Wednesday May 10, 1989

I got 100% on my Science test. I skipped the afternoon classes with JJ. We went to grab some lunch. I found out that I had been accepted to receive a scholarship to Crescent for the following year. The Flames advanced to the Stanley Cup finals.

[Note - as you may recall, I had already registered to attend York Mills Collegiate for grade 10. One day I was sitting in the school library and my English teacher, Mr. Osborne, who was also involved with admissions, approached me. He told me that he was sad to hear that I didn't plan on returning to Crescent School (I had sent in a form notifying the school I would not be coming back) and he delicately inquired into if it was because I didn't value my experience there, or was it more of an economic matter. In actual fact it was a combination of the two, but I didn't want to reveal that I went from being a cool kid to pretty much a nerd and wanted to flee to the safety of an environment that was more familiar - namely, a Jewish one. Mr. Osborne then let me know about scholarships available at Crescent School and how he had some influence around who received them. This teacher was instrumental in seeing that I received the scholarship (actually plural, as they lasted from grade 10-12) and finished my highschooling at Crescent. Every year of highschool got better and better and I now look back and consider the experience to have been a huge influence on me - from education, to values, to confidence, to amazing lasting friendships. I donate money back to Crescent School (albeit modestly) every year and can never praise the institution too much. I feel very fortunate to have had that experience and Mr. Osborne is who I owe that to. I was able to get a hold of him a few years back by email, and I let him know that I remember and appreciate what he did for me, but it was faint recognition for the level of impact he had.]