Experience Rundle
"An insightful discussion with an alumni: 
What is your secret to success?"

October 19, 2014

Last Friday, October 17th, I had the opportunity to visit on of our Rundle Alumni at his place of work, a brewery.  On this occasion, Mr, Hauk, Mr. Goettel and I had the opportunity to travel to Calgary's largest producer of beer and spirits, Minhas Brewery to visit Rundle College's alumni Ravinder Minhas ('00).  Mr. Minhas is the founder and owner of Minhas Brewery and is involved in numerous side projects in Calgary and around the world.

During our visit, Mr. Minhas gave an extensive tour of his beer production facility as well as his video production studios.  That's correct, not only is Mr. Minhas running the fourth largest brewery in Canada, he is also running a film production studio and partnering in building houses on the side.  The tour and conversation with Mr. Minhas drove me to wonder about two things: 1) How does he manage to stay on top of everything? 2) What is your secret to success?

As we neared the end of our visit, I took the opportunity to ask Mr. Minhas these two questions.  Both answers were enlightening and affirming.

1) How do you stay on top of everything?

Mr. Minhas responded simply, "You need to care about what you are doing and you need to put in the hours."

Mr. Minhas is clearly a modest man, and I'm certain it's not that simple, but when he said it I truly believed the answer was at the heart of his success.  The answer is affirming as these are two attributes we ask of our students at Rundle.  We ask them to care about their studies - or for that matter whatever they are involved in - and we ask them to put in the hours.  Over the years these two elements have created exceptional graduates and citizens of the world.

2) What is your secret to success?

The answer to this question was not as short or straight forward.  I will attempt to summarize and do justice to Mr. Minhas' sentiments on success.  The two secrets had to do directly with his background in engineering.  Mr. Minhas attributes much of his success to being able to see problems differently than others and to being able to understand the numbers so deeply that they speak to him.

Mr. Minhas' third and final secret to success is the one that has really stuck with me.  Mr. Minhas said that during his time at Rundle he was exposed to many friends having interesting parents with very diverse careers. Mr. Minhas went on to to say that from Rundle parents he learned about politics, business, engineering, science and the arts.  These lessons and insights have shaped his approach to business and life ever since.

For me, this was a spectacular 'Ah Ha' moment.  Over the past years I have been closely studying and following the principles of 'Design Thinking' and in particular David M. Kelley from the IDEO Lab at Stanford University.

To really simplify the concept of design thinking, one might say that 'Design Thinking involves bringing together talented and diverse perspectives to solve problems in a collaborative and creative fashion.'

I believe that Mr. Minhas's 'secret of success' is really one of the many Rundle Advantages.  In our community we have a tremendously talented parent body who are always willing to share their expertise and points of view.  We have programs like 'Career Mentors,' 'Fine Arts Day' and 'Volunteer Day' that bring our communities expertise to Rundle to infuse our academic program with exceptional and diverse points of view.  Our program and our students benefit from simple proximity of these diverse thoughts and ideas.

All the best,

Jason B. Rogers

Experience Rundle
"We Believe:
Headmaster's Address for the 2014 Rundle Social"

October 18, 2014

This past Saturday, October 18th, Rundle College held it's semiannual "Fundraising Social."  The event was a tremendous success.  Our community came together and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the building of our new Primary/Elementary school.  Beyond the fundraising totals, the event lived up to the billing: "Social Event of the Year!"  Parents, alumni, and staff came together to celebrate our Rundle Community.

Prior to the event, the committee had asked me to say a few words to the group and below is the essence of those comments.

"We Believe"

When asked to say a few words tonight in support of this event, I immediately thought to speak about the unifying purpose of this gathering.  The obvious topics may have been: raising money, great education, our upcoming building project or the great teamwork that so effortlessly brought this social event together.  However, after a short moment of reflection, I conceded that these were all reasons we are here today, but they are not the essential motivation for our coming together.  

We are all here this evening because 

'We Believe' in Rundle College.

To discover the origins of this belief, it is helpful to return to the beginnings of this program.  30 years ago, Dr. Collett and Dr. Conklin believed that if they created a school that had small class sizes and the most talented teachers, they would be able to develop highly educated, well rounded citizens of the world.  In 1985, they were nearly the only people who really believed in their project and vision.  In fact, to get the funding for this school of their dreams, they would need to remortgage their homes and hope that once the program was in place, students would enroll.  

The first year at Rundle College there were a modest 26 students enrolled and less than a half dozen staff were employed.  There were few resources and a legitimate fear that the pay cheques may not be forthcoming at each month's end, but there was always a belief that the vision for the program was sound and in time it's success would be realized.

As we stand here tonight, 30 years later, Rundle College is the gold standard for education in Alberta, arguably Canada and the World.
  

By the numbers:

• 100,000's donated to charities around Canada and the World
• 1500 Alumni - including doctors, lawyers, performers, artists, professional athletes, entrepreneurs, teachers, engineers, etc.
• 1035 Students Enrolled in 2014 - from Preschool to Grade 12 - the College and the Academy
• 150 Faculty - the best of the best
• 100's of Athletic Championships - including 4 this weekend & Andrew Buckley's impressive performance today with the U of C Dino Football Team (500 combined yards and 5 touchdowns)
• 100's of Fine Arts Performances
• 20 Countries Visited by school trip
• 4 Campuses - that are about to become 2
• 1 - The ranking we have received numerous times by multiple 3rd party organizations - including the Fraser Report and the Calgary Herald

Looking back now, it's easy to see why Dr. Collett and Dr. Conklin had such tremendous faith in their vision.

Ultimately, 

'We Believe' because 'They Believed.'

As we move forward with our upcoming project, we hope that you join us in believing that:

• The educational and co-curricular aspects of our program only continue to improve with each passing year
• Barring unpredictable circumstances, we will open the doors on our new school in September 2016
• We have engaged a A+ team to build a world class Primary/Elementary campus to match the education that we already provide
• By changing 4 campuses to 2, we will enhance the 'Rundle Experience' for our youngest and oldest students

We have had a great first thirty years, but we hope you join us in believing that the best is yet to come!

All the best,

Jason B. Rogers

Experience Rundle

"Start with structure."  
Will Ferguson quotation on creative writing.

October 10, 2014

This past week Ms. Kim's Grade 12 English Honours Class were blessed by a visit from Mr. Will Ferguson, Canadian author and recent winner of the Giller Prize.  Mr. Ferguson won the prestigious Giller Prize for his work on the novel "419" and on Wednesday, October 8th, it was exactly this book that he was discussing.  

Over the course of the hour long presentation and discussion, Mr. Ferguson discussed a range of topics including:

• how avoiding a chemistry class may have been one of the most influential career moves he ever made
• how a random trip and how long blond hair can define your future
• how Charlie Chaplin changed has impacted his relationships and career 
• what it's like to take critical feedback from a copywriter on a subject that is so dear to you
• how the adolescent brain reads differently than adults
• how a flash of empathy can change an the entire scope genre of your work
• what happens when you invent a new car and try to pass it by people who love cars

It goes without saying that he really travelled a lot of territory during his time with us!  Among the most impressive elements of his presentation may have been the student questions and his responses to them.  From the pages of their dogeared books came detailed and insightful comments and queries.  Our senior students certainly demonstrated the ability to interpret text and critically think about its' contents. 

At one point during our conversation, a student asked about the writing process and what it's like to be a creative writer.  It was in this moment that Mr. Ferguson replied with a gem of wisdom which has haunted me like that song you just cannot get out of your head.  (now, by no means is this a direct quote, but I do hope I am doing justice to it).  On the topic of creativity and writing, Mr. Fergus simply stated:

"Start with structure."

This simple, yet perfect, statement started my wheels turning and had me reflecting on what Rundle does so well.  

I believe that Rundle College Society has been, and will continue to be what it is, because we have always started with structure.  We know that the simple things like having small class sizes, knowing your students as more than just learners  and having personalized celebrations are the cornerstones to building men and women of character and intelligence.  Examples of our deep commitment to the individual in our schools this week have been the Primary's Celebration of Learning, the Academy's IPP Meetings and 17th Avenue's Fine Arts Day.  

Each of the events start with the defined structure of our mission statement and core values and once this foundation is set we are able to get creative with elements that enhance the overall event.  Each event we host is true to this simple, yet very poetic formula... "Start with structure."

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.

Jason B. Rogers

Experience Rundle
"Headmaster's Monthly Update"

September 30, 2014

Dear Rundle Parents, 

It's hard to believe we have completed the first month of the school year. With the landmark of a month completed, I would like to welcome you to the first of my monthly updates. In these updates, I hope to celebrate a few things that have gone by, bring your attention to a few upcoming events, and share a little information and inspiration!

Coming Up:

Rundle College Social - October 18th

This is the night for the Rundle College community to gather in an effort to build a world class facility for Rundle's youngest students. With your support, the new school project will accomplish the vision of bringing our College programs together at the 17th Avenue Campus. 

Many parents and volunteers have been working hard to make this a night to remember, while celebrating Rundle's past successes and future opportunities.  There will be live music, food, libations, silent and live auctions!  Follow these links to see a just couple of the spectacular items that will be auctioned off:

• All inclusive Barge Trip in France 
  (including crew, food and drinks)
• A villa for a week in Roatan, Hondouras

Mr. Hauk and I will also be providing some up-to-the-minute updates on the building project you will not want to miss!

If you are interested in contributing your time, sponsorship or other support, please do not hesitate to contact Leslie Tecklenburg. 

Looking Back:

Friday Night Lights

A big congratulations to the entire team at Rundle College Jr. Sr. High for a heartfelt effort!  The Prefects organized and entertained us, the community rallied in support, and the athletes played with true grit! Even though it was cold in the stands, our hearts were warm. I wish the boys and their coaches a successful season.

Parents In Support of Literacy

Last week I stopped by the Primary and happened upon a group of five dedicated parents working hard to organize a beautification project in the  library.  This small group of parents exemplifies the big hearts, hard work and support that all our parents give behind the scenes! Thank you to all the parents who have given their time to help improve our programs!  

Heads Up - Experience Rundle:

As I had mentioned at our 'Meet the Teacher' events, our focuses for this year are: 

• Trust
• Connection
• Being Kinder Than is Necessary 

Below is an inspirational video touching on the topic of connection. In addition, each month I will attempt to add some items that are topical and relevant in the world of educational research - this month's topic is classroom design.

Connection:

"Every child needs a champion" ​

Even though much of this is not applicable to Rundle's students, I really appreciate the moments where ​Rita F. Pierson speaks about connection.  I hope some of it resonates with you as well!

On our minds & in the news:

Classroom design is a topic of interest for teachers, parents and students alike. Recently in the Harvard Education Letter there was a great article on the topic titled "From 'Cells and Bells' to Learning Communities" by Prakash Nair and last week the ASCD Journal published this article.  Further information on the topic can be found in the landmark publication: The Third Teacher by OWP/P Architects, VS Furniture and Bruce Mau Design. It's important to note that Rundle is not one to jump behind trends and we always keep the individual student in mind. The purpose of the deep research on this topic is to ensure that when we move our Primary/Elementary Campus, we are considering our rich tradition and also planning for the future!

​

All the best,​

Jason Rogers

Headmaster, Rundle College Society

"Attention to Excellence"