PROFILE
2014 – 2015
St. Margaret’s School | Confident girls. Inspiring women.
Our School ESTABLISHED 1908
St. Margaret’s School (SMS) is an all-girls, independent, day and boarding school located in the city of Victoria on the scenic coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Founded in 1908, SMS is the oldest and only international school for girls in western Canada.
ENROLMENT 2013/14 Total students:
374
Foundation Years (JK–Grade 4) 110 Middle Years (Grade 5–8)
74
Senior Years (Grade 9–12)
137
Avg. class size
18
Student:Teacher ratio
8:1
Total boarding students (Grade 7–12): 142 38% of school population Canada
9
N./S. America
18
International
115
Enrolled in International English Language Program (IEL) 53 Countries of origin
12
ACCREDITATION SMS is accredited by the BC Inspector of Independent Schools. AFFILIATIONS SMS is a member of the Independent Schools Association of British Columbia, Canadian Accredited Independent Schools, and National Coalition of Girls Schools. SMS is incoporated under the Society Act of BC. HEAD OF SCHOOL Cathy Thornicroft
www.stmarg.ca
OUR MOTTO Servite In Caritate ~ Service with Love SMS is an international school where girls are nurtured and inspired to become lifelong learners. Girls here are challenged to achieve their full potential and contribute to society in a meaningful way. We embrace our motto “Service with Love” in both individual pursuits and shared responsibilities. OUR VISION Confident girls ~ Inspiring women This is a school where girls who want to change the world become women who do. Our committed staff, beautiful campus, and innovative curriculum create a nurturing environment that challenges students to achieve their academic and leadership potential. OUR MISSION Empowering her to set her own course and shape her own dreams SMS values diversity and inspires excellence of mind and strength of spirit. Students here are challenged to take responsibility for their own learning experience; to develop individual worth, academic excellence, personal wellness, and a connection with nature; and provide service to their local and global community. FACILITIES Our state-of-the-art facilities sit on 22 acres located at the intersection of suburban and rural areas on the Saanich Peninsula, with access to extensive recreational sites and trails—only 20 minutes from the urban downtown core. Superior facilities include a LEED-certified building (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), modern residence houses, culinary arts room, and Athletics Centre. Other special places on campus include a greenhouse, dance studio, outdoor classroom, and tennis courts, as well as our very own slice of West Coast forest. EXTRACURRICULAR At SMS, girls don’t just get equal opportunity, they get every opportunity. Our Student Government and Steering Committee empower girls to take the lead. Clubs at our school include jazz and rock bands, environmental/green, debate/model United Nations, multicultural, outreach, Tech Girls (robotics), school play/theatre production, and visual arts, in addition to options for private lessons in music, speech arts and driver training.
Our Programs
SENIOR COURSES: GRADE 11 & 12
ACADEMICS SMS is a university preparatory institution with selective entrance standards. Our curriculum is STEM-focused (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). Accelerated learning and Advanced Placement (AP) exam preparation* are options available to challenge our students and help them prepare for the next phase in their education. Students are also supported in pursuing self-initiated projects for credit to help them develop as independent learners. Leadership is a formal curricular element starting in Kindergarten, with extensive experiential programs including peer mentoring, public speaking, the Duke of Edinburgh program, outdoor education, and community service. In 2014, more than twice as many girls were awarded Dogwood Awards for Leadership at SMS than at any other independent school (per capita). These are cash scholarships awarded by the Ministry of Education for achievement in a variety of non-academic subject areas including the arts, applied skills, and leadership. EXAMINATION RESULTS PROVINCIAL EXAM
ST. MARGARET’S
SUBJECTS **
2012 AVG. 2013 AVG. 2014 AVG. INDIE AVG. BC AVG.
OTHER SCHOOLS
Math 10
83.11
85.93
84.29
78.73
72.47
Science 10
75.92
80.46
82.53
72.47
68.86
Social Studies 11
72.60
78.08
73.85
70.22
69.81
English 10
70.67
71.90
65.05
68.37
69.83
English 12
69.77
67.26
69.51
62.99
66.83
ATHLETICS AND WELLNESS SMS Physical Education emphasizes broad participation in order to foster enjoyment of sport as a benchmark for lifelong healthy living. The experience of belonging and working together as part of a team is not limited to just a few elite athletes: 95% of elementary students and 70% of secondary students represent SMS on one or multiple school teams. Competitive athletic teams include basketball, cross-country, field hockey, rowing, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Students also keep active with extracurricular sports like intramurals, house challenges, ballet, CrossFit training, cycling, Jazzercise, sailing, triathlon, and yoga. *Students may elect to take Advanced Placement (AP) exams. AP is a standardized curriculum developed by an American company, the College Board, and may be referenced by post-secondary institutions. **SAT testing is undertaken only by students applying to American post-secondary institutions. In 2014, 100% of students who wrote SAT tests were accepted to American schools of their choice.
Beginning Band, 11 & 12 Beginning Choir, 11 & 12 Biology, 11 & 12 Calculus AP (AB) Chemistry, 11 & 12 Choir, 11 & 12 Communications, 12 Comparative Civilizations, 12 Concert Band, 11 & 12 Drama, 11 & 12 Economics, 12 English, 11 & 12 English Literature, 12 Fitness for Life, 11 & 12 Food and Nutrition, 11 & 12 Foundations of Mathematics, 11 & 12 French, 11 & 12 Geography, 12 Graduation Transitions, 12 History, 12 Independent Project, 11 & 12 Information / Communications Technology 11 & 12 Intro to Francophone Culture and Conversation, 11 Intro to Investing, 11 Intro to Japanese, 11 Intro to Spanish, 11 Japanese, 11 & 12 Law, 12 Leadership, 11 & 12 Mandarin, 11 & 12 Marketing, 12 Media Arts, 11 & 12 Money Matters, 11 Outdoor Recreation, 11 & 12 PE / Rec. Leadership, 11 & 12 Photography / Yearbook, 11 Physical Education, 11 & 12 Physics, 11 & 12 Pre-Calculus, 12 Psychology, 11 Raquet Sports, 11 & 12 Social Studies, 11 Spanish, 11 & 12 Studio Art, AP Textiles and Design, 11 Visual Arts, 11 & 12 Visual Arts 3-D, 11 & 12 Writing, 12
Our Graduates
UNIVERSITY PLACEMENTS You will find our graduates at universities all over the world.
One hundred percent of SMS graduates receive offers of admission from post-secondary institutions of their choice. Each year, a few students tend to choose to take a year off (a gap year) for travel or work. Of the 39 scholarships offered to our graduates in 2014, the largest single award was a full-tuition scholarship for rowing at Boston University, valued at $68,000. THE CLASS OF 2014 62* graduates 221 offers of admission $370k in scholarships and awards *the largest graduating class in SMS history Count of Fields of Study (Simplified)
FIELDS OF STUDY
DISCIPLINE OF STUDENTS) Fields of Study(NUMBER (Simplified)
Total
Humanities Social Sciences Humanities &&Social Sciences (13) Business &Commerce Commerce(9) Business & Science Science (7) Psychology Psychology (5) Visual Art&&Design Design Visual Art (4) Math Math (4) Theatre Drama Theatre &&Drama (3) Foundation Year Foundation Year (3) Health Sciences(3) Health Sciences Arts & Science Science(2) Arts & Economics Economics (2) Biomedical Engineering Biomedical Engineering (1) International Studies International Studies (1) Engineering Engineering (1) Journalism Journalism (1) Architecture Architecture (1) Communications Communications (1) (blank) Our guidance department provides resources and one-on-one advising to help students explore career paths, post-secondary programs, scholarship opportunities, and their own strengths and interests.
St. Margaret’s School |
St. Margaret’s School
1080 Lucas Ave, Victoria, BC, V8X 3P7, CANADA
LOCATION
ALL OFFERS
FINAL CHOICE
CANADA
42%
80%
USA EU ASIA
40% 13% 5%
15% 2% 3%
A shortlist of the 62 prestigious institutions who accepted our students in 2014: American Academy of Dramatic Arts Boston University California State University, East Bay Carnegie Mellon University Carleton University Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Fields of Study (Simplified) Horizonte Language School McGill UniversityHumanities & Social Sciences Business & Commerce McMaster University Science Mount Allison University Psychology New York University Visual Art & Design Queen’s University Math Rutgers University Theatre & Drama Ryerson University Foundation Year Savannah College of Art and Design Health Sciences Simon Fraser University Arts & Science University College of London Economics University of British Columbia Biomedical Engineering University of Calgary International Studies University of California Engineering University of Edinburgh Journalism University of Guelph Architecture University of Hong Kong Communications University of Manchester (blank) University of San Fransisco University of Toronto University of Victoria University of Washington University of Waterloo University of Western Ontario York University
Confident girls. Inspiring women.
1.250.479.7171
www.stmarg.ca