Island Oak High School is located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, in Canada. It offers Grades 9 to 12. Enrolment has increased to over 50 students. There is a faculty of ten teachers, specialists, administrators, and assistants. In Feb. 2007 the school hosted the BC Waldorf Teachers Conference.
The school has been operated since 1995 by the Steiner Educational Society, a group of parents and community members. It is certified by the Ministry of Education of British Columbia and receives government funding for Independent Schools.
The school is a High School Initiative under the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America - see Waldorf schools' organization and administration.
Typically, over half of the Grade 9 students entering the school come from a Waldorf elementary school. Sunrise Waldorf School, a Kindergarten to Grade Eight school also located in the Cowichan Valley, provides many of the students, but is not formally associated with Island Oak High School.
Every year since founding, a number of international students have come to the school in exchange for Island Oak High School students visiting their countries. Approximately 25% of the students are boarding or exchange students. They come from Waldorf Schools in France, Germany, England, Russia, Netherlands, Switzerland, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Australia to name a few. Students stay for periods ranging from three months to a year. The opportunity to travel to other countries, to study and learn other languages and immerse themselves in other cultures is an attraction for BC and Canadian students of Grade Ten and Eleven.
For photo gallery, curriculum, application, and other information contact *Official website
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—Stella Chess (20th century)
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Walter Pater (1839–1894)