ASK

We would love to answer your questions, but first take a look at some of the Frequently Asked Questions below and maybe you’ll find what you are looking for.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I start the application process? And what is the process? When is the Deadline?

START

Students fill out this quick application form. Our Principal, Mr. Truss, will contact you and your parents/guardians and start the process below.

PROCESS

After the short application form is filled out, you will be contacted within 2 school days. Here are the next steps:
1. A detailed questionnaire for students. (This can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours to complete.)
2. An interview with the student and parent/guardians. (Due to Covid-19 this will be done on Zoom or Microsoft Teams. It will be booked for 45 minutes.) *Not everyone gets an interview, but there will be a Parent/Principal conversation in the cases where no interview will be held.
3. A questionnaire for current teachers. (We basically ask them questions about whether you are a student described below.)

DEADLINE

For September 2022, we are prioritizing applications received before January 14th. Students who apply before winter break get priority scheduling for interviews that will occur into the new year. We do accept applications after that point, but only based on space availability. Note that we do not re-interview applicants who have already been turned down.

Who is the school for?

Who are successful candidates?

Successful students are often those who share a passion for investigation, have an innate sense of curiosity, and want to use technology to learn. Inquiry Hub is for students who are seeking a cooperative learning environment where they can focus on their interests individually and in small teams – those who:

  • are motivated learners with self-regulation skills
  • can work independently during unstructured class time
  • want a chance to apply their learning in a practical way
  • are interested in research and learning with technology
  • desire to work on substantive projects which make a difference

Mr. Truss on ‘The Purpose of Inquiry Hub‘:

More rapid fire questions about the school:
Do we accept out of district students? Yes. They go through the same process as all other applicants.
Do we accept students mid-year? No. We run almost all of our courses year-long and a mid-year entry is not possible.
Do we accept Grade 8 or Grade 12 students? Although we are a great program for gifted students, we are not a gifted program and don’t accept students early. Also, we do not recommend coming to Inquiry Hub for Grade 12. We spend 3 years preparing students for Grade 12 at our school and the change is too drastic for most Grade 12’s. Grades 9 & 10 are the ideal entry points.
What does it cost to go to Inquiry Hub? Inquiry Hub is a free, public school in SD43 – Coquitlam. It is a ‘Bring Your Own Laptop’ school but beyond that, students only need supplies they would need at any other school. If students need financial assistance for a laptop, etc. they can discuss this privately with the principal.
Is Inquiry Hub a home learners or blended learning school? No. Students attend school every day from 9am to 3:30pm, and we consider inquiry (DCL) time to still be school work time. While we can have some flexibility for special circumstances, we consistently see that our most successful students are students that attend daily and commit to participating on our community.
Do students get homework? Every student will end up with homework throughout the year. Some students get a large part of this done at school. Some students bring home a lot of their assignments and do most of their inquiry work at school, and other do the opposite. A dedicated, self-directed student, who uses their time well at school, will have far less homework to bring home than they would have at a regular high school.

Where can I find out more about the school?

We had a digital Open House on Dec. 1st, 2020 and you can watch it here. You can watch the entire (student led and run) presentation, but you can also skip to individual segments of interest.

See some great student projects, or learn more about the school here.

Also follow us on social media:

What does a typical day look like? And, what do inquiry projects look like?

This is difficult to answer because every year and every grade is different. For example, this year, we are organizing projects through EduScrum for our Grade 9’s and 10’s, and they are finding it very effective at getting school work done, efficiently allowing them to spend more time on inquiries. So, if you look at their schedule, it is much more booked up than the schedule we would have shown

No matter how we break it down, students usually end up with about 30% to 40% of their day being what we call DLC, time to Dream, Create, and Learn. DCL time is used for:

  • Getting work assigned by teachers done: Yes, teachers give homework and have due dates for assignments.
  • Working on teams and in groups. This includes presentations and teaching other students what you’ve learned.
  • Doing inquiries and IDS – Independent Directed Studies. These are not done ‘on your own’. Teachers guide and support students all along the way.

That said, the next question is often asked…

How do students get all the work done required in other schools and still have time for inquiry projects and IDS? 

Students take just as many classes as they would at a typical high school (sometimes more). These courses include Inquiry Courses and Independent Directed Studies (IDS). Students take these courses instead of a wider choice of electives offered at other schools, and they get to do some really fun, interesting and in-depth projects that they simply wouldn’t usually wouldn’t have time for in another school… Yet, at Inquiry Hub students are acquiring credits that count towards their graduation with their inquiries and IDS courses.

Our students take courses all year (we are not on the semester or quarter system) and they meet all the requirements for a BC Dogwood Diploma (like students at every other high school). Courses are provided 1-3 times per week and our teachers work hard to integrate the curriculum to help reduce the overall number of assignments. While this integration in subjects like Math is more challenging, it is more easily accomplished with English and Social Studies which are taught as Humanities. Not only do we integrate our studies, we focus on curricular outcomes and competencies that we know will help students be successful in their future schooling and in life. We are often asked if students are ‘missing out’ on academics because they have so much DCL (flex) time.. but our school is filled with content experts who fill a student’s day with projects that dig deep into the curriculum, and unlike 12-14% of the high achieving first year students that drop out of SFU and UBC every year, our grads excel in the programs they go into after Inquiry Hub.

What do Inquiry and IDS projects look like?

We’ve had many, many unique inquiries and Independent Directed Studies projects at Inquiry Hub. From knitting and sewing, to coding games, cooking, designing products, writing stories, starting businesses, researching slime mold and tooth decay, redesigning local traffic patterns, helping people vote or find their lost pets, to researching French government structures through history and the philosophies that developed them… They are limited only by their imagination and interests.

Thia, Grade 10, on ‘What are inquiries, and her inquiries so far‘. (Link to Thia’s food blog.)

If you haven’t already done so, check out some of the projects created by our students here.

Do you offer all of the Sciences?

We have most. Currently we don’t offer the Earth Sciences courses, but students can explore these topics with their own inquiries or IDS courses. Here is a really good video explanation of the courses we offer and the kind of Science students that come to our school:

Mr. Sarte on ‘Sciences at Inquiry Hub‘

What is the difference between Talons, IB, and Inquiry Hub?

These are three very good programs offered by SD43 – Coquitlam. However, not one of the programs is the best fit for every student.

Talons is only for students who have been identified as gifted. It is mostly a Grade 9/10 program with an emphasis on Chemistry, Biology, and Leadership in grades 11 and 12. There is also the possibility to do Independent Directed Studies.

IB – International Baccalaureate provides a rich, rigorous, and rigid program. The curriculum and expectations regarding assessments are not controlled within BC. For those students who are able to successfully complete all IB requirements, they are in a good position to meet university acceptance criteria, including postsecondary schools in other countries—a benefit for those students who wish to study out-of-province. If you can get into the program and do all the work, you will be well prepared for university.

Inquiry Hub (iHub) – By design, Inquiry Hub fits the needs of many gifted students and provides a full Grade 9-12 program. We aim to prepare students for a changing world where they have the option to do more education, informal learning, or entrepreneurship throughout their lives. In grades 9 and 10, we specifically teach leadership, collaboration, and project management skills along with the process of inquiry. We encourage and teach graphic design skills. We also emphasise communication using the Hero’s Journey and marketing concepts. We believe that students can learn to make a living sharing the work they love to do.

iHub grads have gotten into UBC Engineering, Mechatronics at Waterloo, Emily Carr University, and we even have a Loran Scholar that will be going to McGill. However, if you are thinking of something like medical school, then IB is probably a better program for you. Our current students are interested in storytelling, content creation, creativity, visual and performing arts, podcasting, journalism, history, culture, computer programming, and leadership along with the usual academics. iHub is a community that will help students make their creative ideas come to life. We develop a practice with students to take on challenging tasks and share what they learn.

Note: Like most schools in the province, we do not offer AP courses at iHub.

Mr. Sarte on ‘School and life after Inquiry Hub‘:

 

Logo Montage by Maddison D, Grade 10