Focus Programs

Focus Programs take place in Grade 11 and/or 12 and give students an opportunity to take a package of courses in an area of specific interest.  These programs combine in-class and out-of-class programming to provide a unique learning experience.  

Most Focus Programs use an application process to admit interested and motivated students.  

Please contact the offering school for additional information about these programs.

OSPREY - “Opeongo’s Special Program in Research Ecology for Youth”

Offered at Opeongo High School

OSPREY is an all-day program that runs in the second semester and is open to any grade 11 or 12 student who is cooperative, hardworking and responsible. The program will focus on field research techniques in ecology including data collection and analysis. There will be a number of outdoor excursions, including daily excursions to the OHS woodlot, backpacking and hiking, winter camping, wilderness canoe tripping, Algonquin Park forestry, tree planting and the Envirothon competition.  

Throughout this program, students will gain knowledge and develop skills in some of the following areas:  map/compass use, wilderness navigation, safe chainsaw use and tree felling techniques, tree identification, building construction, GPS data collection, map-making using GIS software, wilderness camping, forest management planning, habitat analysis, insect, bird, and mammal survey techniques, woodlot evaluation, scientific and forestry report writing, and presentation skills.

Students interested in taking this course will be asked to complete an application during course selection.  The selection process for the OSPREY program will consist of a letter, an essay and an interview. 

Successful applicants to this program may be required to help cover transportation costs to the relevant field trips.  Should this cost prove to be undue stress to a student and/or their family, please contact the Principal.

TAMARACK

Offered at Mackenzie Community School

TAMARACK is a specialized Experiential Education program for senior students (grades 11 and 12) at Mackenzie Community School that has been taught 24 times since its inception in 1991.  Its rich history and connection to Mackenzie and the surrounding communities link past, present, and future students.

The course experience includes the following courses:  BOH4M (Business Leadership: Management Fundamentals), CGR4M (Environment and Resource Management), and NDW4M (Contemporary Indigenous Issues and Perspectives in a Global Context).  Tamarack runs every second year at Mackenzie.

Blending the sciences of the planet and its environments, students will experience, experiment, and learn about the natural world and the impact humans have on the earth.  Tamarack students will also work to develop and maintain both their own individual wellness and community wellness.  

TAMARACK’s inclusive learning environment gives students an opportunity for personal growth.  The program includes a unique combination of indoor/outdoor learning spaces that encourage group dynamics and critical thinking.  Due to TAMARACK’s unique learning approach, learning is not limited to the physical classroom. Learning environments extend to the natural, digital and real-world to provide multi-dimensional spaces that allow students quiet space for reflection and active spaces to explore, discover, and collaborate. 

The wilderness trips provide opportunities to study local and further environmental phenomena and experience nature firsthand through hard physical work coupled with discovery. Discussing literature and ideas in a natural setting provides an amazing learning experience. Each skill acquired by students of the TAMARACK program proves useful when applied to post-secondary experiences and challenges in everyday life.

TAMARACK revolves around the students, and projects are completed, from conception to finished product.  Students are responsible for every aspect of producing TAMARACK magazines.  Students arrange and conduct interviews, write and edit stories, and participate in layout, cover design, financing, printing and sales. Similarly, their scientific work begins with problems and moves through experimental design, observation, analysis, and report writing.  Therefore, all the TAMARACK work is authentic and students sense that their work is real and valued.

Students interested in taking this course will be asked to complete an application during course selection in February.