Abbotsford, BC- A Parent Forum and Information Session will be held at 7:00 pm on February 15, 2006 at Abbey Arts Centre to introduce Abbotsford Collegiate. Abbotsford Collegiate will open in September 2006 at the current site of Abbotsford Senior Secondary and is the result of the merging of Abbotsford Senior with the Career Technical Centre. All parents are welcome and students within or outside Abbotsford School District are eligible to apply.

The new school will offer tuition-free university and career preparation programs in eight academic streams, providing high school students with focused study in a small learning community. “Every student at Abbotsford Collegiate will have the opportunity to rigourously prepare for university, college or the workplace,” says Dr. Bill MacGregor, principal of Abbotsford Collegiate.

Working in partnership with the University College of the Fraser Valley and other post-secondary partners, the new school builds on the successful model pioneered at Career Technical Centre. Students can enter Abbotsford Collegiate as early as Grade 9. Grade 9 and Grade 10 Foundation Academies allow students to explore a number of different streams to help them choose a focus for future studies.

Senior students can choose Trade Academy programs such as Carpentry, Welding, Automotive, Electrical, Hair Design or Culinary Arts. The Technology Academy includes Architectural Drafting, Applied Business Technology or Web Site Design.

The University Prep Academy is led by the world-renowned International Baccalaureate programme, offering both diploma and certificate programs. University preparation is also available for Math-Sciences, Liberal Arts and Business.

In affiliation with the Abbotsford Minor Soccer Association and UCFV, Abbotsford Collegiate offers a Sport and Human Performance Academy that combines daily physical training with the study of sports medicine, coaching theory and a full academic program. This academy includes a Health Sciences and Human Services program. Visual and Performing Arts and the unique Integrated Studies Program round out the academies available.

Graduating students will not only receive the provincially recognized Dogwood Diploma, but will also have the opportunity to receive a minimum of one university or college course. Depending on their field of study, many students can graduate with up to one year of post-secondary credit.

“We’ve thoroughly researched the factors that contribute to student success,” says MacGregor. “Smaller focused learning communities, individualized academic programs and an emphasis on physical education all lead to improved learning and success. Abbotsford Collegiate will bring the very best practices in the field of education to the desks of each student.”

Abbotsford Collegiate opens in September of 2006. Registration is underway now. Those interested in finding out more are invited to the Parent Forum on February 15. A Registration Open House will be held on February 28 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Abbotsford Senior Secondary School 2329 Crescent way. For more information call: 604-853-3367.