2 CSPGNO schools to offer international baccalaureate

Another Conseil scolaire public Grand Nord de l’Ontario (CSPGNO) school is set to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma programme.

Following École secondaire Hanmer, where the programme will begin in September 2014, Macdonald-Cartier will begin its IB Diploma programme in September 2015. No other French schools in Northern Ontario offer this program.

Pierre Riopel, the CSPGNO’s director of education, underscores the high level of interest for the International Baccalaureate in the community.

“We are excited to offer a programme that many parents and students have asked us to provide,” he said.

“To do so, we had to complete a demanding authorization process. Now, our personnel will receive specialized training and when the preparation phase is complete, we will provide a programme known world-wide for its international perspective enriched by international collaboration.”

The announcement of these new academic advantages adds to École secondaire Macdonald-Cartier’s already solid reputation, a press release from the school board said.

Students in its music program, focused on the band Groupe 17, its theatre arts program, focused on the troupe Les Draveurs, its initiation to performing arts trades and professions program (CEMAS) and its visual arts program have all garnered countless awards over the years.

Since its foundation 44 years ago, Macdonald-Cartier has provided an education centred on ethics, knowledge and abilities with which its graduates have made their mark at the local, provincial, national and international levels.

The International Baccalaureate organization, a not-for-profit educational foundation, is a world leader in the field of international education.

Its diploma programme helps students to develop a range of abilities required to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world. Over one million students in 146 countries attend the 3,665 “world schools” associated with the International Baccalaureate community.

Teaching and administrative staff at Macdonald-Cartier and Hanmer secondary schools will benefit from professional training in order to offer the International Baccalaureate’s Diploma program.

Throughout this process, they will access pedagogical resources and support, online forums and exchanges with colleagues in the IB World School sphere across Canada and abroad.