REVIEW OF Nancy Campbell Academy BY parent, Jennifer Crawford

(5) Student Experience

We are very happy with the staff and students at Nancy Campbell Academy. Our daughter felt that her teachers listened to her views and opinions. We can see a positive change in her attitude towards learning. Many of the older nurtured her and became older sisters and brothers, and she made lasting friendships The School's philosophy 'Choose Happiness' was evident in the excitement felt at student-led coffee houses and service projects within the community at large. The philosophy of striving for excellence in education and working within the local community to provide service to others resonated with our daughter and when we were shuttered at home during the pandemic, she continued to excel in her school work and organized food drives for the local food bank.

(5) School Leadership

The staff at Nancy Campbell have created a positive and nurturing environment for students. We were impressed by their ability to create an online learning platform during the covid pandemic and continue working with students daily to ensure their continued learning. The staff ensured that parents knew what has happening and kept us updated. They also supported the students to remain positive during the difficult and stressful stay at home orders. We are very happy with the leadership of the principal and vice principal.

(5) Teaching

Our daughter thrived with the teachers at Nancy Campbell. She felt they listened to what she had to say, her contributions were accepted and she trusted and respected her teachers. This was very important as our daughter had been in the public sector for many years and was frustrated with the ambivalent attitude of teachers towards students. Nancy Campbell works to ensure the learning environment helps students to be successful and confident in their approach to life. We are very pleased with the teachers and staff who work so hard. We look forward to another year of supportive and encouraging teachers, kind and loving staff and a happy and successful child - this is the most important.

(4.5) Academics

We feel that the combination of excellence towards education and the philosophy to be a change maker in your community are essential for every individual. Having compared grade 9 in the public and private sector, we feel the dedication of the staff at Nancy Campbell to its students will instill in them the ability to succeed in their next phase of life. Our personal philosophy is that each individual can make be a change maker but must gain these skills through their parents, community members and education. Nancy Campbell is amazing at supporting the students to work towards excellence - the attitude that each student is excellent and the teachers support their learning in a positive and encouraging environment. We are so amazed at the dedication of the teachers to assist the students.

(4.5) Extracurriculars

Nancy Campbell is definitely an arts school, its focus on drama, fine arts, written word are exceptional. The students look forward to working together to create monthly coffee houses that showcase their talents. In grade 11 the cohort works towards a trip overseas that combines the initiatives towards community service showcased through dance and dramatic presentations. Our daughter looks forward to her own service trip.

(4.5) Students

It was a joy to watch the students in their activities at school. They supported each other, were compassionate and loving towards each other. With a small student body, it was like a family unit assisting and supporting each other. Through weekend get togethers and week-long unity building camps at a lodge in the wilderness, the students bonded together. This was most evident in their performances on stage for coffee houses, their work in the local community and during the pandemic - how they supported each other virtually. The stress of the pandemic was difficult for everyone and it was heartening to see the students support each other via online meeting portals. Our daughter looks forward to returning to Nancy Campbell in person, to see her friends, to be with her teachers and to resume her studies.

(5) School Life

Our daughter misses her Nancy Campbell family, she longs for the school to resume. She often talks of the love and support she received from her fellow students. Living in a residence builds resilience in the youth to be independent and take care of themselves while having a dorm parent to assist them if necessary. The independence of taking the local bus for travel helped them get to know their surroundings and is a life skill while travelling aboard. Meals together provided opportunity to talk and make plans for the weekend projects. We were amazed at how independent our daughter after the pandemic closed down the school. The skills she learned in those short months were incredible - we would send our other two if we could.

(4.5) Community

Nancy Campbell has done a wonderful job of assisting the students to find ways to be involved in local community activities. Stratford itself is a theater town and its fitting that the school is heavily involved in music and dance for its yearly grade 11 service project. The students had many opportunities to volunteer in the local community, participate in local initiatives for the environment or promoting unity - the school did an amazing job at finding opportunities for the students to be part of the local community. We were impressed the first weekend we visited our daughter to see how well she had come to know what was happening, were the best places to eat were and of course who had the best ice cream.

(5) School Location

Our daughter often spoke of the favorite spots she and her friends would hang out in, having to take the public bus to and from school was an asset as she became familiar with her neighborhood and its surroundings. The skills she learned at being independent and taking care of herself will be most useful the rest of her life.

(5) Admissions

The application process was simple, we reached out the registrar and filled out the appropriate paperwork. Our decision to send our daughter was made just a week before school opened and we found the staff most kind and helpful to assist us in getting everything ready for her. Staff were very helpful to make sure our daughter felt at home and when we dropped our daughter off there was a school bbq to meet the other families and staff and it made us feel we had made the right decision as the staff assisted our daughter to feel secure in being in boarding school for the first time. All the little details of working together to ensure the students felt they were a part of the process (through and interview) helped our daughter to feel she was making the right choice to choose Nancy Campbell