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flashy facilities, says Headmaster Jim Chalmers He may not have been the one who coined the phrase "don‘t judge a book by its cover." _ ~But St. John‘s School Headmaster Jim Chalmers is a firm believer in its underlying message, that initial appearances don‘t necessarily the whole story tell. And so he should be. Chalimers has quite the tale to relate himself{, about the vision and dream, then reality of the little school that grew. And grew. And which, at both its original boys junior campus in Elora and more extensively at its senior coâ€"ed location here on Phillip Street, will come September grow once again. Growth. It is a word Jim Chalmers likes. Growth in terms of physical space and facility, yes, but much more, in terms of personal growth. The growth of St. John‘s school as a bonafide seat of alternative education. and the growth of its students as outstanding citizens and contributors to our society. VVLo'f't_v goals, for an institution which, it is often jokingly expressed, deals in ‘_:yvarehouse" education But also eminentlyâ€"attainable goals. Just ask foreman Chalmers. The description of St. John‘s (Elora) (Waterloo), in all its hyphenated splendor, is not one to be hushed or shunted off to back paragraphs. It is, as Headmaster Chalmers chuckles, a converted warehouse in a nonâ€"descript industrial park in the north end of the city But once through the front doors, midst the sprawling corridors of dressed up brick, a visitor‘s image of the institution is swiftly tempered by the soft subtleties of restored antiques, neat and orderly image. And by the people, to the one exuding warmth and friendliness. "Let‘s face it, here on Phillip St. we‘re in a warehouse right now, we don‘t have ivy climbing up walls, we aren‘t like the schools steeped in so many traditions,"" said Chalmers matterâ€"ofâ€"factly in his office last week. "We‘re still in our infancy though, and as long as I‘m involved with this school, the program takes top priority. At St. John‘s School, curriculum comes before “(i‘éFléinly money is spent to develop our basic needs, but the curriculum is extremely vital." As Chalmers pointed out, St. John‘s receives no grant monies to develop and is reliant on donations and tuition fees to meet expenses. Everyone involved, therefore is "cognizant of the caution‘‘ needed when it comes to spending. ‘"But do you know one thing," said Chalmers, "we‘ve never had a complaint from parents or students about lack of facilities, and that‘s because the program is No. 1. Once you come in the front door, you find this a living place, full of living people, it‘s certainly not just a warehouse." St. John‘s Waterloo is actually an offâ€"shoot of the St. John‘s (Elora) junior campus formed in 1972 and named after the historical St. John‘s Parish. Strictly a boys school with grades 4â€"8, the formative years in Elora were tough ones but the light glowed brightly at the end of the tunnel, signifying the dawning of expansion into the local market. ‘"In the beginning, many students who enrolied were forced into our environment by parents almost as ‘punishment‘ for not working to their potential in the regular school environment," said Chalmers. "So we had to fight an attitude problem as well as develop students‘ capabilities." But the battle was slowly and surely won, as evidenced by the 1981 expansion to the senior coâ€"educational campus on Phillip Street. Year one of the senior school saw 51 students enrol, including 11 girls. and this year 111 students are enrolled, exactly oneâ€"third females. And it is continuing expansion, with projections of 175 students for 1983â€"84, plus changes in the Ministry of Education guidelines, which have precipitated further changes and growth in the St. John‘s facilities for next year. _ â€" In Elora, the junior campus will see a second grade 6 class added while in Waterioo, a coâ€"ed grade 8 class will be established and a new comprehensive curriculum developed patterned after Ministry guidelines to allow students to complete the secondary school program in four years, Augmenting those changes, an additional 7,000 sq. feet of space has been acquired in the adjacent building for the grade 8‘s, office and recreational space. And of no less significance, the Waterloo campus will also undergo a name change, to help clarify the confusing St. John‘s (Elora) (Waterloo) registered shingle. "(The name) confuses not only the Ministry of Education but also the general public, so our Board of Governors has decided to change the name ... with the intent of retaining the St. John‘s angle for historical purposes. It will likely remain hyphenated though to maintain some identity with its origins ... We‘re certainly open for suggestions from people (about a new name), it‘s open season right now, and several names have been bandied about," said Chalmers. The additional space acquired by St. John‘s will help enrich the program in terms of sports, drama and such activities that were restricted at the Elora facility due to rigid bus schedules and timetables dictated by travelling arrangements. Th(; school has leased its present facilities for another seven years, at which point a permanent campus RICK CAMPBELL WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, incorporating all levels of St. John‘s should be established, but administrators are also keeping a watchful eye on maximum enrolment, which they place at 225â€"250 and which should be reached in two years time. "Anything larger than that and we would lose (the meaning of) what this school is all about," said Chalmers. ‘‘*We have a close family relationship here, all the faculty members know all the students, academically as well as as people. It is an atmosphere which provides students with the opportunity to develop as ladies and gentlemen and to reach their potential."‘ _ And that is a combination Chalmers lives and breathes. Born and raised on a farm, "the farthest removed from private school tradition one could imagine," Chalmers admits the founding of St. John‘s was L precipitated by the desire to see fammily strengths and discipline reinforced beyond the confines of the home. He does not, nor ever has suggested, that St. John‘s is a cureâ€"all to the ills of public education. "I have tremendous support and sympathy for public education, I spent 20 years in the Waterloo County system and it was extremely good to me," said Chalmers. "I see a school like St. John‘s complementing the public system."‘ The need for private institutions, according to Chalmers, is borne of the insistence of our society to be *"megaâ€"everything." â€" â€" _ "So many students in our educational system are craving for someone to give them direction, we‘re all creatures of structure and discipline," he said. _ _ "Our school‘s philosophy is centered around academic, spiritual and moral values, and hopefully we can uphold those standards. Students here know they will have chapel service every morning, they know they have to say ‘yes sir‘ to our teachers, in a lot of cases it‘s the reinforcement of values they are going to have to face once they get out in the real world." "The most critical years of one‘s life happen to be our adolescent years. I just love young people, and have a tremendous amount of faith in them, they‘re under tremendous pressure today you know, in society, in terms of job market, economics. _ ‘"We‘re definitely elitist based on the structure and standards that we uphold, but too many times elitism is equated with dollars and rank. That‘s not the way it is here, we‘re elitist because we‘re different, an academic school with a limited curriculum." _ Chalmers takes a delightfully frank approach to the opinion of some, usually unenlightened, that St. John‘s is an ‘elitist‘ institution. Chalmers carries that same unabashed approach to discussions of the future for St. John‘s, the path of its students, and their placement in future society. s "I‘m finishing 31 years in education this year and I‘m as enthusiastic as ever, if not more than ever, about education and our youth in general. Even more than I was 20 years ago. I look forward each morning to coming to school, watching the growth and development of our program ... I‘m extremely confident our next generation wil}l be looked after quite well. ‘"We (St. John‘s) have a fantastic Board of Governors, which is very objective in its views of education, and their enthusiasm filters down to the students and parents within the school. We‘ve had to have a lot of faith, we started this place on faith, no money, just a lot of faith and next year with the two schools we should have almost 300 students. Certainly the Canadian Association of Independent Schools thinks so. That national body of longâ€"established private schools, many with 150â€"200 years of tradition backing them, recently accepted the school into its fold as its 53rd member, certainly an honor for St. John‘s to fashion with pride. "In this tight time and trend of declining enrolment, maybe, just maybe we are doing somet_hjng n’ght_." â€" The ivy, heck, it can always come later.