Queen Mary Community School will join two other North Vancouver schools as a fully authorized International Baccalaureate World School.
The North Vancouver School District made the announcement this week.
Queen Mary will become the third school in North Vancouver to offer the international education program, joining Carson Graham secondary and Capilano elementary.
Queen Mary will offer the IB’s Primary Years Program.
The International Baccalaureate program emphasizes problem solving and global citizenship in its approach to the curriculum.
More than 350 students attend Queen Mary, located in one of the City of North Vancouver’s oldest and most diverse neighbourhoods.
Roughly 40 per cent of the school’s population is learning English as a second or third language.
Early in the process of seeking an IB designation, some people initially questioned the wisdom of doing that at an “inner city” school with complex demographics.
But school administrators felt the program would be a great fit for the school population. This week, their efforts received high praised from school trustees.
“Queen Mary’s administrators in particular have dedicated hundreds of hours, over more than three years, to lead the successful implementation of IB,” stated North Vancouver Board of
Education chair Cyndi Gerlach in a press release.
“We know that staff will continue to do great things with the program to encourage the development of knowledgeable, caring young people who help create a more harmonious and peaceful world.”
The International Baccalaureate program is also offered at Cypress Park and West Bay schools in West Vancouver.
