In the heart of Victoria
is Saint Margaret’s, an all-girl private school founded in 1908 that offers a unique educational experience
to young ladies from pre-school to Grade 12.
Here, students are offered industry-leading classes featuring an advanced placement program as well as
various honours programs used to recognize the school’s rigorous academic schedule.
The Saint Margaret’s experience is more than simply academic, however. According to Michelle Iulianella,
director of marketing and communications and a Saint Margaret’s graduate, the unique opportunity to study in
a girls-only classroom is what places Saint Margaret’s ahead of other educational experiences.
“Everybody from the really good athletes to musicians, the leads in the school plays, the captains, they’re
all girls,” explains Iulianella. “Everywhere girls look they’re seeing young girls and young women in these
elevated leadership-mentoring positions.”
This mentorship role is created and fortified from the moment a new student puts on her signature red blazer.
A Big Sister/Little Sister program helps forge relationships between all levels of girls, and offers the
juniors an opportunity to admire and emulate their “big sisters’” achievements.
As the junior and senior buildings are located on the same campus, students interact with all ages of fellow
students. Junior girls are coached by senior girls and then continue on to become leaders themselves in
their senior year so that the overall experience of trying an extracurricular activity is both comfortable
and inspiring.
“We have lots of girls who are ‘lifers,’ as we call them,” says Iulianella. “They stay all throughout the
years and graduate into Grade 12.”
Saint Margaret’s students are brought up in an environment that highlights all aspects of their academic,
athletic and artistic prowess. According to Iulianella, this is why Saint Margaret’s students feel like they
can go into the typically more male-dominated fields — “they don’t see that there’s a barrier at all.”
In fact, the majority of students go into business and sciences upon graduation, where they are eagerly
accepted by universities both nation- and worldwide.
“Collectively
the 2009 grad class of only 44 girls received over $170,000 in entrance scholarships,” Iulianella
confirms.
The sisterly appeal of the school also extends to the international community, with a boarding program
that accepts students from Grades 7 through 12. Boarders are placed two to a room, and an effort is made to
ensure that all roommates come from culturally diverse backgrounds.
“They start learning each other’s languages and sharing each other’s cultures. They graduate and years later
end up in each other’s wedding parties,” says Iulianella.
Saint Margaret’s embraces its international boarders, including those struggling with the challenge of an
English classroom. The school offers English as a Second Language (ESL) Bridge and Transition programs of
specialized classes to international students.
When not welcoming international students on campus, Saint Margaret’s girls travel abroad themselves. Grade 9
students participate in an exchange program with a sister school in Japan.
“Saint Margaret’s teaches them to have an open mind and to be culturally aware,” says Iulianella, “and to
develop those cross-cultural leadership skills that people really need today.” •
Photos courtesy of Saint Margaret’s
