Interview with Sunnybrook School PARENT, Kevin and Vivianne Gauci
- Name
Kevin and Vivianne Gauci - Child 1
SK - Gr. 6 (Male, Current Day Student)
Kevin and Vivianne, parents of a boy at Sunnybrook School, share their experience selecting the school and the impact it has had on their son. They highlight the school's close-knit community, individualized attention, and the IB program’s balance of challenge and support.
Highlights from the interview
What we wanted for our son was a school that was smaller, more community-focused. Everybody kept pointing us at Sunnybrook School, and it's where we went. Once we did a tour and met some of the teachers and the staff, it was a no-brainer for us.
Our son has really flourished at Sunnybrook. He's come out of his shell. He's developed friendships. He really learned at Sunnybrook, especially with the support of his teachers, how to manage himself better and advocate for himself.
I would say that the school really focuses on all of him as a human being versus just focusing on academics. It's an incredibly supportive environment, and he's benefited greatly from that.
It is an IB school, and so the work was fairly challenging, but also tailored to each individual student to a degree. It wasn't one size fits all.
The teachers are really what have helped our son flourish throughout his time there. The size of the school really lends itself to the teachers really getting to know each student on an individual basis.
It was really good to see how our son developed through that process and what a difference, even from a couple of years ago to where he is today, ready to head into the next grade.
It's the best of both worlds in that you get the small community and the small size and the special attention that comes with it, but you get this incredible group of committed, dedicated and passionate teachers that really go all out to make the school what it is.
They really emphasize the values of giving back and being a member of society, not just as an individual. They basically recognize actions that students take. So if you volunteer, if you do something extra in the community, you're recognized in the school as having taken an action.
The families are very welcoming, friendly, inclusive…The parent association is very strong and always putting on activities and helping move the community forward.
Sunnybrook is a fantastic school. If we had to make the decision again, we would make the same one. It was a fantastic experience.
