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Elizabeth Morley remembers fondly her very first day as a student teacher at the Jackman Institute for Child Study (JICS) – in September 1980.

“I was a newlywed, actually,” says Morley, who would go on to an incredible four-decade-long career at JICS, culminating as principal.

After the standard introductions and a tour of the building – which was just a mansion at 45 Walmer Road – there was a luncheon that Morley will never forget. “I was struck immediately by the fact that all the laboratory school teachers were there, and all the professors were there along with the new students, and they all wanted to get to know us,” she said. “They were modeling right from the beginning that all of the staff members were equally connected to each of the programs, and that filled my heart with joy.”

“I was going to get to know a school, a group of teacher educators and a group of researchers on a personal level, and that exists today as well.”

Morley felt at home, and on Oct. 18, many alumni, staff, friends, and community members also had a chance to experience this. The is the latest occasion marking JICS’s 100th year. Founded in 1925, the institution has played a key role in shaping the future of education, research, and child development.

Alumni, staff, friends, and community members were invited to celebrate its rich history – but also check out how the facility has changed over time. “This homecoming, I think it represented the chance for people to come back through the doors that they recall so fondly,” says Morley.

"This homecoming reunion was a tremendous opportunity to engage with a community moulded by a special institution," says Professor Erica N. Walker, dean of OISE. "By connecting research, practice, and community, JICS equips its students for the world at large – and deeply binds generations together, reflecting JICS’ incredible success over a century of education and leadership.

"It was my pleasure to welcome and witness generations of JICS alumni, students, faculty and friends reconnecting at their alma mater once again."

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“Homecoming is an excellent opportunity to create a stronger bond between the generations of members that call the Jackman Institute for Child Study their home,” added Richard Messina, who has served as JICS’ principal since 2015. “As principal, I’m proud of the institution we have fostered for our students, faculty, and alumni.

“We value a deeply interconnected, inclusive community – in which all members feel known, respected, and supported as active participants. At homecoming, we showcased that, and more.”

The celebration intended to guide the community into its second century of learning. These values are practiced across all rooms in the building.

In the senior kindergarten (SK) class, led by educator Carol Stephenson, children are getting familiar with the occasion by connecting it with the number 100.

“The idea of ‘100 years’ is rather abstract for young children – the concept of last week and 100 years ago can get conflated,” said Stephenson, who has taught at JICS for over 30 years. “Rather than thinking about 100 years, I would invite the kids to think about the number 100.”

She challenged the SK children to work together to find 100 Unifix cubes by creating ten columns of ten cubes each. The children were so excited by the activity, many went on to create their own manifestations of 100, using Unifix cubes as well as many other materials available in the class. Stephenson managed to photograph all of the creations and posted a growing collage on a corridor wall.

“I think that speaks to exactly what we do here,” she says. “We want the learning to be relevant to the kids, engaging and exciting. When you inspire kids and then just let them go, amazing things happen.

“I love that the kids in my class love coming to school every day.”

The homecoming was also a chance for the community to reflect on the present and create a cohesive future that fosters all of JICS’ values.

For Stephenson, that includes encouraging genuine human connection. “I am really hoping that in the future, the deeply caring way that we position relationship as the absolute foundation of everything that's happening here, remains a constant.  Underlying all of our institutional values is this bedrock humanistic belief in the importance and necessity of human connection,” she says.

“And I hope that our deep grounding in pedagogy, inquiry and security allows children to continue to be children – to continue to play amongst their peers, to learn amongst their peers, with, from and around each other.”

For Morley, in her 45-year relationship to the institution, this also means claiming and understanding “our potential for the future, and what's possible in our future.”

“In my own family, our sons went through the laboratory school – now we have six grandchildren, and our sons have taken up the idea of the homecoming in just the same way that hundreds of other people have. They have fond memories,” she says.

“The going back is now possible because it's the 100th year. So, we say you can't go home again, but suddenly you can.”