I’ve been thinking about the days after big moments. Not the events themselves — not the applause, the pictures, the performance—but the quiet, strange days that follow. The day after you hit ‘submit’ on your last university application. The day after our final FNL. The day after we get the acceptance letter from our university.

One of the most interesting ideas we studied in Seminar last year was a concept called “the Banality of Heroism.” The idea is this: we often think of heroes as people who perform grand, dramatic acts—discovering cures to deadly diseases, running into raging fires, standing proudly with their chests puffed out and capes waving majestically. But in real life, heroism is rarely like that. It happens in the unnoticed decisions and ordinary actions that reveal the strength of our character.

Through my work as a Learning Support Specialist, I have been experimenting with a variety of ways to help our  Lower School students develop their executive functioning skills. These foundational skills help us regulate our behaviour, direct our actions, and achieve our goals. They are essential for learning and academic success and empower students to become independent and self-sufficient adults—every parent and educator’s dream! As a result, facilitating opportunities to practice these skills is a priority. We want to help our students develop the skills they need to be successful in their learning journey and build a strategy toolbox to navigate any challenges they may have along the way.

This year, Crescent’s Centre for Boys’ Education (CCBE) took on a new challenge: introducing student teachers to an independent school environment. We’ve developed relationships with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) and the Schulich School of Education at Nipissing University and plan to create a partnership with one more faculty of education.

Stress is one of the most common issues we see and hear from students in our Mentor Groups. The source of their stress may be marks, tests, evaluations, university applications, or a myriad of other things. We often take time to unwind with our groups, share a snack and a drink, and discuss ongoing events in our community.