Holy Name of Mary College School

Holy Name of Mary College School (HNMCS) is an independent Catholic school for girls in grades 5-12. Set on a picturesque 25 acre setting in Mississauga, the school is guided by its founders, the Felician Sisters & the Basilian Fathers, two icons of Catholic education. Holy Name of Mary College School provides a high achieving, university preparatory programme to guide bright, curious and dedicated students by shaping their minds and touching their hearts. With a distinctive balance of support, encouragement, and nurturing relationships HNMCS prepares students to meet the challenges and uncertainties of a changing world with resiliency and a strong moral compass.

A unique tapestry of academic excellence, focused on 21st Century competencies, combined with athletics, arts, outdoor education, co-curricular activities and leadership experiences, provides countless engaging opportunities for girls to be inspired and leverage their voices. It is a school distinguished by excellence that invigorates the student experience and celebrates the uniqueness of every girl in a culture of academic achievement that builds self confidence and empowers girls to become influential leaders of change.

At HNMCS, we strive for a culture of achievement that develops the individual capacity of every girl. The curriculum is tailored for girls who are given every opportunity to develop and excel in the way they learn best in order to achieve optimal academic success. Here, girls take on all leadership roles, explore non traditional courses and act as role models to their peers. Our all-girl student population fosters high levels of self-esteem, student achievement and provides a comfortable environment of academic exchange.

As a girls’ school, we successfully tailor the curriculum to meet the needs of girls in the modern world. Understanding that an excellent education does not simply teach girls to be good test takers, but rather how to successfully collaborate, problem solve, and find creative solutions. We foster a community that encourages exploration, intellectual risk-taking, and asks girls to be reflective and explore who they are authentically as leaders.

The only Ontario credit granting all girls’ Catholic independent school, our culture is one of a vibrant sacramental life built for today’s girl. The moral compass that she will gain and develop works to not only help shape her mind, but also her heart. As change is one of the only certainties in today’s world, our programme prepares her for dealing with the many different challenges, opportunities, and situations that will arrive for her in university and beyond.

Our school allows for the girl to be at the center of everything that we do and we design her day to help her discover what brings her joy. From understanding that a girl’s peers are just as important in her growth as her family and her teachers, we structure opportunities in and beyond the classroom to help facilitate her long term personal trajectory. We help her to realize her strengths from the inside and surround her with bright, caring, and inspirational teachers to guide her through this journey of self-discovery. It is through these dynamic relationships that each girl is encouraged to challenge herself, to seize the opportunities around her while creating her own, and to optimize her learning potential to shape her own success. Although each girl’s path is individual, we provide varied opportunities through our co-curriculars, STEM, specialized programmes, differentiated learning, and innovation time for the girls to explore the entire experiential and educational design process.

It is through a shared commitment between students, families, teachers, and administration that our school has become a special place to learn, grow, and thrive. Our achievements are built upon the strength of the whole community and we value these relationships with our students and her family.

Innovation Time is a regularly scheduled period in the school timetable when students meet in small teams with a teacher mentor to plan and execute cross-curricular projects. Each project focuses on a big idea and meets curriculum expectations across a broad range of subject areas. Innovation Time provides opportunities for students to work collaboratively, use technology in creative ways, and engage in critical thinking and problem solving with real-world applications.

Students work in groups and select from categories such as Coding and Programming, Wellness and Mindfulness, Environmental Inquiries, Performance and Theatre, Social Engagement and Activism, Conceptual Design, My First Start-Up and Media and Societal Trends to design, create and make an impact. Girls employ critical thinking skills while taking things apart to learn how they work before developing market prototypes in the school’s design lab, which houses 3D printers, laser cutters and 3D scanners and encourages students to take things apart to learn how they work.

In her book "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success", Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck explored the power of personal beliefs. She identified two types of mindsets: a fixed mindset, which assumes that our character, intelligence and creativity are set and cannot be changed in any meaningful way. Conversely, a growth mindset flourishes on challenge and views failure as a means to grow. According to Dweck, these mindsets manifest at an early age and shape our future behavior.