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"It's a fantastic achievement," Head of School Jim Keefe says. "It really is a testament to the commitment and the effort of the team here. As an organization it reflects the value that we place on our faculty and staff, and the importance in the role they play." The independent Winnipeg day and boarding school, which educates co-ed students between kindergarten and Grade 12, has a wide range of attractive traits that help retain staff members, but Keefe believes it's the family atmosphere that takes it to another level. "The success for our students requires input from parents, from the team here in terms of faculty and staff, and obviously the students," he says. "When you get three different constituent groups working together with a common goal, that's a very, very powerful thing. "That's why we invest so heavily in recruiting and retaining the best quality staff to ensure that we've got a team of people who are going to nurture those things that we believe are so important." That group effort is something Keefe noticed when he moved from England to Winnipeg in 2014 to take the Head of School position. "The biggest positive of my experience in moving to Canada and SJR in particular is the sense of community," Keefe says. "The warmth of welcome you receive, whether you are a new member of staff, student or parent, makes you feel immediately part of the SJR family. People genuinely are concerned about your welfare, and they want you to succeed. If that's the foundation and cornerstone of everything you do, it's a really powerful starting point." St. John's-Ravenscourt, which is located on 23 acres at the tip of a Red River oxbow in Winnipeg's Wildwood neighbourhood, doesn't stop there when it comes to attracting and retaining staff, of which there are 135 full-time members. Employees have access to the onsite cafeteria, which features healthy and special diet menus, to the recently built fitness facility, to the international-sized indoor skating rink and to outdoor cross-country ski trails in the winter months. The school also has a rewarding parental leave policy. It supports new moms with maternity and parental leave top-up payments to 90 per cent of salary for 27 weeks, and it also offers new dads and adoptive parents parental leave top-up payments to 90 per cent of salary for 10 weeks. Employees may also extend their leaves into unpaid absences. Although faculty and staff rarely want to leave — one teacher recently concluded more than 40 years of service — retirement comes calling for everyone eventually. St. John's-Ravenscourt prepares its employees for that important stage of life with a defined benefit pension plan, a retirement planning assistant and phased-in work options for those nearing the end of their working lives. There are also travel options for faculty members, as last year a school group ventured to Ecuador to work on a community development project; this year it was a journey to South Africa for a student conference. After rattling off all of those visible features, Keefe still goes back to the one key intangible when asked for the No. 1 reason why it's great to work at St. John's-Ravenscourt. "It's the quality of the relationships, the collegiality that exists with their colleagues and with the student community," Keefe says. As for the future, planning has already started for the school's 200th anniversary in 2020. It was founded in 1820 to serve the children of the Selkirk settlers. "We're going to have a raft of events," Keefe says, "to celebrate the tremendous history and tradition the school has, and the impact the students of this school have had on the province and on Canada and the world generally." BY KIRK PENTON The hot streak continues at St. John's-Ravenscourt School, which finds itself on Manitoba's Top Employers list for the 10th consecutive year. COLLEGIALITY & COMMUNITY AT SJR ST. JOHN'S-RAVENSCOURT SCHOOL INVESTS HEAVILY IN RECRUITING AND RETAINING THE BEST STAFF. SUBMITTED PHOTO Retirement comes calling for everyone eventually. St. John's-Ravenscourt prepares its employees for that important stage of life with a defined benefit pension plan, a retirement planning assistant and phased-in work options for those nearing the end of their working lives. It's easy to spot a future student When their favourite part of the day is when the sun goes down, help them rise to the challenge. Apply today at www. sjr. mb.ca 21

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