Lakeside back in full force this fall

When Lakeside Academy opens its door for the 2016-17 school year on Aug. 31, students can expect more new programs than ever.

Staff are looking at the Lachine high school’s success plan for the new year.

“We’re so excited that we don’t have to think about closure,” said principal Kathleen O’Reilly. “We want to start small and do things right.”

The community rallied to save the only English high school in the territory and the Lester B. Pearson School Board voted to keep the school open indefinitely in July.

The 450 students at the International Baccalaureate (IB) school also have a new uniform choice: either a royal blue or white polo.

Enrollment is on target, with 90 new students entering the school and 80 graduating. The 2015-16 school year had 93 new students, a dramatic difference from 2014-15 that had 67 new registrations.

“I think people really respect that they want a high school in Lachine,” said O’Reilly of the increase.

Robots

The robotics program, that started in 2014, will be expanding. This year will see a junior and senior team, where grade 7 students can take robotics as a course and grade 9 students will have it as an extracurricular option.

LA Tech competes against other schools in an annual FIRST Robotics Competition.

“By having the juniors on board, our team will get stronger because they have a base by the time they get to ninth grade,” said O’Reilly.

Mohawk studies

A new Mohawk Culture course will be embedded into the curriculum for all grade levels, an homage to their long tie to the Mohawk community.

“A lot of Mohawk families have sent their children here,” said O’Reilly. There is also an annual student led Mohawk assembly at the school.

Shooting hoops

A new basketball concentration already has 22 students registered. Two days a week students can hone their basketball skills while learning about nutrition and the psychology of the sport.

Crossing borders

In March Lakeside became a Community Learning Centre (CLC) school, a facility that build partnerships within the community.

As part of this initiative, representatives from Lakeside will visit an inner city school in the Bronx as a way to explore new learning and success strategies.

By the 2017-16 school year students from Thewphaingarm School in Thailand will be able to learn at Lakeside through parallel IB units. About 150 Thai students should be able to participate over the course of the five-year project.

The Lakeside Academy open house will take place Oct. 5, 5050 Rue Sherbrooke, Lachine.