On Friday, July 28, 2017, Brookes Education Group Directors Graham Brown and Jerry Salvador joined their international colleagues at the Sooke Road construction site, where the group officially broke ground on the newest Brookes IB World School: Brookes Westshore. This campus, opening in September 2018, represents 300 new seats for students from grades 6 through 12.

The Brookes Education Group global team of directors traveled from Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States to attend the event. They were joined by Mayor Carol Hamilton, Royal Roads University president Allan Cahoon, Westshore Parks and Recreation Acting Manager Sandy Clarke, along with other community leaders and residents. Among others, Jerry Salvador thanked Mayor Carol Hamilton and the Colwood City Council members “who have steadfastly supported and welcomed Brookes into the Westshore community.”

The campus is designed by Architect Christine Lintott to be an “urban oasis”, with its main entrance through a quiet arbor and footbridge over Colwood Creek. A great deal of care and attention has been given to making the entry way a natural green space that respects and protects the environment. Mr. Salvador shared that there are “carefully crafted spaces to create collaborative learning environments.”

The school will offer residences for 150 boarding students, bringing opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to explore and expand their cultural experiences. As a boarding school, Brookes Westshore represents new, sustainable employment across a broad demographic, including teachers, administrators, house parents, housekeepers, maintenance and kitchen staff. Boarding students from abroad will also represent millions of dollars in new revenue coming into the Westshore and Victoria from student spending, as well as the opportunities that arise from hosting their visiting families.

Brookes Westshore will offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes, which include the Middle Years Programme (MYP) for grades 6-10 and the Diploma Programme (DP) for grades 11&12. The IB programmes offer a creative, inquiry-based framework that helps develop confident, capable students equipped with excellent critical thinking skills.

Brookes Westshore is the newest addition to a thriving global school group. In addition to their sister school in Shawnigan Lake, there are 3 other campuses under the Brookes Education Group banner: Seoul Korea, Cambridge UK and Silicon Valley USA. Two other new schools are also scheduled to open in 2018: Bangalore, India and Moscow, Russian Federation.