'Changed my life,' How this Sudbury program is helping students return to school
CBC
The Rainbow District School Board in the Sudbury region is encouraging more people who have left school to return and finish high school at Barrydowne College.
The school helps young people aged 18 to 21 earn an Ontario Secondary School Diploma through smaller class sizes, individualized instruction, and flexible timetables. It offers high school courses, including electives such as art, food and nutrition, Indigenous education, and a specialist high-skills major in arts and culture.
Located at Cambrian College, Barrydowne College also provides dual credits that count toward both a high school diploma and post-secondary education. Students can earn paid co-op credits as well.
Lara Thompson, who left traditional high school in October 2022 due to anxiety and mental health challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, credits Barrydowne College with changing her life.
"I don't think I would have been able to graduate without Barrydowne. I don't think I'd be able to be as confident as I am without Barrydowne," said Thompson.
"The teachers have taught me so much besides just academics. They've taught me confidence and kindness. They taught me enthusiasm."
Thompson says she thanks the program for helping her graduate from high school. She is now pursuing post-secondary education at Laurentian University, and is one of many success stories since the school's founding in 2011.
Principal Laurie-Ann Lielkalns said the school supports students who have fallen behind, faced challenging life circumstances, or thought they could never finish their courses.
"Every student has their own story, their own life and our program caters to that individual approach," said Lielkalns.
She says the school typically has around 200 students each year.
"We have students who have families, they have young children as well. So every situation is unique. We have some students who also, you know, struggled after coming out of COVID and are still struggling to get back into a routine even a few years later," said Lielkalns.
Thompson added, "It was my dream to get a degree since I was really young, but I never thought I'd actually be able to accomplish it since I dropped out. I'm just really grateful that I'm able to go to Laurentian and Barrydowne really brought that for me."
Montreal cafés, bars, and restaurants are getting their elbows up and removing American products from their menus to send a bold message to the United States after President Donald Trump slapped a 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods.
Distracted driving remains a major concern on Saskatchewan roads, with experts and advocates warning that even a few seconds of inattention can have deadly consequences.
One Regina city councillor says he wants to stop the city from including fluoride in Regina's drinking water.
A man is going to prison for pressuring two women into the sex trade, one of whom he trafficked and sexually assaulted after initially offering to help her get off Edmonton's streets.
In late 2024, a series of supposed skiers booked equipment from Whistler rental stores.
Like other Ontario municipalities, the City of Hamilton is looking to stop buying goods and services from American companies during the newly launched trade war. But the process is proving to be more complicated than a simple, sweeping ban, city staff say.
The Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA) says flooding is possible over the next several days.
For Stephen Vandervalk, monitoring snowpack in the mountains is an important way to gauge how his farm operation near Fort Macleod, Alta., might fare the rest of the year.
WARNING: This story contains references to suicide.
Coffee-drinkers who are lucky enough to read anything other than "please play again" printed underneath the rim of their Tim Hortons' cup could usually expect a free double-double, or perhaps a donut, redeemable only at the chain's numerous Canadian locations.
A Cambridge, Ont., travel agent says her clients aren't changing March break plans to go to the U.S., but those planning vacations in the coming months are reconsidering their options.
An investigation into Buddhist land holdings in P.E.I. ordered by Minister of Land Steven Myers could provide the first legal test of measures in the Lands Protection Act meant to prevent concentration of land ownership across multiple linked corporations.
The Keskorie medical boarding home in Yellowknife, along with all the city's hotels, are currently booked up — and that's leaving some medical patients without accommodations.