Calgary Herald from Calgary, Alberta, Canada • D2

NADIA MOHARIB Every child deserves the sort of quality education many private schools can deliver, says Chantal Gionet. While she has worked at independent schools in Ontario and Vancouver, the chief executive officer and head of school at West Island College once worked in the public-school system as well. And when she moved into the private school realm Gionet could see for herself the difference that the often-touted smaller class sizes make in terms of improving the quality of education. was quite she says. biggest difference is the resources you have at your fingertips to support students and While there were classes with up to 45 students in the public system, independent schools boasted classrooms with 16 to 23 kids, she says, which increased chances of students getting individual attention.

get to know the strengths and areas of improvement and students can feel there is an adult that knows them Gionet says. not just about skills and intellectual ability. about self- confidence and resiliency and Like many private schools, West approach focuses on scholastic success. are really a university-preparedness Gionet says. hundred per cent of our students go to university and most go to the university of Of course, the private schooling option comes at a cost that, at West Island, is about $16,000 per year and at other Calgary and area schools ranges from several thousand dollars to more than $20,000.

Gionet says parents rule out private schools without looking into the financial assistance options many offer to ensure diversity in their ranks. Malcolm Mousseau, secondary division principal at Calgary French International School, chose to enrol his children in private school because he want to face doubts he do his best to prepare them for life. could have chosen to save money and do a nice trip every summer or just put it into more comfortable he says, adding that he wanted more for his children during their formative years. need to be prepared to be productive for society and have skills in order to be he says. need to be equipped to handle Mousseau says private schools typically have values around which the community gathers.

Since CFIS is a UNESCO school, he says it is big on shaping students to make meaningful contributions to their community and beyond training them to be trilingual, getting lessons in French but also studying English and Spanish. Having class sizes that typically exceed 20 students also brings big payoffs. a small class always your Mousseau explains. hide. You get more chances to demonstrate your learning and opportunity for feedback and engagement.

You slip in and say nothing in a class of 12 to 14 kids and think no one will A more individualized teaching approach, he says, attracts many parents to the school, where tuition runs about $13,000 a year. At Strathcona- Tweedsmuir School, the ultimate goal is creating with character traits that will serve them after graduation, says Lara Unsworth, director of enrolment and communications. is a feeling of striving for excellence, but not of being says Unsworth, who is an alumnus of the school. are a lot of misconceptions about (private schools) being elitist and they are only for the wealthy. It be further from the Tuition starts at about $15,000 a year at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir and is close to $22,000 for seniors, but Unsworth says a robust financial aid program and payment plans is available.

want financial barriers to prevent great kids from coming to she says. want Unsworth believes every child is unique, with different strengths, interests and learning styles and a core strength of the International Baccalaureate school is the support teachers get in terms of resources and an enviable teaching environment. are smaller, which gives teachers time to elaborate and plan and have some breathing time to make their time really she says of the kindergarten to Grade 12 school. can focus time on what they love to do, which is teaching Chantal Gionet, the chief executive officer and head of school at West Island College, has worked in both the public and private school systems. WEST ISLAND COLLEGE Malcolm Mousseau, the secondary division principal at Calgary French International School, says smaller class sizes mean all students receive attention and are asked to participate.

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