Lakefield, ON | Grades 9 - 12 | Shortlist
Our son has had a terrific couple of years at LCS. He has been able to follow his passions (math and computing, areas in which he has traditionally excelled and the school has supported him in participating in Canadian competitions) while exploring new frontiers that have challenged him both on sports fields and academic ones. At all times he has felt supported by his house parent and his teachers, who have shown real care and understanding of his personality. He did also feel really at ease when he had to stay in the school for 10 consecutive months in his first year due to COVID restrictions. The school organized activities during every break and we as parents were always confident he could not be under better care.
My daughter Judy has stayed in LCS for 3 school years. My wife and I can feel that she is happy and enjoys school life very much. She likes the beautiful school environment with a nice lake close to her dorm. Judy also enjoys the abundant facilities and places that the school provides which lets her learn and exercise with a firm foundation. The points she appreciates are the teachers and staff in LCS, they take care of my daughter very nicely and provide lots of warm activities for boarding students, especially on the days they are not able to come back to China during the holidays and quarantine periods. These days she's staying with us for the summer holidays and sharing with us lots of happy moments she experienced in LCS for the past school year. We could feel the education by LCS change and make her kinder and more sincere.
Our son attended Lakefield College School (LCS) for Grade 9 and now he is a Grade 11 international boarding student. LCS is truly the home away from home, a caring community that allows our son to develop himself into a young man knowing and respecting people around him, making a lot of good friends, and growing himself into a more responsible community contributor and a future leader; LCS is also a continuous learning environment that is keeping push our son to challenge himself to reach next higher level and discover his potentials both on academic studies and competitive sports activities, and nurture him to find out his real interests he would like to pursue in future. LCS is really a fun place full of joys, happiness and kindness. Our son’s great experiences in LCS have our family decide to bring another boy to the school for Grade 9 study in 2021.
The relationships between students and staff is truly like no other. Lakefield is a place where you do not only have to be great at one thing but to become good at many things. Pushing yourself to limits you may never have thought of before. The community environment and the facilities Lakefield has is what sets it apart from other schools. Being able to attend AP Biology classes 10 feet away from where you get to paddle and camp out with another class is an experience you cannot get anywhere else. The overall academics push your brain, the outdoor experience pushes your strength, the athletics push your physicality, and the arts test your creativity. These aspects create a Lakefield student that is ready to take on the world and future challenges that they may be faced with.
Our son attended Lakefield College School for Grade 12, instead of doing CEGEP in our home province of Quebec. LCS provided our son with independence, confidence and security all while allowing him to develop each of those skills on his own. Changing him into a confident, independent young man overnight. Instilling a good work ethic all while having fun in his school community. The staff would be our son's number one takeaway from LCS. The guidance, encouragement, community and family feel prepared him for university life. LCS campus provides the students with a home atmosphere the activities and house events give all students the opportunity to get involved. Our son appreciated the art sports facilities! His ONLY regret or disappointment would be that he didn't attend LCS sooner, one year was not enough in his opinion.
If I was to describe LCS in one word I would use Kindergarten. Remember that time in life when play-based learning, inquiry, discovery, kindness and inclusivity were quintessential to teaching and knowledge transfer? That is what LCS is - on a high school scale. Our child has appreciated this approach to learning. He finds it fun, engaging, challenging and relevant. The expectations of him go beyond the classroom block where he is encouraged to discover and nurture other talents through required clubs, sports and boarding house events. There is nothing he is disappointed with because he is invited for feedback often with resolution. For example, he finds the food tasty and reflective of the diversity on campus, which came from a feedback session he participated in.
LCS is an amazing school that offers a wide range of top notch classes. The staff is phenomenal and are truly there to teach, mentor and guide their students. The outdoor education is unique and a wonderful experience for students. They have a great set of arts and sports available to all students. Not only was there regular school activities but all the students had opportunies to participate in international volunteer expeditions, or leadership programs. The school has intersession days where the students do community work, go on field trips, and do team building exercises. The range of extra curriculars is awesome and the sports are offered at different levels from beginner to highly competitive. There are many opportunities to participate in the arts, through plays, musicals, band, choirs, visual arts clubs, and photography. If the students find a need for a club or group they are encouraged to run it, providing an opportunity for leadership and having another option for the student body.
