REVIEW OF Crawford Adventist Academy BY Alum, Kimberley Springer

(4.5) Overall Experience

My experience at Crawford was transformational. I had the opportunity to learn practical life skills that were essential to my development and growth as a young adult. Crawford is set apart as they not only enhance the spiritual aspect of a student but also provide a range of engagement activities that connect you with community initiatives. I had the opportunity to attend several community activities that connected me with scholarship opportunities for my next steps after leaving high school. One of the highlights of attending this school was the opportunity to participate in out of the country trips by way of the stellar music program. The school environment provides a family-oriented atmosphere where many of the students you meet will definitely become quality life-long friendships.

(4) School Leadership

The leadership at this school, to the best of its ability, is structured with many resources in place to adequately respond to any issues that arise. They also have various communication mechanisms in place to effectively liaise with both parents and students. In any school, there will always be room from opportunities to improve. The overall sentiment of the leadership is that they are always improving and evolving. They strongly advocate for parent input and engagement including through fundraising activities, school trips, or PTA meetings. Your voice matters and is heard.

(4.5) Teaching

The teachers are Crawford are well equipped to provide quality instruction. I had positive life-changing instruction from the professionals that work at this school. Many of the teachers who work at this institution go above and beyond to see the success of each student. For many of the teachers, they often provide extra help where needed to assist a student on an independent level. The cultural environment of the school focuses on striving for excellence while working with students, parents and teachers to execute a student's future goals. The classrooms are set up for providing a fun learning experience that engages various learning styles, while using modern technology. It is more than just a job for many of the teachers that work at Crawford!

(4) Academics

Students are collegial in their approach to academics. There is a hybrid opportunity to work independently and in teams to accomplish tasks. A strength of this school is that they go beyond the script of the lesson to provide useful insights into learning. An opportunity for improvement, at least when I attended, is that the school could provide more options for academic learning. Crawford prepared me for life's next steps, specifically in providing a road map of my future goals and what was necessary to academically reach those goals. They provided a successful educational plan that was tailored to planning for my specific goals. This helped me to be exposed to the connections that I needed to make an informed decision on post-secondary options and educational programs.

(5) Extracurriculars

Extracurricular activities were one of the highlights of my experience at Crawford. They built strong music and sports programs over the years, while I attended. Other than just engaging in activities for fun, the extracurriculars provided an opportunity to compete in competitions within and outside of Canada. Specifically, I enjoyed being apart of the music program and entering spaces that I probably wouldn't have been apart of had I not attended Crawford.

(5) Students

The student body is small in high school and larger in elementary which makes it quite easy to make friendships across various grades. Each person comes with their own unique personality but across the board students have a deep respect and care for each other. Students are interactive with one another and often collaborate with one another to provide a positive environment for everyone. Ethnically, the school is committed to diversity from students to teachers and this is celebrated through various activities that celebrate the heritage of students and teachers. Diversity is also a commitment that is fostered through learning experiences within and outside of the classroom. The general atmosphere is pleasant, family-oriented, collegial and fun as you engage with other students in the school.

(5) School Life

I enjoyed my experience at Crawford. Students are generally happy while attending this school and are not stressed beyond what is normal when thinking about the academic pressures that sometimes can come from pursuing education. It's important in life to determine what you want out of it. If you think about your experience being miserable, before giving it a chance, then that's exactly what it will be - miserable. Making meaningful connections at Crawford, improved my quality of life as it specifically pertains to friendships and the passion I have for involving myself in quality partnerships with others. Having a core group of individuals that are loyal, caring and genuinely want the best out of you is not as easy to find as you may think. Crawford provided a positive experience when fostering my lifetime friendships.

(4.5) Community

Crawford has a very active Alumni Association that plans events each year to keep alumni connected to the progression of the school. Alumni often become teachers at the school and give back in many other ways. To this day I keep up with many of my old classmates. Crawford has a community following on various social media platforms which has made it easier to connect with classmates and keep updated on current news stories that expose the accomplishments of alumni. Parents take an active part in the school and have opportunities to be involved in different events that are planned throughout the year. The school often depends on parents as a necessary stakeholder to be active in engaging with other parents to help build a strong school environment.

(5) School Location

The school is in a safe area that cannot be seen from the roadside. It is a neighbour to a hospital, secondary school, residential living spaces and long-term care facilities. It provides an oasis from the typical "city vibe", by having a quiet location for school learning inside and on the outdoors. The school is also near to accessible transportation such as transit.

(5) University placement and counselling

I was given appropriate guidance to apply to all the programs of my choice. The roadmap starts early on in making the right decisions through guidance counselling and learning experiences in the classroom. You are given resources outside of the school to connect with professionals in your area(s) of interest to make decisions on your professional goals. I was successfully accepted into my first choice program and post-secondary school. It is important and wise that you tailor your roadmap to what you specifically are interested in without feeling the pressure of feeling the need to choose a "typical career", and the guidance counselling assists you with making those decisions. As a student or parent of a student, you will have adequate access to guidance counselling while attending Crawford.