Grammar alumni Alex Kitz’01 and his father John Kitz’68 are no strangers to the Grammar community. Alex is a Grammar lifer (along with siblings Robert’03 and Hilary’06) while John graduated in 1968 and served as board chair from 1991-93. Leonard Kitz, father of John and grandfather of Alex, played an instrumental role in establishing the Halifax Grammar School in 1958.
As members of one of the founding families, Alex and John will always feel a connection to Grammar.
This past May, Alex and John returned to the school and were greeted by Headmaster Steven Laffoley, a familiar face. Both Alex and John were amazed at the recent changes.
“It's no longer the tiny, narrow, little two-story school that most of us grew up in,” said Alex.
Although the school is bigger, Alex felt the essence remained the same and was reflected in the design of the new school.
“What I thought was fascinating was the time and effort dedicated to public spaces,” said Alex. “I saw younger kids in the main atrium poring over books and doing guided reading classes with parent volunteers and smaller meeting rooms where senior students could take over and utilize the space for their own independent learning. Both of those touched on what I remember about the school – it’s an institution that gives kids the space and freedom to utilize the education they're receiving to whatever ends they choose.”
After graduating from Grammar, Alex completed a B.A. in English Literature from McGill University. He worked in the public and not-for-profit sectors where he specialized in outreach for political campaigns and development for non-profit organizations before enrolling in law school. He graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law in 2013.
“If you're a Grammarian, one of the things that is promoted is the idea of speaking up. And so, I got to a point in my career where I wanted to be able to use that voice and be at the table and participate in bigger conversations and more meaningful strategic decisions, and law school was a way to do that.”
Alex is currently living in Toronto and working as the Vice President of Legal and Business Affairs at Insight Productions.