JEJU ISLAND, KOREA -- (Marketwire) -- 06/30/11 -- Editors Note: There are two photos associated with this release.
More than 700 people were entertained with fireworks, a Korean drum performance and a tae kwon do demonstration at a groundbreaking ceremony for Branksome Hall Asia, the first Canadian school to be established in the Jeju Global Education City, South Korea.
During the June 30 celebration on Jeju Island, hosted by the Jeju Free International City Development Center (JDC), Branksome Hall Principal Karen Murton said the new school "will reflect the very best of Branksome's programs and philosophy. At the same time, it will honour the unique culture and environment of Jeju."
"Branksome Hall is a top-tier school in Canada with outstanding academic achievements," said JDC Chairman &CEO Byon Jong-il at the ceremony. "For over a century, Branksome Hall has been educating young women to become leaders in many fields. It will now nurture our girls to become the globally minded leaders here on Jeju Island."
Established in 1903, in Toronto, as an independent school for girls, Branksome Hall is a leading International Baccalaureate (IB) World School. The school educates girls from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 and provides a boarding program for students from around the world.
"We are truly honoured that the JDC has invited us to participate in this exciting project," said Principal Murton. "Our new campus will enable more Korean students to obtain a quality Branksome Hall education, in English, without leaving Korean soil." At the same time, she added, the Jeju campus will provide opportunities for international exchanges for Branksome's Toronto students, and it will provide international professional development opportunities for faculty.
The Jeju Global Education City is Korea's first education-focused city in which English will be the primary language, both inside and outside of the classroom. Its schools are expected to attract students from Korea and throughout Northeast Asia. Once the school zone is completed, the schools will accommodate up to 9,000 students from Kindergarten through high school, predict Korean officials.
With a planned opening in late 2012, Branksome Hall Asia will initially have a student body of between 500 and 600. Enrolment is expected to increase to 1,200 students within a few years. Facilities will include an indoor swimming pool, hockey arena, gymnasium, performing arts centre, and residences for students and faculty. Extra-curricular opportunities on Jeju include sea kayaking, scuba diving, horseback riding, hiking and golf.
North London Collegiate School Jeju and Korea International School Jeju are expected to open in the Global Education City in September 2011.
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Contacts:
Branksome Hall
Julia Drake
Executive Director of Communications and Marketing
jdrake@branksome.on.ca
