Hello!

My name is Jane Suchy, and I'm the Principal for the Exchange Met School. We are the third Met School in Seven Oaks School Division, opening in September 2021.  As with Seven Oaks Met School and Maples Met School which preceded us, we are a project-based learning and community-based learning school, publicly funded and open to learners of diverse needs and interests. We are further connected to a larger network of schools across the world that adopt the Big Picture Learning philosophy which prioritizes relationships, relevance and rigor.

Our school is located in the Exchange District at 321 McDermot.  It is an area of the city that dozens of learners from Met Schools engage in on a daily basis through experiential learning like our division's Tech Hub program at New Media Manitoba, MICE (Met Innovation Centre for Entrepreneurship) at North Forge, and other independent internships in the area such as Sam’s Place, the Manitoba Museum, or Sport for Life, just to name a few. However, our location is also in proximity to many valued community partners that give us convenient access for students to participate in diverse career development opportunities. We are excited to work in, with, and from this community.

What sets a Met School apart from other high schools is that learners co-design learning experiences with their advisors so that they can pursue an area of interest that connects to relevant curriculum and that deepens with their community connections. Our learners spend two days a week working alongside a mentor at a business or organization that aligns with their interests, and three days a week in our building participating in other core high school credits via a mix of project-based learning, and hands-on, minds-on methods. Students are expected to demonstrate independence with this type of learning as it is employs self-determination and critical thinking skills.  As with the other Met Schools, learners still need to complete 30 credit hours to graduate with a high school diploma. In that sense we are no different to other Manitoba high schools, it's just that the path to graduation looks different for every learner, as we take a ‘one student at a time’ approach.

Other elements of our school that distinguish us are our advisory classes, where 15 learners are guided by a teacher advisor in working through their projects and career development experiences from grade 9 through to graduation. In place of examinations (besides provincial standardized tests), learners will present public exhibitions four times a year, followed by a narrative - a story of the learner's social, emotional and academic growth over the term.

We are a school committed to the community in further developing our relationships, taking steps forward in reconciliation, and pursuit of mino-pimatisiwin (the good life) for all learners. This is reflected in the design of our learning experiences, the projects our learners undertake, and the exploration of their gifts as they look to share them authentically with the greater community.

Interested in learning more?  Feel free to reach out.

Sincerely,

Jane Suchy