Ashbury College
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| Ashbury College | |
 Honesty, Courage, Kindness |
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| Location | |
| Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | |
| Information | |
| Headmaster | Tam Matthews |
| Head of Junior School | Brian Storosko |
| Homepage | http://www.ashbury.ca/ |
Ashbury College is an independent day and boarding school located in Rockcliffe Park, in the city of Ottawa, Canada. It was founded in 1891 and moved to its current venue in 1910. Previously it occupied a venue across from Ottawa's Parliament Hill. It is an International Baccalaureate World School, a leading member of the Canadian Association of Independent Schools, and a member of Round Square. The school currently enrolls 485 senior (grades 9-12) and 160 junior (grades 4-8) students. The current headmaster is Tam Matthews, with the Head of the Junior School being Brian Storosko, former assistant director of the Junior School. The Senior School has three Assistant Headmasters: Daily Life, Peter Ostrom; Academics, Malcolm Mousseau; Planning and Technology, Tim Putt.
Ashbury College is an independent private school which offers a joint Ontario High School Diploma and Ashbury College Diploma, as well as the International Baccalaureate Diploma and International Baccalaureate Bilingual Diploma. Graduates often matriculate to highly prestigious colleges and universities in Canada, the USA, and around the globe. For a number of years, the students of the graduating class have received 100% university placement. Recent graduates have matriculated to McGill University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Johns Hopkins University, University of St. Andrew's, Duke University, Dartmouth College, Brown University, Cornell University, Georgetown University, Queen's University, Bishop's University, Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Chicago, among others. Ashbury only began accepting girls in 1982. Currently, the male/female student proportion of the Senior School is 55%/45%, but is becoming increasingly equal. The campus is 12 acres in Rockcliffe Park. Tuition fees for the 2006-2007 school year are $16,600 for day students and $35,300 for boarding students. There are about 80 boarders yearly from approximately 30 countries throughout the world.
Ashbury is known for educating children of important political and diplomatic figures. Famous alumni include John Turner, Canada's seventeenth Prime Minister; Stockwell Burt Day, Jr., PC, MP currently the Federal Minister of Public Safety; the actor Matthew Perry; and Adrian Harewood, current host of CBC Radio I's show All in a Day for Ottawa, who graduated as the School Captain in 1989.
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[edit] The Senior School’s Philosophy of Education
The liberal education provided by the Ashbury College Senior School teaches students to think, speak and write clearly, critically and creatively. It leads them to explore the core subjects that comprise our human heritage and are the hallmarks of an educated person. It develops a healthy body and illuminates the spirit by inspiring students to look beyond themselves towards the greater good. Teaching at the College is characterized by meaningful and respectful relationships between faculty and students, the teachers’ profound engagement with their disciplines, and a diverse range of pedagogical approaches. Ashbury graduates enter university with the knowledge, skills, integrity and compassion born of careful scholarship, richly rewarding faculty contacts, physical activity and spiritual reflection that lead them into living prosperous and fulfilling lives.
[edit] Core Values
- Academic Excellence
The challenging, broad-based academic program, which promotes critical thinking and creativity, prepares students for success in university and in life.
- Community
Ashbury is a caring community offering a safe, structured environment in which students and staff are encouraged to reach their potential. The spirit of Ashbury — characterized by enthusiasm and cooperation — is seen in the strong and productive relationships among students, staff, alumni and parents.
- Ethical and Spiritual Development
Ashbury College fosters ethical and spiritual growth in a community founded upon integrity, tolerance, mutual respect and service to others.
- Personal Growth
Athletics, the arts, outdoor education and community service lead to the development of healthy, self-confident individuals by encouraging students to participate, to strive for excellence, and to develop strong leadership skills.
- International Understanding
Ashbury College’s unique location in the heart of Canada’s bilingual capital city, together with the cultural diversity of our community, foster international understanding and global responsibility. This is exemplified on International Day held every April, when students set up ethnic food booths and dress traditionally, and the school community examines past and present global conflicts.
[edit] House System & Prefects
Ashbury students are divided into four houses upon entering in ninth grade. Each house has roughly 30 students per grade and 120 in each house during any academic year with the exception of Wollocombe House that has roughly 80. The houses are:
- Woollcombe House (for boarding students),
- New House
- Connaught House (known as C-House)
- Alexander House (known as A-House).
Students with older siblings or alumni parents are put in their "family" house and others are randomly assigned. Houses are permanent from 9th grade until graduation and identification is often through the house-specific neck-tie or commonly worn house t-shirts during P.E., house events or after 8 pm when No. 3 (casual) uniform can be worn. The houses compete for the "Wilson Shield" which is awarded at the end of the academic year.
Each house is led by prefects, graduating students chosen for their dedication to the cause, involvement in school life and strong academic standing. Prefects organize house events, interhouse competitions, party rallies, chaperon Saturday detentions, keep the MacLaren Hall tidy during lunch, and fund raise activities under the guidance of a housemaster, a teacher at Ashbury affliated with each house. Prefects are easily identified by their burgundy blazers.
One prefect is appointed by the administration as school captain each year.
[edit] Athletics
Ashbury is noted for its outstanding athletics program.
Ashbury maintains teams for the following sports:
At the end of the 2006/2007 school year, Ashbury College was ranked 48th in Ottawa for high school sports by the Ottawa Citizen
[edit] Junior School
The Junior School is a division of Ashbury College for male students from grade four to grade eight. Unlike the Senior School's blue colors, Junior School uses green as its dominant color which is prevalent in many locations including the website and uniforms, for example. Junior School students all wear the same tie with maroon, grey, and green strips, while Senior School students wear a different school tie on Mondays and wear an appropriate tie of choice on other days of the week. Senior School students also have the option of wearing a house tie. Like the Senior School, Junior School students are placed into one of four houses upon their arrival:
These houses come from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. Houses compete extensively throughout the academic year in athletic (e.g. Track and Field Day), artistic (e.g. House Music Competition, Shakespeare Reading Contest), academic (e.g. Scholar Roll), and social (e.g. Honour Board) activities and house points are accumulated throughout the year. Students are identified by house in many situations, primarily athletic, where everyone sports a house shirt with varying colours for physical education activities. Students are also assigned a "home form", where there are presently one for each of grades four, five, and six, and three for both grades seven and eight.
Since 2003, the Junior School also features a leadership program called L.E.E.D. The program's goal is to develop leadership qualities in students. Students in grade 4 and 5 are introduced to the program at a young age. In grades 7 and 8, house captains, who are nominated or elected by the faculty and/or student body, serve as leaders and role models for the house. They are responsible for organizing activities and initiatives. For example, responsibilities include organizing inter-house sport activities and fund-raising for charities, with the ultimate goal of driving their house to win the annual competition. The arts programme is another area of focus of the Junior School. In the Junior school, classes of art, music and dramatic arts are offered to students. One of these courses is optional for students in grade 8. The arts program is very diverse and includes school play productions, inter-house music competitions, and the creation of personal artwork. Junior School students have participated in Theatre Ashbury production, and former Junior School students have often played major roles. Recently, the Junior School has presented musicals, beginning with "Rana's Pond" (2002), and continuing with two original productions. These were "News", produced in 2004, directed by Ingrid Boyd, with words by Ingrid Boyd and David Polk, music by John Merritt and set by Elisabeth Arbuckle and another original production ("Artifacts!") produced in 2006 by Alex Menzies with words by David Polk and music based on established scores, and set design once again by Elisabeth Arbuckle. This production has been re-presented in Spring 2007. The Junior School is proud of the high level of professionalism that its Drama, Music, and Art Departments have shown in these productions.
[edit] Junior School Philosophy
It is the aim of the Junior School to enable every boy to develop to his fullest potential in academic, athletic and social skills. The school provides clear standards and guidelines in work, play, sport, dress and behaviour.
Staff members play an important role in this process by: expecting the boys to do their best in work; by giving the necessary encouragement and stimulus in the area of study; by actively encouraging excellence and effort in all activities; by themselves conforming to the school's code of dress and behaviour; and, as important as any of these, by developing relationships based on mutual politeness and respect. Although the junior school is currently boys, they are thinking about adding girls in because of the decline in population of the upcoming generation.
[edit] Maclaren Hall (Great Hall)
The Great Hall is Ashbury's cafeteria. Opened in 2004, the Great Hall now serves breakfast, lunch and dinner for boarders and lunch for day students (Junior and Senior school alike). It is open from 7 am to 7 pm. The Great Hall offers selections for vegetarians as well as those with other needs. Ashbury is working towards becoming a "nut-free environment". Parents are welcome to join students for lunch. In addition to cash being tendered, many students are able to use a "Flexcard". Parents place money onto the Flexcard as needed and students swipe this card to purchase items in the marché. The Flexcard is also a library card and an access card to open some doors in the school which are locked during school hours for security.
The Great Hall is only a part of the new addition to the College that was completed in 2004. Other parts include a new double gymnasium, four new classrooms (equipped with SmartBoards), a student common area, a staff room, and some offices.
The Great Hall was re-named in 2006 as the Maclaren Hall in honour of Alumnus Don Maclaren.
[edit] Technology
Ashbury College is a technologically advanced institution and is recognised for its incorporation of technology into the classroom wherever possible. Technology used at Ashbury includes:
- FirstClass e-mail system with one account for all students, faculty, and staff
- Flexcard system - card used to purchase lunch in the Marché style cafeteria, to open certain doors to the building locked during school hours for security, and as a library card
- Smart Board technology in most Senior School classrooms and one in the Junior School
- Full wireless internet network covering the whole school with the exception of the boys locker area
- Projectors in most Junior and Senior School classrooms, with portable projectors available for all rooms
- Use of Apple MacBook and Dell laptop computers for use within the library when all desktop computers have been taken or when a teacher has reserved them a few months in advance
- Digital camera and camcorder rental for school use
- Computer labs in both Junior and Senior school with most recent equipment overhaul in September 2007
- Use of network printers, including new environmentally-friendly double-sided printer (limit of 15 sheets per student per month to reduce paper use), with access to colour laser printers in the library
- Use of Maplewood system for attendance, student records, and course selection
- IT Department for resolving technology related problems and maintaining equipment
[edit] School Captains
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[edit] External links
[edit] References
[edit] Sources
Please note: The sources for this page are the firsthand experiences of the writers, who are students of Ashbury College.
