Roundtable Q&A Discussion About Ridley College (2021)

The thing I appreciate most about Ridley College is really the sense of community that it fosters. It's that connection that students have not just with each other, but that students have to the place, that students have to their teachers, and the staff.

I ended up at a university called Notre Dame, which is in South Indiana, an hour and a half south of Chicago. This is a place that I picked because when I was there on campus and saw first hand, there was a sense of community. I realized that community was something that I valued from my time at Ridley College. I don't think I would have been as engaged in university if it wouldn't have been for some of the upbringing, and those connections that I had begun making when I was in high school.

It's not just about who you are as a student at Ridley College, and who you are there to become; it's really, actually about who you were there with, and what you do together. For example, on the hockey team, it was very important for us to all achieve something together. There's a natural sense of community there. I had that community, and I went back to my dorm, and I had my dorm mates playing other sports, and I would go out and watch their games to support them. Then I'd attend classes with my IB teachers, and we'd often discuss my papers after hours, which allowed me to get feedback if I wanted to.

There are many elements of community at Ridley College, which really help students, particularly if you're a boarder, and you're so far away from home. You get very comfortable with where you are and understand that you have that support network, and these people genuinely want the best for you moving forward.

It stands out that Ridley College is an international coed boarding and day school. You end up having a lot of different kinds of people from different walks of life. The experiences and perspectives that they have, just by a matter of everyone meeting together in the dining hall, or being in the dorms, they're going to share that with you. You're going to learn a lot more about other people and begin to realize things about yourself.

Everyone at Ridley College is promoted and challenged to play a sport. … Even if that’s not for you, there is a whole physical activity club where, on a rotation, people will be playing badminton, running, or just staying active. I think it is very crucial for people, particularly because it builds confidence in them, but also allows them to become team players and really make new friends.

In the end, you realize that you have a lot of opportunity within a really small place, and that really allows you to not just be a friend or a student. Ridley College really allows you to kind of explore the variety of parameters that you have within you. At Ridley College, it was very much part of your normal daily routine to be balanced and try out a variety of different things. I'm in my mid-20s now, but that has definitely given me a different perspective, even now as an adult.

There's a lot of legacy in Ridley College. So you're coming to an institution that has history, that has stood the test of time, and been able to kind of take different processes and take different kinds of lessons away from what's worked and what hasn't worked. Traditional doesn't necessarily mean old-fashioned. I found Ridley College to be very progressive. What I mean by that is there's always a strategic plan. The strategic plan is always looking at how to improve on the current baseline, and how to beat that status quo, and be the number one independent school in Ontario, and essentially even in Canada.

I was one of those first two cohorts that went through the IB diploma, and for Ridley College to be one of the only schools that do that opens up a lot of opportunities, particularly to national students who wish to go back to Europe or to the US, or go to Asia to study. That was at the time a more progressive move, whereas most of the Canadian schools thought that the Canadian diploma and the US high school diploma would be fine.

Ridley College is a very outgoing place, but it doesn't mean you have to be extremely social. There are definitely people who find their spot, who are quiet,  and they find their niche, and they find their people; that's kind of how everyone integrates into the community. So by nature, you're going to be an outgoing person who is going to attract a lot of different people from a lot of different walks of life.

I think what's surprising about the school is actually just how international Ridley College is, and that balance between day students and boarders. I know that there are Canadian families who send their kids to boarding school, but within the dorm, you're going to find different subgroups.

There is a Latino presence at Ridley College. I think that's probably one of the earlier international communities that was fostered there. There's also a lot of Europeans, particularly Germans, Spanish, and  French, and kids from the UK. You have the African and Asian communities as well, so it truly feels like a mini international University.

I think the international element of Ridley College surprises a lot of people, particularly when you consider that the school is in St. Catherine's. It's an hour south of Toronto, which is an ecosystem of different cultures. You actually find that at Ridley College as well. The Niagara region is a growing region as well in Canada, especially being so close to Toronto.

You will find new things that engage you and stimulate you at Ridley College, and at the same time, you will make new friends. Hopefully, you'll have a few that you have for the rest of your life. Just being open-minded is the basic advice I would give to a new student at Ridley College.

I appreciate everything at Ridley College. Whether that be the faculty who supported me every step of the way, when I asked a million questions, they were still there to support me and help me out, or whether that be the appreciation of tradition at Ridley College. The legacy of tradition and history at Ridley College is something that I think reverberates throughout the whole community, which is also a huge component of my Ridley College experience.

I think the element of tradition and the element of legacy at Ridley College are interesting, because not only do students and the people of the community embody that, but it's also very visible in the physical structures of the school as well. You’ll see that it is a beautiful campus.

It all comes down to this: upon many hours of reflection and even just sitting here now, I would say that the thing I appreciate the most, especially coming away from Ridley College, is the emphasis that has been placed on critical thinking.

The diploma program component of the IB program at Ridley College was something that I appreciated a lot, and still do to this day, because there's a huge emphasis placed on critical thinking. Paired with the resources, the faculty, and the support of the school, there is only that culture of excelling that is fostered within that space. I think the critical thinking skills that are imbued into you during those two years sort of linger into university, and into your future years.

I think the really special thing about Ridley College ... is that ingrained component of the holistic person, and the athletic component is a key integral part of that, because it is so widely promoted across campus. Yes, it builds confidence in those who might not be athletic, but that's perfectly fine because we have a ‘Sport for Life’ program. Not only do sports build accountability, and build initiative. It also reinforces that physical well-being and mental well-being. That mental well-being, we can't perform as students or as individuals. I would definitely say that Ridley College is indeed the most active school in Canada.

There's something about Ridley College, and I can't quite put my finger on it; it seems as though once you've stepped onto campus, there's always going to be this invisible line tugging you back. Whether that's the people you meet, the peers you meet, the faculty and staff you come across, or simply just the grounds of the campus. As I've mentioned already, the campus is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen across high schools and universities.

I don't know what it is, but it seems as though when you physically leave Ridley College at the end of the day, you really don't mentally part. I think there's always this piece of you that is still at Ridley College. Even now, I can say there's always a sense of loyalty that you feel to Ridley College, whether that's deliberately or undeliberately expressed, there's always going to be that sense of loyalty and connection that you feel and that sense of belonging.

Even as a student at  Ridley College, through various roles, there are plenty of opportunities to engage with the community, and even within the community. I know, for example, there's that online platform.  Ridley College has its own online alumni networking platform. I've used that to connect with past alumni. I know there are international retreats. I know there are cohort reunions, but there's even a chance to engage in intergenerational meetings and connections.

‘O.R.’ is the term we use for alumni; it stands for Old Ridlian. There's a part of  Ridley College that is so ingrained within our identities, but it's really hard to miss when you do come across it. I would say that Ridley College doesn't harbour a ‘one and done’ type of relationship or culture. I think it's definitely a culture that continuously fosters relationships across the board.

Ridley College is an international community, it's made up of over 50 countries, 50 nationalities.

I know that Ridley, as a community, is quite involved within the local community of St. Catherine's. I know that in my boarding house … one of our yearly events to get engaged with the local community was going door to door during Halloween to collect canned goods. Ridley College really does pride itself on service.

I think that with the interaction between different cultures, different backgrounds, and different stories, everybody brings something different to the table at Ridley College. It is a great place to see all of that intermingle, and everybody learning from each other. ... When families visit campus, they will see how great our facilities are, and how great the teachers and students are.

Something that you don't immediately see at Ridley College is the sheer variety of courses available to students in all academic areas. Whether that be the sciences, the social sciences, or the languages. There's just an array of courses, I would say, particularly in the higher grades, there's a multitude of academic pathways. … It's also the variety of academic pathways available to students that are conducive to students' different learning styles and learning approaches.

I did the full IB Programme at Ridley College, and I have peers who did the hybrid program, or the OSSD program, so that was always available to us as students as well. I think in the end, the variety of classes, paired alongside the option to select which pathway is most conducive to your learning. … In the end, that promotes active learning.

Ridley College does a great job at offering all kinds of opportunities for you to develop as an individual, but also develop alongside your peers, improve upon your skills, and build new skills.

We really liked the history behind Ridley College and the traditions that had been offered. I think for any person to be part of such a strong legacy is an incredible honour. With the IB Programme, we knew that it would be strong academically. I think what we appreciated most about Ridley College is the holistic education that they offered for our children, mentally, physically, and socially. I think that made such a dynamic impact on us.

We expected a high level of education at Ridley College, and a high level of sport curricula, but I think what exceeded our expectations was the warmth of the community. We never anticipated that high level; we never quite experienced the connection of a community so strongly as what we have experienced at Ridley College, not just as parents, but as a family within the Ridley College community.

The Ridley Lower School really amended the programs to accommodate our boys, the faculty and staff. Their aim was to ensure that our boys had as normal a return to school despite the fact that they were wheelchair bound for four months. This really touched our family deeply. The second personal experience was that our eldest son, who's now going into Grade 11, experienced the encouragement and support from teachers to step out of his comfort zone.

As a parent, you want your kids to experience a full day filled with activity and fun. So, usually the first sign that Ridley College does a great job at it is that our kids come home exhausted. It's like a win for every parent. I think our older children love the academic challenge at Ridley College. They love the fact that they really offer such a vast variety of co-curricula for each one of them to choose something that they have an interest in, and for them to experience something new that they might have never been exposed to. That has been a great conversation at our home.

I always tell parents who ask, ‘Why are your kids in school for that long?’ For me as a parent, I'm honoured that my child is choosing to be in an educational environment for some days, up until 9:00 pm. Because they're not quite ready to come home yet, and it's just amazing to know that that is their experience. It's a safe environment. They love being there; that is their community that they choose to spend their day in.

I think we have found, with Lower School, in particular, that the support from the teachers in the faculty that they offer for our children helps them flourish beyond their expectations. The Upper School gives the challenges that help our children really discover their specific purposes in life. I think the Ridley community as a whole helps our children to keep it real.

There is such a myriad of global influences at Ridley College. We personally love that it's such a cosmopolitan impact that the families have on our children. I always joke and say, ‘our kids learn not only in class, but they also learn in the playground,’ because there's such a variety of communities that our children are exposed to, and just to have that is an education in itself. I think, despite people coming from all around the world, the community that Ridley College creates and forms creates support for families to stand aside one another.

You have the support at Ridley College, not just from the faculty and staff, but also from the family guild, to help you integrate into the school and have an incredible experience. Do not be afraid to ask. There are many families that are willing to share their experience, and faculty and staff that are willing to come alongside you. Enjoy and embrace every single moment. It's incredible how quickly it goes by, to thoroughly enjoy every step of the way, because there are so many things that are just wonderful to experience.