I spent a stimulating time today at Aspengrove School, nestled within a calm rural environment in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. It is a young day school that opened in 2003 with just 38 students. Today they have 306 students.

Aspengrove is an International Baccalaureate (IB) school from Primary years right through to graduation. They showed vision and boldness in following this path – there are only 9 schools in British Columbia following this well-respected IB educational landscape from Grade 1 to Grade 12. They value curiosity in children and aim to provide a transformational learning experience for their students. Integrated within the IB program, they provide a Family Boarding component for select international students. I enjoyed the warm, purposeful atmosphere exhibited by students and staff.

The day was made even more pleasant as I was able to spend time with former colleagues of mine from Shawnigan. Jo -Anne Kingstone, Aspengrove’s Head of School and David Hutchison, the Assistant Head. Taking the photo was the first employee of the school, Elisabeth Reay, the Admissions Director.