Gavin knows what a difference a year can make. Last September, he left his home
in small-town British Columbia for the first time and moved into an unfamiliar room
on campus, about two hours away, to begin Grade 9. Now, he’s the one showing
the newcomers the ropes.
Gavin is one of a select group of students who was invited back to school early
to help guide the new students through their first days of boarding school life. And
he can hardly wait to return himself.
“Before I started Grade 9, I had never been away from home for more than a
week,” he says.
He remembers how, before long, the school became home and the strangers
living around him became friends.
“I really like living in the dorm. All my friends are right here,” he says. “My parents
don’t have to drive me to see them.”
He now boasts a collection of friends from all over the world.
“They’re from Korea, China—people I probably never would have met if I never
left home,” he says.
At Brentwood College School living on campus also means being responsible
for assigned “house jobs” and ensuring his room is clean enough to pass inspection
every morning before class. The increased responsibility, he says, has helped
him grow.
“Learning to live without parents, you have to handle things without them,” he
says. “I feel I’m a lot different now.”
Interested in learning more? Go to Our Kids' detailed profile of
Brentwood College School.
