Graduation, Course Selection, Scholarships, and More

Graduation marks a significant transition in a young person's life, and represents the culmination of over a decade of work and effort to achieve prescribed Ministry of Education and Child Care goals and outcomes. It is also a time to look ahead to life after secondary school and all of the opportunities that exist.

Each secondary school website has information for students and parents/guardians on various topics such as the following:

Course selection

It is very important to understand the process of course selection and how to choose which courses to take in Grades 10, 11 and 12. Course selection usually happens by February each year, and parents/guardians should have conversations with their child to learn about interests as well as future goals and opportunities- this will guide which courses are selected. There are post-secondary requirements for programs, and dual credit career programs such as Youth Train in Trades that require certain courses to be completed prior to starting.  The school academic counsellor is there to provide information and assist with this. Please feel free to reach out to them for any questions.

On Track to Graduate?

If you have any questions about this, please reach out to the school principal or vice-principal, or the academic counsellor. It is important to check in about this in Grade 11 and Grade 12 to ensure that all courses are completed successfully and there are enough credits in place for graduation.

Applying to Post-Secondary Schools and the Deadlines

There are information sessions that take place at secondary schools, as well as visits from colleges/universities designed to provide information and inspiration to all students. Please reach out to the school for more information on events and questions you may have. Application deadlines for admission to post-secondary schools can begin in the fall/winter the year before, so it is important to begin planning far in advance. The school academic counsellor can help with this.

Scholarships/Bursaries

There are lots of opportunities to apply for scholarships or bursaries to help with the costs of post-secondary school programs, and recipients are selected according to a range of different criteria- leadership, service, financial need, sports, academics, etc.  There are also many bursaries that are intended to support Aboriginal students. Information is on school websites, and you can also reach out to school academic counsellors. Application deadlines for these are often by March.