SYDNEY MINES, N.S. — If growth is the signal of a strong business, Munro Academy will have plenty to celebrate during their 10th anniversary celebration Saturday at their Sydney Mines location.
But if students like Ethan Jobes and Sarwat Naeem are any indication, there’s much more to celebrate than that.
Jobes, 17, of Sydney Mines arrived at Munro last March during a Bring A Friend to school day and immediately noticed a difference.
“I liked how friendly everyone is,” said Jobes, now in Grade 12. “It is just a totally different atmosphere to any other school — you just know as soon as you walk through the door that it is different and it’s just so nice as soon as you arrive. I’ve enjoyed school more since I’ve come here than any other year I’ve done in school anywhere else.”
Jobes enjoyed his experience so much he’s now a full-time student and president of the school’s student council. He’s not alone in enjoying the experience. Sarwat Naeem, a Grade 7 student, can’t get enough of the Munro experience.
“I said to my Dad, you know what, I don’t really want to leave school at 3:30,” says Naeem. “That’s like too soon for me to come home. Everyone is so kind and caring, the teachers, literally everyone. It feels like I am with my family.”
The school began in 2009 in Sydney Mines with 17 students before moving five years later to Ball’s Creek. Some of the students have been with the school from the very beginning, like Ben Whyte.
“I started in Grade 2 and I’ve been here since the beginning,” says Whyte, 17, a Grade 12 student from Ross Ferry. “I’ve had four siblings graduate from Munro Academy.”
The school has grown to the point where it needed to establish the second campus in Sydney Mines in 2018 and an Early Learning Centre earlier this year at the same location. And in addition to the expected cake, games and bouncy house fun, the academy will be further celebrating the 10 year milestone with 6 to 50 per cent off tuitions Saturday only.
The fun begins Saturday, 1-4 p.m. at 2 School St, Sydney Mines, in the former St. Joseph’s Elementary School.
Munro Academy, distinguished by its Christian worldview integration and opportunities to give service in a variety of countries, has around 140 students, from day-care and pre-primary to Grade 12. Pre-primary to Grade 4 students attend the Balls Creek facility, while students in middle school and high school go to the Sydney Mines site, also home to the Early Learning Centre. The academy is known for its small class sizes and academic rigour but it also includes plenty of other activities for students of all ages.
But according to Janet Pinno, director of International Students and one of the school’s founders, there’s more to Munro Academy than simple numbers.
“We measure our success based on the lives impacted, that kids are doing well, that they’re happy to be here, that they’re thriving and that their academics are coming along.”
Students like Naomi Barrett, 13, a Grade 8 student from Howie Centre, like to emphasize how different the school is.
“Everyone is very caring and kind,” says Barrett. “And it’s not just about the schoolwork, it’s about people. I really enjoy school now and before I wouldn’t look forward to school.”
Some of the tiniest participants can be found in the newly opened Early Learning Centre. When it opened on Aug. 9, it had six children attending but that number has now risen to 30. It is the only daycare in Sydney Mines for infants and is full at this time although there is still room for toddlers and preschool children.
“We’re growing quickly. We aim to provide a kind, caring, loving environment, putting the needs of children and family first always,” says Patricia Bell, the centre’s director.
The students come from across the CBRM and are bused to their respective campuses daily. Besides the daily travel, many students get to go even further afield if they’re enrolled in the school’s global studies program.
“Distinctive to Munro Academy is our global studies program which involves a service trip every year so we’ve taken students to Kenya, to the Dominican, to Belize, Bolivia, to Germany to work with refugees, to Ethiopia,” says Janet Pinno. “They do prep beforehand and they do debriefing after and they learn about the country, some of the language and what have you.”
Zoya Pinno, 17, of Balls Creek, is one the students who have gone on a service trip and she highly recommends it.
“I was able to go to Kenya last March 2018 and that was great,” says Zoya Pinno. “It was really important and something that Munro does really well.”
Add that to a student/teacher ratio of 9 to 1 and you have a school that caters to its students through the year.
“What the students like about the school is that it is small, the environment is happy and healthy and comfortable and it’s a warm friendly place for them,” says Janet Pinno. “They feel relieved and they feel safe and in many cases they just flourish when they get here.”
RELATED:
Munro Academy to provide transportation to and between its two campuses
Munro Academy expanding to Sydney Mines with purchase of former St. Joseph’s Elementary School
Munro Academy students in Balls Creek hope to make others aware of online dangers
