MIND High School (Moving In New Directions; french: École secondaire MIND) (est. 1975) is an alternative education high school in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada. Its reputation stems from its community-based programs. MIND is a partnership between the

English Montreal School Board The English Montreal School Board (EMSB, french: Commission scolaire English-Montréal – CSEM) is one of five public school boards on the island of Montreal. At 92.4 percent, the English Montreal School Board has the highest rate of students wh ...

(EMSB) and

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

's Faculty of Education. The program focuses on providing

critical thinking Critical thinking is the analysis of available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to form a judgement. The subject is complex; several different definitions exist, which generally include the rational, skeptical, and unbiased analysis ...

and enriched education through alternative teaching methods.

History

Founded in 1975 with 125 students from the entire PSBGM (Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal) and 7 staff, MIND was originally known simply as "The Alternative High School" and was located primarily on the third floor (with a few classes on the second floor) of the International

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

at the corner of Parc Avenue and St. Viateur. A vote was held by the community (students, staff and parents/guardians each had one vote), and "MIND" (Moving In New Directions) was declared the new name of the school. Early community votes dealt with the use of recreational drugs at school (rejected), smoking during class (eventually banned on the third floor only), world poverty and debt (no resolution) and student apathy (a surprisingly large meeting with no real solution). Community meetings were held weekly and home group meetings were held every Monday morning. Shortly after, MIND moved to the third floor of the old

High School of Montreal The High School of Montreal was an English-language high school founded in 1843, serving Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the area eventually known as the Golden Square Mile. It was less formally known as Montreal High School and from 1853 to 1870 was ...

building on University Street, which was otherwise occupied by the arts-oriented high school F.A.C.E. Staff consisted of eight teachers including one

head teacher A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...

, and approximately 133 students in grades 9-11 (secondary III-V). MIND currently has five teachers and 55 students. In 1999, MIND moved to its current location in the top floor of the Bancroft elementary school building at Mont Royal and St. Urbain, in the shadow of

Mount Royal Mount Royal (french: link=no, Mont Royal, ) is a large intrusive rock hill or small mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The best-known hypothesis for the origin of the name Montreal is the hi ...

. In 2003, MIND organized its first soccer team, and was soundly trounced by all of its competitors. The team's uniforms were black and white, with no logo.

External links

MIND High School website

English Montreal School Board: M.I.N.D. High School
{{Montreal Secondary Schools English-language schools in Quebec Educational institutions established in 1975 Gifted education High schools in Montreal English Montreal School Board