Roundtable Q&A Discussion About Miss Edgar's & Miss Cramp's School (2021)
Miss Edgar's & Miss Cramp's School alumni, current students, and parents shared their insights on the school’s culture, values, strengths, and weaknesses. Hear what Sophie, Julia, Tiffany had to say about the school.
Highlights from the Q&A discussion
Sophie — current parent
Sophie has two daughters that currently attend Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School. She originally chose the school because of the small class sizes and the all-girls environment. The school surpassed her expectations in every way, and she is thankful for the tight-knit community her family has found there. She feels that her daughters have both developed more confidence and an ability to speak out. She believes that her daughters receive one-on-one attention at Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School whenever they need it.
- “I liked the fact that [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] was an all-girl environment. I went to an all-girls high school, and it was a setting that I thrived in, so I really wanted that experience for my daughters as well. The way in which [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] was as expected is the small class sizes. The family-like environment has actually surpassed my expectations.”
- “My girls are known by name at [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] and were from day one by almost the entire staff. Any teacher in any grade knows them by name and greets them by name. They're not a number at all, and they receive individual attention on a daily basis. … The way I would say was different than what I expected, is that I did have some apprehension coming in to [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] about the price point of the school. I did worry about it being elitist and very homogenous, but that really has not been the case.”
- “I got involved as a volunteer at [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] early on, and the vast majority of families were incredibly welcoming. … Community is the word that comes to mind when I think of [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School], as much for the girls as for the parents. The parents really are part of the community.”
- “[Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] has definitely given [my daughters] a voice. The example I can think of is my older daughter is very shy, and prior to coming to [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School], a simple oral presentation would cause sleepless nights for weeks, speaking in public was not something she would do. I kid you not, within the first month that she was at [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School], she ran for student government. Within the year, she had spoken in front of the entire school when she was just a junior school student and had sung a duet at the art fests.”
- “[My daughters] love [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School], and they definitely feel that it's a family, a home away from home. … That sense of community. They would also say that they work very hard, that they're constantly challenged to do their best, and that it's a rigorous curriculum that keeps them on their toes.”
- “[Three words that describe Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] are caring, warm, and innovative.”
- “[Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] has their own core values. …. Our Head of School really goes the distance at making them a reality for the girls, explaining them, and showing them how relevant they are. I guess the value, as a parent, that comes to mind is community.”
- “[Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School is a] really a unique place. It's hard to describe in words until you've actually been there. The families know each other. We're happy to get together. We have incredible events for families, for mothers and daughters, for fathers and daughters. It's really a family, and it's a great group of people.”
- “I saw it like a switch, a change in my girls [when they started at Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s all-girls School]. They weren't afraid to ask questions or to speak out. I think many girls, especially if they're shy when there are boys in the room, really get eclipsed. … When it's all girls, they really are empowered. I think at the high school level there's a lot less distraction. There's no trying to impress the boys or any of the sort of romance issues that could happen in a coed [school]. So [students] really are focusing on their studies, and the rest of it is outside of school where it belongs.”
Julia — alum
Julia graduated from Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School in 2019. During her time there she most appreciated the tight-knit community that felt like a second home. She felt that there was always someone there to support her in any way, and that the teachers and staff at the school cared for all of the students. She believes that the many trips and experiences, international and otherwise, helped foster a well-rounded education for the girls. The fact that the school is all girls was empowering for Julia, and has given her the skills and confidence she needs for her post-secondary education.
- “One of my favourite things about [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] that I still remember to this day, is honestly the tight-knit community. Everything revolves around that at [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School]. During bad days, [students] always knew there was a teacher there, your friends were there, the staff members were there. The second you walked into the entrance, you’re home. There's always a sense of that amazing community. Now that I'm in [university], it's extremely different. I have new friends, this new experience, and now I go to school on campus, and it's a very large campus.”
- “The second you're having any problems with either schoolwork or anything else [at [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] … you could always go see someone. … So that was honestly my best experience at [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School], the tight community and the support I had.”
- “Three words came to my head right away [to describe Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School]; empowering, caring, and well-rounded.”
- “There isn't much I would change about my experience at [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School]. I was there for 10 years, and every year was unique, and every year was amazing, no matter what we were doing. … All the experiences that we had were truly amazing.”
- “[Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] does have very small class sizes, which is honestly amazing, and that's another thing that I really appreciated having in high school.”
- “Honestly, without having gone to an all-girls school, I can truly say I wouldn't be who I am today. I was extremely shy. I didn't like speaking in front of anyone. I was even shy to ask a simple question. … I was simply too scared. [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] taught me to have my own voice, and to use it. One of the biggest things I have to say about going to an all-girls school is you feel so included, and there are no worries, or thinking someone's going to judge what you have to say or judge what you're going to ask.”
- “[Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School is] truly super inclusive. You feel amazing when you're in class. You're friends with everyone. Honestly, I loved going to an all-girls school. It's truly benefiting me. … I took the tools that [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] taught me, and whether it was my confidence, or asking questions, or even how to ask the question, or to get my point across, I brought that over into my education now.”
- “I'm a very big sports person. … [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] has a wide variety of sports that you can join, whether it's recreational, or in competition. One of the [sports] that [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] really does excel in is soccer.”
- “I played soccer in Victoria [with Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School]. I've been to New Brunswick. We participated in the CAIS tournament here in Montreal, which we won, and is a very big competition. Soccer is one of the things that [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] excels in. Another one is tennis, as well as basketball. I believe volleyball was a big one, too, which many girls in my year participated in.”
Tiffany — alum and current parent
- School alumni
Yes
Tiffany graduated from Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School in 1991, and has one daughter currently enrolled at the school. During Tiffany’s time at the school, she felt warm, safe, and accepted by the teachers and students there. Tiffany is now the President of the Old Girl’s Association, and has a strong connection with the school community. She wanted her daughter to experience the same sisterhood that she felt at Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School, have the same broad range of experiences, and foster the same lifelong friendships that she has to this day.
- “I loved my time at [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School]. What I remember most are the experiences. During my time there, I did a trip to China. We had trips to Quebec City. We had amazing experiences every year. … Nonstop events, and memories that to this day I still remember, and talk about to my children.”
- “I still reminisce about my years at [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School]. The friendships that I made at [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] are still some of the strongest friendships that I have today. As a married woman, mother of three children, my closest friends were from Grade 2 at [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School].”
- “[To give some] perspective, I spent some time after graduating, not going back to the school, and really not staying in touch with the school as much. When it was time for us to make a decision about where we would send our first-born daughter to school, my first heartfelt emotion went straight to [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School]. It was like it was calling back to me.”
- “[Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] is a family. It's your family away from home. It's the sisterhood, being all girls. … The teachers, the faculty, everyone is there for you. Everyone has your back. You feel loved, you feel warm, you feel safe, and you never feel alone.”
- “[Three words to describe Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] would be caring, loving, and confident.”
- “[Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] has so many opportunities for the more shy girl; for the more outgoing girl, there are different clubs, different teams, and sports. There are really so many beautiful opportunities to get involved in. … I think that the school is very unique in that sense, that there's just so much available to [students]... You can take the school as far as it can go; there's a lot there to get involved in.”
- “We didn't even visit other schools. … [My husband] fell in love with [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] and fell in love with the feeling he got when he walked in the school. I think what's surpassed his expectation is the level of French [education]. [My husband is] very pleased with the French that [our daughters] are receiving compared to what he was expecting, and wanting them to learn as a first language.”
- “[Students] are encouraged to socialize in French at [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School]. ... They are so surrounded all day in the French program, and they're sponges at that age. They are learning. … It really is full-on French for the beginning years.”
- “[Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] gives the base for girls to really go out there, and really that confidence level to go after what they want to do.”
- “[Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School] has a support group, our Old Girls Association… There's a new tool that the current Grade 11 graduates left with us so that we can really be linked together, to be able to support each other, help each other find work, or hire people within our community. There is that sense of community that continues with you once you graduate from [Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School], which is really a bonus to be able to continue the culture and the way of life [at Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School].”
