Selwyn House welcomes new headmaster, Mr. Hal Hannaford

Selwyn House students got to know a man who will become very important in their lives when they were introduced to their new headmaster, Hal Hannaford, at an all-school assembly on January 6.

“This is a great school, and you are lucky to be here,” Mr. Hannaford told his new students, adding that he was “humbled and honoured” to be their new headmaster.

In his brief message to his new students, Mr. Hannaford stressed the importance of focusing on one’s academic development, as well as the importance of tolerance and respect in school life.

Mr. Hannaford said he and his wife, Susan Doherty, were very excited to be returning to Montreal after 30 years away. “This city is an example for the world,” he said.

In introducing Mr. Hannaford, Selwyn House board Chair Ted Claxton joked about Mr. Hannaford having attended “a little-known private school” (Selwyn House’s traditional rival, LCC) before studying at Queen’s University, receiving his MBA from INSEAD, his Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Toronto and Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia.

For the past 12 years, Mr. Hannaford has been headmaster of Royal St. George’s College, a boys’ school in Toronto. Before that he was founding headmaster at Kingsway College School and taught at Crescent School, both in Toronto, and was director of Kilcoo Camp, in the Haliburton Highlands.

Head Prefect Josh Hanek told his fellow students that their new headmaster was known for his “belief in second chances” in dealing with students, but said he would also be holding his charges responsible for “how you deal with your actions and their repercussions.”

Headmaster Hannaford, who took over on January 1 from retiring Headmaster will Mitchell, received a Selwyn House teddy bear from Kindergarten student Sami Al Asmar, a Selwyn House “hoodie” from Nicholas Andrei (Gr. 8), and a Selwyn House sports bag from Michael Cohen (Gr. 11).

Later in the day, Middle School students invited Mr. Hannaford to a session of their Teacher Advisory Group, where Grade 8 Louis Buckett and Josh Cape presented a slideshow of Middle School life they had prepared with the help of Nicholas Varvarigos (Gr. 7). Mr. Hannaford spoke to the assembly briefly, calling two boys up to demonstrate a proper handshake. Mr. Hannaford explained that he had learned the importance of a person’s handshake from John Latimer, his predecessor at Royal St. George's, and that developing a good handshake can be an exercise in building character.