Mount Sentinel Secondary

About

Mount Sentinel Secondary is located at Po Box 99, South Slocan, BC V0G 2G0. The school serves Grades 7–12 and describes offering innovative educational programs for students. The school also acknowledges, respects, and honours the First Nations in whose traditional territories the Kootenay Lake School District operates, and all Aboriginal people residing within School District #8.

At a Glance

School type: Public School (Kootenay Lake)

Education language: English

Religious affiliation: None / Secular

Grades: 7-12

Phone: 250 359-7219

Email: shellie.maloff@sd8.bc.ca

Principal: Shellie Maloff

Programs and Services

Performance & media (Academy PM) Mount Sentinel Performance and Media Academy (Academy PM) is a cross-curricular, one-semester program designed to prepare students for post-secondary pathways or careers in film, theatre, game, and digital media industries. Coursework includes English, social studies (or an upper-level social studies elective), board-authorized media courses, and an upper-level elective (such as Film, Scriptwriting, Acting, or Theatre Production). Students complete major student-led projects and may participate in showcases (such as film festivals, theatre productions, and gallery displays), and the program may work with industry partners. Admission requires an application, interview, and references. Alternate education (Sequoia Learning Centre) The Sequoia Learning Centre is an off-site alternate education program that is part of Mt. Sentinel Secondary, designed for Grades 10–12 students working toward graduation. The program emphasizes a small, quiet environment and provides educational, social, and emotional support through inclusive practices, differentiated instruction, specialized delivery, and enhanced counselling based on student needs. In addition to academics, it includes life-skills learning such as cooking, financial literacy, communication, outdoor recreation, and relationship skills; enrolment involves contacting the school principal or referral through school/district teams, plus an application and intake process. Daily announcements / live stream (Wildcat TV) The school offers Wildcat TV for watching live streams and past live streams. Student reporting tool (ERASE) The school site links to ERASE, an anonymous reporting tool for students. Transportation (district busing) School District 8 provides student busing for eligible riders, requires annual registration, and uses bus passes that students scan when boarding and disembarking. The district also publishes a bus code of conduct focused on safety and respectful behaviour.

School Culture and Expectations

Mount Sentinel Secondary’s code of conduct emphasizes Respect, Responsibility, Commitment, and Attitude, and applies at school, during school-organized/sponsored activities, and to online behaviour that negatively impacts the school environment or learning. The school expects respectful interactions, regular and prepared attendance, and care for the learning environment and school property (including driving safely and following posted speed limits on school grounds). The code states that racism and discrimination will not be tolerated and prohibits discrimination on Human Rights Code-protected grounds, along with bullying, harassment, intimidation, violence, illegal acts, weapons, and vandalism. The school also outlines expectations that instructional time is generally “digital device free,” with personal devices stored away unless a teacher guides their use for learning or accommodations are specified in an IEP.

Transportation, Parking, and Getting Here

School District 8 offers transportation for eligible students and requires families to register annually for busing and follow bus pass procedures and the bus code of conduct. Students are expected to walk where possible; eligibility for busing is tied to living beyond walk limits (noted as greater than 2.5 km from the catchment school). The district’s bus code of conduct includes safety expectations such as arriving early to stops, remaining seated while the bus is moving, and crossing the road in front of the bus only on the driver’s signal. Mount Sentinel’s code of conduct also includes expectations to drive safely and follow posted speed limits (10 km/h) in and around the school.

Enrollment

For the Sequoia Learning Centre (alternate education, Grades 10–12), families may advocate by contacting the principal of Mt. Sentinel Secondary School; students may also be referred through the School Based Team or District Based Team, and must complete an application and intake process. For Academy PM (Performance & Media), admission requires an application, interview, and reference process (with an internal SD8 application link provided on the program page).