Southeast Kootenay School District International Education Program British Columbia, Canada Printed February, 2009 Cranbrook in the Canadian Rocky Mountains City of Fernie

Southeast Kootenay School District Located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains near world-famous Banff National Park. 2 Lake Agnes, Banff National Park

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City of Cranbrook Cranbrook (population 25,000) is the most important city of the Southeast Kootenay Region. 4

Cranbrook has an international airport, public buses, shopping malls, movie theatres, new aquatic centre, recreation facilities and almost all the services found in larger cities. 5

Cranbrook International Airport There are several flights daily from the Vancouver and Calgary International Airports, and regular flights from Salt Lake City, USA. 6

Cranbrook Recreation Complex 7 Ice hockey games attract up to 4,500 people. Many international students go to the games and some volunteer to help with the entertainment.

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City of Fernie Fernie is located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies and is famous for its ski resort, scenery and outdoor recreation. 9

Fernie Alpine Resort Rated as the 6 th best ski resort in North America – Outside Magazine Located only 5 minutes from the city 10

City of Sparwood 11 Sparwood is a small city located 25 minutes northeast of Fernie and the Fernie Alpine Resort.

Sparwood is a great choice for students who want to live in a place with very few other international students. We accept a maximum of 3 students who speak the same language. 12 Sparwood Aquatic Centre

Southeast Kootenay Region Main cities are Cranbrook, Fernie and Sparwood Almost 100% English-speaking community Safe, small cities Outstanding scenery and recreational activities 13

Kootenay River 14

Southeast Kootenay School District Operates high schools in the Cities of Cranbrook, Fernie and Sparwood One of the top-ranked high school programs in BC because of its high graduation rate 15

Facts and Figures Our schools are public and operated by the government of British Columbia 93% of students attend public schools The BC government applies the same high standards to all schools in the province Each year, consists of two semesters starting in September and February 16

Mount Baker Secondary School Cranbrook, BC Grades: 10, 11 and 12 Population: 1,000 students Athletics: basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, rugby, badminton, track and field, cross-country running and golf Fine Arts: Concert and Jazz Band, Concert and Vocal Jazz Choir, Theatre Production, Theatre Performance, Drama Film & Television, Visual Arts & Media Technology. Other Electives: Calculus, French, German, Spanish, Accounting, Marketing, Business Computer Applications, Hospitality & Tourism, Food Studies, Law, Psychology, Strength & Conditioning and many more. 17

Mount Baker Secondary School 18

Fernie Secondary School Grades: 7 to 12 Population: 425 students Athletics: Grade 7/8 – basketball, volleyball, x-country running and track School teams – basketball, volleyball, ski/snowboard, golf and soccer Fine Arts: Guitar, Theatre Performance, Musical Theatre productions, and Photography, Studio Arts and Media Arts Other Electives: Calculus, French, Information Technology, Accounting, Business Education, Law, Earth Science, Geology, Food Studies, Textile Studies, Cook Training and more. 19

Sparwood Secondary School A brand new school opened in September, 2008 Grades: 7 to 12Population: 350 students Athletics: Basketball, volleyball, soccer, ski/snowboard, curling, track, cross-country running, golf and badminton Fine Arts: junior band, drama, studio art, Electives: Grades 7 to 9 – woodworking, metalworking, home economics, information technology and French Grades 10 to 12 – woodworking, metalworking, food studies, textile studies, French, computer information systems, communications, history, geography, social justice and calculus 20 Sparwood International Students

Middle Schools Most international students in grades 7 to 9 attend the Parkland Middle School in Cranbrook, which was officially opened in

Parkland Middle School Cranbrook 22 Grades: 7 to 9Population: 450 students Athletics: basketball, volleyball and noon hour sports Fine Arts: band, choir, drama and art Electives: French Immersion, French 9, woodwork, metalwork, information technology and food studies

International Education In 2009/2010, we will host about 70 international students from Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Spain and Colombia. 23

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Quality Care The greatest strength of our program is the high quality of care we provide for students Homestays are considered the most important part of the student’s experience in Canada Our homestay program is managed and operated directly by the school district 25

Homestay Support Our friendly homestay coordinators work closely with students to ensure their stay is successful and enjoyable All staff speak more than one language and have lived in a non-English-speaking culture. Available languages are Spanish, German & Japanese 26

International Student Assistant 27 Our International Student Assistant works full time in the schools helping our international students in the classroom, arranging course selections, and solving any problems the student might have. International Student Assistant

Family-Style Program Small program where all students are important and part of our “international family” Annual International Dinner for host families (students provide the entertainment) Farewell parties at the end of each semester 28 International Night DinnerInternational Night Entertainment

Multicultural Days International students present their culture to Canadian elementary school students. 29

International Program Staff Martin Ross, Director Nahoko Sugihara, Program Coordinator Ulli Murtagh, Homestay Coordinator (Cranbrook) Kim Hopkins, Homestay Coordinator (Fernie) Barb Snopek, International Student Assistant Frances Kirkpatrick, ESL –Spanish speaker 30

Activities Included in Tuition Fees Students enjoy a wide range of activities including an overnight trip to Banff National Park, ski and snowboard days, river rafting, dog sledding, a three day trip to Edmonton and the famous West Edmonton Mall, and many more possibilities. 31

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33 Fairmont Hot Springs

35 Bungee Jumping, West Edmonton Mall

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Climate Cranbrook is the sunniest city in the province of British Columbia Summer Average high temperature in July is 28 o C Winter Cranbrook is located on the warmer side of the Canadian Rocky Mountains Average high in winter months is –1 o C Average low in winter months is – 6 o C 37

International Education in Canada Canadian accent is considered standard International students are welcomed by Canadians The United Nations often ranks Canada as the best place to live in the world Wide open spaces and beautiful scenery 38