If it’s been said once, it has been said a thousand times – children learn differently and at their own pace. Some are tactile learners. Some are visual learners. Some take the lessons learned through arts, music or sports to fuel their everyday lives. Others dive into STEM and innovate from a young age. Yet, many educational institutions cater to a single dynamic to streamline education for a broad population. While this makes education accessible, it can make it difficult for some students to thrive. In recognition of this, Progressive Academy opened in 1984.
Russell Weir is Progressive Academy’s second executive director, but he has been involved with the school for much longer.
“After enrolling my daughter, I began volunteering as a parent,” he reminisces. “The school was much smaller at that time and we had lots of parent volunteers. We did everything from fixing the gym floor and the school roof to shovelling the sidewalks. We renovated. We painted. I’ve been here for 20 years now.”
During those 20 years he has seen the school grow from using just a handful of classrooms to filling all the spaces with students and eventually expanding the building.
“When I started there were only 70 students,” Weir adds. “Now, between our Academy and our daycare programs, we have around 400. Growth has been largely through referrals and word of mouth. We are still doing the same thing we set out to do in 1984 – and we are doing it well.”
Programs offered include daycare, out-of-school care, junior and senior kindergarten, elementary, junior and senior high and music lessons as part of the daytime offerings. Summer programs include preschool and elementary camps, summer music camp and Mountain Adventure School.
Mountain Adventure School (MAS) offers a one-of-a-kind summer school program for any Alberta student in grades 10-12, blending academic achievement with outdoor experiences. Over four summers, students can earn high school credits while enjoying the great outdoors. The program meets Alberta curriculum outcomes for CALM and physical education 10, 20 and 30 as well as various CTS credits. Courses combine online learning with in-person instruction, using outdoor activities as a dynamic learning platform. Students participate in activities like lake and river canoeing, rock climbing, hiking, trail biking, camping and wilderness living skills.
MAS provides an exciting and engaging way for students to learn, grow and connect with nature, while providing hands-on experience to continue developing foundational skills practically, socially and personally. In keeping with Progressive Academy’s mandate to provide advanced education in unique ways that challenge students willing to push themselves, MAS offers an excellent path to continued success through this unique educational opportunity.
Quality programs with a focus on balanced growth (intellectually, physically, emotionally and socially) remains the goal. The commitment to fostering children’s natural curiosity to learn, driving effective communication, nurturing community and personal values, encouraging acceptance of others and driving critical thinking has also not wavered.
Weir explains, “Our educational programming starts in our junior kindergarten when the student is age three. We are basically teaching them kindergarten. In kindergarten we aim for a high reading level – targeting grade two or three levels. We start the education early and put a lot of responsibility on each student to achieve the goals of their own education. They must be willing to move ahead on material above their grade level.”
For Weir, it’s personal.
“This is the school I would have benefited from in my youth. I was a student that was above average in ability. The flexibility to learn at my own pace would have been fantastic. Here we recognize and support the individual student in this manner and in addition to nurturing their abilities, we put a lot of focus on being respectful of others and functioning as part of a community.”
o ensure students emerge as well-rounded individuals, they are required to take home economics between grades six and eight, and concert band from grades six to nine.
“Home economics ensures foundational skills and while they may never become musicians, that musical experience is invaluable,” says Weir.
He is very aware that Progressive Academy is not for everyone, nor was it designed to be. He is also very aware that when people hear “private school,” it conjures up a certain image of a school based on exclusivity. He is happy to set the record straight.
“We prefer to call them independent schools,” says Weir.
He notes that public schools are wonderful and offer opportunities for everyone to receive a quality education, but, “That path is not for every family.”
“When we say, ‘independent schools,’ we refer to schools providing a specific type of educational experience. These are the things independent schools do and it is important that parents have that choice for their children based on their needs. Progressive Academy offers an advanced academic program that strives to get the best from each student by providing them with individual attention and empowering their success based on their own efforts.”
Progressive Academy’s mission has never changed, but they do adapt the core commitment with the times.
“While technology is a part of our programming, we did have to backtrack in some ways to ensure critical thinking is not lost in the continuing digital age and now with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). We use AI in the right ways, such as for robotics. We teach how to use the internet and other digital resources as tools and for research.”
With the 40th anniversary taking place and so many changes in going from under 100 students to 400 and from a handful of programs to mountain adventures as part of the curriculum, Progressive Academy has a rich past and an exciting future. It helps us all understand the need and nature of independent school education. Now, with its new annex building project completed, refinement of the 0-3 program underway, more daycare locations planned and the addition of baby sign language, there are no limits on what Progressive Academy’s students can achieve.
13212 106 Ave NW,
Edmonton, AB T5N 1A3
Phone: 780-455-8344
