The reasons families opt for an independent school education for their children varies from case to case.
Some base their choice on geographic proximity. Others have a religious need to fill.
Some want a focus on a particular academic.
For Steve Bodnar, he just wanted an environment for his son, Trevor, where he felt comfortable and could fit in and enjoy his school days.
That's why he and his wife decided to send Trevor to Choice School (choiceschool.org) in east Richmond, which has been in operation since 1985.
"Choice is a very specialized school, specifically targeted at students who have a gifted designation, but it goes beyond that," Bodnar said, adding Trevor, who is in Grade 5, has autism.
"A lot of the kids there excel in some areas and have areas where they struggle a little bit," Bodnar said.
"Our son is on the autism spectrum, what you would call Aspergers, a highlevel functioning autistic, and was having challenges fitting into the public school system on a few different levels."
That meant from a social aspect, Trevor encountered difficulty mixing in with the rest of the students at his old school.
"Whereas, at Choice School, he just fits," Bodnar said. "It's a very comfortable environment. The school prides itself, and excels at dealing with really bright kids and some of the difficulties some of these kids have.
"We all know the brainiacs and quirky kids when we were at school and how difficult it is to fit in.
"At Choice School, they all fit in together," Bodnar said.
Choice School Principal Ray Probyn said the school's small enrolment numbers - 37 students (14 in K-Grade 3, nine in Grades 4 and 5, and 14 in Grades 6 and 7) - allows them to receive plenty of individual attention which fits in with the school's teaching philosophy.
"We tend to look at all of the students as individuals rather than classes and monitor their progress as individuals," Probyn said.
That allows for some to be offered accelerated studies.
"We're not a hothouse where we're pushing students to achieve some wonderful results, but we're actually trying to match their abilities to what they can access in the curriculum.
"And that may mean we have a Grade 3 student doing Grade 6 math, if that's appropriate for them."
Aside from the academic pursuits, Choice School also makes a point of instilling in each student a sense of confidence and self esteem.
"The style of learning here allows us to do a lot of project work where the students all have to present their work back to their fellow students and teachers," Probyn said.
"So, they get a lot of chances at public speaking. And that really does stretch them a little bit in terms of their understanding of whatever their (project) topic might be."
It's the type of "out of the box" learning environment the Bodnars were looking for that has resulted in dramatic increases in Trevor's grades.
"The school allows students to bring their interests into the classroom to make the connection between learning and what they are passionate about," Bodnar said.
"And that increases their enthusiasm for learning."
