Study Abroad
Exchange Program
One of the most powerful things a young person can do is step outside the familiar to live and learn in a place that is different from home, and to return changed by the experience. Our exchange program connects St. John’s students with peers from around the world, brings international students into the heart of our community, and gives everyone involved a perspective on the world that no classroom lesson could replicate.
Opportunities for St. John’s Students
Exchange is a two-way journey! St. John’s students may also have the opportunity to study abroad through our partner school relationships, spending time in another country, living with a local family or in a school residence, attending classes in another language or cultural context, and returning to Shawnigan Lake with a broader and richer sense of the world they are part of. Exchange experiences at the high school level are among the most formative a young person can have, and we are committed to making those opportunities available to our students wherever possible.
A Living Program
Our exchange partnerships grow and change from year to year, reflecting the global nature of our school community and the relationships we are fortunate to build with schools around the world. Past exchanges have brought students to St. John’s from as far afield as Central America, and we continue to explore new partnerships that will give our students and our guests the richest possible cross-cultural experience. Families interested in hosting an exchange student, or students interested in studying abroad through St. John’s, are encouraged to reach out to our admissions and student life teams to learn about current and upcoming opportunities.
Welcoming the World to Shawnigan Lake
Each year, St. John’s has the privilege of welcoming a group of international exchange students to our campus for an immersive experience of Canadian education, culture, and life on Vancouver Island. Exchange students live alongside our boarding community, attend classes with our students, take part in co-curricular activities, and experience everything that makes St. John’s the place it is. Some exchange students are hosted within the school’s boarding program, while others are welcomed into the homes of St. John’s families who generously open their doors and their lives to a young person from another part of the world.
For our own students, hosting exchange visitors is an education in itself. It broadens perspectives, deepens cross-cultural understanding, and builds the kind of global friendships that the IB learner profile is built around.
