Venta Prep School Welcomes Curious Parents

By DEREK DUNN - Associate Editor of EMC Newspapers

November, 21, 2008

Venta Preparatory School threw open its doors to prospective parents and students last week, offering a glimpse into the private school's philosophy and facilities.

 

Founded by Dr. Agatha Sidlauskas, a child psychologist who taught at the University of Ottawa Child Study Centre, the school caters to bright children who find themselves marginalized in other systems. Dr. Sidlauskas still participates in the school, situated on 50 acres of scenic woodland on Old Carp Road near March Road. It was her feeling back in the 1950's that too many intelligent young people were not getting everything they could out of various education systems, including public, and that the curriculum should bend to the child - not the other way around.

 

So, being a farmer's daughter, she bought the West Carleton property in 1958 with plans to education children in all matters - from reading and writing, to physical activity, even etiquette. The school opened in 1981 with 14 boarding students, mostly from the Toronto area. Today there are 87 students, some staying on sight for one or more nights a week, others arriving early each morning.

 

According to Principal, Marilyn Mansfield, as the local community grew and started making inquiries, the school adapted. About 85 per cent of students come from the West Carleton/Kanata/Stittsville area. But when it comes to what the school expects from parents, little has changed in all these years.

 

"We found that over the years, the community kept coming up and asking us about things like day programming," Mansfield told the rows of parents on hand for a tour. "I've hear that we asses parents as much as the child, which could very well be true because we need the parents to back up the school. IF the parent's tendency is to say 'poor child, you're only young once,' then it won't work out very well."

 

Mansfield makes it clear that there are obligations and responsibilities at every age: respect to parents, teachers and peers, and then work hard at school. Then comes the fun. "Too many parents today see school as an unfortunate hiatus between the weekends and fun," she said. "We tell children they have an obligation to be the best they can be, and that they must try their hardest."

 

The school teaches from senior kindergarten to Grade 10, leaving the final two years for social development on a broader range in either the public school system or another private facility. It doesn't accept children with behavioural problems.

 

Much focus is placed on writing for the obvious reasons. It promotes clear and concise thinking. But also the act of writing clearly, Mansfield said, is important to the brain's development.

 

"The hand is connected to the brain, countless studies show the impact of proper writing," she said. "We have students turn in their essays, for instance, to be marked and returned again, back and forth, in order for them to get it right.

 

"It is not just that it is complete and accurate but that is is also aesthetically pleasing."

 

There are just twelve students for each teacher, ensuring a lot of one-on-one time, something Mansfield laments is lacking in the public system.

 

"When you have 30 children in a class you can't do a lot of writing because you can't do a lot of marking. You simply don't have time," she said. "It's not the teacher's fault. That's just the way the system is."

 

Instead the workload is placed on the parents for evenings and weekends, sometimes leading to less than quality family time.

 

Art, music and outdoor physical activity are priorities at Venta - children are outside every day unless the temperature is 30 degrees below or above zero. - yet interestingly computers are not considered a priority. Mansfield said the school is currently replacing very old ones, but that the students are not allowed to use them for work related learning until Grade 8.

 

"Computers are good adjuncts, but are no replacement for skill," she said.