THE OUR KIDS REPORT:
Appleby College

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School Leadership

What is the leadership style at Appleby College? How do the school leaders shape the culture, priorities, and daily life of the community? How does this leadership style compare to that of other private and independent schools, and how might it influence your choice of school?

Page Contents

Facts and analysis
- Message from the school leadership
- Our interview with the school leader
Qualitative insights

Facts and analysis

MESSAGE FROM THE LEADERSHIP

We asked Innes van Nostrand, Principal at Appleby College for their message.

They offered insights into their vision, values, and the principles that define their leadership style.

Innes van Nostrand, Principal

Deciding where to go to school is one of those choices that feels more profound looking at it in the rear-view mirror than it does over your dashboard. When you make the right choice, it can change the direction of your life in amazing ways. Ways that only become clear after the journey.

When you speak with Appleby graduates – those who graduated last year to those who left 70 years ago, those who live across Canada and those who live around the world – they talk about the enduring nature of the Appleby experience. They talk about powerful bonds of friendship and preparedness for leadership that stay with them. Experiences that help define who they are.

Breadth, excellence, innovation and caring – this is what defines the essence of the Appleby College experience.

We challenge our students to develop high levels of capabilities across a wide range of activities – academics, athletics, the arts, service, global education, outdoor education, as well as living and working with people from a diverse range of backgrounds and perspectives. This broad experience is all-encompassing and, we believe, the right approach to prepare our graduates to be major contributors to their local, national and international communities in the fast-changing, globally-connected world of today and tomorrow.

Over the last couple of decades, we have garnered an international reputation for innovation, be it in the use of technology or global education or teaching methods. Today, we are in the midst of another exciting development as we look forward to enhancing the Appleby experience with the construction of a new athletics and student life space - the A.W.B. Alumni Centre for Athletics and Student Life. Designed to transform our capacity for indoor athletics and training programmes, the new facility will also support our expanding academic and co-curricular aspirations.

Great school culture must be central to a great student experience. We take pride in creating an environment where students know that they belong, where they find areas that they love, and where they both experience and contribute to a community that cares. We believe in growth through challenge. But equally, we believe that supporting young people is the best way to empower them to succeed in the face of that challenge.

Appleby is not for everyone. But if breadth, excellence, innovation and caring are appealing, look through this prospectus, come on a campus tour, speak with our students and faculty, and find out whether Appleby is the right place for you. Decide for yourself whether Appleby is the kind of launch pad that you want as you look down the road at your future.

I look forward to welcoming you!

Innes van Nostrand

Principal

INTERVIEW WITH THE LEADERSHIP

Watch our interview with Innes van Nostrand, Principal at Appleby College

They reflect on their path to educational leadership, the school's mission, and the vision guiding their everyday decisions.

Innes van Nostrand is the Principal of Appleby College in Oakville, Ont. He sees the school as one that has gone through astounding changes over the years. It’s also a school that has achieved a high level of excellence in many fields. Innes emphasizes the fact that Appleby focuses on experiential and outdoor education. It’s a global leader in that field, he says. But one of Appleby's greatest strengths, he says, is the school's culture and the relationships that bind it together.

Video Contents

0:48 - Three things Innes loves about his job.
3:42 - The initial excitement of joining Appleby College.
5:25 - A typical day for the Principal.
Show Full Video Contents
7:33 - A typical journey for a student at Appleby College.
14:56 - The Appleby College staff.
17:10 - Living the values of the school today.
19:33 - The relationship between alumni and current students of Appleby College.
22:00 - The kind of student who is drawn to the school.
24:21 - The type of student who might not excel at the school.
25:44 - The culture at Appleby College.
28:11 - The relationship between parents, school teachers and administration.
30:26 - How the school would address student conflict.
31:52 - Appleby College’s personality.
34:12 - The relationship between Appleby College and the surrounding town.
35:37 - Advice for a parent searching for a school for their children.

Qualitative insights

These insights are based on conversations with parents, alumni, and school leadership. Handpicked and curated by our editor, they offer a close look at how the school is experienced and perceived by those who know it best.

The Appleby leadership team is innovative and forward-thinking.

According to alumni and administrators, Appleby's administration constantly seeks new ways to evolve and improve, always thinking ahead to maintain a cutting-edge institution.

Appleby embraces change, which is something that you don’t always see from institutions that are as old as Appleby, which was founded in 1911. It’s always looking for the next way to change and grow as a community and an institution. That’s something that I got to see in my Grade 12 year serving as Head Prefect. I got to work with the administration in a way that I hadn’t previously done and see how they think about the school and the future of the school. It’s pretty incredible the way that they’re always thinking five, ten years in advance. Because of that, I think Appleby has a way of being on the cutting-edge of what’s next.

—Noah Caza, alum (see full interview)

Appleby typically has a staff turnover rate in the ballpark of 4%. I think our HR approach is really good, because we try to develop teachers, to keep expanding their horizons. We put a massive amount of effort into professional development here. We also have a leadership model for faculty where we don’t appoint someone to the Head of the Department forever. They have a term, and there’s a sunset clause on that. So people move around, and take on lots of different roles from a leadership standpoint.

—Innes van Nostrand, Principal (see full interview)

Over the years I’ve seen nothing but improvement at Appleby. I haven’t run into anything where I thought that they didn’t handle it well or I was disappointed with how something went. I don’t have a good answer for you on how the school could improve because I think that they’ll exceed your expectations almost at every turn.

—Vanessa Barr, parent (see full discussion)

They focus on character education.

Students and parents affirm that Appleby emphasizes the development of integrity, leadership skills, and confidence encouraging students to lead by example based on strong personal values.

Appleby taught my son how to handle himself. It exposed him to responsibilities. His days were very long. I remember him messaging me when he was in the boarding program, saying ‘It’s 10 p.m. and my day isn’t done, but I really love what I’m doing’. He enjoyed and was very self-fulfilled by the responsibility that he had. It taught him organization. It taught him planning. It taught him leadership and how to be a mentor. These are beautiful things that he learned.

—Gabby Ponikvar, parent (see full discussion)

If you spend a couple of days on Appleby’s campus, you'll hear the phrase ‘being a leader of character’. I think the word leader is something that means something different to whoever you’re speaking with. Some people see it as the person who is leading the charge, at the front of the pack, and always has the loudest voice. But I don’t think that was the way that Appleby saw what it meant to be a leader. It’s something that being a leader of character means having your own morals that you stick to and kind of leading by example. And that was something you hear as a value of the school.

—Noah Caza, alum (see full interview)

What I appreciated most as a student is the space and the resources that Appleby provided to allow me to grow over those six years. That is something that benefits me even to this day, and something I’m beyond grateful for. Appleby gave me the space to grow not only intellectually, but also in terms of leadership, and in how to be a good person in general.

—Gabby Ponikvar, parent (see full discussion)

They work on maintaining an active and engaged community.

Observations from the school community suggest that Appleby fosters strong, positive relationships and a vibrant atmosphere, where interactions among students, faculty, and staff are deeply valued.

The first surprising thing for new families is that we have a very dedicated and hard-working Principal. We can see him everywhere on campus. You can see him greeting the students in the morning. You can see him say ‘Hello’ to everyone on campus and can see him at every event—Open House, Christmas tree trimming, Chinese New Year celebrations. He’s so nice. My eldest daughter left Appleby in 2016, and he still remembers my name and also my husband’s name. It’s amazing.

—Vanessa Barr, parent (see full discussion)

I suspect everyone at Appleby College would say something like this: I’m really energized by the interactions I have at the school, whether it’s our students, our teachers, our staff, our parents or alumni. When you come to school each day, you can always speak to people who are going to put you in a really good mood. Everyone you talk to — they’re happy, they’re motivated. Those interactions make me feel good as I go about my day.

—Innes van Nostrand, Principal (see full interview)

They focus on experiential and personalized learning.

Reports from students and staff highlight Appleby's commitment to offering a tailored educational journey, emphasizing experiential learning and a broad array of experiences to ensure comprehensive development.

In some ways, there’s a typical Appleby College journey, and in some ways, every journey is very customized to the student. There are a couple of broad philosophical approaches that we have here that I think are important to those journeys. We have Grade 7 to Grade 12 here at Appleby. We have a very strong emphasis on experiential education — we’re a real leader globally in that. The blend that we’re trying to achieve is that commitment to excellence, at the same time as that breadth of experience.

—Innes van Nostrand, Principal (see full interview)

I think the most powerful and most important thing that we offer at Appleby is the caliber of relationships. The relationships that students have with their teachers can be the most defining aspect of an education. Part of the craft of teaching — of the vocation, of the calling of teaching — is around making sure that those relationships are as powerful, as trusting, and as enduring as possible, so that the faculty connect with our students. At Appleby we have lots of PhDs, and we have teachers who know their subject area, which is important, but I think what’s more important is that relationship piece. That’s the kind of thing that stays with students for a lifetime.

—Innes van Nostrand, Principal (see full interview)

They maintain good communication with families.

Observations from parents and alumni highlight that the administration at the school is both approachable and responsive, ensuring that families are well-informed and supported in various circumstances.

We've been very impressed by some of the information he brings to us that we didn't even know ourselves. I think he's more confident outside of school because of the confidence he gains in school.

—Stephanie Shorey, parent (see full interview)

My experience with the administration and the teachers at Appleby has been very good overall. They can answer your question, or they can point you in the right direction of the right person to speak to. We were kept informed in terms of the changes and how the school was adapting to the various phases of the pandemic.

—Stephanie Shorey, parent (see full interview)

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