Interview with The Sterling Hall School Alum, David Niddam-Dent

Sterling Hall really prioritizes leadership. I think in a lot of other school structures that don't finish a Grade 8, or maybe even that just don't approach leadership the same way that Sterling Hall does, I think students don't necessarily have the chance to develop those skills. But instead at Sterling, every student had the chance to take on a leadership position and really grow. I think it certainly set me out well for life afterwards. 

The thing I appreciate most about Sterling Hall is that there's such a chance for leadership opportunities at a young age. I think the way that they trust all of the students as a small school, they're able to really give not only individualized attention to students but really make sure that each of them has an opportunity to learn and grow in those later years. And so when students are leaving Sterling Hall, they've had this incredible experience as a leader that students don't get in other schools.

The teachers at Sterling are amazing. They're kind, they're empathetic, and they're fantastic at their job.

The students are great and you have a fantastic community that really supports each other. And my mind always goes to the fact that Sterling is one of the best raisers for the Terry Fox Foundation in Canada, and we're an incredibly small school. And so the ability for this small community to really put its mind to big things and to take on those challenges as a group together is really amazing. And I think it's due to the strength of everybody in that community.

I’d describe the school as kind, empathetic, and energetic. My memories are always of folks smiling in the halls, of students having a great time with each other, but also of teachers and of parents really contributing to the community in a really pleasant way. The school is always moving somewhere and everyone's always working towards something really exciting. It’s, as a result, a really safe space to learn.

I think Sterling builds great leaders and great citizens of the world. There's this idea of citizenship and global citizenship and citizenship in the community that I think is quite unique, and it builds on it being such a small school because that ethos is so ingrained in the school. And because there are not that many students in a class, it's very easy to expose all the students at school to that ethos. And so you have everybody getting involved in the fundraising efforts or the charity events. And so you really have students growing up with a real sense of responsibility to the world around them, to the community around them. And so certainly for me, I had opportunities at a young age to get involved in that charitable way that wouldn't have, I think, existed at any other school. And it's due to … the real caring of the school to fostering that citizenship and character in its students. I don't think you necessarily get that anywhere else.

I also haven't mentioned academic excellence, and I think academic excellence is … really important to Sterling. And certainly, I felt very well academically prepared for my time after school. Actually, at my high school, some of the best-performing students in Grade 9 after we'd left Sterling were students who'd come from Sterling.

The teaching staff was amazing. It's really a joy and a privilege to be able to have worked with teachers who really wanted to care about their students and wanted to bring the best out in their students. Probably the best relationship I'd ever had with the teacher was my Grade 3 teacher who really had this incredible personal connection with all of our students in a way that when you leave that year, you've really learned a lot, but you've also made a great connection. And one of the things that I've really been lucky to do is stay in touch with so many teachers from Sterling because they have all made such an impact on my life, and they were also lovely as well.

I think I've gained even more of an appreciation for everything that defined the Sterling experience. I think the opportunities that I had in debate and public speaking really set me on course for a lot of the things that I did in high school, and certainly, even though the love of subject matter in university and then the work that I do afterwards.

Then similarly, academically, I think it was only when you looked back and you realized how great the education had been because you're just in it as a student. And so it's hard to have that great perspective as an eighth grader. But I know parents saw it, and certainly it became more obvious to me as I got older. And you saw the benefits of that Sterling education and the more individualized attention we got and the great experience you had as a young person at the school.

It’s a small community where you have the opportunity to grow. It punches above its weight. It feels big because you have these chances to engage in your community and in the world around you at a much higher level. And you have this academic experience that is so high level. And so that interplay of a safe and small place to grow, but the chance to have a big impact, to have these leadership experiences and big responsibilities, I think is certainly one piece of it.

The last few years, Grades 6, 7, and 8, ... I feel are the most unique parts of the Sterling Hall experience. The ability to have that leadership role as you get older and the ability to really as well develop your interest in a non-academic way and to get a sense of a little bit of the work that one gets to do, whether one is working for the sports team or the citizenship team or the arts team, and they're leading the school and the opportunity to stand up and practice some public speaking. I have to say that practicing some public speaking is one thing that Sterling Hall does, maybe better than anywhere else.

I think the key advice would be to just throw yourself into the school in an enthusiastic way because the school is going to embrace you back and embrace you for who you are and provide the opportunity to grow… But I think at the end of the day, every student has a different experience in those formative years. I truly believe that at Sterling, they all find their way and find what's best for them… But when I was at Sterling Hall, I loved being an ambassador for the school, and so I would tour prospective families around. So here I am reprising that role, and perhaps the answer to this lies in that and the chance for grade six and seven students to take families around and show them around the school.

I think Sterling, at the end of the day, has something unique. And it has that because it's a smaller community. It is because of how fantastic the teachers are. And I think that you're giving your child an advantage.