Welcome to our new Grade 8 Changemaker Leadership Academy! Applications are now open for the 2023-2024 school year!
“It’s like a gap year…”
Our new Grade 8 Changemaker Leadership Academy (CLA) is a special full-time, one-year leadership certificate program (at a special reduced tuition rate) for students entering Grade 8. We are looking for students who are already demonstrating kindness and empathy and who enjoy being pushed to reach their personal best among like-minded peers. Through creative project-work, off-campus adventures and plenty of hands-on experiences as leaders, students will build a stronger sense of self, sense of belonging and sense of purpose and leave with the understanding that they can be Changemakers wherever the future takes them.
This program runs full days (8:30am – 3:30pm) Monday to Friday. Students learn both the Alberta curriculum and our Changemaker curriculum through integrated studies and classroom projects, leadership activities, guest presenters, weekly trips off-campus and outdoor education adventures. CLA students are encouraged to lead younger students often as well as participate in Friday choice clubs including culinary arts and our art and music offerings.
CLA students will also be offered at least one opportunity to participate in a bigger travel studies program either domestically or internationally (extra fees apply for trips involving flights and hotels).
Why Grade 8?
Often our brightest and most kind-hearted leaders find Grade 8 to be an extra challenging year socially and emotionally and can struggle to find their place among the chaos in larger schools. As for homeschoolers, Grade 8 is often the year many students begin to express a desire for more social interactions with friends, more adventures, and may be interested in trying out a new educational environment for a year.
We like to call Grade 8 “the renovation year”. If you have ever lived through a kitchen renovation where you are still living in your home, you know that it’s not an easy time for anyone in the family. While you know it will be worth it in the end, you feel out of place, routines go out the window, and it’s incredibly hard to stay organized. It can even be stressful, exhausting and emotional. This is similar to what students in Grade 8 can feel like as their brains change, their bodies change, and their social lives begin to change. No longer a child but not quite a mature teen or young adult, anyone who has been through the early teen years knows that it can be tough!
However, we also know that, when provided with the right opportunities to engage in healthy risk-taking and further develop their leadership skills, Grade 8 students can surprise us with their relentless passion, a great desire to make a difference, and their vast capacity for entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity. Students will leave this program with a Changemaker Leadership Certificate, friends who are more like family, and life-long memories!
APPLY NOW:
WE HAVE A LIMITED NUMBER OF SPOTS FOR THIS INCREDIBLE ONE-YEAR PROGRAM, APPLY EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.
Tuition: $3900 per student per year (payment plans available).
TO APPLY:
- Submit an online application form HERE.
- Send supporting documents including birth certificate and 2 previous report cards (plus IPP and psych-ed reports, if applicable) to: Kristi.kraychy@changemakersedu.com
- Submit a 1-2 minute video OR personal website-portfolio page explaining why you want to join this special one-year program and why you would be a great leadership candidate. Send to: Kristi.kraychy@changemakersedu.com
- Successful applicants will be notified of acceptance via e-mail shortly after the application and supporting documents have been received.
- A lump sum tuition payment of $3900 (or a registration deposit if choosing the payment plan) is required to confirm and finalize registration.
Tuition: $3900 per student per year (payment plans available).
Must be entering Grade 8 in September 2023 to apply. Limited space available. Apply now!
Additional fees include:
- International (Non-Canadian Resident) Fee: +$6000 per year
- Uniform and outdoor wear (see uniform handbook).
- Pre-owned uniforms available at a reduced rate.
- Optional travel opportunities will have additional expenses for flights and hotels.
FAQ:
- Is the tuition rate on this page (above) the total amount for the year? Yes! This annual tuition rate is an incredible deal available through the hard work of our volunteer fundraising team and the support of our K-6 school. We are very passionate about offering more financially accessible special programming and hope to be able to offer more options like this in the future.
What will the class sizes look like? Our grade 8 class will be significantly smaller than most public or charter schools with a maximum of 18 students to ensure personalized attention and to encourage a strong sense of belonging. A waitlist will be started once we have reached our maximum.
Do you accept students with an IPP or special needs? Yes. However, students in our Grade 8 program are selected based on their pre-existing skills in leadership and empathy and must work well with others. CLA students must be willing to work hard academically in an exciting and challenging but supportive environment.
If your child has complex needs, please reach out prior to applying to find out what extra supports we are able to offer.
Do you offer transportation? Parents must be able to get their child to and from the Calgary Changemaker School (in Springbank) on school days as transportation is only available (at an additional cost) if there is enough interest in one particular area. Many of our families independently arrange carpooling. A bus to and from the school is arranged for all local off-campus trips.
