REVIEW OF Stanstead College BY parent, Marisol Xolalpa

(5) Student Experience

Being a part of the Stanstead College community has been one of the best decisions we have taken for our daughters, they not only have grown up surrounded by high-quality academics, but also grown in a safe, healthy, friendly, and warm environment. Stanstead College has become a second home to my daughters, we always say that the school has sparked their creativity and it is true, they both have grown to be very creative people. We like the balance that the school brings to the students, academics, sports, music or arts, it is a balance that creates a complete formation. They love the school and being able to try new things every day, every season, or every year. We are very happy to see them enjoy and be in their element.

(5) School Leadership

Yes, SC is always are in frequent communication with parents, they answer our questions, listen to us, and are always very respectful, making our students like they are their own children, this is one of the parts that I like most about the school. They also allow students to make their own decisions while being guided by teachers, which is a big part of being fair, fostering a positive environment, and allowing the chance for growth. We find that SC’s biggest goal is to create strong student leaders.

(5) Teaching

Yes, SC has very high-quality academics. The teachers are very professional and when my daughter has had some doubts, teachers are always there to support them. We like the connection that they make with the students, they are not rigid with one way is the only way, they understand that all students are different and there are different ways of learning, so they always find a way for the students to understand. It is important to recognize that the teachers at SC teach subjects that they are passionate about because that passion is passed on to the students. One of my daughters used to have a hard time in Statistics, but she asked one of her teachers if she could help her understand it better and after a few weeks she started loving the subject. That is another thing we like about SC teachers; how they take the time to tutor them when they need an extra hand!

(5) Academics

Definitely, SC prepares our children for their life’s next steps. First of all, SC makes the students be very proud of who they are from, being proud of their identity, and SC respects that part and matches this as a part of the program. There are many cultures and students from various backgrounds, and it feels like SC tries its best to celebrate everyone’s values and identities, which is important for us, as parents of international students. Being able to see your kids celebrate and be proud of who they are as well as learning all of the other cultures and meeting new people who are also proud of who they are. Talking about academics, although stunners take classes in groups, they always get individual attention when needed. When my daughter graduated from SC and applied to various universities, it was very easy since she had guidance every step of the way.

(5) Extracurriculars

Yes, the children have many options for extracurriculars. Art, sports, music, clubs, SC thinks about the skills of our children, they keep them busy in a positive way. It is also nice how they have different options to choose every season, so it allows the students to try new things. We like the variety, from very demanding sports that require contact, to other less demanding ones that require agility, that way everyone gets the chance to succeed.

(5) Students

The school is not tiny but it is not huge. To us, it is the perfect size. The classes have around 10 students, more or less depending on the grade and subject, but we like that the size allows our children to learn together while also getting individual support from the teachers. While they learn in a class with many students, no one passes unseen, teachers have the flexibility to understand and pay attention to everyone. When it comes to student-to-student interaction, everyone seems to know each other, from grade 7 to grade 12. The school tries to mix them all up and ensure that everyone interacts with other students that are from different grades or speak different languages. We like when they are able to interact because it opens the door to new friendships.

(5) School Life

Both our daughters have loved SC. As day students and as boarders, they always want to be at school. A normal schedule as an SC student looks similar to this; wake up, go to assembly, go to class, lunch break, class, sports, dinner time, break, study, break, sleep. Sounds very busy, but my daughters loved it. It is not heavy, as they are always having fun while learning. We like that there is structure to every day and they keep busy. They also like being with their friends all day, so we never had to worry about the social aspect of going to school; in one day they do academics, socialize, and do sports, to us, it sounds like a perfectly balanced day for a student!

(5) Community

I am very happy to participate in the activities of the school. Stanstead College always welcomes us to get involved. As a parent, I like to know directly how the student life of my children is, and it is one of the best ways to know it. Because of the Covid pandemic, since 2020, Stanstead College has arranged all the necessary to have meeting zooms every two weeks to inform the parents about the updates, how our children are, how they feel, etc., and also to ask us to participate in many activities online, listening to us about suggestions. In fact, SC makes us feel as we are a great team. They are always available for us and willing to support us in any situation.

(4.5) School Location

Stanstead is not a big city, but it is not a desert island. Coming from a big city it might seem like a big change, but it is nice to walk around the town and find out about interesting things. The lake, bowling, bike paths, or restaurants like Tim Hortons are fun places to go to. My daughters liked to walk to Tim Hortons! Everyone in the community is very nice and you get the chance to enjoy a peaceful environment, especially when you are very busy at school.

(5) Admissions

The admissions team is very professional, they make many family meetings to get involved with all the members of the family. They show us every detail of the school, academics, sports, extracurriculars, campus, etc. They ask questions about our goals, what we expect from the school, they answer all the doubts and questions we have to make us feel very confident to send our children to school, there is always feedback. The most I like about Stanstead College is that they guarantee our children to grow up in a safe environment, they make us feel that they will take care of them as they are their own children. Talking about the admission process, they guide us to have everything on time, they are very willing to help us at any time.