Leadership interview with Garth Nichols, Kingsway College School
- Name
Garth Nichols - Title
Head of School
Garth Nichols, Head of School at Kingsway College School, shares his passion for education, student-centred learning, mentorship, belonging, and a JK–12 pathway that builds confidence, agency, and lifelong learning.
Video Contents
Highlights from the interview
The mission and the vision of Kingsway College School are something that's near and dear to my heart. How do we play a role in the development of lifelong learners in one of the most significant parts of their lives? That is something that is full of potential and full of inspiration in terms of how we live that out.
I've always wanted to be in education. It's something that has always provided me with inspiration, purpose, and a lot of joy as well.
It was out west where I really started to play around with ideas in pedagogy and curriculum… It was a really special time and afforded me the time to think about the student experience and what education can and might be for different types of learners, different types of students, and different types of ambitions that students have as well.
I started an organization with my partner, Justin Medved, who's at the York School, called Cohort 21. We started to have these conversations and invited other CIS Ontario schools' educators into these conversations around the role of technology. Cohort 21 is a year-long professional development experience where they can deep dive and do some deep learning, and experiment with different topics.
In the junior school, I see so much investment into knowing our students; knowing who they are as people and as learners and supporting them in exploring what their passion might be.
What sets us apart is the pathway that comes from JK to Grade 12. We get to know our students at a very young age, and as they grow through the school, we focus on developing their independence and agency, and we give them opportunities to exercise that agency inside and outside of the classroom.
Well-being is a huge part of our program. We also have the four doors, how which students can walk into arts, into phys-ed, into different ways of expressing themselves, as part of allowing our students to know that while we have an academically challenging and supportive program, it's not who they are.
The best thing you can do is have compassion and lead from an area of curiosity. There are always ways to invite a conversation grounded in curiosity to get to the heart of the matter. A disagreement means there's an opportunity to learn.
As a parent, you need to know that your child will matter. Do you feel like your child can belong? Do you feel like this is a place not only where your child can matter, but where this place matters to your child?
When it comes to Kingsway College School, it's important to know that we have two vibrant campuses separated from each other. You have to have an open mind and open heart with this campus. Come and visit both campuses if you can, because they are both unique and they are beautiful in their own way.
