On Friday, October 8, Grammar Alum Scott Stirrett '09 returned to Halifax Grammar School to speak to our Middle and Senior School students in Grades 8-12 about perfectionism and how it impacted him and how he dealt with it.
As a Grammar Alum, Scott provided students with a relatable perspective on the impacts of perfectionism in students, about how something that can be portrayed as a positive trait in people can have a negative impact on oneself.
The topic isn't new to Scott, as he wrote an opinion article for the Globe and Mail titled "Perfectionism isn't a super power - it's a mental health risk."
He reflects on the topic regarding his time at Grammar, where he would compare himself to his classmates and was hard on himself for not having similar grades to them. In reaction to that, he overworked himself while not prioritizing his own well-being.
While Scott has been successful since graduating from Grammar in 2009, being the Founder and CEO of Venture for Canada, he doesn't believe that your accomplishments make who you are. Telling the students, "You are not the sum of your accomplishments, and you are enough just the way you are."
We are grateful to have alumni like Scott, who are eager to speak to our current students and give them the advice they wish they had while in school. Perfectionism, as Scott says, is a mental health risk to students. At Grammar, our balanced curriculums are to help students on any path they may choose once they graduate, and we continue to work with them to find their own life balance that is best for them.
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