PROFILE2014 – 2015

St. Margaret’S School | Confident girls. Inspiring women.

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.

OUR MOTTOServite 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.

FACILITIESOur 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.

EXTRACURRICULARAt 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 School

ESTABLISHED 1908

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): 14238% 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 Programs SENIOR COURSES: GRADE 11 & 12Beginning Band, 11 & 12Beginning Choir, 11 & 12Biology, 11 & 12Calculus AP (AB)Chemistry, 11 & 12Choir, 11 & 12Communications, 12Comparative Civilizations, 12Concert Band, 11 & 12Drama, 11 & 12Economics, 12English, 11 & 12English Literature, 12Fitness for Life, 11 & 12Food and Nutrition, 11 & 12Foundations of Mathematics, 11 & 12French, 11 & 12Geography, 12Graduation Transitions, 12History, 12Independent Project, 11 & 12Information / Communications Technology 11 & 12Intro to Francophone Culture and Conversation, 11Intro to Investing, 11Intro to Japanese, 11Intro to Spanish, 11Japanese, 11 & 12Law, 12Leadership, 11 & 12Mandarin, 11 & 12Marketing, 12Media Arts, 11 & 12Money Matters, 11Outdoor Recreation, 11 & 12PE / Rec. Leadership, 11 & 12Photography / Yearbook, 11Physical Education, 11 & 12Physics, 11 & 12Pre-Calculus, 12Psychology, 11Raquet Sports, 11 & 12Social Studies, 11Spanish, 11 & 12Studio Art, APTextiles and Design, 11Visual Arts, 11 & 12 Visual Arts 3-D, 11 & 12Writing, 12

ACADEMICSSMS 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 OTHER SCHOOLS SUBJECTS ** 2012 AVG. 2013 AVG. 2014 AVG. INDIE AVG. BC AVG.

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 WELLNESSSMS 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.

Our Graduates

FIELDS OF STUDY

DISCIPLINE (NUMBER OF STUDENTS)

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.

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

UNIVERSITY PLACEMENTSYou will find our graduates at universities all over the world.

LOCATION ALL OFFERS FINAL CHOICE

CANADA 42% 80%

USA 40% 15% EU 13% 2% ASIA 5% 3%

A shortlist of the 62 prestigious institutions who accepted our students in 2014:

American Academy of Dramatic ArtsBoston UniversityCalifornia State University, East BayCarnegie Mellon UniversityCarleton University Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyHorizonte Language SchoolMcGill University McMaster UniversityMount Allison University New York UniversityQueen’s University Rutgers UniversityRyerson University Savannah College of Art and DesignSimon Fraser University University College of LondonUniversity of British Columbia University of CalgaryUniversity of CaliforniaUniversity of EdinburghUniversity of GuelphUniversity of Hong KongUniversity of ManchesterUniversity of San FransiscoUniversity of TorontoUniversity of Victoria University of WashingtonUniversity of WaterlooUniversity of Western OntarioYork University

St. Margaret’s School | Confident girls. Inspiring women.

St. Margaret’s School 1080 Lucas Ave, Victoria, BC, V8X 3P7, CANADA 1.250.479.7171 www.stmarg.ca

Total Humanities & Social SciencesBusiness & CommerceSciencePsychologyVisual Art & DesignMathTheatre & Drama Foundation YearHealth SciencesArts & ScienceEconomicsBiomedical EngineeringInternational StudiesEngineeringJournalismArchitectureCommunications(blank)

Fields of Study (Simplified)

Count of Fields of Study (Simplified)

Humanities & Social Sciences (13)

Business & Commerce (9)

Science (7)

Psychology (5)

Visual Art & Design (4)

Math (4)

Theatre & Drama (3)

Foundation Year (3)

Health Sciences (3)

Arts & Science (2)

Economics (2)

Biomedical Engineering (1)

International Studies (1)

Engineering (1)

Journalism (1)

Architecture (1)

Communications (1)

Total Humanities & Social SciencesBusiness & CommerceSciencePsychologyVisual Art & DesignMathTheatre & Drama Foundation YearHealth SciencesArts & ScienceEconomicsBiomedical EngineeringInternational StudiesEngineeringJournalismArchitectureCommunications(blank)

Fields of Study (Simplified)

Count of Fields of Study (Simplified)