Merrick Preparatory School

• Year Established: 2012,
• Location: Merrickville-Wolford, Ontario, Canada,
• Age of students: 13-19 years old,
• Number of students: about 80 students,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of school: private mixed school.

Merrick Preparatory School (MPS) is a private boarding school for students in grades 9-12 that provides pre-university preparation. Since opening in 2012, students from over 43 countries have attended Merrick Preparatory School. International students are attracted by the challenging academic education, small class sizes, attentive teachers and one of Canada's safest communities. Canadian and international students learn to socialize, broaden their horizons, and prepare for top universities.

This is a small school: up to 60 boarding students, up to 20 day students (without accommodation), about 30 exchange students or special programs.

Merrick Preparatory School is located in historic Merrickville-Wolford, Ontario, known as the "Pearl of the Rideau" and recognized as one of Canada's most beautiful villages. MPS is ideal for intensive academic learning in a small, safe, caring community. The school overlooks the scenic Rideau Canal (part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Approximate schedule of the day:

• 7:45 = rise,
• 8:10-8:35 = breakfast,
• 8:45-10:00 = first lesson,
• 10:05-11:20 = second lesson,
• 11:20-12:20 = Multidisciplinary Session (MSIP),
• 12:20-13:10 = lunch,
• 13:10-14:25 = classes,
• 14:30-15:45 = classes,
• 15:45-16:00 = snack,
• 16:00-17:00 = extracurricular activities and sports,
• 17:30-18:00 = dinner,
• 19:00-21:00 = extracurricular activities and entertainment,
• 22:30 = return to the residences,
• 23:00 = return to the rooms,
• 23:30 = hang up.

All students wear uniforms (only a white shirt/blouse should be brought with them).

All students are assigned to the Houses:

• Barnard House,
• Rickers House,
• Clarke House.

This maintains a family-friendly, close-knit atmosphere – and at the same time stimulates the competitive spirit: events and tournaments are held every month where Maisons can earn points to earn the School Cup at the end of the year.

Top universities most popular with MPS graduates:

• University of Toronto,
• Carleton University,
• University of Waterloo,
• Queens University,
• Trent University,
• Brock University,
• Concordia University,
• University of Calgary,
• McGill University,
• Toronto Metropolitan University,
• University of Edinburgh,
• University of Warwick,
• Wilfred Laurier University,
• University of Alberta.

Also, students often choose world universities from the QS World Ranking Top-250:

• МcМaster university,
• University of Ottawa,
• Simon Fraser University,
• University of British Columbia,
• Michigan State University (USA),
• University of Florida (USA),
• KU Leuven (Belgium),
• Lancaster University (UK),
• Shanghai University (China),
• Tecnologico de Monterrey (Mexico),
• University Anahuac (Mexico),
• University of Edinburgh (Great Britain),
• University of Glasgow (Great Britain),
• University of Leeds (Great Britain),
• University of Sussex (Great Britain) and others.

Cozy, comfortable residences are prepared for boarding students. They have large beds, bathrooms (for every 4 people) and air conditioning. The area of each room is 39 square meters.

Boarding meals are organized in a spacious, bright dining room. The menu includes dishes from different nations of the world and cultures. Dietary meals or menus according to religious/personal preferences are available upon prior request.

Merrick Preparatory School provides its students with comprehensive development, therefore it offers a wide range of extracurricular activities (evening on campus - every day from Monday to Thursday, from 16 to 17 hours). These can be clubs and communities of interest, creativity and arts, sports, volunteering, the UN youth model at the University of Toronto. Lesson options:

• Music: vocals, playing various instruments (guitar, piano, violin, flute, drums),
• Drama and theater
• Academic circles: scientific, mathematical, specialized competitions (for example, at the University of Waterloo Mathematics Competition, students entered the top 2% of the best students - among 18,000 participants!), preparation for IELTS and OSSLT,
• drawing and design,
• Hiking and excursions
• Visiting museums and art galleries in Ottawa,
• Lectures and meetings with invited guests, experts,
• Sports of various kinds. For example, MPS students took the entire podium at the Eastern Ontario badminton tournament. Popular basketball, soccer (European football), aerobics, bandy, ping-pong, slackline, swimming, frisbee, volleyball, yoga, ice hockey, golf, running,
• craft clubs,
• conversation club,
• fit-bit club,
• Club of proper nutrition, nutrition and healthy lifestyle,
• Horseback riding,
• Lanark Animal Welfare Society (LAWS),
• multicultural club,
• Photo,
• book club,
• Chess,
• cooking,
• Debate and oratory,
• engineering club,
• financial literacy,
• Farewell Party Committee.

A variety of trips, visits to cultural and sports events, natural attractions (national and regional parks), historical monuments, ski resorts, trips to crystal clear Canadian lakes, regular festivals and seasonal holidays are constantly organized.

• 100% enrollment of graduates in selected universities, including the top, the most prestigious in the world; 100% of graduates successfully enter the universities of the first choice (the most priority and desirable for themselves).
• A huge number of scholarships won, more than 120, totaling over $883,000.
• The High School Diploma school course is No. 1 in the world.
• Small classes - up to 10 people; the ratio of teachers to students is 1:8.
• Expanded curriculum, more in-depth and intensive study: 140 hours in MPS versus 110 hours standard for the province of Ontario.
• Useful academic options: 3 hours per week - IELTS preparation, 1 hour of individual lessons with a tutor and 2 hours with teachers - daily, 5 hours / week of consultations on admission to the university.
• The highest qualification of teachers - they all have the title of ESL & Guidance Specialist.
• Babysitting and security guarantee 24/7.
• Multicultural community.
• Superbly equipped, cozy, comfortable and safe campus 45 minutes from the capital of Canada.
• MPS is an accredited member of the Ontario Federation of Independent Schools.

Honorary awards and prizes:

• StudyTravel Secondary School Award (according to North American School 2023),
• Fortune 2023 International Ranking,
• K12 Digest 2023 International Award,
• PIEoneer 2021 Awards & Toronto Star,
• No. 1 according to the Conference Board of Canada (Ranked High School Education System in the World).

The mission of the Merrick Preparatory School is to engage students in a dynamic learning environment, to raise them to be intellectually developed, compassionate, responsible and globally minded citizens. Merrick Preparatory School is Canada's leading independent boarding school for boys and girls, offering 9-12 grades + a year of university preparation.

Merrick Preparatory School offers children everything they need for comfortable living and academic/extracurricular development, recreation:

• Comfortable classrooms for learning,
• Science labs,
• Drama and music classes,
• Yoga studio,
• Gym,
• Equipment for outdoor physical training: paths, playgrounds,
• Billiards and ping-pong tables,
• Student Lounges - lounges where you can relax, unwind and socialize. TV, game consoles, ping pong tables, and pianos are available,
• Gyms,
• Basketball Courts and much more.

Sample milestones for the school year at MPS:

• The beginning of classes is September 5-6,
• End of classes before Christmas - December 22,
• Winter break - December 23-January 6,
• End of first semester - January 7-30,
• Beginning of the second semester - February 1,
• Spring Break - March 9-16,
• Last day of school - June 21,
• Summer courses and ESL programs for foreigners - July 4-28.

Additional fee for summer ESL courses = $6200CAD.

The MPS team regularly holds Open Days, arranges meetings with applicants and their parents.

The school is quite small: in 2022, for example, there were only 8 graduates. But the level of education of these guys is really impressive! Let's look at the facts:

• They received 61 invitations from universities, 34 of them from universities included in the world TOP-250,
• $235,500 of scholarships were received in 2022 alone, and since the opening of the school (in 2012), graduates have earned $883,000 in scholarships (127 graduates).

Among the most sought-after specialties among MPS graduates are the following:

• Engineering Sciences,
• Law, law, jurisprudence,
• Mathematics, Statistics, Economics,
• Psychology
• Biology.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision