Oh boy, this is going to be a long one lol…read more Ashbury College is located in the uber-rich area of Rockcliffe Park in the capital of Canada. Ashbury College is no University, it's actually a boarding primary & high school for girls and boys. But it's no ordinary school, I believe one of if not the top primary and high schools in Canada. One of Ashburys' most Notable alumni includes John Turner, Canada's seventeenth Prime Minister. The tuition not cheap either, this is the current tuition: - Non Boarding Student: $30,585 a year. - Boarding Student: $71,720 a year. This school is typically populated by the children of diplomats and the wealthy, and there's a long waiting list to get in. Technically, I qualify as one of the aforementioned as my Grandmother on my mother's side worked for the Jamaican High Commission(Jamaican Embassy) in Ottawa. So I'm going to tell you how I got into this school, and how I exited. So how did I get in? Well getting into Ashbury is not easy, I had to do a rigorous entrance exam and interview. I was about 12 when my mother was trying to get me into this school, and at the time no one explained to me the significance of graduating from this institution. I thought it was just some school for nerds. When I was doing the entrance test, I got bored so I just started to put anything for answers. They made me redo the test because they knew I purposely screwed the test because I literally got all the answers right in all the sections up to a point. I don't remember what they said to me to make me redo the test, but this time I did the whole test, and my score was so high they let me into the school immediately without having to go on the waitlist. I really enjoyed this school, it was exactly like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, except instead of magical wands we had Jesus, and instead of books of spells and incantations, we had the Bible. I was a straight 'A' student, and I did that without studying. I was also on the junior school soccer team. This is where it gets weird. The guy who was our headmaster of the boarding rooms was this creepy British guy who looked exactly like Professor Snape. There were 4 of us per room, and I think there were about 10 or 12 rooms on the floor. Now I've always been big for my age, so I was not someone who you could manhandle even at 12. I had the bottom bunk, and I've always been a late sleeper. So I started to notice this dude, the Headmaster would come into our room and just stand in the closet facing me for hours on end, not moving. I mean dude would stand there immovable for hours. I didn't think it was abnormal behavior, because being twelve I had no idea what the hell abnormal behavior was. One night this dude was standing there for hours, and I was just staring back at him, and he freaked out and turned on the lights. He ripped my covers off of me and yelled " you're not sleeping civilized". I guess I needed my covers to be picture-perfect and unruffled. The next odd thing about this Headmaster dude, after Phys-ED class, while we were all showering naked, he would always stand there staring at us. This behavior went on for months. Now this is where it gets really weird. Some of the students made up lies and informed the school administration "through the Headmaster" that I had taken their things and broken them. I was like what? Why would I do that, and why would they lie and say something like that. I'm not even sure which students made up the lie, though I have an idea. Anyway, to make a long story short, the school administration decided to expel me from the school because of the allegations. Even though I was a straight 'A' student, and I had no recorded incidences with any student or professor. I remember the day I was packing to leave, one of the students who I believe made up the allegations, a Middle-eastern kid, who also bunked in my room, looked at me with fear in his eyes, I'll never forget it. He tried to tell me something, but as he was about to speak another kid walked in and he went silent. So I left and my family wanted to kill me, they said I had ruined the opportunity for anyone in the family to get into Ashbury. I told them I didn't do anything, and that I had no idea why they were making up stories about me. Fast forward about 16 years later my mother read an Ottawa news article about that the very same Headmaster being arrested for molesting the boys in the Junior Boarding school at Ashbury College... Once she told me, I remembered all the crazy behavior that dude used to do and immediately realized he was molesting at least one of the kids in my room. Most likely the one who was trying to tell me something when I was leaving, and the one who made up the lies. That's when my mother finally believed me. I realised the headmaster had to get rid of me because he could not molest the other kid or kids in my room with me there. To think this pedophile had been ruining young boys lives for decades.

I would say very overhyped. Unless your not paying for it this school is not worth it. With them…read moreincreasing tuition almost every year and them implementing more restrictive rules without student input it has transformed into more of a prison than an actual learning environment. The administrators constantly say we are a private school and we dont have to follow many of public school rules, and then they just choose any rule and use the excuse that the public schools have it. With uniforms, phone restrictions, and a lack of self choice it does not prepare you for University or College but it limits you it stunts your personal growth. Food was alright here not the worst but ok "international food".

Poor supervision of students by teachers. School uses a…read moremunicipal park without applying for and paying the necessary permit fees - which should not be granted to a private business. CEO Bill Kokkaliaris expanded the school building with absolutely zero plan for student outdoor activities except to use the neighbouring park. The school is a horrible neighbour, ignoring community concerns. Only in it for the $$$, at the expense of the best interests and safety of the students.

We had a wonderful experience at St Laurent Academy. First of all bullying is not tolerated. 0…read moretolerance. My children loved the school and woke up eager to attend. I find the leadership fair but firm and they encourage children and parents to talk to them. They have an open door policy. We had to call a few times over the years and we found that leadership takes the time to listen before they interject and always respond promptly. As far as the education? If test scores are an indicator then the education received is top notch and very competitive. My favourite part is that our children were exposed to many growth opportunities from athletics to nature education in the forest, to ski trips and much more. All done in a safe and well managed environment. St Laurent Academy helped my children succeed while providing a safe and nurturing environment. What more could a parent want?