Alumni Reflection
by:  Vick Soordhar
Graduating Class 1994

Hello there parents, fellow Hazel alumni and current Hazel students. My name is Vick Soordhar and I am currently enrolled at the University of Western Ontario, going into my fourth year, this one being in the Mathematics and Statistics program. My future career aspirations are in the field of Dentistry, hopefully, one day, having a practice and possibly teaching at a Dental school.

Hazel McCallion is a special school to me because when it opened in 1992 I was a part of the first entering Grade 6 class and two years later, in 1994 we were that last of the original cohort of kids graduating.

Like all 11 year olds, coming from our sister school, Willow Way Public School, I had mixed emotions about entering Junior high school. The first day I remember entering the gymnasium and finding out that I was in Mr. Arnold’s class. Arriving into his classroom, I distinctly remember my anxiety level rising steadily. He began by saying that we had all entered a stage in our lives where the skills we learned and developed  would carry and mature with us for the rest of our lives. Sitting there, and listening to that, made my heart begin to race, my palms got sweaty and the room seemed a little claustrophobic. Here I was, an 11 year old, being told that what I learn now will affect my entire future. It was his next statement though that completely diminished all my panic. It was his kind, gentle words of reassurance that the teachers at Hazel will make sure that we equally develop these skills to our own fullest potential. At that point, I realized that Junior high school would not be that bad.

As the next two years went by I met the two most influential people in my life, Mr. Riddell and Mrs. Taylor. Each allowed me to develop my drive and eventual love for learning. While in Grade 6 I always heard stories that being in Mr. Riddell class was all fun and games and he was the King of class clowns. Knowing him for 10 years now, I can confirm without any doubt that it is all true! But his zest for life does not hinder his genuine love and enthusiasm to teach and his determination to mold little minds to create future writers, mathematicians, CEOs, scientists, lawyers and much more. When I entered his class I really developed my love for writing because we were given the freedom to write about topics we desired. Writing in his class was never prescribed. Although he gave us the freedom to write about what we wished, the writing process was always emphasized and reinforced. We were taught to brainstorm, plan, draft, revise, draft, revise and finally publish. I have carried this skill over, even using it at university. It has become my thought process of thinking through an idea and revising it to make a final product that I am happy with.

There was about one month of Grade 7 left and after countless journal responses and writing assignments, Mr. Riddell decided to have one more. This time it was a creative project and we were allow to use any format the only restriction being all the responsibility was yours to develop an idea and present it for his approval. My friend and I thought it was would be a different experience and, most importantly, fun to make a mini movie. We were both a little bit worried about asking him but to our surprise he was thrilled and approved the idea right away. He told us that we would have daily meetings to make sure things were progressing steadily but the onus was on us to plan, draft and film. After two weeks of planning, storyboarding, filming and editing, a movie masterpiece was created. In Mr. Riddell’s class we were allowed to use our imaginations but still learn an effective writing process to create pieces that I still think were some of the best for our time. There is nothing like opening the imagination of a child’s mind. If properly harnessed, it can create the wonders of the world.  

I was dreading every moment of entering Grade 8 because Mrs. Taylor was known to be one of the most difficult Core teachers because of the amount of work received was cosmic. As the year progressed, I remember it being one of the most difficult academic periods in my life because she always pushed all of her students to their fullest potential. At the beginning of the year I was pretty confident in my writing skills but the marks I received did not reflect what I thought I should be earning. Like all 13 year olds who think they are perfect, I got really frustrated and spoke to her about this. She told me that what I was writing was great but she wanted a little more detail from it. Instead of giving up, I kept pushing myself to improve my writing skills. By the time January came around I was achieving marks that I wanted and, by June, I even exceeded my own expectations.

One day, in Grade 9, a bunch of friends and I, who were former students of Mrs. Taylor, came back to visit Hazel. As we spoke, we told her that being in her class was one of the most mentally exhausting experiences we ever had to go through. I will never forget what her response was for as long as I live. She simply looked at us and said, “I never told you guys to do all that work. All I said was a “B” level student would do these problems, an “A” level student would go further and do these problems. You could have all stopped but it was your own desire to push further and achieve more.” From that day forth, I realized that it was not Mrs. Taylor that was a hard teacher but it was us, the students, that pushed themselves to reach greater heights.

It has been 10 years since I first walked into Hazel and I can definitely say I have changed as an individual on many different levels. I now face decisions that ultimately affect my future career and life plans. But I know I was placed on the right track when a solid foundation was laid down almost a decade ago by some of the best individuals I have had the pleasure to be taught by. What Mr. Arnold, Mr. Riddell, Mrs. Taylor and the rest of the teachers at Hazel McCallion have allowed their students to develop is the drive to put that little extra part of yourself to accomplish more than what you every thought was possible. Thanks to all of them for helping me and many others understand the ‘real’ meaning of the school’s motto… “if it’s to be, it’s up to me”. It’s now part of the code I live by.