Comox Valley
The Comox Valley is a stunningly beautiful area. It is a farming community with breath taking views on the mountains an in particular the Comox Glacier. as well as the ocean in the east. 70 000 inhabitants live in the neighbouring towns of Comox and Courtney, where the three high schools are. These schools welcome international students to their program every year. It takes about half an hour to get to the ski area of Mont Washington and only a few minutes to Comox Lake. In summer this lake offers an ideal alternative to the ocean for swimming and kayaking.
The three high schools of this district are all technologically well equipped and have spacious sports fields . Students take part in excursions to Nanaimo and go whale watching. Not only orcas but also humpback whales can be spotted off the coast! All schools have ski- and snowboarding teams and many students make use of the vicinity of Mount Washington to go skiing for day trips the weekends.
Schools
G. P. Vanier Secondary School
This is the biggest of the three thigh schools and offers the regular academic courses in mathermatics, csiences, Englsih and social sudies. There is also an impressive range of electives like economics and accounting, tourism and IT-courses. Cooking, sewing, fashion design, woodwork and carpentry form part of the program as well as arts and music courses: choir, theatre, dance, painting and guitar. French, Spanish and Japanese are the second languages at this school
Student number: about 1350
Mark R. Isfeld Secondary School:
This schools offers the regular academic program as well as a course in marine biology. It also offers a remarkable range of electives in the area of IT, the arts and music. Photography, jewellary design, theatre and dance as well as baking, sewing, wood and metal work are all possible courses. This is a French Immersion school and students can obtain a certificate as a “Fitness Trainer”. Depending on the season, students can join a soccer, volleyball, basketball team and more. French and Spanish are the second languages at this school.
Student number: about 1000
Highland Secondary School:
From grade 10 this school offers so-called honours courses in mathematics, the sciences and social studies. These courses are more difficult than the regular ones.The schools also offers the IB-Diploma program for grades 11 and 12. Tourism courses and an Ice Hockey Academy (a special training for ice hockey players) are other exceptional features of this school. Among the electives students can chose pottery, painting and IT-courses, as well as choir, jazz band, concert band and more. The school has a soccer and a hockey team. French, Spanish and Japanese are taught as second languages.
Student number: about 800
