Louis St. Laurent High School
Louis St. Laurent High School
Louis St. Laurent High School was established in 1968 in the Edmonton Catholic School District by merging it with the Cartier McGee Junior High School, which was established in 1966. Furthermore, the junior high part of the school can still be introduced as the Cartier McGee side. Nowadays, more than 1100 students are enrolled to receive guidance and teaching.
Altogether, Louis St. Laurent High School encompasses a central hallway that connects two former schools into one, quite a large ancillary room acting as both a meeting room, an open space for a variety of activities, and a lunch hall. During the years 2016-2018, the building sustained several renovations. Moreover, since 2017 the High School has been converted into a bilingual one.
One of the things that differentiate Louis St. Laurent High School from the others is that it offers the Advanced Placement Program and Enhanced Academic Program, which is thoughtfully prepared to bring forth a list of post-secondary-level academic courses for enthusiastic high-schoolers. Apart from that, the High School is eager to share the customs and initiatives with all of the students.
Programs in Louis St. Laurent High School
Louis St. Laurent supplies its students with a great number of academics and educational programs. Most of all, religious instructions and guidance are obtainable at all grade levels. Among them: Social Justice Projects, regularly scheduled liturgies, a community of faith, and morning prayers.
Before 2021 the school had offered International Baccalaureate (IB), as of now it is an AP school. Since Louis St. Laurent is an Advanced Placement (AP) school, many of the International Baccalaureate (IB) courses are now offered as a part of the AP curriculum. The program comprises a range of classes both in-class and online alternatives. The in-class courses are as follows: English Literature and Composition, Physic 1, Biology, and Calculus AB. While the online courses are: Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Statistics, Art History, and European History.
Even more so, the school provides Career and Technology Studies (CTS) as well as Career and Technology Foundations (CTF): Computer Science,
Video/Photography, Fashion, Design, and Foods.
The Fine Arts is Louis St. Laurent’s special program that integrates art, dance, drama, and music. Visual arts are examined both in Junior High and Senior High with the idea to create new possibilities, explore art through practical lessons and gain a fundamental understanding of vocabulary connected with art. The aforementioned Art History is also included in the program. The next point is the study of dance at Louis St. Laurent High School. Basic ballet, jazz, and contemporary techniques are being taught during the 7th grade with an in-depth continuation throughout 8th and 9th grade. Eventually, the Theater program offers students an opportunity to develop their dramatic skills, improvisation skills, and playwriting. While the Music program encourages creative thinking and problem-solving by studying musical notation and theory, as well as instrumental and ensemble techniques.
In turn, Louis St. Laurent High School Enhanced Academic Program (EAP) is an option for much more robust learning with a great number of challenges. It is created to encourage active engagement in skill and knowledge acquisition from a very early stage. The main goal of this program is, first and foremost, to prepare the students for a higher academic program such as AP.
Another program at Louis St. Laurent High School is the ECSD Spark Academy which consolidates STEM and creative thinking by making students learn computer skills, robotics, coding and 3D printing, audio/video production, etc. For the program mentioned above, the cost would comprise a maximum of CAD 250 for field trips, project consumables, guest speakers, and apparel.
One of the inclusive programs in Louis St. Laurent High School is the “WIN SR” which stands for “Whatever is Necessary, Whenever it’s Needed”. The program is designed for students with cognitive needs who are willing to obtain a Certificate of Completion.
As it was already mentioned, Louis St. Laurent High School switched to being a bilingual high school. Therefore, the school suggests a handful of language-related programs.
Due to a significant number of students being new to Canada, Louis St. Laurent proposes a program to facilitate studying English language (ESL). The High School is glad to help with the proficiency of the students. Thus, students undergo the program during school time. Also, as a part of the nine-year program, students of the Louis St. Laurent are taught French language (FSL). The French language is considered to be a default one in the program on the account of the fact that the majority of the student population participates in French-speaking programs in junior high. Finally, Louis St. Laurent presents the option for some students an option to take some classes in the Spanish language as a part of the Spanish Bilingual Program. As of now, it is accessible for the students in 7-11 grades. There are two homeroom classes arranged for the students in the Spanish Bilingual Program. Approximately half of these students partake in both classes. Further on, they can continue with the program in high school.
Aside from academics, Louis St. Laurent High School's leading focus is athletics. A heterogeneity of sports teams and programs are at the student’s disposal. To begin with, badminton, basketball, cross-country running, golf, swimming, soccer, track and field, volleyball, and curling are some of the many sports teams that are available for students to play. As a part of the program, students get involved in tournaments, and competitions and have games during the year.
The Hockey Academy and the Soccer Academy are some of the options that are at hand at Louis St. Laurent High School. It is designed as a way to supply students with in-depth knowledge of either soccer or hockey. The Academies make students acquainted with a more vigorous program, where they play and practice more often. Thus, the members of both Academies are given an altered schedule in order to have practice outside of the regularly scheduled hours. This window of opportunities is open for both junior high and senior high students.
Last but not least is the specialized Elite Athlete Program that is planned to fit in with the training schedule. The program is devised by Louis St. Laurent High School in an effort to allow trained students to continue their training while also completing the program required by Alberta Education. Overall, students are expected to pay CAD 2,500 (7-9 grades) for the Hockey Academy as a part of alternative program fees, and CAD 2,000 for the Soccer Academy.
Accommodation in Louis St. Laurent High School
Louis St. Laurent High School is situated in the Edmonton Catholic School District, specifically in southwestern Edmonton. The city is located on the North Saskatchewan River and makes the center of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region inside of Alberta’s central region. Edmonton’s population amounts to some 1,010,899 people, according to 2021 research, which makes it the fifth-largest city in Canada. The city is famous for its cold winters. However, overall Edmonton has a fairly dry climate. Therefore, the best choice for international students who come to Edmonton to study at Louis St. Laurent High School would be to rent an apartment in the city. On average, a one-bedroom flat will cost around CAD 1,200-1,800 per month. Consequently, it would be preferable to rent an apartment with a college friend or find a shared accommodation option.
As of now, Louis St. Laurent High School does not offer a special housing building. However, it is located in the southwestern region of Edmonton which allows a student to choose among hundreds of residence-style buildings. Moreover, international students oftentimes opt for the shared accommodation option due to the number of fellow students willing to rent an apartment in the same area.
Future prospects
Graduation from Louis St. Laurent High School presents foreign citizens with an abundance of opportunities for work and education. First of all, they continue to pursue their educational path at any other educational establishment in Canada. The intensified academic programs provide students with a strong head start in being able to navigate academic challenges they can come across while studying at post-secondary schools. The proper performance will have an effect on course credit, College Board awards, and possible scholarships from the majority of universities including the University of Alberta.
Secondly, whenever a graduate will feel ready, they can commence the process of building their career. One thing that is possible to start with is getting a post-graduation work permit that grants foreign citizens a permission to work in Canada for up to three years. However, firstly international students are obligated to meet certain requirements to be eligible for this type of visa. At a later time, it would be possible to apply for permanent residency in the country and ultimately - Canadian citizenship.
In case, if you need help with Custodianship and Homestay in order to study in Louis St. Laurent High School or other schools in Canada, please fill in application below or contact us directly.
