REVIEW OF J. Addison School BY student, Daryn Lai

(5) Student Experience

Based on my personal experience, I would consider the school like a second home for me. In addition, there are over 300 day and boarding students from various countries, including Canada. The school offers a friendly atmosphere that can be describe as a small multi-cultural community. If there is one thing that I would improve about my student experience at J. Addison School is the opportunity to meet other students from different grade levels during the school day as the current pandemic has slightly restricted the student movement for our health and safety. Despite this challenge, the relationships between faculty and students are respectful. The faculty are truly nice and they display a high level of patience when helping students understand the content area of a specified subject.

(5) School Leadership

From my personal experience, the school administration's relationship with students is respectful because they are able to speak to the students in a "comfortable" manner that puts them at ease. As a boarding student at J. Addison School, the current dorm team is providing a positive experience for myself as well as other boarding students through a means of counseling and additional support which helps us to improve our personal and character development. Finally, the guidance counsellors are also helpful!

(5) Teaching

I believe that the faculty at J. Addison School provides us with sufficient support to succeed in our academics. As a current student, I don't feel stressed or pressured to succeed as the faculty provides a warm, calming and relaxed environment. In addition, what I like about learning at J. Addison School is the fact that the faculty always asks for students' feedback on ways that they can improve or to ensure student understanding. From my personal understanding, the "definition of success" based on the faculty's perspective would be that students may enjoy their life and not solely focus on a career. What I have learned at J. Addison School through the faculty is that "happiness" should be paramount in regard to your personal success.

(5) Academics

In my opinion, the academics at the school is quite easy for me. Nevertheless, I find great joy in learning the content area. I truly believe the knowledge that I am gaining at J. Addison School is preparation for post-secondary life. In addition, I believe it will also help me to succeed in my personal life through time management as well as critical thinking. The lessons that I have been taught at J. Addison School is not solely based on academics, but the understanding that academics and personal success is an on-going process that doesn't happen overnight! Moreover, we must have patience, a mature mindset and the ability to work towards our dreams, which are essential for our future. Finally, this on-going process requires a balance.

(5) Extracurriculars

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our extra-curricular experience has been amended to meet the health and safety guidelines of the city of Markham, which is challenging for the current day and boarding students. Nevertheless, the dorm team has offered a wide range of activities that are safe for us to do, which still makes a great experience. My hope is that we can return to a normal extra-curricular schedule that will offer a great experience as before.

(5) Students

The student experience at J. Addison School feels like a town. The reason why I stated a "town" is based on the notion that the school has over 300 students when compared to other schools that may have 1,200 students, which is extremely overwhelming in my personal opinion. I love J. Addison School for their "small community" experience as I don't feel like another number in a large school. The students at J Addison School can be described like a family, each of them rely on the other for support as well as demonstrate a high level of respect. In my opinion, the student's mindset determines if they will struggle or have the ability to succeed. If a student wants to learn at J. Addison School, then I feel they will be able to succeed.

(5) School Life

The first place that I would take a group of visitors to see, would be the school dormitory. The reason why I selected this location is because this is where most of the students' friendships are formed. The memories that are formulated in the dorm experience allows a strong bond to be created and a sense of belonging amongst staff and students. As I continue to reflect, some of the greatest memories in the common room space area are hanging out with my dorm mates, playing table tennis or board games, watching horror movies until 1:00 a.m. on the weekends and learning how to cook with the dorm team. Moreover, there is a separate study hall space that offers the opportunity to communicate with your family or simply enjoy some personal time. Finally, the dorm space has 24/7 security monitoring to ensure the safety of all dorm staff and students.

(5) Community

The school feels like a home to me as previously mentioned. The dorm students that live within the current space are respectful and are non-judgmental. Living in a boy's dorm with 3 other roommates, I can describe them like my "paternal" brothers. The culture of the school is quite inclusive. The faculty and staff treat me with a high level of respect and I feel appreciated. My comfort level with the faculty and dorm staff is great as I am able to talk to them about any issues that I may have. In addition, I enjoy playing badminton and other fun activities with them. I must state that the dorm team always have a positive attitude that makes me smile as well as they make various jokes with us. They enjoy spending time with us!

(5) School Location

The current pandemic of Covid-19 has provided limited access to student movement at J. Addison School to ensure the health and safety of the school community until further notice. Despite this challenge, the school administration and dorm team have provided supervised outdoor activities in a safe manner that we can enjoy, which has truly been helpful to our mental and social well-being.

(5) Admissions

In the past, I never considered studying in Canada, especially at a boarding school due to my comfort level at the time. Honestly, I had a fear of studying abroad and I believe that I lacked the discipline to academically succeed at J. Addison School. Nevertheless, I was recommended by a friend to apply at the school based on the location of my guardian's home in the Markham community. The suggestions from my friend and guardian about J. Addison School was extremely positive, which led us to contact an educational agent in Hong Kong, who facilitated my admission process. Moreover, my mom spoke with the principal and the liaison officer as well, which provided the assurance that J. Addison School was the best choice for me!