Landmark East

Learning so much more than the three Rs

Reading, writing,’rithmetic. The three Rs are fundamental to a quality education. So are recreational activities, athletics, school spirit, camaraderie and a guiding hand. All those are an integral part of learning – and living – at Landmark East School, Canada’s independent school for students with learning disabilities.

“Students with learning disabilities are bright kids. They have average to above-average intelligence, but the skills required for school success are below what is needed to attain academic excellence and to gain confidence,” says Timothy Moore, Head of School, which is located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Opened in 1979, Landmark East School helps students in grades six through 12. Some of those students attend school each day and go home when classes end; others live right on campus – a feature that makes Landmark East unique in Atlantic Canada.

Approximately 50 per cent of the students during the 2008-2009 school year are from Nova Scotia. But young people also descend on the five-acre campus from across Canada and around the world – including the United States, England, Bermuda, Australia, Turks and Caicos, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates and Trinidad. They attend classes - small classes that offer individual attention and support. Class sizes generally range from four to eight students, and the overall student/teacher ratio is 3:1.

Then there is a daily study hall and homework program along with a daily athletic and activity program. On weekends, for those who board at the school, there is a recreational program. There is also a wealth of resources to support students. This includes 13 academic teachers, five physical education teachers, a speech language pathologist, weekend recreation staff, administrative staff, a guidance counselor, a librarian, food services staff and maintenance/custodial staff.

“We offer a complete program for students. We try to address all their needs,” says Moore.

Much of the students’ day, and much of the innovative learning that goes on, takes place inside the Johnson Academic Centre. This historic campus building, dedicated during Landmark East School's 25th Anniversary, houses the classrooms, biology and chemistry laboratories, library, conference room, administrative offices, dining hall and kitchen.

Two other buildings dot the campus. There is the boy's dormitory, which contains 14 bedrooms, each of which accommodates two to three boys. There for their relaxing pleasure is also a games room, television lounge, canteen, weight room, pool table room and (less pleasurable) a laundry room. Downstairs in a separate wing of the building, there are also three additional classrooms and a storage area.

The girl's dormitory features six bedrooms, each of which welcomes two to three girls. The dorm also contains a cooking area, two television lounges and a laundry room. By way of a separate entrance, the art room and woodworking shop are located beneath these dorm rooms.

But the learning and the living that goes on at Landmark East extends well beyond the grounds of the campus.

“We are very much a community-based school, and our students greatly benefit from being residents of the town of Wolfville,” says Moore.

“We use Acadia University's recreational facilities, which include an Olympic-size swimming pool, gymnasiums, squash and racquetball courts, weight room and skating rink,” he notes. “For curling, our students have access to the Wolfville Curling Club. For softball, we use the playing fields at Wolfville’s Rotary Park. During the winter months, our students ski and snowboard at Ski Martock, a 45-minute drive from the school.”

The school’s resourcefulness and the diverse resources it can call on, extend beyond the local community. Indeed, says Moore, being located in Nova Scotia is a definite advantage for the school – and the students – many of whom eventually go on to become citizens of the province and put down roots in their new-found home away from home.

“The friendliness of Nova Scotians and the warm welcome students receive is an important factor that distinguishes us from many other educational facilities,” notes Moore. “Many students develop strong relationships with their peers from Nova Scotia. They get invited to homes here. They feel very much a part of this community.”

So does the Landmark East staff, 57 per cent of whom have been with the school for at least 10 years and 43 per cent who have been there for 20 years or more.

“There are a lot of people in our community who work here and believe strongly in what we are doing,” says Moore.

In fact, he adds, with 36 salaried employees, plus three additional contract services employees, Landmark East is the third largest employer in Wolfville.

Many of the attributes that keep students returning year after year are those that keep staff committed – the resourcefulness and creativity of the program, and the genuine respect and support for those in the program – as either participants or staff.

“Teaching is a very demanding but gratifying field,” says Moore. “We try to do things internally to relax together. Everybody finds their balance,” he says.

But it’s the end result that keeps everyone going.

“Students come to us with a lot of needs. We help them get to a place where they can go off on their own and make their own way in the world,” Moore says.

“What could be more rewarding?” he asks.