Barrie Prep: Student Life

Community Time is an important part of our program and deeply reflects our values as a school. We believe it is important to have a time when students could either meet as a whole group (e.g. Assembly) or in smaller, non-academic groups (class meetings, advisory, student and faculty-run clubs/committees, and a block designated for flexible use such as Extended Study Week prep.) Community Time is organized by our Middle and Upper School Deans. The meetings include:

Advisory: Dean of Student Life plans curriculum and run program, supervise the Advisors (2 CT blocks per cycle)
Assembly: Barrie Prep meets to share appreciations, announcements, to celebrate cultural events (e.g. Black History Month performance by the Dance class, Chinese New Year celebration by English as a Foreign Language class) and share important community information. Assemblies may be divided into Grades 6-8 and 9-12.
Clubs/Committees: Student- and faculty-run clubs that students sign up for by trimester or by year. (1 CT block per cycle)
Flex Time: Used to house “extra” pieces of our program: ESW Prep, Alumni speakers, etc. (1 CT block per cycle)
Office Hours: Teachers are available to answer student questions.

Barrie Prep requires 100 hours for community service and 75 hours for internships to graduate. Community service hours are accrued in grades 9-10 and internship hours in grades 11-12. These experiences are facilitated by the Internship Coordinator and the Director of College Counseling. The Community Service requirement is expected to transition naturally from the Middle School service learning block that occurs once per cycle.

Another program that maximizes learning by taking students off of campus is our yearly

Fall Retreat. Over the past several years, Barrie Prep has worked with Calleva, an outdoor education organization, to begin our year with experiential learning programs that support our themes, values, and mission. Working in conjunction with Calleva, faculty can develop programs that allow students the opportunity to explore and experience various outdoor activities, such as rock climbing, rafting, caving, and hiking. In close collaboration with the administration, Calleva helps ensure these activities and adventures are not just bonding experiences for students, but also vehicles for beginning each year with a grounding of Barrie’s mission and values.

Students in Grades 11 and 12 participate in a College Visit retreat, which may be overnight.