NAKINA — There is a single student at École secondaire catholique des Satellites in Nakina, for now.
The distance learning French high school is working on growing as it continues to promote itself throughout the region.
The school offers classes in French to high school-aged students in communities outside Thunder Bay through the use of what its principal calls “satellite campuses.” Students have a dedicated workspace in a classroom in their community, along with other educational tools, with the teacher delivering lessons remotely from Thunder Bay.
“The students actually attend a school — that was very important for us is that it’s not home-based learning — so they’re not sitting at home in front of a computer,” principal Éric Gauthier told Newswatch.
“They’re actually in a classroom with other students socializing and they connect through the technology.”
The distance learning high school is an initiative of the Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boréales. The school board operates a number of French Catholic elementary schools throughout Northwestern Ontario as well as École secondaire catholique de La Verendrye — a physical high school in Thunder Bay.
The regional satellite high school opened in 2024 with two students, Gauthier said, and is now up to seven. Three each are studying in Dryden and Sioux Lookout, with another in Nakina. The board makes use of community partnerships and field trips, as well as its high school in Thunder Bay, to work in more hands-on elements of the curriculum.
“It really is a collaborative approach,” he said. “It’s fairly new, it’s quite interesting in the challenges but the opportunities are great.”
The school is hosting a virtual information night on Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. EST. Gauthier said the board is looking to keep growing its enrolment.
“The information is for promoting our school, and, obviously, our all our schools are in recruitment mode,” he said. “It’s really an information session for the community at large.”
“We’re aiming to get the word out and let them know that there’s a new French high school that is available to them and our main catchment area is outlying regions outside of Thunder Bay.”
Last year’s information session was particularly successful, Gauthier said, as it directly led to the satellite school’s establishment in Sioux Lookout in time for the current academic year — a community where the board doesn’t have an elementary school.
“Through word of mouth and interests of the parents, they attended the session,” he said. “They requested to see if there was a possibility for us to start offering French high school services in their area, in their community, and we went ahead and did that.”
“So, we’re very proud of that.”
Graduates of the satellite school will have their full high school diploma.
“When students graduate, they are bilingual, they have a full diploma, they can apply to any university, French or English, or colleges, French or English, within Canada — which is a great advantage,” Gauthier said.
While the initiative is still young, Gauthier said it’s already paying dividends for those who are seeking a French education.
“We’re just glad that we’re able to offer some kind of platform for students who want to continue their studies in French,” he said.
“Now (they) have an option, even though there’s not a physical high school there set up for them.”
More information about the school, and the link to the virtual information session, can be found by contacting the school through its website.
