O2 is a bit like a school within a school: it provides students with hands-on and real-world experiences while they explore who they are and what they’d like their lives to look like in the future. It’s for any student who’s interested in a different style of learning: with a maximum of 20 Grade 10 students admitted into the program, we become a tight-knit community very quickly. We explore different careers and educational programs, develop essential employability skills, and work to connect with the community, potential employers, and to become leaders in our school and in the broader area. With an O2 certificate, students gain preferential admissions to any NSCC program – even those with multi-year waitlists – and O2 is a great foundation for university as well. Because we focus on getting students out into workplaces and developing in-demand skills for success as outlined by the Government of Canada, all of our graduates are seasoned workers and are ready to launch into the next phase of their lives. O2 provides them with an incredible foundation for whatever education or career pathway they decide is best for them.
An ideal O2 student is curious, a leader and helper, responsible, and a little bit different than your average student. They want to be able to see a clear connection between what we do in the classroom and what skills they’ll need in their futures. They’re interested in reflecting on who they are and then setting ambitious goals for themselves. They want to feel engaged as a learner and valued as part of our school community. They enjoy both hands-on activities and listening to and learning from experts (and their awesome peers!). They’re capable of juggling many responsibilities, communicating clearly with the adults in their lives, and working in collaboration with other students. If your child is eager to learn in an environment full of enthusiasm, curiosity, and alongside engaged peers, O2 may be the right fit for them!
O2 takes place over three years, which look like this:
Grade 10: Students take 1 course with me each semester
Career Development 10 lays the foundation for all that we do
Community-Based Learning 11 center's around service learning with community partners (and includes 1-2 days of job shadowing)
Grade 11: Students take Co-op 11
Co-op 11 begins with a classroom component to get students ready for a work placement (resume/cover letter, NSCC/university application prep, safety training, etc.)
Once the classroom component is complete, students go a job site one day per week instead of school, completing 80 hours in total
Grade 12: Students complete two Co-op 12 credits
I encourage students to complete their placements at different locations so that they gain new skills and can “try on” new careers!
Because students have a demonstrated track record of responsibility and reliability, once they begin their placement, they switch to a "Mandatory Meeting" model: they check-in with me once a week and attend their placement once a week, but those additional co-op blocks become bonus spare periods for catch-up. Students have told me this flexibility is extremely useful as they prepare for their first year post-high school!
To put it succinctly, Grade 10 builds the foundation for students to head out into the community and into real job sites to gain academic high school credits while learning invaluable on-the-job skills. Community hosts function as mentors and we regularly visit to see all the great things they’re up to. Students reflect on their own learning, set their own learning goals, and leave the program feeling empowered to chart their own course into their future.