REVIEW OF Lakefield College School BY parent, Suzanne Scarrow

(5) Student Experience

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.

(5) School Leadership

Lakefield College School allows the students to develop their own sense of independence all while ensuring the students are making good decisions along the way. LCS's leadership and administration team were in constant contact with the parent body. School newsletters, messages from head of school or weekly house updates from the house parents kept us in the "loop" almost daily. We had access to all levels of staff at any given time, like texting a friend. LCS has a no-tolerance mindset and is quick to discipline when required. The safety of their students is forefront always. Students are given the tools to develop a mature and responsible mindset. I appreciated LCS's approach to discipline, as a parent of a boarding student I never had to worry about his safety or actions - not once. Our son had lots of fun, will have his LCS memories forever.

(5) Teaching

LCS's approach to education is excellent, allowing each student the opportunity to be their best self in their studies. LCS has a very special staff right from administration, teachers to level advisors. The encouragement and guidance provided to our son allowed him to excel in subjects he'd never pushed himself in before. Weekly advisor meetings allow the students to discuss any academic issues or challenges before they become an academic problem. Struggles are addressed right away. Class sizes are smaller allowing each student the room to develop as themselves and not just a number. The teachers are extremely passionate about their subject, but more so about having each student excel in that subject. LCS does a lot of group learning, teaching each student how to have a voice and confidence within a group setting. I could not have been happier with the level of education he was provided. His discipline and study skills today are attributed to LCS.

(5) Academics

LCS academic program is the number one reason we chose the school for our son. Depending on the strengths of each student they have a program to fit. Sciences, Arts, business all aspects are available to the students. Bringing diversity to the student body, allowing students to be surrounded by others that are different from themselves with different goals but all one community. Our son took his academics to a completely different level. Our goal was for our son to go directly from grade 12 to university (instead of CEGEP for 2 years in Quebec). Due to LCS's university advisor class and the academic program our son applied with confidence to 6 universities and was accepted to 5 of those universities! He had the support of the LCS advisor staff through the entire university application process. He confidently started university without any hesitations or uncertainties.

(5) Extracurriculars

Lakefield College School campus is set on the most stunning of properties. From the full-size outdoor skating rink, Beekeeping, theatre, to the beautiful sailing club and waterfront, rock climbing wall to the state of the art gym every student has the opportunity to try a multitude of activities. Our son played competitive hockey & soccer, trained hard and played hard. Each student signs up for extracurriculars that are of interest to them, they offer a huge range of clubs. Lots of students will choose something they have never tried before. LCS does an excellent job and providing the students with the opportunity to be well-rounded students.

(5) Students

LCS in one word FAMILY. The student body is diverse with over 40 countries coming together on one campus. The vibe on the campus is contagious, everyone is supportive, encouraging, respectful and caring. I believe this is due to the confidence instilled in these students from their house parents, advisors, teachers and peers. When you feel good and are confident in YOUR person it's easy to be a cheerleader to others. Lakefield works hard to offer this to each person there (staff and students alike). The entire school is less than 500 students, allowing the feeling of family. Smiling, happy faces greet everyone that walks through the gates. As a parent, your biggest fear is not being there for your child in their time of need. LCS allowed me the breathing space to watch our son blossom. He has made lifelong friends, an extended family that will always have his back.

(5) School Life

Did our son love going to school at LCS? More than you can even imagine. His only regret is not having gone sooner. We chose LCS for their academic program but left with so much more. School life is so much broader than just academics and achieving academic goals. School life at LCS truly is like non-other. As parents we know it takes a village to raise our children. All we can do is crack the doors of opportunity for our children, it's up to them to open the door and walkthrough. LCS enhanced our son's life in so many ways. He is fiercely independent. He is respectful. He is kind. He is interesting and interested. He is engaged. He has a social conscience. He is loyal. AND he's an excellent student. I thank LCS for helping to raise our son.

(5) Community

Lakefield College School offers many levels of parent involvement. Due to the global diversity, LCS does a great job of involving parents both on-campus and virtually. Parents have the choice to be as involved as they would like. Lakefield offers regular speaker series, virtual and on campus. Many of the sporting events & theatre productions are streamed for parents to watch their children live! As a parent that has been actively involved in school events (at other schools) it speaks volumes about the school. Having parents involved shows that the school is all about the students and providing them with the best environment possible. Brings back FAMILY into their everyday school life. LCS provides this to the parents on all levels. Which is so appreciated.

(5) School Location

Lakefield College School campus is on a picturesque lakefront. Acres and acres of land for the students to embrace and explore. The little town of Lakefield is a short walk down the road and provides the students with the opportunity to run errands, grab a bite and have "town life" in their downtime. Peterborough is a short drive away and provides for a few school night "outings" to a bigger town. Day students live in the surrounding towns and Peterborough.

(5) Admissions

LCS is quick to assign an admissions officer once your initial application has been submitted. The application process is smooth and straightforward. The interview process is excellent and a great experience for those applying. It is a process though and it takes time on both sides, does not happen overnight. There is a lot of thought that goes into reviewing the applications. Our second son has just completed the LCS application process and I can say that both experiences were great and different from each other. I do not think either of our sons found it stressful as LCS staff was quick to ease their nerves and made the interview process more of a discussion than a formal interview. Both of our sons enjoyed the process.

(5) University placement and counselling

University applications are stressful. LCS took the stress off of our plate. Our son was given all the tools and guidance required to navigate his way through the process. LCS first helped him decide where he wanted to apply and to which programs. He chose a diverse group of universities and not all the exact same program, depending on the school. All in the same field but not all the same programs. LCS did a great job of supporting our son and ensuring he was on top of all the applications. Timing is key and could have easily been missed if he was preparing it all on his own. Our son applied to 6 universities and was accepted to 5 of those universities. He had the choice to choose where he wanted to go.