TFS - Canada's International School

ENTRE NOUS 24 THE 1960s AND 70s Those were the days! When Peter and Diane Mandell enrolled their daughters Gabrielle and Danielle in 1970 and 1974, respectively, the family became participants in the great project that was Toronto French School. They had heard of the school through another parent and were keenly interested in its educational program. Says Mr. Mandell, "French was not just Canada's other official language; French was the second most spoken language worldwide [at the time]." Mrs. Mandell immediately became involved with the school, and was at one time the president of the Parents' Association, followed by Mr. Mandell, who served as a board member and then Chair from 1977 through 1979. "It wasn't like the old established private schools at the time, where parents didn't have much input. We wanted to be a part of their education and to know what was going on," he says. It was also a time of extraordinary growth that posed critical questions such as where to create a campus for the increasing number of students and how to provide them with the facilities that would bring their education to its full potential. As a result, Mr. Mandell became instrumental in TFS acquiring 318 Lawrence Avenue East from the Sisters of the Cenacle, an experience that included the Mother Superior being advised to sell – by her deceased predecessor in a dream. The Mandells have continued to be connected to the school to this day, and they joined with the entire community in launching our 60th anniversary year in September 2022. Asked how he remembers his time as Chair, Mr. Mandell says, "Fondly. It was fun, that's for sure." Consider the fact that our co-founders, Harry and Anna Por Giles, created Toronto French School from their point of view as parents first, to provide their own children with an education that couldn't be acquired anywhere else. They were supported in every way by like-minded parents who were also eager to have their children learn in both of Canada's official languages, and to develop bicultural and international perspectives in an academically innovative and challenging environment. These parents were passionately dedicated to the school and wanted to get involved as much as possible, including as members of the TFS and TFS Foundation boards. Such roles, especially that of Chair, took their commitment to the next level. Recently, Entre Nous spoke to three former board Chairs, whose combined experience spans decades, to ask them to look back at their time at TFS and what motivated their extraordinary volunteerism. It's been a TFS truth since 1962: we wouldn't be the school and communi we are today (and were back then!) without our parents. PARENT , VOLUNTEER , LEADER Peter H. Mandell BY MARYANN SHEMANSKY

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