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After a two year battle with ovarian cancer Polly passed away on May 14, 2010. During this two year period she worked hard to keep a positive attitude despite a grueling treatment schedule that often included chemotherapy three of every four weeks. During her struggle she never lost hope in her situation.
All the while Polly’s greatest concerns were for her family. She never stopped reminding her family that no matter what the outcome was, we were all to continue working towards our goals in life. Polly worked hard to keep everyone on track and working towards those goals no matter how difficult it may have been for her.

Ovarian cancer changes the lives of the patient as well as their family and friends. The battle with cancer is a constant reminder of how fragile life is.
Many of those affected by cancer can’t help but wonder how this happened and more importantly why.

Patients fight hard to keep a positive attitude but the fight proves difficult when there are few to turn to that really understand the disease. For some women the biggest challenge is finding a doctor willing to really listen to what they have to say about what their body is telling them. The hurt and pain involved with ovarian cancer is as real as it gets.
While many of us may not be able to understand entirely, it is important for us to offer a kind word, a gentle touch, unquestioning love, and honest compassion towards those personally involved in the struggle.

In honor of Polly’s courageous fight against ovarian cancer please join us for a 5k walk, jog, or run. All proceeds will be donated to the Karmanos Cancer Institute in memory of Polly Osborne care of the Gail Purtan Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. The event will take place at the Maybury State Park in Northville, Michigan on September 25, 2016. Check in and on-site registration begins at 9:00AM the day of the event. The 5k walk, jog, or run will begin at 10:00AM with refreshments to follow at the pavilion.

Celebrate and Applaud Campaign 2009

Each June, as we reflect on the academic year, it is time of year when we reflect upon the 2008/2009 academic year.  It is time to celebrate and applaud the accomplishments of the SJK community. Our students continue to shine both inside and outside the classroom, performing well in numerous competitions such as debating, science, mathematics, athletic events and especially the arts.

With success comes growth, and SJK has seen significant growth in many areas over the last few years; most notably in the music program.  On June 10th, the Board of Governors approved a modest expansion of the school buildings and facilities.   The primary focus of this build is to provide a custom built space for both the Choral and Instrumental programs of all three schools.  At the same time, two additional classrooms will be constructed as attachments to the music room.  These classrooms will provide SJK with much needed teaching space flexibility around the school.It is anticipated that his project will be completed and ready for use by January 2010.

As with all projects at the school we look for your financial support to assist us with this project.  The school’s ability to grow and expand in the future will be based on the financial generosity of each and every family member, past and present, within the SJK community.

So please join me and other families to help ignite the passion for learning for students today and tomorrow.  By showing your generosity, you will be setting a fine example for others in the SJK community to follow.

With your generous investment of $500, you will join other supporters on the Celebrate and Applaud donor wall located outside of the music room.  I cannot think of a better gift to give our students than the recognition of applause for a job well done.

At St. John’s-Kilmarnock School we do more than prepare our students for academic and career success.  We prepare them for life.

Yours Sincerely,

Kathryn Jeffrey

All Donations are tax deductible.  Thank you for your generosity.

A Whole New Mind from SJK
Katrina Schaman (Class of 2001) loves art, technology, and combining the two together with her role as a Web Developer and Digital Illustrator. She is launching into the creative realm of web development and digital illustration with a foundation in traditional art and the values of SJK. She really has epitomized the thesis of Dan Pink’s book A Whole New Mind where he advocates the creation of leaders through left and right brain action. Katrina understands the technical(the left side), but is also able to think creatively (the right side) through art to help her clients reach innovative end results.

Life after SJK
After graduation in 2001 Katrina continued her education at Queens University completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts. This unique program was one of the few in Canada that had a heavy emphasis on applied art, which meant spending a lot more time in the studio rather than in lecture halls. A true artist, she just wanted to create! It was at Queens were she began to cross into the digital realm and she enjoyed so much she decided to enroll in Sheridan College’s one year post-grad program in Web Development and Digital Media.  Not wanting to get a ‘typical job as a coder,’ Katrina opted for the more creative route as a freelance developer.  She lives in Toronto and serves small businesses develop websites and digital media.

Values from SJK
Katrina spent 12 years at the school and has many fond memories of life at SJK. “SJK allowed us to be who we wanted to be. There were no cliques and we had strong support from our teachers.” Katrina remembers the many trips she took with SJK, time on the field hockey pitch, art class with Ms. MacDonald, and sneaking down for dips on the Pond more times than she should have! When she made the transition to university, she remembers it being a lot easier for her than her classmates from other high schools. “SJK set us up extremely well for university by teaching us how to manage our workload, make time for friends, and balance work and life.”

Her future goals
As Katrina launches her career she is excited for what may come. On the near horizon she is looking forward to partnering up with a few other like minded techno-artists and start their own company. In the long run she is excited to explore the possibilities of illustrating children’s books and finding ways to integrate social media components. She is becoming more and more interested in the marketing and business development side of social mediums and digital media and excited to explore it further.

Please check out Katrina’s website for more information and see some examples of her work. Also, don’t hesitate to reach out to Katrina if you are in need of some great web development or digital illustration.