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VANCOUVER INDEPENDENT SCHOOL FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

A NEW NOT-FOR-PROFIT HIGH SCHOOL IN VANCOUVER

Apply Now for September 2023
Summer Camps
Sign up for updates

OUR COMMITMENT TO…





STUDENTS

To collaborate with and respect you, and equip you with the grit, humility, and
justified self-confidence to pursue what delights you.


TEACHERS

To support you in doing work you are proud of, understanding that this will
sometimes be with support and resources, and at other times with trust and
autonomy.


PARENTS

To partner with you in the important work of guiding your children with
integrity and respect, and support you as a member of our village of families,
educators, and learners.


SOCIETY

To nurture future leaders who will inhabit their stations with compassion and
humility, with an understanding of their important roles in the betterment of
our society.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


WHY VISST?

 * 🥇 Be part of Vancouver’s first and only dedicated STEM high school.

 * 🔋 Come to school refreshed — classes start at 10:00am! (But doors open at
   9am for those who prefer to arrive earlier.)

 * ⏩ Pursue an accelerated curriculum that creates time for advanced and
   exciting courses like Calculus, Statistics, Economics, Philosophy, and more.

 * 💻 Learn computer science starting from Grade 8! (Typically, this critical
   subject area is left to universities.)

 * 💪 Enter university prepared (avoid that big jump in difficulty from high
   school to 1st year university STEM.)

 * 🌏 Work outside the school bubble: our students create value and share their
   work products with the broader community. (See our Student Work page!)

 * 🤝 Be seen and heard as an individual, with input into decisions affecting
   your own learning and the broader school community.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


WHAT MAKES VISST DIFFERENT

 * A progressive tuition model that accounts for each family’s circumstances -
   we don’t want tuition to be a barrier to a great education.

 * An integrated curriculum where teachers forge connections between subjects.

 * Transparent and open communication between the school, students, and parents.

 * Students take responsibility for, and take care of, the facilities and each
   other.

 * Cultivating curiosity and having fun as explicit goals of the school —
   learning new things is not the only metric for success. 

 * A learning environment where all students want to be there and are excited to
   learn.

 * Clear connections between school subjects and life outside of school;
   students won’t be left wondering, Why am I learning this?



*Listen 🔊 here to VISST co-founder Dr. Mike Gelbart and interviewer Jas Johal
discuss what makes VISST different! From the Jas Johal Show, CKNW Radio,
September 2022.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


OUR GUIDING VALUES

STEM FOCUS

A thoughtful focus on the science and technology skills that are demanded by
life and work in the 21st century.

 * Read more
   
   
   With the rise of automation, artificial intelligence, and more than 50,000
   STEM-related job openings in BC alone estimated in the next 7 years, it’s no
   secret that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields
   will play a central role in our society for the foreseeable future. VISST
   delivers the strong BC Curriculum with added components of STEM subjects. In
   particular, we include Engineering, Computer Science, and Economics as
   required subjects at VISST. Our curriculum will include answering questions
   like “How does my iPhone work?” (Engineering), “How do I create my own web
   app?” (Computer Science), “What factors determine the price of my shoes?”
   (Economics).
   
   

STUDENT BUY-IN

A curriculum designed and communicated so that students care about what they're
learning and understand why they are learning it.

 * Read more
   
   
   Students often ask, “Why should I care about learning this?” Given the
   significant time and effort that school demands, we feel this is a fair
   question. At VISST, we make a point of being transparent about what we teach
   and why, explaining to students how the subject matter fits in to the real
   world and their future lives. When designing lessons, we try to break down
   the barriers between school and real life by having students create value in
   the real world, beyond the simulated environment of homework and exams. This
   approach not only promotes student buy-in but also helps students learn to
   grapple with the ambiguity inherent in real-world problem solving.
   
   

CHARACTER EDUCATION

Blending academic and personal development to prepare our students for success
both in and out of the workplace.

 * Read more
   
   
   At VISST, we work to cultivate not only academic success but also character
   traits like self-confidence, grit, and humility. Our approach promotes
   mastery of a subject before moving on to the next, and cultivates
   self-confidence; we support our students until they succeed. On the other
   hand, to cultivate grit, we create deliberate, controlled opportunities for
   our students to fail and learn how to recover from failure. We cultivate
   humility by example: we are fallible human beings who admit when we’ve made
   mistakes, apologize where it’s due, and treat each other with respect.
   
   

 

DIVERSITY

We believe science and technology should be for everyone.



 * Read more
   
   
   Research shows that STEM has a diversity problem. According to the Government
   of Canada, in 2016 women made up only 23% of Canadian science and technology
   workers, and furthermore women were least represented in engineering and
   computer science. Racial disparities also persist in STEM fields. As a STEM
   school, we have a responsibility to promote diversity in STEM. Many aspects
   of our school are designed with this lens in mind, for example our focus on
   building trust in our community, instilling justified self-confidence in our
   students, seeking out diverse role models for our students, and having all
   VISST students study all STEM subjects, including engineering and computer
   science.
   
   
   
   

ACCESS

We believe tuition should not be a barrier to a great education.

DIALOGUE

A place where students and teachers feel safe to express views and engage in
constructive debate.

 * Read more
   
   
   As a new school funded by our founders, our tuition model is already more
   fair, transparent, and progressive than most established independent schools,
   including those with large endowments and sparkling new facilities. That
   said, we acknowledge that not everyone can afford to attend VISST. We reject
   this state of affairs. That’s why we’re on a mission to reduce tuition and
   improve access to VISST’s enhanced STEM education by recruiting community
   sponsors. This mission only ends when every family admitted to VISST is able
   to attend.
   
   

 * Read more
   
   
   Our society is becoming increasingly polarized and having honest conversation
   is becoming increasingly difficult. Diversity is another core value at VISST,
   and that idea extends to diversity of opinions as well, and for similar
   reasons. Real learning happens at the intersection of opposing and divergent
   beliefs, and the best learners are those who can alter their thinking and
   update their beliefs when they’re exposed to new knowledge - ideally
   knowledge that they welcome and even seek out rather than shy away from or
   discount. We want our graduates to feel comfortable with disagreement, be
   able to speak their minds, and stand up for what they believe in, and that
   starts with a safe space to talk, to disagree, and to debate.
   
   



Our Team


 * DR. MIKE GELBART
   
   CO-FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL
   
   Mike Gelbart is VISST’s Principal and Math Teacher. Before starting VISST,
   Mike was an Associate Professor of Teaching in the UBC Department of Computer
   Science, where he taught over 25 courses from first-year to graduate level.
   Mike co-created the UBC Master of Data Science program, where he served as
   Co-Director from 2018 to 2021. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at UBC.
   In earlier days, Mike attended K-12 in the Vancouver public school system,
   and then completed an undergraduate degree in physics at Princeton University
   and a PhD in machine learning at Harvard University. You can read more about
   Mike here.


 * SHAUN OLAFSON
   
   CO-FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
   
   Shaun Olafson has worked for over a decade in educational administration,
   founding Kiddy Junction Academy in 2008 based on a higher level of respect
   for students as collaborators, and a belief in balance between delight and
   rigour in learning. He currently sits on the board of directors of the
   Vancouver Reggio Association and the Greater Vancouver Community Credit
   Union. Shaun is passionate about reimagining high school as a place more
   connected to the real world around it, and created VISST to make that a
   reality. You can read more about Shaun here.


 * LINDA EDWORTHY
   
   FOUNDING HUMANITIES TEACHER
   
   Linda Edworthy is a PhD candidate in Curriculum and Instruction at the
   University of Victoria, and an experienced teacher with over 25 years of K-12
   teaching experience in both public and private schools. She has also worked
   on professional development for teachers and worked with Dr. Brock Smith to
   support curricular planning for a middle school entrepreneurship project,
   Kidovate. Her K-12 teaching experience includes creating a gifted education
   program for middle school students, with the goal of knowing and supporting
   learner passions in literacy. Linda’s area of research asks what we can learn
   from stories of adolescent experiences of thriving, in or outside of school
   contexts. You can read more about Linda here.


 * DR. PALOMA CORVALAN
   
   FOUNDING SCIENCE TEACHER
   
   Paloma Corvalan is a scientist and educator with a passion for protecting the
   environment and inspiring others to do so as well. After her doctorate degree
   at the University of Queensland, Australia, Paloma returned to Vancouver and
   took on the role of Program Manager at Sea Smart, where she taught workshops
   and created online courses that empower people to protect our oceans. Paloma
   also served as the Director of Youth Engagement and the President of the
   Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology, inspiring girls and
   women to pursue their interests and passions for STEM. Paloma recently
   completed her Bachelor of Education at UBC. You can read more about Paloma
   here.


 * PHILIP FREEMAN
   
   TEACHER
   
   Philip Freeman has 25 years of experience teaching physics, mathematics, and
   philosophy. He has won a number of awards for his teaching, including being
   an inaugural winner of the Canadian Association of Physicists Award for
   Excellence in High School Teaching. In addition to his work at VISST, Philip
   trains other physics teachers, develops educational resources for the
   Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and TRIUMF (Canada’s national
   particle accelerator), and is a long-time executive of the BC Association of
   Physics Teachers. He also has been a scientific consultant for provincial
   exam development, and for a number of award winning entertainment and game
   projects. Philip has degrees in Physics, Mathematics and Education. He and
   enjoys hiking, programming, and reading widely in his free time.


 * ERICA HUANG
   
   MANDARIN TEACHER
   
   Erica Huang has a unique blend of work experiences from the software industry
   and the education sector. She worked as a software developer and taught as a
   secondary computer science, mathematics, and Mandarin teacher in the Burnaby
   School District. She also had the experience working as an education program
   manager for Microsoft Philanthropies. Erica is passionate about research in
   computing and mathematics education. She explored the topic of how educators
   incorporate coding and computational thinking in mathematics classrooms for
   her master’s thesis research. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Curriculum
   Studies at UBC. You can read more about Erica here.


 * MURRAY GOLDBERG
   
   FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER
   
   Following his time as a faculty member at UBC, Murray Goldberg founded WebCT,
   a company that grew to 350 employees providing the world's leading learning
   management system serving 14 million students in 80 countries at 4,000
   universities and colleges. WebCT sold to rival company Blackboard in 2006 for
   $200M US. He is currently the founder and CEO of Marine Learning Systems. In
   addition to other board memberships, Murray currently serves on the board of
   trustees of Harvey Mudd College – ranked No. 2 among US undergraduate
   engineering programs – and previously served on the board of York House
   School in Vancouver. Murray was granted an Honorary Doctorate of Technology
   from the Southern Cross University in Australia. You can read more about
   Murray here.


 * DR. INDIRA SAMARASEKERA
   
   ADVISOR TO THE BOARD
   
   Indira Samarasekera was the 12th President and Vice Chancellor of the
   University of Alberta from 2005-2015. She is internationally recognized as
   one of Canada’s leading metallurgical engineers for her groundbreaking work
   on process engineering of materials, especially steel processing. She serves
   on the Board of Directors of Magna International, TC Energy, Intact Financial
   Corporation and Stelco, and previously Scotiabank for over a decade. She was
   awarded the Order of Canada in 2002 for outstanding contributions to steel
   process engineering. Indira has received honorary degrees from the
   Universities of Alberta, British Columbia, Toronto, Waterloo, Montreal,
   Western and Queen’s University and BCIT in Canada, and Queen’s University in
   Belfast, Ireland. You can read more about Indira here.
   
   

Join our Team


ACADEMIC PROGRAM

 

OUR APPROACH

VISST’s offers the full B.C. curriculum augmented with additional STEM
offerings. (Expand the sections to the right for a sample course schedule.) The
program involves a mix of acceleration and enrichment. Our curriculum starts
from the end of elementary school and does not require any accelerated or
enriched STEM prior to VISST. Everyone is welcome to apply! On the other hand,
for students that do come into VISST with extra preparation, we will work with
you individually to ensure you are challenged and engaged in all your courses.

Math: Math is accelerated with Math 8/9 completed in Grade 8 and Math 10/11
completed in Grade 9. This creates time for Statistics and AP Calculus in the
later years. VISST students also participate in local math contests.

Science: Science is accelerated with Science 8/9 completed in Grade 8. This
enables students to pursue Biology 11, Chemistry 11 and Physics 11 in Grade 9 or
10, creating time for AP sciences in the later years. VISST students also
participate in local science fairs and events.

Technology: Our technology curriculum is initially delivered through the Applied
Design, Skills, and Technologies courses. These courses especially emphasize
computer science, but also include a wide variety of other topics such as
robotics, fabrication, and entrepreneurship. In later years, we offer dedicated
computer science courses including AP Computer Science. VISST students
participate in coding competitions and robotics events, and experience
mechanical and electrical engineering projects at Dan Gelbart’s legendary
machine shop near UBC.

Humanities and other subjects: Although our humanities program is not
accelerated, it is enriched following our curriculum philosophy described below,
including project based learning, connections with the community, and
interdisciplinary projects interfacing with our STEM courses. Furthermore, the
acceleration of the STEM subjects leaves extra time for additional humanities
courses in Grade 12 such as Philosophy and 20th Century World History.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Our philosophy involves a mix of rigorous fundamentals with project-based
learning. Projects provide an incredible opportunity for students to pursue
their interests, practice teamwork, grapple with ambiguity, and go deeper when
their curiosity tugs. On the other hand, we also believe in the value of
structured learning to build up fundamental knowledge and skills through
practice, continually pushing the boundaries of our students’ capabilities. Our
courses, STEM and otherwise, are delivered through this combination of
techniques.



 

VISST SAMPLE COURSE SCHEDULE

 * Grade 8
   
   
   1st semester:
   
    * Mathematics 8
   
    * Science 8
   
    * English Language Arts 8
   
    * Arts Education 8
   
    * Physical and Health Education 8
   
    * Career Education 8 (full year)
   
   2nd semester:
   
    * Mathematics 9
   
    * Science 9
   
    * Social Studies 8
   
    * Languages 8 (French or Mandarin)
   
    * Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies 8
   
    * Career Education 8 (full year)
   
   Note: Computer Science will be integrated into Applied Design, Skills and
   Technologies.
   
   

 * Grade 9
   
   
   1st semester:
   
    * Foundations of Mathematics and Pre-Calculus 10
   
    * Science 10
   
    * English Language Arts 9
   
    * Languages 9 (French or Mandarin)
   
    * Arts Education 9
   
    * Physical and Health Education 9
   
    * Career Education 9 (full year)
   
   2nd semester:
   
    * Pre-Calculus 11
   
    * Life Sciences 11
   
    * Social Studies 9
   
    * Languages 10 (French or Mandarin)
   
    * Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies 9
   
    * Career Education 9 (full year)
   
   Note: Computer Science will be integrated into Applied Design, Skills and
   Technologies.
   
   

 * Grade 10
   
   
   1st semester:
   
    * Pre-calculus 12
   
    * Physics 11
   
    * English Language Arts 10
   
    * Computer Science 11
   
    * Physical and Health Education 10
   
    * Career Life Education (full year)
   
   2nd semester:
   
    * Anatomy and Physiology 12
   
    * Chemistry 11
   
    * Social Studies 10
   
    * Languages 10 (French or Mandarin)
   
    * Career Life Education
   
   

 * Grade 11
   
   
   1st semester:
   
    * Calculus 12 / AP
   
    * Chemistry 12
   
    * Literary Studies 11
   
    * Computer Science 12
   
    * Career Life Connections
   
   2nd semester:
   
    * Physics 12
   
    * Statistics 12
   
    * Explorations in Social Studies 11
   
    * Languages 11 (French or Mandarin)
   
    * AP Computer Science
   
   

 * Grade 12
   
   
   1st semester:
   
    * Economics 12
   
    * AP Biology
   
    * English Studies 12
   
    * Philosophy 12
   
    * B.C. First Peoples 12
   
   2nd semester:
   
    * AP Physics
   
    * AP Chemistry
   
    * 20th Century World History 12
   
    * Outdoor Education 12
   
    * Work Experience 12A
   
   



VISST is certified by the BC Ministry of Education

VISST is a member of the Federation of Independent School Associations in
British Columbia

 

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CONTACT

#200 - 1490 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6H 4E8

Office Hours
Monday–Friday
9am–5pm

School Hours
Monday–Friday
10am–4pm

Email
info@visst.ca

Phone
604-566-7836


GALLERY

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The Vancouver Independent School for Science and Technology (VISST).

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Questions: info@visst.ca