COMMITTED TO
Belonging, Agility, Responsibility
ENA HARROP HEAD OF SCHOOL
The 2025 – 2026 school year marked the third year of implementation of our strategic plan, Thriving in Possibility. Guided by our commitment to Belonging, Agility, and Responsibility, we continued to advance the five strategies beneath them— Foundational Well-Being, Purposeful Learning, Embracing Diversity, Meaningful Partnerships, and Active Stewardship— to strengthen the education CHS offers students.
It has now become routine to remind ourselves every so often that we live in times of unusual uncertainty and an unprecedented rate of change. That is true, and yet, it is not the whole story. We also know that what young people need to flourish has not changed: connection to family, friends, teachers, and community, a belief in their own opportunity to learn and grow, and the ability to make their own choices. Schools that build learning environments that serve those needs are schools where students thrive. This sounds simple, but only deceptively so. Early in my career, I worked for a Head of School who used to say,“ You have to fight really hard in schools to keep the main thing the main thing.” Which is why you will have heard me say repeatedly that, at CHS, the girls are at the heart of everything we do.
In this endeavour, our three commitments to Belonging, Agility, and Responsibility continue to serve so well. They help us keep our minds on what really matters in schools: acting as our own Ivy Compass through challenges and opportunities. For us, as a girl-centred school, this is about fostering our students’ competence and confidence so that they will, one day, impact the world in ways that matter. As our identity statement puts it,“ we believe in a better future for all through the agency of women”. This belief means we have to empower our girls to honour the power of human connection, embrace the joy of learning, and lead with courage and compassion to advance the common good. In other words, we need our students to be guided, just like CHS, by a commitment to Belonging, Agility, and Responsibility.
This sixth edition of The Ivy Magazine gives you a glimpse into some of the key moments of the past academic year, including how our recently launched Learning Framework helps teachers plan deeper learning experiences that foster agility, how our emerging dialogue practice is helping students embrace their future responsibility as active citizens in a democracy, how our Mapping Memories Project has highlighted belonging through intergenerational connections across our community, and finally how our two Afghan students, who came to CHS through our Afghan Program, found here the sense of belonging they now carry forward into their own futures.
These are, of course, just a few examples. I know only too well that our three commitments come alive on campus every day in a myriad of ways, both big and small, through the actions of so many: students, staff, parents, alumnae, and board and community members. Some of those actions are captured in the pictures inside this edition: productions, athletic achievements, and CHS Parents’ Auxiliary and Alumnae Association events. This richness is what makes CHS such an exceptional School.
I hope you will enjoy looking back over the 2025 – 2026 school year and take pride in everything our community has achieved. I certainly do, and I continue to feel immensely privileged to be part of a community so deeply committed to girl-centred education.
Belonging
A culture that fosters community and a strong sense of connection.
Agility
Approaches that promote personal growth, resilience, and School improvement.
Responsibility
Practices and partnerships that ensure social responsibility and stewardship.