Beamsville, ON | Grades 9 - 12 | Shortlist
The leadership of the school has an attitude of service - serving the school community, serving the students and serving the community at large. I felt greatly respected as a student. I felt safe, and that the school environment was, overall, a positive one. There is a high level of dedication amongst the staff and it starts with the administration of the school. Discipline is handled well and fairly, and there are always avenues for student feedback. With a small student body, the administration is able to communicate well with both students and parents in an even more personal way than in larger environments. You never feel like just a number.
Great Lakes is unique because of how much the staff genuinely care about their students. When I was a student, each and every staff member knew me by name and made a point to get to know me. All of the students loved and respected the school leadership team. We always felt that the decisions that they made were appropriate. There is a low tolerance for issues, so any problems with students were always dealt with quickly and taken seriously.
I found that the school responds appropriately to problems. As a parent who worked abroad most of the year, there were times I had concerns. I relied a lot on the teachers and the custodian for feedback. I found the teachers quite responsive. The leadership promptly communicated information to parents and students, particularly issues bordering on security and public health. Cases bordering on discipline are promptly reported to parents before they get out of hand. This prevents such cases from escalating out of control. I really appreciate this.
My experience with the school's leadership and Administration has been heartwarming. They are very responsive and kept us adequately informed of our children's progress. There were occasions when they had to work together with my children to stay focused on assigned tasks to improve grades and the teachers and Christian life counsellors were of great assistance providing additional hours of academic support and counselling (free), hence, creating an enabling environment to overcome the challenges. The outcomes were very positive. I have never had issues communicating with them and I always come out of our interactions with a perception that these teachers really care for the welfare of their students. They are very courteous and polite too.
