TFS - Canada's International School

Few people can authentically be called a Renaissance man or woman, but as was pointed out in the numerous tributes written after his passing, the term perfectly describes John. He was a history professor at Dalhousie University and became the youngest president in the history of the University of King's College, Halifax, where he founded its School of Journalism. He entered the world of journalism himself when he was named editor of the Financial Post, and was later appointed vice-president of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. Following in the footsteps of his father, who had been a senator, John became a denizen of Parliament Hill when he was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Don Valley West, the riding TFS' Toronto campus calls home. During his 15-year tenure as MP, he served as a Parliamentary Secretary under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and a Cabinet Minister in the government of Prime Minister Paul Martin. After retiring from federal politics, John became Headmaster of TFS from 2008 through 2014, and in 2018 he was named to the Order of Canada. A PASSION FOR FRENCH John's desire to develop French fluency started in his teens when, after finishing Grade 12 at Upper Canada College, he attended Neuchâtel Junior College in Switzerland to complete his Grade 13. This led to a lifelong devotion to Canadian bilingualism and bilingual education. In fact, so much did he believe in TFS that he served as a member of the board of directors years before becoming Headmaster. Once appointed Headmaster, he brought in some major changes that have greatly contributed to the thriving lives of our students to this day. Intent on bolstering an international perspective at TFS, he implemented both the Primary Years and Middle Years programs of the IB to add to our existing Diploma Program. The PYP exhibition and MYP personal project have now become celebrated culminating activities, and John's academic leadership made us the only bilingual IB world school in the country. SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE TFS OF TODAY John also initiated a number of programs and projects that have become very important at TFS. He was a strong proponent of extensively broadening the prevailing student support program and established the Learning Forum. To provide space across every branch for a Learning Forum and to overhaul the Senior School's Centre de documentation et d'information Penturn (Penturn Centre for Documentation and Information), he began the Soaring Beyond capital campaign. He presided over the restructuring of the Junior School into the two branches we know today, La p'tite école and the Junior School, allowing each to more intently concentrate on and specialize in the learning and educational experience of its respective age group. He also welcomed the creation of the French language Jardin d'éveil Hafez program for two-year-olds. An early environmentalist, John championed our return to the ravine for teaching and health, recognizing the critical need for children to spend time in nature, just as experts were decrying the lack of such exposure. It was then that the first eco-leader positions were introduced. Underscoring his belief in taking action against climate change, John drove a Prius to school at a time when hybrid cars, let alone the barely existent electric ones, were few and far between. FOCUSING ATTENTION ON OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY Our 50th anniversary saw John kick off the community launch in September 2012. It was one for our history books, complete with a hot air balloon, multiple VIPs and, of course, a birthday cake. This started our tradition of a fall Community Day and our beloved home opener soccer game. His interest in bilingualism and the brain also saw him connect with Dr. Ellen Bialystok, whose work focuses in part on the important impact of bilingualism on brain function. Dr. Bialystok became one of the first guests at our 50th Anniversary Speaker Series, and she afterwards continued to work with us on one of her ongoing studies. She also returned as a speaker during our 60th anniversary year. A LEARNER AND A GENTLEMAN In addition to being an alumnus of both Upper Canada College and Neuchâtel Junior College, John held a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto, a Master of Philosophy from the University of Oxford and a PhD in history, also from the University of Oxford, where he conducted core research for his thesis in French. John Ferguson Godfrey was a man of elegance and wit and often quipped he was a "recovering politician." He introduced his personal mantra to us: he wanted our students to be publicly useful and privately happy – a testament to his belief in service. We will miss him. 5 TFS

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