Branksome Hall Asia

Coordinates: 33°17′26″N 126°17′08″E / 33.2904498°N 126.2854768°E / 33.2904498; 126.2854768

Branksome Hall Asia is an independent educational institution located in Seogwipo, Jeju Province, South Korea. The institution opened in October 2012 and is the sister campus of the Canadian school Branksome Hall.^[1]

Overview

Branksome Hall Asia is co-educational from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3,^[2] and girls-only from Grade 4 to 12. The school also offers the same curriculum as Branksome Hall and provides a similar International Baccalaureate Program. Branksome Hall of Toronto has an exchange program open to Grade 9 students to study and learn in South Korea. Branksome Hall Asia graduates can apply to universities in Korea as well as international post-secondary institutions.

History

In 1903, Branksome Hall was started from Toronto, Canada. The first principal of Branksome Hall was Miss Margaret Scott, who served from 1903 to 1910. At first, it was started from rental property, but Branksome Hall's Toronto campus have more than a dozen building. Also, new Sports Center and residence buildings are currently under construction. In March 2009, Branksome Hall and Korean government had a meeting about making a Branksome Hall campus in Jeju Global Education City, which is the UNESCO World Heritage listed island. During a ceremony held at Branksome Hall campus in Toronto campus, Branksome Hall signed a Cooperative Venture Agreement. After signed up, Branksome Hall began to plan and prepare for Branksome Hall Asia. By 2012, Branksome hall Asia started in JeJu, Korea.^[3]

Student Life

Students in Branksome Hall Asia enhance their credibility, talent, and academic skill through join the school activities. There are many clubs that students can join. The school activities include stem fair, arts, clubs, and sport activities. Each grade can join different school activities.

Arts^[4]

There are film program, Visual Arts program, Theatre Arts program to improve student's art skill.

Visual Art program:In the Junior year, students don't learn many detail about arts. They enjoy sketching and drawing with a variety of media, as well as painting, clay, collage, printmaking .  In the Senior year, students start to expand their drawing skill through studio work such as drawing, painting,sculpting, and printmaking, as well as the creation of collage, multimedia works, and works using technologies. Not only drawing, students use critical analysis to evaluate their own work and others' work. Also, Branksome Hall expects Senior to investigate the history of art and using of materials and techniques.  By Grade 12, students explore connection between society and art. Student also make a connection between various of art works in personal, contemporary, historical and cultural contexts.

Film program:Students investigate a range of theme through studio work such as storyboarding, writing and creating films and multimedia works. Same with visual art program, students use their critical analysis process to evaluate their own works and others' work. Also, they learn about history of film, genre, script writing, analysis. By Grade 12, students use a variety of traditional and emerging media and technologies to make them apply in students' own film production. Same with visual art program, students make a connection between various works of film in personal, contemporary, historical and cultural contexts.

Theatre program: Through joining a theatre program, students can be a performer, playwright, technician, designer or theatre critic. Not only acting in a performance, but also they can participate a performance as a director, designer and member of a production team. For senior students, they require to know the skills to perform and direct the performance.

Athletics ^[5]

By joining an athletics program, students can develop physical fitness, sportsmanship, teamwork. Especially for junior school, Healthy Living and active lifestyles are key point in Branksome Hall's Physical Education Program. They can learn the value of sportsmanship, team spirit and balance, through participate in athletics program. Students can play any kinds of sports in Branksome Hall. School are encouraged junior to participate sports because junior sport teams are the most important part of school life. They can play badminton, volleyball, tennis, basketball, soccer, golf, swimming, cross country, track and field, and equestrian as a sport team or co-curricular activities. There are many facilities so that students can participate: 50m of swimming pool, golf driving range, putting green, tennis courts, soccer pitch, wellness center, and hockey field.

Clubs^[6]

Branksome Hall encourages students to participate in clubs because of balancing amongst sports, the arts, technology and interests. At the start of each term, students can sign up for new club activities, according to their interests and talent. For junior and senior students, they can join ballet, Korean Calligraphy, Korean Drumming, photography, studio art and design, digital story telling, theatrical productions, symphony orchestra, two intermediate orchestras, string academy, stage band, barbershop chorus, choir, and vocal academy.

Curriculum

IB (International Baccalaureate) Program
Program Contents
IB Primary Years Program: For students aged 3 to 12, focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside.

IB Middle Years Program: For students aged 11 to 16, provides a framework of academic challenge that encourages students to embrace and understand the connections between traditional subjects and the real world. Students can become critical and reflective thinkers.

IB Diploma Program: For students aged 16 to 19, contents are academically challenging and balanced program of education with final examinations that prepares students for success at university and in life beyond.

Uniform

The most basic and formal uniform (also known as #1 Dress) consists of an off-white blouse, a blazer (green or, for Prefects, red), a tie, and a kilt.

Student exchange program

Branksome Advantage Exchange Program
As a part of the Branksome Hall Asia curriculum, Grade 9 students benefits from a study abroad experience.

The Exchange Program is about three weeks. The purpose of exchange program is students to have experience about Canadian culture by studying with students in Branksome Hall Canada. It is a great chance to learn Canadian culture. The Jeju exchange program will start after the Canadian exchange program. It starts in March and Branksome Hall students spend a week in Branksome Hall Asia Campus. Through the exchange program, students will have wide world views. Branksome Hall and Branksome Hall Asia collaborate through the exchange program.^[7]

Residence and facilities

Residence Program
The residence communal living experience provides a ‘Home away from Home’ for Branksome Hall Asia residents.

State-of-the-Art Facilities and Digital Learning Environment
Students at Branksome Hall Asia have access to the world’s best educational facilities which help support and develop their talents across all sports, arts and academic study. Such as STEM V Center (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Visual Art) and sports related facilities.

Facilities

Branksome Hall Asia is located in Jeju Island. It is located in GEC with two different international school which called KIS and NLCS. BHA was designed by Singaporean architect Phan Pit Li. The campus includes a Wellness Center that houses the cafeteria, the Olympic Aquatic Center, a hockey rink, a huge gymnasium with floor to ceiling windows, two yoga studios, an exercise room, and other recreational facilities. The classrooms have a large touch screen televisions and video cameras for students to study and review their lectures. The design and technology studios in BHA have 3D printers and other machines which don't exist in Korea. There are three cylinder shaped buildings for elementary, middle, and high school. The whole campus is connected through underground tunnels so that students can go from the tunnel even if the weather is bad. However, the only part of the building not connected to the tunnel is the Wellness Center.^[8] There are sport facilities such as 50m of swimming pool, tennis court, soccer pitch, golf driving range and putting green, wellness center, and hockey field to have athletics program. All BHA students have access to use these facilities.^[9] Also, there are performing art center for the art. The performing art center includes acoustically sophisticated auditorium, spacious classrooms, practice rooms, large recital room, black box teatres, TV studio, audio recording studio, and dance studio.

See also

• Jeju Free International City Development Center

References

External links

• Branksome Hall Asia
• TheGlobeAndMail.com
• KoreaTimes.co.kr