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InsideToronto Highlights Nancy Ruth Award
for Savoy Howe - July 15, 2010
On Thursday, July 17, at our annual Celebration
to Greet the Summer, The Linden School presented heavyweight
boxer Savoy Howe with the Nancy Ruth Award. This award is
presented annually to an amazing woman who has been both an
inspiration as an example to the Linden community, and who
has made a real difference in the greater community. (For
more information about Savoy and about the award, click
here.)
Savoy's work, and the accolades she receives
for it, have not gone unnoticed by the media. The following
is an excerpt from a recent InsideToronto.com
article about the award and Savoy's incredible contributions
to the community:
A 20-year midtown resident, Howe was
awarded the Nancy Ruth Award on June 17 during the school's
Celebration to Greet the Summer event, which includes the
school's graduation ceremony as well as a celebration of
student accomplishments throughout the year.
"I didn't expect to win. The award
is just beautiful," said Howe, who has taught weekly
after-school recreational boxing and self-defense classes
at Linden since 2007.
"I'm just proud to be a part of
the many things that are going on to empower women."
Dawn Chan, a co-principal at Linden,
said Howe personifies both the mandate of her school as
well as what the award represents: diversity, equity and
equality.
"As we got to know Savoy, it was
quite clear to us she was a real trailblazer in the area
of women's sports. She works to recognize those voices from
traditionally marginalized communities," said Chan,
who has also participated in the school's boxing club alongside
other teachers and staff members.
"Savoy is very positive and inspiring
and very good at creating a safe atmosphere. She absolutely
embodies a lot of what we talk about at our school."
To read the full article, click
here.
Archived in: Media
Linden's Celebration to Greet the Summer
Marks End of Another Eventful Year- June 30, 2010
Linden students, teachers, families, alumnae
and friends ended off the 2009-2010 school year on a high
note on June 17 at the school's 16th annual Celebration to
Greet the Summer.
In keeping with tradition, the event was
filled with laughter, tears, music, fun and farewells. In
addition to being an opportunity to celebrate the many amazing
accomplishments of Linden girls throughout the year, Celebration
to Greet the Summer is also our official graduation ceremony
for students in grades 8 and 12.
Throughout the night, the audience was treated
to several performances by students in all grades. Interspersed
throughout these performances were awards celebrating outstanding
achievements in academics, athletics, commitment to social
justice and involvement in the Linden community.
The event also marked an important milestone
for two groups of Linden students, as our grade 8s move on
to high school next year and our grade 12s look forward to
post-secondary education. As part of the ceremony, each grade
8 student shared a few of her favourite memories and accomplishments
from the school year, and each grade 12 student - as is tradition
at Linden - got the opportunity to deliver a valedictory address.
Several Linden alumnae also attended celebration to carry
on another important school tradition: crowning each graduate
with a woven wreath of Linden leaves.
We thank all of the members of the Linden
community who joined us for this special night. Special thanks
go to Jenn Stewart, Nancy Hurst and Lidia Salvador for their
key roles in organizing Celebration.
Have a wonderful summer, and be sure to
check out the photos below from this great evening!
Archived in: Events
TORONTO, June 10- Savoy "Kapow!"
Howe to receive 2010 Nancy Ruth Award
The Linden School has named heavyweight
boxer and Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club founder Savoy Howe
as the recipient of the 2010 Nancy Ruth Award - and this winner
packs a punch.
First presented in 2006 and named for Senator
and renowned philanthropist Nancy Ruth, Linden's award recognizes
the contribution of a remarkable woman who has been an inspiration
and an example to the Linden school community and who has
made a real difference for women in the greater community.
Anyone at Linden who has met Savoy has stories about how she
has been an inspiration and an example.
Savoy, who founded Canada's first women's
boxing gym, has worked with Linden students since 2007 when
she started coming to the school to run weekly boxing sessions.
They were an instant hit. Three years later, attendance at
Savoy's Wednesday Afternoon Boxing Club continues to increase
as more and more girls discover the joy that comes with putting
on the gloves and learning to throw jabs, block punches and
evade opponents. Savoy's gentle yet insistent coaching style
encourages her students to push their limits and take risks,
while reminding the girls that she is always there to support
them.
Savoy's work at Linden reflects her tireless
dedication to providing a safe space for women to embrace
the sport of boxing. She founded Newsgirls in 1996. In 2006
the club moved into a new, larger facility. She is also currently
running a boxing/physical activity program geared to women
and trans people who have been victims of violence. "Shape
Your Life" uses Savoy's unique philosophy and style of
teaching to help the program's participants improve self-esteem
and make positive changes in their lives. Recently, Savoy
took the program to Jakarta, Indonesia, where she worked with
victims of violence and trained instructors to deliver the
program.
The award presentation will take place in
the Imperial Oil Auditorium at the Ontario Science Centre
on Thursday, June 17, at The Linden School's Celebration to
Greet the Summer, the school's annual graduation ceremony
and celebration of student accomplishments throughout the
year.
The Nancy Ruth Award was created to recognize
one of Linden's founding supporters, a woman who herself has
made enormous difference to the lives of so many girls and
women in Canada. This award is presented to a woman in the
greater community who has demonstrated, in her life and in
her work, a real commitment to girls and women. Past recipients
of this award include much-honoured women's activist Angela
Robertson and celebrated francophone writer Marguerite Andersen.
About The Linden School
The Linden School is an independent, all-girls'
school located at Yonge and St. Clair. Founded in 1993, Linden
develops confidence in girls grades 1-12 through innovative
teaching methods, empowering experiences, and meaningful connections
to themselves, their peers, and their community. Linden teachers
understand how girls learn best at every age and stage of
development, employing the most current research on girls
and learning to inform their teaching approach. Graduates
leave Linden ready to become full participants in, and to
take on leadership roles in, local, national or international
arenas.
About Toronto Newsgirls
Founded in 1996 by Savoy Howe, the mission
of the Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club is to provide a safe
and positive space for women and trans people to explore the
sport of boxing. Individuals come into the program with their
own goals, which we work to help them achieve - they may want
to get into better shape, or they may want to become the next
Laila Ali. For all members, the program offers a cardiovascular
workout with technique in all areas of boxing- grounding,
offense, defense, footwork and strategy.
For more information, or to arrange an interview
with Savoy Howe, please contact:
Kate Raven
Communications Coordinator
416-966-4406
kater@lindenschool.ca
Click
here to download this announcement in PDF format.
Celebrating Linden Athletics - June 3,
2010
On Wednesday, June 2, we marked our most
successful year in Linden athletics to date with our annual
Athletics Assembly.
As Linden physical education teachers Deidre
and Elizabeth noted, the year was a success in two important
ways. In terms of competition, Linden teams were outstanding,
finishing consistently in the top half of their leagues and
tournaments and taking home banners in under-20 cross country,
junior basketball and junior ball hockey. Just as importantly,
we had very high levels of participation among our students.
Lots of athletes came out for each team, and the great majority
of students participated in at least one sport.
Reflecting Linden's approach to athletics,
Elizabeth started off the assembly by telling our students
and teachers about the organization Fast
and Female. Founded by Olympic gold medallist Chandra
Crawford in 2005, Fast and Female is dedicated to the empowerment
of girls and young women through sport. In particular, Crawford
wants to "spread the love" (get girls hooked on
an active lifestyle) and "dominate the world" (encourage
girls to rejoice in their potential to be leaders).
For each team, coaches presented awards
for Most Improved Player and Merit. The Merit award is not
a Most Valuable Player award; it is presented to players who
are not only strong athletes, but who also demonstrate leadership
qualities and positive attitudes throughout game and tournament
play. Elizabeth and Deidre also presented awards to the students
in their gym classes who they felt showed the most dedication
to the physical education program throughout the year.
The assembly also recognized another very
important accomplishment. After running increasingly long
distances in gym class throughout the year, students in grades
1-4 completed a "mini half-marathon" on June 1.
Each girl ran a distance of 2.1 km (a regular half-marathon
is 21 km) in under 17 minutes. This is the same distance that
older cross-country competitors run at school meets! To help
them remember their achievement, Elizabeth presented each
girl with a certificate of completion.
The remaining two athletics awards for the
year - the award for dedication to the athletics program and
the Golden Shoe Award - will be presented at our Celebration
to Greet the Summer on June 17.
Archived in: Athletics
Check out our Archives
(in the sidebar at left) to read more news from The Linden
School.
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