A secondary school located on a university campus in Nanaimo can now offer an internationally recognized education program for senior students.
The High School at Vancouver Island University has been accredited to offer the International Baccalaureate diploma program for Grade 11 and 12 students, a press release from VIU stated.
The curriculum consists of “six subject groups and the [program] core, comprising theory of knowledge, creativity, activity, service and [an] extended essay,” International Baccalaureate’s website said. “Through the [program] core, students reflect on the nature of knowledge, complete independent research and undertake a project that often involves community service.”
Catherine Brazier, the school’s principal, said she was elated about receiving approval to offer the International Baccalaureate program, which she said is is beneficial to students.
“The program is excellent preparation for university and for life,” Brazier said in the press release. “These are academic and life skills people sometimes forget also need to be taught, particularly for first-year university students, who can hit a wall trying to manage it all. IB students learn these skills so that when they come to university, they have a full toolkit and get the most out of their experience.”
In order to be conferred with an International Baccalaureate diploma and the B.C. Dogwood diploma, students must write IB exams in Grade 12, noted the press release.
“Part of the application process will be having a conversation with students and their families to ensure they understand what they are getting into,” said Brazier. “IB is not intended to be exclusive, but it is intended to be challenging, so while we’ll continue to offer high levels of support, we also look for students who want to work hard and challenge themselves.”
The High School at VIU is only one of two secondary schools in Canada that are part of a university.
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karl.yu@nanaimobulletin.com
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