Billed as Alberta’s only international boarding school, Concordia High School is closing after its lease was terminated.
The Concordia High School (CHS) Board of Governors announced Monday morning the school will cease operations for the 2012-2013 academic year. In the news release, the board says the school will cease operations “effective immediately and will be closed permanently.”
The board adds it is trying to find placements for its students with other academic programs, and is working with government partners to find employment for teachers and staff.
On average, the school has a population of between 100 and 120 students, with average class sizes around 15 to 18 students.
The CHS board says it was notified on Monday, August 13th that its partnership and lease agreement at its current campus location with the Eminata Group was terminated and negotiations would not be possible.
The release calls the lease termination “unanticipated,” and says the school has been left with no facility to operate its courses or dormitory program.
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“This is extremely disappointing to everyone here at the school,” says Trevor Johnson, Chair of the CHS board of governors. “Every possible solution to this challenge has been researched and exhausted in efforts to locate a new facility prior to the start of the academic year in order to continue school operations. There is simply not enough time to find another feasible option.”
The board says CHS is working in partnership with Alberta Education to complete the formal closure process.
Parents and students will be updated on the process through the Concordia high School website and the EMS Creative website.
CHS has been offering Christian leadership education for students around the world for more than 90 years. High School students have come from areas including China, Korea, Russia, Hong Kong, Africa, Europe, and the Canadian north.
In August 2011, CHS moved from its previous location on the Concordia University College campus to its location in southwest Edmonton. At that time, the board was planning a future expansion; increased classroom space, more dormitory facilities, new curricular initiatives.
Concordia University College released a statement of its own Monday morning; emphasizing that the High School and University are separate entities, and that the High School closure will not affect university classes which will begin – as scheduled – September 5th.
“I was just informed that Concordia High school is ceasing operations in the coming school year,” says Concordia University College President Dr. Gerald Krispin. “Concordia University College of Alberta is a totally separate institution which is now in its 26th year of granting university degrees, and university classes will be starting, as usual, in early September.”
While the two institutions have historically shared the same campus, Concordia University College is located in Edmonton Highlands on Ada Boulevard, while Concordia High School has been operating out of the former Taylor campus in south Edmonton.
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