By Glen Herbert

Founding head of school, R H Perry, once wrote that “It should be as natural for a person living in North America to paddle a canoe as it is to ski or skate.” He wrote that in 1966, the year before he helped found Rosseau Lake College. 

He meant it literally, though he also meant it as an educator. You can see it in the books he wrote for young people on canoeing and camping, as well as in the curriculum he developed for RLC. For Perry, learning was about more than facts and figures. It was also about identity, growth, and living well. He wrote that “a reliance on one’s skill and judgement seems to sharpen the appreciation for all the little, but important things of life—food tastes better, clothes are more comfortable, nature takes on a new meaning and living becomes exhilarating.” 

 The reason Perry felt canoeing was an essential skill was because of the values it reflects. It’s physically active, yet not based in competition. It grants an experience of mastery, with solo canoeing as the most masterful expression of the craft. Canoeing is a way into nature, a means of learning to appreciate the natural world while being a part of it. It’s a learned skill, but is also a deeply personal one: the more time we spend in a canoe, the more we learn about ourselves. 

There was a cultural component, too, which certainly wasn’t lost on Perry. Canoeing has a history in this country. It is one of the few traditions that is shared between those who were first here, the Indigenous communities, and others who came later. For much of Canada’s history, and indeed eons before, canoeing was the one means available for exploring the geography of the nation—from the far north to the 49th parallel, from churning rapids to placid lakes.

It was an appreciation of all of those things—skills, perspective, experience, exertion, tradition–that Perry wanted to instill in his students. And they’re the same things we want to instill in our students today. Dave Krocker, the current Head of School, has said, “if we’re only preparing our students for the next four years, then we aren’t doing our job.” Perry clearly thought that, too. 

We intend for our students to be curious and thoughtful; confident yet humble. We want them to know things, and to relate well with others. We want to be good people, able to appreciate moments of quiet.

The only thing that we might change is Perry’s suggestion that only people living in North America should know how to canoe. We’ve had students from all the continents, and more than 50 countries, graduate from RLC. That they canoe was an essential part of their education here, and, perhaps even more than they know, an essential part of who they are. 

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