating experience that taught me to treasure the freedoms and bounty that we have as Canadians with a tolerant and universal health care system.”

With medical school completed, Julia was thrilled to be accepted into residency training in Dermatology at the University of Toronto.  After moving to Toronto, she reminisces, “I did what most Maritimers do - I sought more Maritimers!  I found my crowd by rekindling my former love of sailing and joined a competitive J24 sailing team.  We have competed in many national and international events.  Some of our highlights were representing Canada at the Worlds in Noroton, CT in 2004 and placing third in the Canadians in Shediac in 2007.” 

Julia affirms that, “Although I love the competitive aspect of sailing, my best prize to date is my husband, Michael. He and I raced against each other for years but eventually found we had a lot in common off the race course as well. We were married in Chester, Nova Scotia this summer.  Besides the big day itself, one of the highlights was a sailing regatta with 20 boats and 50 wedding guests/competitors the day before the wedding.”

Julia and Michael have settled down in Cabbagetown in Toronto. Julia has a very active  Dermatology practice which she runs between two downtown offices.  On her roster is a combination of medical and cosmetic patients, which keeps the days challenging and interesting.  Coming full circle, she also teaches dermatology to doctors in training at the University of Toronto.  Julia notes, “Recently I have been involved in a few media campaigns as a spokesperson for a number of skin care products including Vaseline Clinical Therapy and Banana Boat sunscreen.  This new adventure has given me a chance to flex my creative muscle while spreading the word about skin care in print, radio and television media.”

Banana Boat fans and Grammarians are invited to contact Julia at

rogers.com.

Bessy Nikolaou'93

A Grammar graduate and a ‘97 Dal grad with a BA in Sociology, Bessy  has recently moved back to Halifax after a 9 year layover in Toronto. While in Toronto she planned and implemented the online media and marketing strategies for Tucows Inc., a major internet technology company. Most recently she worked for Torstar Digital, the interactive division of the Toronto Star, which includes brands such as toronto.com, TheStar.com, Ourfaves.com, and wheels.ca.

Immersed in Social Media and Web 2.0, long before the terms were mainstream, Bessy has been a part of the online conversation for nearly 10 years. She was a member of the flickr, ourfaves and numerous other start-up beta communities, worked on the usability of blogware before blogging became a verb and still geeks out over SEO and SEM. Bessy came back to Halifax eager to share her knowledge of online and social media marketing with her current employer, Time + Space Media, as well as her clients and the industry at large.

Apparently she coined the term "Geek Chic" – the jury’s still out on whether there is any truth to that... although her interest in Harry Potter and Battlestar Galactica may be all that is needed to prove her right.

Bessy writes she’s “…immersed in all things internet and new media and pop culture. I’m eager to rediscover Halifax and all it has to offer, from dining, to the arts, to the media and advertising community at large.”  

Bessy would be happy to hear from all her Grammar friends, and the community at large.

Brianna Orr'04

Brianna was named in November to the rolls of Academic All Canadians. Along with 80 varsity athletes from Dalhousie at the annual Academic All Canadian Luncheon, Brianna joined the ranks of Grammar grads who have received this honour, whose criteria are to maintain a GPA of 80 percent or better while competing in a varsity sport.

Brianna transferred to Dalhousie from the University of Calgary in 2007 to pursue an MBA. She completed a 4 year Kinesiology Degree in 3 years at the University of Calgary, graduating in spring 2007. Her Grammar IB credits allowed her to accelerate the completion of her degree. Brianna is Captain of the Dal Women’s Basketball Team. This is Brianna’s last year of her MBA and her final year of basketball.

Huck Family

Tonya’01, Leanne’03 and Jeanette’06 Huck joined Brianna Orr at the Luncheon to receive their designation as Academic All Canadians. All three Huck girls have had numerous achievements and awards in athletics and academics during their university careers.

Tonya, Leanne and Jeanette attended  the luncheon with proud parents Dennis and Valli Huck.

Will Sheridan'04

A Chronicle Herald article by Joel Jacobson on Will Sheridan’04 was recently spotted by Grammar staffers. The subject was Will’s work as a volunteer at the Nova Scotia Cancer Centre. His involvement was sparked by his CAS experience at Grammar and by his parents, who are both doctors. Will, back in Halifax for a year’s leave from education after graduating from Williams College in Massachusetts, has been no stranger to these halls, having assisted Kevin O’Carroll with the Grammar Soccer Team this fall, as well as attending Grammar Fest events in November.  We asked Will about his plans for this year and beyond, and received a thoughtful and humorous reply, which he prefaced with, “in an effort to avoid any unwarranted self-aggrandizement, I guess I'll have to stick to the facts. "

“I graduated in June from Williams College with a double major in English and Mathematics.  We're a rare breed, the English and Math double-majors (I think there may have been one other in my class).  It's also a good illustration of my inherent inability to narrow my focus and, perhaps unfortunately, it's  something I'm rather proud of. 

Liberal Arts is an increasingly rare  thing in the broader academic enterprise and it was the perfect thing  for me, especially at a place like Williams.  When the music stopped though, I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself next.  I loved my specializations, but they could've been in any other subjects just as easily, from Music to Chemistry.

With doctors for parents, medical school is always the most palpable intention (some are born into medicine, others have it thrust upon them and I rank myself somewhere in between) and I've completed most of the general pre-med requirements.  My mind's not set, however, so I've taken a year off to try to figure things out.  I figured I'd find out what I miss the most from my time at Williams and then try to do that. 

So, over the fall I've helped Kevin O'Carroll with the Grammar soccer team and taken Photography and Drawing courses at NSCAD (I've always been interested in Architecture and thought I might lay the foundations for a portfolio).  I've been doing research at the IWK and volunteering at the Cancer Center, as described in the article, to try to get a sense life inside a hospital.  More recently, I've started tutoring a few HGS students as they work their way through exams and have just started working part-time at Uncommon Kids - I figured if I was going to work in retail, it might was well be at a toy store. Finally, I'm busy trying to finish up graduate school applications for a Master's in English Literature.  I hope to write a thesis on the lineage of narrative experimentation from Laurence Sterne to James Joyce.  I'm applying to schools in Canada and the UK and while I'm planning on doing a terminal master's program, I'm not ruling out a PhD in the future.”

Will signed off with an insouciant “tally ho.” It’s a sure bet that Will might also consider writing as a profession!

Please click here to see the full Herald article and picture of Will.

Andrew Welch'80

Visiting from Ontario, Andrew  brought his many and varied talents to Grammar this past week, becoming an integral part of Grammar Fest events. Having agreed to be a ‘Great Debater’, Andrew took the role of Prime Minister with partner Steven Laffoley to argue for lowering the voting age. Immediately following, he changed hats, literally, to play Clark Davey of the Globe and Mail in the Headmaster’s re-enactment of the Cuban Missile Crisis. On Friday, Andrew then met with Andrew Gillis’s Drama students to give them the benefit of his life experiences in theatre, consulting and IT. Kathy DeGrasse and Karla Silver caught up with Andrew and in long conversations, he says with a wink, they “gave him all the dirt they would never share with students.”

 Andrew attended Waterloo after graduation from HGS, where his Mathematics degree led him to spend the next twenty years at the cutting edge of medical artificial intelligence, designing software and speaking at conferences. While at Waterloo, he also discovered his love of performance and theatre, as well as his talent for singing baritone. Andrew has appeared in many movie and TV roles, has done radio voiceovers and has filled important behind-the-scenes positions while amassing a six-page theatre resume.

 Bitten by the travel bug (we have never heard of those among Grammar alum!), Andrew visited New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, Africa and the Yukon, adventuring and mountaineering along the way. He has trekked in Nepal, climbed the Himalayas and Kilimanjaro, completed rope rescue training and now uses his climbing expertise in leadership training courses.

 In 2004, Andrew ‘retired’ from corporate positions and has picked what he wishes to do ever since. Presently he works as a management consultant and leadership trainer, as well as Artistic Director of the Caledon Town Hall Players. He is due to publish a non-fiction book, “A Lack of Currency,” which he describes as “an exploration of money, value systems, corporations and global issues.” Andrew lives in a self-designed “green” house in Alton, Ontario with his talented spouse Elswyth. Andrew invites all those who wish to know more to look for an upcoming article in the Sideroads of Caledon and Erin Magazine, December issue.

Martin Mallet'01

 Martin updates us from Kingston, Ontario where he is currently working with Dr. Adam Chippindale at Queen’s University toward a PhD in Biology. His research looks at “whether mutations affect males and females in different ways.” He teases that he “work(s) with fruit flies, which would make Sarah Palin proud.”
Martin writes, “I am also holding an NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship at the doctoral level.” Outside of his work, Martin is involved with the Queen’s University Farmer’s Market and is a student director of the Genetics Society of Canada. He is keeping company with Anne-Claire Larochette’01, who is also in Kingston.

Anne-Claire Larochette'01

Anne-Claire  got in touch at the same time as Martin and sent along a recent photo of the two of them. She would like her Grammar friends to know that “I am currently in the second year of my Master's in Clinical Psychology program at Queen's University. My supervisor is Dr. Wendy Craig, who is one of Canada's top researchers in the field of bullying. My research is looking at the incidence of bullying in immigrant children, as well as the school factors that may predict or protect against racial bullying at school. I am most interested in cross-cultural research in this field.” Anne-Claire plans to continue to completion of a PhD at Queen’s.

Anne-Claire took two years off between undergrad and graduate school and was “involved in research in many different fields.” She has published papers on pediatric pain, which was her Honours project, on learning disabilities, and on bullying. Her clinical work has involved patients who have acquired brain injuries and children with learning disabilities, and she hopes to work one day with children and families in a therapeutic context. Anne-Claire added, “I have traveled a lot since high school to places such as China, Sweden, Switzerland and France and have attended psychology conferences in Canada and overseas.”

David Finlayson ’93

David was recently elected by a landslide to the Halifax Regional School Board. David arrived back in Halifax on September 4 after a three week honeymoon and was on the campaign trail immediately. He writes, “The biggest thing that I learned was that people want to meet elected officials and want to feel that they can speak with them and be represented.” Some of the common issues Dave heard about on doorsteps included: bullying, curriculum, lack of respect in the classroom, lack of a cohesive goal for teachers and students and not enough “new” technology in the schools.

David attests that “the education that I received at HGS prepared me for university and work. I was able to participate in sports and arts, hear interesting speakers and make an impact in my community. This is important for all students and I hope that we can bring more training for both university and work into the high school curriculum. Students don’t automatically go to university. Community college, work and travel can become options for many graduates.“

David spent the better part of six weeks campaigning door to door and at events from Rockingham to Hubbards where his region ends. His area includes 13 schools with many differing issues and opportunities. As main factors in his success, David cited his network from business, soccer, Sigma Chi and politics, as well as strong support from his wife, Jennifer Freeman, and siblings, Iain’96 and Anna’98 Finlayson. Dave realizes that “this is going to be a challenging few years for HRSB, but I feel that my education at HGS has given me some unique insights as to where the education system can go and different ways to approach the problems that are in the system now.”

Adam Conter'01

One of Grammarfest’s recent great debaters, Adam left for Montreal after graduation to attend McGill, where he completed a History Major with a minor in Theatre. At McGill, he helped run a campus theatre and spent time teaching at an outreach high school. He was elected President of the Student Society, a huge position representing 21,500 students.

After McGill, Adam writes, “…did what most students would do, fresh out of University…managed a Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop.” He continues that he, “…spent time traveling the world, not finding myself, just traveling.” Adam now splits his time between Halifax and Sydney, working in Marketing, Communications and Sales. He also serves on the HGS Alumni Association Executive.

Adam warns that, “by January, 2010, I will be unemployed and I welcome any parents, alumni parents and friends to offer me a job. Salary to be negotiated!”

Rakesh Gupta '08

Rakesh (Ricky) graduated in 2006 with a BA in Economics from Duke. Ricky then moved to New York to be a Wall Street options trader. Being a brilliantly prescient Grammar grad, he left Wall Street four months ago to spend eight months traveling around the world. To date he has toured Europe and visited India, and is now preparing for five weeks in Southeast Asia. Along the way he was joined by his good friend, Michael Kielty’02, who has just begun his own one year trek. Ricky expects to be back in North America by March.
To see photos of Ricky’s travels, click here .

Jeanette Huck '06

On Sunday, November 2, Jeanette and the Dalhousie Tigers captured the second berth at the CIS Championship to be held in Langley, BC. Jeanette’s efforts won her a Conference 1st Team All-Stars designation. In a Chronicle Herald interview on Monday, Jeanette stated, “We’re still going to nationals to win. ..We’ve done well. We exceeded my expectations, which is great." She was named Dalhousie’s Female Athlete of the Week for September 14-21. The Dalhousie write-up about Jeanette’s soccer playing described how she “led the Tigers to two wins on the road over the weekend, playing all 180 minutes and helping the team secure every goal.” 

Allyson Simmie '85

Allyson is marking the 10th Anniversary of Allyson Simmie Metal Arts at the same time that she is celebrating the grand opening of Seal Rock Studio, her new Jewelry Studio and Gallery in Blandford. Allyson wrote that she is “continuing to work with the theme of the Canadian landscape and using stone from across the country. I’ll be exhibiting at various shows across the country again this fall. If you are in the area and would like to drop by you would be most welcome.” She invites anyone who may be interested to come view her work, or see more info at www.canadianlandscapes.ca. You can also email Allyson at canadianlandscapes.ca

Innessa Colaiacovo '08

 
Innessa is beginning her university career with a bang. Grammar’s former debating champ took an individual 2nd Place at a novice tournament at Vassar. Her team also placed first at Harvard’s tournament for first year students. Innessa’s energies have taken her well beyond settling into a new country and school and maintaining A grades. She will be mentoring students in an after-school program, has signed up for Adopt-A-Grandparent and has helped organize a debating tournament hosted by Brown. Innessa is also working as a research assistant for her anthropology professor.

Elizabeth Johnson'04

Elizabeth was chosen as one of only six international youth volunteers for a three-month work project with the World Wildlife Federation in the Vondrozo Valley of Madagascar. She taught the Malagasy natives how to live sustainably in their sensitive forest environment without destroying their habitat. While there, Liz became passionate about improving “their quality of life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems.”

In her blog, she writes, “I had noticed…that the WWF didn’t have any programming targeted at the young people of the region. (I definitely believe that if you’re aiming for “sustainable development”, the kids are incredibly important… you know, teach them early and often).” So she proposed returning with a program for elementary school. She also proposed encouraging female participation, since WWF did not even have a woman on the team in Vondrozo. WWF agreed and now Liz is back in Halifax, writing up lesson plans for an environmental education program for young children and brainstorming projects for the Malagasy women’s group. Since returning, Liz has also visited Laura Brock’s students to share her experiences.

Liz will be returning to Madagascar in January and will stay until June, 2010. She is looking to friends and supporters to help her raise the $10,000 she needs for transportation and living. It’s a small investment for a large return: as she writes, “an investment in the conservation of the world’s biodiversity and in the wellbeing of Malagasy people.” It’s a timely and vital endeavour and one we are sure the Grammar community can get behind. Please visit Liz’s blog http://fireandrain.wordpress.com to find out more and how to donate.

Sangwoo Lee'09

Former Grammar student Sangwoo, who left Halifax in 2005 to move with his family to Quebec, wrote this week to contact Teresa Woodford, calling her “the teacher of my life.” He then sent a subsequent note which is a testament to the effect Grammar can have on students, even when they aren’t with us for long.

“…I'm happy that HGS still welcomes me... I moved to Montreal when I was about to go into grade 9…to attend a public English school called Westmount High School…It didn't take me too long to realize that all the academic content that I was supposed to learn in grade 9, I already learned…in grade 8 at HGS. So instead of spending my time catching up, I was able to join many school sports teams…As a result I made lots of friends in the new environment...I graduated my high school with the second highest mark in the grade…I hope you…have (an) amazingly wonderful 50th anniversary.”

Sangwoo’s postscript left us beaming: “P.S.: just for the record, I liked all the teachers at HGS, not just Ms. Woodford ;)

Tim Klassen’83  

Tim recently contacted us to laud three teachers, Rita Aterman, Jennifer Chapman and Nancy Scobbie for “teaching me how to think, write, and love literature, rather than telling me what to think. It’s a gift few teachers can impart as they did.” 

Tim is an assistant professor and Department Head, Science Library, University of Illinois at Chicago, which he calls a “wonderfully diverse university.” He invites Grammarians to contact him if they are visiting Chicago, as should “any students considering universities in Chicago (more universities than you can shake a very large stick at).” He can be reached at uic.edu. In a shout-out for the US elections, Tim concluded his email with “Go, Obama!”

Soccer star Jeanette was named Dalhousie University female athlete of the week September14 to 20, 2008. She led the Tigers to two wins on the road over the weekend, playing all 180 minutes and helping the team secure every goal.  Jeanette is enrolled in the third year of Dalhousie’s commerce program.

Alumni at the Golf Tournament

It’s safe to say that Grammar Alumni had a major impact on a spectacularly successful 7th Annual HGS Golf Classic on September 19 at Sherwood Golf and Country Club. Beginning with the enthusiastic and capable leadership of Golf Committee Chair David Keefe’92, assisted by committee alum members Sue DeWolfe’78, Neil McCulloch’86, Bob Carter’89, Adam Conter’01 and Elizabeth Federico’07, Grammar Alum continue to maintain ties with and strongly support their school. Howard Conter’77, David and Bob contributed with Gold Sponsorships, ensuring a record number of Gold Sponsors.

Across the spectrum from most experienced, James Morris’73, to most youthful, Luke Hansen-MacDonald’06, eight of the 25 teams were captained by alumni, including David, Sue, Bob, Adam, Darryn Steeves’96 andDave Finlayson’93, who took time out of his campaign for School Board Rep in Bedford. Rounding out the golfers were Patrick Keefe’85 and Luke’s team of Graham Langille’06, Mike Hamson’06 and Adrian Plummer’06, along with Adam’s team that included Dave Barrow’01 and Matt Boyle’02. We congratulate all 17 and sincerely thank you for your part in raising $25,000 for the Jubilee Endowment Fund, which will support scholarships and bursaries for deserving, qualified students. We invite all Alumni to join in the fun next year on Friday, September 25, 2009, again at Sherwood.

Lauren O'Connor'06

During the first week of October, Acadia's Female Athlete of the Week was third year defender Lauren. She is a team captain and has done an extraordinary job in leading this very young soccer team as it continues to battle for a playoff spot with three games left in the season.

Craig Silverman'95

Craig  will travel to Washington in July to receive the Arthur Rowes Award for Press Criticism from the National Press Club for his book Regret the Error (Viking Canada, 2007), which was inspired by his popular web site RegretTheError.com, a major blogger site featuring media errors and attracting tens of thousands of visitors each month. He recently received the National Magazine Award with a couple of other writers for a series of stories for the Globe and Mail's Report on Business magazine.

Elizabeth Johnson'04

Elizabeth was chosen as one of only six youth volunteers for a three-month work project with the World Wildlife Federation in the Vondrozo Valley of Madagascar. She will be teaching the Malagasy natives how to live sustainably in their sensitive forest environment without destroying their habitat. The volunteers come from all over the world, with French as the common language. The project ends August 22.

Matt Britner’03

Matt, a gifted soccer player, was taken in the third round (41st overall) out of Brown University in this weekend's (April 5-6)Major League Soccer Super Draft by the New England Revolution. Matt was a member of Canada’s Under-20 World Cup squad in 2005 and other Canadian youth national teams. In his five-year Brown career, Matt started 53 of the 54 games in which he played, scoring three goals and adding one assist. He was a two-time All-Ivy selection and was the 2007 Ivy League Player of the Year.

Matt was a member of numerous Nova Scotia provincial teams, and represented Nova Scotia at the 2001 Canada Games where he helped the team to a bronze medal performance. A graduate of the Halifax Grammar School, he was captain of the school's varsity soccer team for three years. Matt entered Brown University in 2003 on full scholarship.

Look to see Matt going toe-to-toe with current MLS superstars David Beckham, Landon Donovan, and Juan Pablo Angel in the near future.

Elizabeth Federico'07

Elizabeth recently received a great honour from the International Baccalaureate Organization. Elizabeth's World Literature essay, What Defines a Religious Symbol?, has been selected as one of the essays to be published in IB's 50 Excellent Extended Essays publication. The Extended Essay is a 4000-word piece of original research on a topic chosen by the student. 

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