Claremont Secondary School

Claremont Secondary School (Victoria, BC)

Claremont Secondary School is a public secondary educational institution in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The school was opened on September 1, 1962, and it continues to serve the local population in the Municipality of Saanich and the Saanich Peninsula. It is the largest high school in the region that welcomes about 1,100 students through its doors every day. The staff of the school is over 100 people, including teachers, supporting staff, and administration. Moreover, Claremont Secondary School participates in Saanich International Student Program (SISP) which welcomes 100 international students from around the world.

Claremont Secondary School consistently ranks high amongst public schools on Vancouver Island in overall academic performance. Through its core values of responsibility, respect, and relationships, the school empowers learners to approach life challenges with courage, curiosity and integrity. The school puts students at the center of their education, allowing them to discover, embrace and fulfill their passions within relevant learning opportunities.

Overview of the Programs

The curriculum of Claremont Secondary School aims to meet students’ interests and learning needs. From grades 9 through 12, international students can create their desired timetable by choosing courses from a variety of general academic courses, such as Math, Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts. One of the main features of the Claremont Secondary School is its commitment to humanitarian pursuits, among which the Fine Arts, Trades, Technology, Athletics and English.

The Math department of Claremont Secondary School provides international students with the opportunity to compete in National and International Math Contests. International students enrolled in the writing program often publish their works in The Claremont Review and take part in various competitions.

The Electives courses include Engineering, Digital Media, Metal Fabrication, Woodwork and Machining, History of Heroes, Photography, Culinary Arts, Introductory Computer Applications, Engineering Applications, Textiles, Accounting, Journalism, Business Education, Computer Programming, Digital Media, Strength and Conditioning, Human Performance, Physical Education Assistant, Community Recreation, Lacrosse for Girls, Rugby.

The Performance Arts Program at Claremont Secondary School offers Visual Art, Drama, Music, Musical Theater, Film and Television, Dance, and Stagecraft courses. International students enrolled in the Performance Arts Program showcase their talents in the Ridge Theater, a district-owned facility.

Claremont Secondary School offers a variety of special academic programs, including foreign languages with a focus on French and Spanish, Advanced Placement courses in Biology, Chemistry, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, and Physics.

The school also has post-secondary credit courses in Accounting, Business, Criminology, Economics, Marketing, Math, Psychology, Secondary School Apprenticeship, and Accelerated Credit Enrolment in Industry Training. Moreover, many international students earn scholarships to post-secondary institutions in Canada and abroad.

Claremont Secondary School offers several Programs of Choice for international students who wish to focus on their specialty areas within their overall course of studies. The Institute of Global Solutions offers a project-based curriculum concentrating on humanitarian and environmental challenges of the 21st century, such as food production, poverty reduction, urbanization, and sustainable energy. The program involves local field studies and an overseas field trip for Grade 12 students.

The Pursuit of Excellence Program (PEP) at Claremont Secondary School aims to challenge international students to reach their maximum potential. The program allows students to set their level of aspiration and prepare for post-secondary education. The core components of the Pursuit of Excellence Program are becoming an effective student, mastering public speaking skills, developing citizenship and leadership skills, specializing in pathways of choice, and completing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Program.

Claremont Secondary School supports the interests of international students and offers them a variety of extracurricular clubs and activities. The unique feature of the school is the Claremont Sports Institute (CSI) offering specialty training in Golf, Field Lacrosse, Swimming, and Rowing to any interested international student. By the way, school teams in basketball, volleyball, soccer, and rowing consistently achieve great success in both regional and provincial competitions. In addition to the standard athletics program, Programs of Choice in Athletics include tennis, boys’ rugby, rowing, lacrosse, golf, and aquatics.

Admission Requirements

International students and their parents ought to apply to Claremont Secondary School under the Saanich International Student Program. The admission process is the following.

1. The parents and student must sign a Participation Agreement.
2. Applicants must have transcripts or a record of grades for the last two years. If documents are in languages other than English, they need to be translated into English.
3. Parents and students ought to fill out the Course Request Form.
4. International applicants need to scan their passport photo page if they have it already. It will allow the admission committee of Claremont Secondary School to double-check the applicant’s information to ensure that all correspondence is correct.
5. Parents and international students must write a Letter to the Host Family. The letter should include information about the student, their family, their interests, hobbies, and why they have decided to participate in the SISP and apply to Claremont Secondary School.
6. International students should scan the entire family album as one document.
7. Parents must pay the non-refundable application fee of 250 CAD.

If applicants do not upload the required documents into the online application system, they cannot complete the application process to Claremont Secondary School. In this case, the partial application will be automatically deleted within 30 days. There is also a list of recommended documents that assist in making a decision.

1. If prospective students do not want to participate in the homestay program of Claremont Secondary School, their parents must assign a custodian and submit a custodian agreement. The custodian must be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada of more than 25 years old and permanently live in the Victoria area. International students who are under 13 years old are obliged to live with a parent during their study at Claremont Secondary School.
2. If applicants have supplementary documents, such as a student interview form, they can also submit them.

The required and additional documents must be uploaded as PDF or JPEG files only and be less than 5 MB each. If a document is larger, it must be rescanned at a lower resolution before uploading.

Tuition Fees for International Students

Parents and guardians of international students should know the tuition fees at Claremont Secondary School. A full year at the school costs 13,750 CAD. Homestay placement costs about 650 CAD per month. International students should also pay a new student orientation fee. Overall, parents of international students ought to be ready to pay nearly 10,000 CAD per year for a homestay, food, transportation, learning materials, and other supplementary services.

Perspectives of the Future Education

Claremont Secondary School offers Career Education, Counseling, and Learning Commons services. To graduate from the school and receive the Graduation Diploma from the province of British Columbia, international students must acquire 80 credits from a combination of required courses (48 credits), elective courses (28 credits), Career Life Connections (4 credits), and Provincial Numeracy Exams. Then, they can return to their home country or pursue post-secondary education in Canada.

One of the benefits of British Columbia is a transfer system that allows international students to enroll in one post-secondary school and then easily transfer to another. It means that students can transfer to the second or third study year to the most innovative school in Canada. As a rule, the high-ranked schools have strict entry requirements and the only chance to attend them is the transfer from the other school. International students who wish to attend the best educational institution in Canada can start their journey from the study in British Columbia.

The most popular Designated Learning Institutions in British Columbia are Camosun College, Douglas College, Royal Roads University, Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, and the University of Victoria. There are also numerous affordable educational institutions across Canada, including Algonquin College, Fanshawe College, Seneca College, Memorial University of Newfoundland, University of Saskatchewan, and York University, to name a few.

 

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