Extracurriculars at Bond Academy

Qualitative insights

These insights are based on conversations with parents, alumni, and school leadership. Handpicked and curated by our editor, they offer a close look at how the school is experienced and perceived by those who know it best.

The extracurricular offerings are comprehensive.

Parents and students indicate that Bond Academy provides a wide array of extracurricular activities, from sports to drama and music, ensuring that every student finds opportunities to explore and develop their passions.

The thing I appreciated a lot about Bond Academy was the extracurricular activities. One of the coolest things for me was joining the band. We started playing instruments in Grade 6. Usually, you don't join the Bond Academy showband when you start playing instruments, but they made an exception for me, and I got to join the band. That was the first year we did any competitions, which led to some of my best memories.

—Michael and Michelle Hack, alum (see full interview)

At Bond Academy you get to try a little bit of everything. You're involved in everything from sports to organizing events. You could be on the volleyball team and be a part of organizing prom or something like that. So you get both perspectives.

—Michael and Michelle Hack, alum (see full interview)

Bond Academy offers sports, drama, music, there's really something for everyone. My kids have really thrived here. They love the personal attention they get from all of the teachers. Sometimes it's really hard to get my daughter out of Bond Academy. She loves all of the activities offered at Bond Academy.

—Eileen, parent (see full discussion)

There are teams at Bond Academy, like cross country, basketball, volleyball, and others, promoting a healthy, active lifestyle. The head of our department really inspires students to be involved in the activities and teams.

—Eileen, parent (see full discussion)

Students can get a lot of academic support, but Bond Academy also will introduce them to sports teams on a regular basis. We also have choirs and bands, theatre, and one-on-one counselling to make sure they understand academic expectations.

—Eileen, parent (see full discussion)

Bond Academy’s academic standards are second to none. We also have enhanced opportunities for the students, plus various activities and clubs. My granddaughter, for instance, is in a meditation group.

—Eileen, parent (see full discussion)

—Jane Phillips, parent (see full discussion)

My kids have really thrived here. They love the personal attention they get from all of the teachers. Sometimes it's really hard to get my daughter out of Bond Academy. She loves all of the activities offered at Bond Academy. The academy offers sports, drama, music, there's really something for everyone.

—Jane Phillips, parent (see full discussion)

What I appreciate most was the opportunities that Bond Academy presents to you. Because of the size of the school, you can do quite a bit. And I didn't really understand that people couldn't do that before until I went to university and talked to people. I can't believe you did all that at school, because you could join any clubs you want. You could be on any teams you wanted. As long as you really wanted to be there, you could try to join the team.

—Eileen, parent (see full discussion)

Part of our program at Bond Academy is physical health. We have gym class every day. From 8:00 am to 8:40 am, students have access to the gym or schoolyard. To me, physical health is the most crucial aspect of life. So Bond Academy emphasizes a strong physical education program. Bond Academy has multiple sports programs. Basketball has taken a particular importance. We have a partnership with ‘Phase One’ for basketball training. And, we emphasize being well-rounded and not focusing solely on sports.

—John Healey, Junior School Principal (see full interview)

There are diverse opportunities for personal growth.

Observations from students and alumni suggest that Bond Academy offers a wide range of activities that allow students to grow personally, discover new interests, and build confidence, contributing significantly to their overall development.

When Bond Academy students join activities, it can help them be well-rounded, and learn how to do many things. They might find something they like that they had no idea about prior.

—Michael and Michelle Hack, alum (see full interview)

Bond Academy wants children to become risk-takers, willing to make mistakes and learn from them. Our goal is to build confidence and self-esteem through positive reinforcement, essential tools for life. When I came to Bond Academy, they hired me to open the school. We don't build better students by only focusing on maths and English. We need to give them other opportunities to grow, such as music, drama, and sports.

—John Healey, Junior School Principal (see full interview)

So for me, going into Bond, I was very shy. Especially going into a class full of kids who were already familiar with each other, I had always felt like an odd one out, just because I always tended to be more athletic than your typical girls at that age. Then going into Bond, I really got to nurture that. And instead of it turning into a quality that I decided not to pursue, I absolutely ended up loving sports. I was given the opportunity to play on basketball teams. We have the girls' teams, and I excelled there. I really enjoyed it. So from that, we actually ended up... I became captain and team leader. And that was something that I always turned out to be very proud of. So not only did I learn to indulge in new things, but then also I could learn to be more social, learn to not be as scared.

—Chelsea Campbell, alum (see full interview)

Bond Academy prepares students to achieve academic standards while helping students to grow personally and individually. From my experience, the school not only helps students increase their grades and prepare them for academic success and later on for better university applications, but also helps students to grow outside of the classroom with extracurricular activities, with all sorts of events that we get to participate in.

—Jessica Ye, alum (see full interview)

I never played soccer in my life until I went to Bond Academy. I ended up being a starting member of the team, and it was a lot of fun. I had never played soccer, but it’s a great memory.

—Michael and Michelle Hack, alum (see full interview)

There is a strong sense of community engagement.

Feedback from parents and students highlights the close-knit and inclusive community at Bond Academy, where individuals across different grades and roles interact closely and parents frequently participate in school activities.

I think what differentiates Bond Academy is the sense of community and the opportunities that present themselves while you're there. When I was at Bond Academy, I was on the basketball team, and I was on the soccer team, I did football, I did everything. I didn't know that most people didn't do those things because I had been at Bond Academy for so long. When you see high schools on TV, you see each grade hanging out with their grade level. For example, if you're in Grade 12, you hang out with Grade 12’s. When I was at Bond Academy in high school, I would hang out with the Grade 8’s, teachers, and all the high school students. In elementary school, multiple grades would hang out also.

—Michael and Michelle Hack, alum (see full interview)

A lot of parents like to get involved at Bond Academy. They help with many events, and they even help coach some of the teams. My dad came with us on our graduation trip. Bond Academy has a lot of after-school activities, so our parents would pick us up pretty late. I think sometimes they picked us up at 6:00 pm or even later. I think once you get involved in getting to know the school, you get to see it more, and you get to appreciate it more.

—Michael and Michelle Hack, alum (see full interview)

Bond Academy strives for community engagement. They look at sports as a way to be a more rounded individual and that all contributes to your child becoming a member of society that adds value.

—Eileen, parent (see full discussion)

The school doesn’t only help the students to complete a degree or certificate. It provides resources and the community around the school. It's in a good location and helps the students to get more involved in different activities. These opportunities are provided to students prior to entering into a university or college education, and they help the students to become more successful and more involved in the community and later on help out with the life goals down the road.

—Jessica Ye, alum (see full interview)

When you join teams and clubs, you create lasting memories.

—Eileen, parent (see full discussion)

Leadership and life skills development are offered.

Sources within the school community emphasize the importance of leadership and life skills nurtured through various extracurricular activities at Bond Academy, preparing students to face future academic and professional challenges confidently.

Bond Academy teaches values like leadership. Because I was involved in everything, and was able to lead certain teams, and organize certain events. We also learn in sports that winning is not everything; you learn things from losing.

—Michael and Michelle Hack, alum (see full interview)

My advice for newcomers to Bond is to participate in clubs. Even joining one can be beneficial. That's where you learn leadership, organization, and interpersonal skills. Besides talking to a guidance counsellor, discuss your goals with your teachers. For example, I keep in touch with my chemistry and biology teacher, and I update them about my university life.

—Eileen, parent (see full discussion)

Bond Academy shaped me confidence-wise because in high school we did this competition where was it like a quiz with a whole bunch of other schools, and I was on a team of them. Usually in school you do things like that in your school, but not with six other schools. I'm not that outgoing, and Bond Academy increased my confidence in interacting with other people on a larger scale.

—Michael and Michelle Hack, alum (see full interview)

I learned that sometimes even on a sports team, you lose, there's a lot to learn from that, sometimes more than winning. You have to capitalize on every opportunity as learning experiences and life lessons.

—Eileen, parent (see full discussion)

Bond Academy encourages freedom, it helps students mature. In my later years there, teachers allowed us to lead events, watching from the sidelines to see how we managed. This level of trust is rare in many schools. Being entrusted with such important events to plan helped me in my development as a person.

—Eileen, parent (see full discussion)

The three main reasons someone should choose Bond Academy are the opportunities, the communities, the strong emphasis on academics, and because they try to make you a more complete person. When you go to university, you must get up in front of your class and present projects, I've seen people freeze up on the spot. I think Bond Academy gets you ready for that. It prepares you for whatever you want to endeavour, whether it's a university, college, or whatever you feel like you're passionate about.

—Michael and Michelle Hack, alum (see full interview)

There is enhanced academic and language support.

Feedback from the school community underscores Bond Academy's commitment to academic excellence and language development, offering specialized classes and support to meet diverse academic needs.

Both the Kindergarten and the Montessori have French classes. We have three courses a week for 30 minutes. Previously, we were doing a Mandarin class. We have not done that yet this year and I'm not sure if that will be available. But in previous years, we have had Mandarin also.

—Eileen, parent (see full discussion)

Bond Academy does not have a lot of ESL students, but assistance is available for those who require language skill development. Bond Academy has wonderful arts programs, and specialists teach subjects like maths and science from Grade 7 and 8.

—Eileen, parent (see full discussion)

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