THE past two months have been a series of firsts for St. Alcuin College: First day of school, first assembly, first Adventure Week, first university visit, and the list goes on.
"It's very exciting to see our students making community connections in their learning," states Head of School and co-founder, Stella Ablett.
St. Alcuin's philosophy is based on personalized learning, community partnerships and an emergent curriculum, one that is personal in its design and application, and is tailored to the student's unique strengths and abilities. The physical education program has also been developed utilizing a very personalized approach.
"We are focusing on personal physical fitness," explains Mark Renneson, physical education teacher at St. Alcuin.
Renneson has brought a progressive, student-centred approach to his classes, drawing from his extensive experience as a high performance tennis coach and coaching educator. All students from Grade 6 and up are devising their own individualized fitness plans for the school year. Included in their school tuition is a one-year membership at the Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre where they have the opportunity to participate in specialty classes and work with a fitness instructor.
"When someone pursues a sport or physical activity that he or she truly enjoys, there is a deeper level of engagement," says Renneson. It gives them a sense of ownership for their personal health and fitness. At St. Alcuin, the most recent independent school to open on the North Shore, students are learning the importance of adopting a healthy and active lifestyle.
"We're very fortunate to live on the North Shore and to be able to enjoy all it has to offer in terms of active living. We have a unique vantage point and will certainly be incorporating many outdoor activities into our PE program," states Renneson.
In addition, this level of personalization makes it easier to support students who are participating in a sport outside of school, as is the case with Grade 10 student Shant Basmadjian. Shant is a nationally ranked fencer who was U15 national champion last year and qualified to compete at the North American fencing cup in mid-October.
"The level of commitment and amount of time required to compete nationally is substantial," says Ablett. "Shant is able to arrange his program of studies at St. Alcuin to accommodate his training as well as his areas of interest."
St. Alcuin is establishing strong community relationships to ensure their students exceed the B.C. daily physical activity recommendation and to fully develop a passion for active living that can last a lifetime.
