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