BOARDING LIFE

Evenings and weekends are full of life in Pickering College’s Boarding Program. From nightly activities like athletics, crafts, and study sessions to weekend ski trips, sporting events, and shopping, there is always something to engage the students.

“In the boarding program, we endeavour to have a good balance between academic success for the kids and an engaging program where they get to experience Canada,” says Laura Mason, Executive Director, Boarding and Health Services. “It’s an opportunity for them to connect with other boarding students and get to know people and begin to form those relationships that are so important in boarding and that often last a lifetime.”

To help foster those relationships right from the start, at the beginning of the school year all the excursions are mandatory for students to attend.

“Everybody (at the beginning of the year) is in a vulnerable place where everything is new to them. They’re away from home, sometimes for the first time without parents, on their own, without friends,” Mason says.

That’s why in the first month the boarding team provides a lot of opportunities to create connections, whether it’s mini golf, teambuilding games, or the popular annual dinner boat cruise in Toronto.

“It’s easy to connect over things that are fun,” Mason says.

The fun doesn’t stop after the first month. There are two choices of activities every evening and different excursions on the weekends such as going to the movies, visiting an escape room, or sightseeing in Toronto. Even just getting outside to play in the snow becomes a chance to experience Canadian life.

These are all planned and put on by the dedicated boarding staff, but the Proctors—a group of student leaders in boarding— often offer suggestions for activities that appeal to teenagers today. Mason said that not everyone is going to love every activity, but they aim to have a variety of options and encourage students to explore new things.

“Part of being an adolescent is learning to try new things and to experience all that life has to offer. We try to make opportunities for them to do that on a regular basis,” she said.

Some of the favourite activities throughout the year include weekly family dinners with a rotation of different cultural cuisines, the annual variety show, fall and spring games, the holiday dinner and dance, and the end-of-year farewell festivities.

It’s not just about having fun, though. The goal is to help these students grow as individuals and as a community.

“The purpose behind it is fun for sure, but also making opportunities for connections, making opportunities to build our boarding community,” Mason said. “As the year goes on and people feel more comfortable, they start to feel more like they’re at their home away from home and they start to feel more comfortable with other people. You certainly see growth in people.”