From Canoe Trips to Climate Action: How Allison Campbell-Rogers is Redesigning Learning at Havergal College
With a career rooted in empathy, systems thinking, and design-led innovation, Allison Campbell-Rogers is reimagining what school can look like, where AI meets student agency, and futures thinking prepares girls to lead the change they want to see.
“I didn’t start out planning to be a teacher,” admits Allison Campbell-Rogers. But a moment on a canoe trip in high school shifted everything. She found herself paired with a peer who didn’t quite fit in, struggling emotionally and physically to paddle. “I just wanted him to master the J-stroke, not just for the skill, but so he could feel like he belonged.” That instinct to create belonging and unlock agency would become the bedrock of her approach to education.
Today, Allison is the Innovation Program Educator at Havergal College in Toronto, co-leading HC-X, the school’s forward-looking innovation hub. With a background in geography, environmental studies, and a Master of Design from OCAD University, she brings a rare fusion of heart, systems thinking, and creative strategy to the classroom.
HC-X: The Innovation Engine Behind the Uniform
Allison’s work at HC-X spans a portfolio of future-ready programs that go far beyond traditional curricula. From the transdisciplinary “Challenge Grade 9” (TC9) program, to Digital Wisdom classes for middle schoolers, to immersive micro-credentials in architecture, law, and medicine, everything is designed to connect students to real-world challenges and empower them to respond.
“The TC9 project took all Grade 9s off timetable for two weeks to focus on climate action. But it wasn’t just lectures. We partnered with the Jane Goodall Foundation, went on field trips, and used foresight tools like futures triangles,” she explained. “Students mapped out trends, imagined preferred futures, and identified one actionable step they could take to move toward that vision.”
This is futures thinking in action, not just learning about the world, but designing for its possible futures.
Micro-Credentials and Human-Centered AI
HC-X has expanded its micro-credential offerings in recent years. Last year, Allison developed a new architecture program in partnership with Toronto firm MJMA and creative studio LeuWebb Projects. Students also explore subjects like pre-med and law through workshops, partnerships with institutions like St. Michael’s Hospital, Harvard Student Agencies and hands-on fieldwork.
“These aren’t just ‘extras’, they’re purpose-built for student agency,” she emphasized. “Students co-design them with us. We scaffold their learning through immersive experiences that let them try on different futures.”
AI, too, is approached with both excitement and caution. Havergal is experimenting with Flint, a guardrail-heavy AI platform built specifically for education. “We have an AI learning team,” Allison shared. “We ask: what are we not seeing? How do we stay the human in the loop?”
It’s a guiding question for her: “We’re still working on critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, all the human skills. AI is a tool, not a replacement.”
Learning Never Stops, For Students or Educators
In the middle of raising two children, Allison pursued her Master of Design at OCAD University. “I pinned the program brochure to my board years before I applied. It stayed there until the time was right,” she said.
Her focus? Strategic foresight and innovation. Through frameworks like systems thinking, design thinking, and futures thinking, she wanted to better understand how to design for educational change—especially within the context of independent schools.
“Women’s careers are a long game,” she said. “I worked part-time for 13 years while raising my boys. When I felt ready, I upskilled. And I’m glad I did.”
One of her most impactful projects applied systems frameworks to a Grade 8 upcycling unit on textile waste. Students explored fast fashion through a causal layer analysis, surfacing values, root causes, and worldviews. “Then we asked: where do you intervene in the system? What can you design that disrupts this pattern?”
The result? Student-led solutions that were as insightful as they were imaginative, and students who began to see themselves as change agents.
Empathy is the Engine
At the heart of Allison’s work is an unwavering belief in students. “They need to feel like there’s hope. That they’re not just learning about the world, but shaping it.”
She’s also learned just as much from her students. “They’ve taught me grace. We all come into the room carrying things we can’t see. Grace flows both ways.”
Whether leading futures workshops, collaborating with faculty on AI-infused projects, or simply being present in a middle school classroom, Allison models what it means to lead with curiosity, care, and courage.
Quote to Remember: “Education is a human endeavor. The teacher will never be replaced. But the teacher can be reimagined as a designer, a co-creator, a steward of futures.” - Allison Campbell-Rogers
