Fraser Institute finds city’s top schools
Grade 12 student Carlos Bagni is a passionate student-athlete — committing to volleyball, rugby and track, as well as indoor and outdoor soccer throughout the school year.
But his ability to fit all these activities into his schedule — and actually make it work — is more than just a mere miracle.
Bagni says he can combine his love of school and sport only because he attends Bishop Carroll High School, benefiting from flexible programming that allows him to find success in both.
“I can always work at my own pace, which is great. So if I understand something in math or science, I can move more quickly through it,” says Bagni, who is considering engineering programs at Queen’s or the University of Toronto, among others for next fall.
“But if I need a little more help with writing in English or social studies, I can get the help I need and spend more time on that.”
Set apart from traditional high school programs, Bishop Carroll offers a self-directed learning environment where students choose to attend classes or “seminars” on their own time when they need instruction, or they can study in groups or individually when it suits them, too.
And while the customized learning environment has been offered at the southwest school for decades, Bishop Carroll has just recently started to see a significant improvement in its rankings, according to the Fraser Institute’s Report Card on Alberta’s High Schools 2017.
While Bishop Carroll’s overall provincial ranking has been strong for a number of years, it has im- proved its overall rating out of 10 over the last five years from 7.3/10 in 2012 to 7.6/10 in 2016.
The school’s diploma completion rates, which indicate the number of first-time Grade 12 students who graduate in that same year, have seen a huge improvement, from 78.9 per cent of students in 2012 to as high as 87 per cent in 2016.
And the school’s gender gaps have almost been eliminated, where in 2012 females were outperforming males in language arts by 4.2 per cent, that gap disappeared to zero in 2016. As well, the gender gap that saw males outperforming females in math by 5.6 per cent fell to 3.2 per cent in 2016.
School principal Cheryl McInnis says the school’s academic success lies in its unique programming, particularly at a time when students’ lives are becoming more complex than ever.
Many are juggling sports, parttime jobs, and clubs along with classes, making them extremely well-rounded, but also meaning they need more flexibility, she adds.
But Bishop Carroll’s personalized plans not only allow students to progress at their own pace; it allows them to structure their extracurricular lives around school as well.
At the same time, weekly meetings with teacher advisers ensure students stay on track, but also help them customize their own goals best suited to their abilities and interests.
McInnis says another advantage of Bishop Carroll’s self-directed learning program is that it allows students to take on more responsibility and interest in their own studies because they make choices on their own paths.
“Students create their own individual programs, and they work on their own time,” McInnis says.
“That means some days they’ll be involved in a seminar, or classroom setting, or they may be working in groups and collaborating in the learning commons, working in labs, or they may just be working individually on their own.
“Either way, it is all self-guided (and) self-paced, allowing students to work on their own timelines.”
Bagni says he especially appreciates his access to his teachers, who are willing to meet with him one on one almost any time during the week, to answer questions.
The program allows him to focus on school, Bagni says, but also fit in all of the athletics and teams he loves.
“I play a lot of sports and I really like that I can keep doing that,” he says.
“Whenever I have a practice, or a club, I can get homework done on my own time and still find time to excel in all of my activities.”
Bishop Carroll was named in honour of a Catholic scholar who was adopted as “White Eagle” by the local Blackfoot tribe.
In light of the unique programming it offers today, Bishop Francis Patrick Carroll might have found it more than fitting that the school that carries his name provides students with the freedom to soar.