Located across two beautiful
campus grounds in Victoria, B.C., is Glenlyon Norfolk School, home to academic and athletic champions from
junior kindergarten through to Grade 12.
Here, students from JK to Grade 10 explore an enriched B.C. curriculum that is taught within the framework of
the International Baccalaureate Primary and Middle Years Programmes. For students in Grades 11 and 12 the
widely acclaimed International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme provides a challenging curriculum, recognized
by universities around the world as one of the best predictors of success at university.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme consists of up to six courses, including history,
English, mathematics, languages, science and the fine arts. In addition to these advanced classes, students
are required to take a theory of knowledge course and complete an extended essay of 4,000 words. Many
universities recognize the IB Diploma courses as equivalent to first-year level and award first-year credits,
allowing IB Diploma graduates to take advanced courses in their entry year.
The full IB Diploma Programme is followed by 30% of Grade 11 and 12 students and 70% study individual courses
at this advanced level.
“It’s very manageable,” says Alexander Mahrt, an IB student and co-captain of the senior boys soccer team. “I
take three IB courses. There are hectic periods, but the teachers are pretty flexible. Extracurriculars don’t
damage your academics, but actually enhance your experience at school. The coaches and the teachers are close
— the coaches are the teachers in some cases.”
The GNS Gryphons have also achieved extraordinary success on the soccer field. This year the senior boys team
added “provincial champions” to a list of victories, and the senior girls team hopes to duplicate that at the
provincial tournament in late May. To date the girls are the independent school provincial champions.
According to Glenlyon head Simon Bruce-Lockhart, this success is owing to the focus on development. “We grow
our own players,” he explains. “Our senior girls soccer team is having a spectacular season this year. There
are four, if not five girls in Grade 8 playing on that team.” This, when compared to other school teams made
up primarily of students in Grades 11 and 12, offers years of training opportunities.
“The younger players are being taught by the older ones and their coaches,” Bruce-Lockhart confirms. “They’re
growing their own culture.”
These themes of development and growth are found throughout the school’s programs. GNS is a Round Square
school, and so has an active international presence and supports many student-led initiatives.
Student exchange programs last from 10 days to three months, and include destinations such as Scotland,
Thailand, India, Australia and South Africa. The exchanges usually take place in Grades 9 and 10, as students
are heavily involved in the IB program and university preparation in their senior years.
Through these exchanges and their participation in the Round Square conferences and service projects,
students are taught to be representatives of the school, as well as representatives of Canada. Their
confidence and sense of global responsibility stem from the very culture of the school plus years of public
speaking and leadership experiences.
“In the Junior School we have Student Voice,” Bruce-Lockhart explains. “Student Voice enables younger
students to accomplish individual goals. They meet with other students and bring a proposal for the
betterment of the community to the principal, who helps the students examine the pros and cons of the
suggestion, and later works with them to put it into place.”
In senior years prefects take on leadership roles, in a more structured display of student government.
Students head what Bruce-Lockhart refers to as “the pillars of the school” — fine arts, service, athletics,
environment and internationalism. •
Photo courtesy of Glenlyon Norfolk
School
