SAC expands focus to developing “world’s next great female leaders”

October 8, 2020 · 0 Comments

For more than 120 years, St. Andrew’s College has taken great pride in “turning boys into men.” Now, after nearly 95 years at the southwest corner of Yonge and St. John’s Sideroad, the independent school is branching northward to “develop the world’s next great female leaders.”

On Friday, St. Andrew’s College (SAC) announced plans to open St. Anne’s School, a new independent school for girls – the first in York Region – within the Shining Hill development on the northwest quadrant of the intersection.

Once complete in September 2022 or September 2023, St. Anne’s School will offer day classes for more than 350 young women in a Jacobean manor on St. John’s Sideroad previously owned by former SAC parents Anne and Andrew Dunin.

An all-girls school has been part of SAC’s strategic plan for nearly a decade and the Dunins, along with Shining Hill, SAC Head of School Kevin McHenry, the Town of Aurora and the Region of York, have been working diligently to make the vision a reality.

“For more than 120 years, St. Andrew’s College has taken great pride in our leadership role as we have turned ‘boys into men’ and strengthened our communities at every level,” said Mr. McHenry in a statement. “We recognize our responsibility to evolve and lead in a manner that will meet the requirements of the world for the next 120 years, and providing the same educational opportunities for girls is an important part of that responsibility. A school of this calibre will be uniquely positioned to contribute significantly to the field of girls’ education and the development of strong, influential and empowered female leaders in our community and around the world.”

Added Mayor Tom Mrakas: “St. Andrew’s College is a world-class facility that has brought international attention to the Town of Aurora. People know that their children can flourish both academically and personally here. I am thrilled at the possibility of welcoming an all-girls school to our thriving and vibrant community.”

Once complete, St. Anne’s will offer classes for girls in Grades 5 through 9 in its first year, adding a grade each year until they have reached Grade 12.

St. Andrew’s College is one of the rare independent schools in the Greater Toronto Area to offer single-sex education for boys. While many independent schools shifted to co-educational programs in the 1970s and 1980s, SAC followed a different route. Maintaining single-sex education was a conscious decision, but one that has been re-thought in the ensuing decades.

“19 years ago, when I started at St. Andrew’s, and I am now in my twelfth year as Head, I was always keen on finding a school nearby that would be a separate girls’ school,” said Mr. McHenry. “That is a really difficult thing to do because of the expense of the land and all the capital expenses, but it was added to our Strategic Plan in 2011.

“That caught the eye of many of our constituent groups, but it just didn’t materialize. I always maintained a very strong relationship with a family who had a son here in the late 2000s, we continued to talk, and that is where we ended up. It has taken a great leap forward, and we finally got it done!”

The concept might be done, but there are still a few more hurdles to clear before St. Anne’s School can open its doors. In addition to being re-zoned from its present residential use, the expansive mansion will need to be brought up to code for use as a school.

“We have a master plan for the campus, but right from the get-go, the house is large enough to accommodate about 380 girls,” says Mr. McHenry. “Our master plan is quite robust, but it will depend on fundraising to add facilities. We are working on that and have already begun. Hopefully, we will be quick, but we’re good with what we have and we can operate a very fine school with what is there right now.”

Until the finer details are ironed out, Mr. McHenry, along with St. Anne’s newly-appointed Head of School Sabrina D’Angelo, will work diligently with the Town, the Region, and Shining Hill to make their plan a reality. There are also plans within the community to build awareness for all of what St. Anne’s will have to offer, including financial aid programs for students to make their independent education as affordable as possible.

Most independent schools are steeped in a storied heritage, and St. Andrew’s College is no exception. As he looks towards St. Anne’s School as the next chapter in SAC’s history, Mr. McHenry says the only word to describe the feeling of being able to help steer the establishment of a new independent school from the ground-up is “exciting.”

“I am thrilled it is finally here,” he says. “For me, personally, it has been a passion of mine since I set foot on this campus. There have been so many ups and downs, particularly in the last two years. We have been trying to get the deal done, and it has been a roller-coaster. Now that it is done and we’re ready to go, it is exciting. We feel very good about our plan.”

For more on St. Anne’s School and what it has to offer, visit stannesschool.ca.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter