School Header

Oak Bay Secondary School Reviews

2151 CRANMORE RD, Victoria, British Columbia V8R 1Z2, Canada

Be the first to leave a review!

Be the first to leave a review!

Be the first to leave a review!

Ashurst is very easygoing, and if you have a heavy academic schedule his Bio 11 is a lovely experience. His passion for biology shines through in lots of local expertise, and he’s a very easy marker. There’s a fair bit of memorization, but there are plenty of bonus question opportunities - it’s very possible to get over 100 in his class, which obviously rounds down. His easygoing attitude, fun labs, and ability to make biology interesting make this a very fun and informative class. If you’re interested in biology especially, this class will be a blast for you; you can ask Mr. Ashurst almost anything about local wildlife and he’ll likely have an answer. I’ve heard many complaints about disorganization in his Chem 11 class, but his Bio 11 is a very positive, educational, and interesting environment, and all the test material was covered in class. I highly recommend flashcards as a study method for this class - handmade ones may allow you to better memorize through the writing process. The optional Nelson text is on classroom and in the library; it’s completely unnecessary but if you just find bio cool and want to hear information phrased differently, you may as well give it a look-through for any lessons you’re not comfortable with. Bio Mr. Ashurst is completely in his element, and he teaches his class with a lovely laidback, friendly, and humorous attitude. I strongly recommend him for his Bio 11 class, which I took in the 2019-2021 school year. Good luck!

Peter Atkinson is an amazing biology teacher, and a fantastic ally to have at Oak Bay High. I took Biology 11 in Atkinson's class, and it was by far my favourite science course of that year. Atkinson provides ample notes and information in a way that is acessible to all students, and follows it up with a great sense of humor and general likeability. I learned so much in his class, and even though I didn't have any classes with him in grade 12, he still said hi to me in the hallway everytime I passed his classroom. Biology with Atkinson is such a fun class, and if you see his name on your course list, be happy! The course requires studying, sure, but it's a fantastic community so have fun!!

Be the first to leave a review!

Chem 12, 2020-21 Ms. Berube’s teaching style seems ill-fitted to the Quarter System, but she did absolutely adapt her curriculum between blocks for what made sense for each class. Occasionally there are poorly phrased test questions, in which case I don’t recommend asking for clarification, as it may lead you further astray. Berube is simultaneously very popular and unpopular, and your opinion will likely come down to learning style. For Chemistry 12 in a quarter system, you can expect 1-3 hours of homework every night if chemistry comes reasonably easy to you, or at least, easily enough that you’re taking Chem 12. Ms. Berube bases her marking system on “work ethic, ” so you can do reasonably well just by consistently doing the homework. Almost every assignment is due the next class, so if you have her class every day, you may end up pulling late nights. It is incredibly easy to fall behind, and she will absolutely testify to this. You absolutely should be doing every assignment on time, and do all of the monster review - put in your earbuds, commit a significant portion of your weekend, and slog through it - you will absolutely be glad you did. “But reviewer! ” I hear you say, “I have 27 extracurriculars! ” I was also one of you. Take a deep breath. You will be okay. With this class, the joy of the homework is it can be broken up into infinitesimally small fragments. This means that in your in between time, between classes, before heading out, during focus block, maybe during lunch, maybe while the other band section is tuning or during a choir mic check, or a scene you’re not in, take it a question at a time. Don’t put your textbook/binder/homework in your locker, bring it with you, because some little in between moments will be your saviour, and you may be able to get your homework done before you leave the building. You absolutely must buy friction-erasable black pens for this class. She is very picky about pen, and will deduct marks for pencil labs. She is trying to prepare you for university with the regular workload, self-directed monster review homework, and niche criteria. I highly recommend reading the textbook along with the classes; she usually teaches material in the same order, and hearing things explained/phrased a different way can be enormously helpful. This class will develop your study skills like no other, and destroy the last vestiges of your procrastination. Some students love this class, some hate it. A friend of mine dropped it for mental health reasons. Ms. Berube can come across aggressively or condescendingly, but she is well-meaning, excellently organized, and very direct. Slightly better lesson planning may be appreciated, as she sometimes may forget a verbal addition to her notes, but she is very cautious to mention key ideas enough times - 7 exactly - to cement them in your memory. This will likely not be a class you feel comfortable speaking out in; the environment is very unrelaxed. This will be your most work-heavy class. Expect to sideline your other courses somewhat. It’s very easy to lose sight of any appreciation of the subject for chemistry-lovers, and easy to burn out. In this case, I recommend flipping ahead through the Hebden - the Hebden is your best friend in this course - and skimming for some cool things. Look, funky graphs! Oh hey, that’s how batteries work! Try not to lose sight of the joy of Funky Chemicals. Ms. Berube can be out of touch with her students, as regarding past experience in chem classes (she tends to not quite know what her students already know, or rather, don’t know), class atmosphere (she seems unaware of the anxiety-inducing and generally silencing environment her class is), and how to answer questions. If you have a question, swallow your pride and just ask the person next to you. It’s not that she can’t answer your question, it’s that it may take a couple minutes for her to understand what your question is. This lack of understanding what the comprehension issue is is why I recommend not asking about test questions; you may get misdirected. Her concept demonstration is excellent. She regularly uses visual demonstrations with actual chemicals mid-lecture. If you have any choice - you likely won’t - I highly recommend sitting directly at the front. In the somewhat intimidating class environment it’ll be easier to ask questions, and more importantly, you will be able to get a proper look at chemical demonstrations. Certain worksheets have mistakes in the answer key; they are several years old, and I don’t believe Ms. Berube wrote them. Even if you’re used to being the student who notices mistakes in the answer key, please do not assume it is an answer key mistake. First, assume you are wrong, and confer with neighbours. Then ask for help from Ms. Berube. If she does the question the exact same way you do and gets the same answer, then suggest an answer key issue. Test multiple-choice questions may be misleading or may have multiple answers which could be right, depending on the poorly-defined parameters of the question. You may know exactly what happens in a process referred to by the test, and get it wrong because you got too specific. Do not get too specific. Overall, Ms. Berube is a highly controversial teacher, but she is highly competent, direct, and highly aware of university procedures. She will teach things a specific way solely because of how UVic handles a specific concept. She will absolutely prepare you for university, and will absolutely demand effort. She can seem aggressive, out-of-touch, and sometimes simply rude, but she truly does know her subject in-and-out, and you really can learn a remarkable amount from her class. Once you get to know her and consistently demonstrate effort, she’s actually very nice. All in all, the class is what you make of it. If you walk in with an attitude of disdain for Ms. Berube’s teaching style or attitude or seemingly arbitrary/pedantic marking criteria and the insane workload, you will hate this class. If you try to get along with Ms. Berube and buckle down for some insane studying, some collaborative learning, and some very late nights, you’ll come to appreciate the class, the material, and Ms. Berube herself. Flash cards. Read the textbook. Do all the monster review. Always listen to music when doing worksheets. Good luck! :) I have no frame of reference for Ms. Berube’s other classes, and her Chem 12 is frankly an experience of its own which likely serves ill as a metric of comparison. Grade 9 French kids, this is not the review for you. Personally, I enjoyed this Chem 12 class, and I like Ms. Berube.

Be the first to leave a review!

Be the first to leave a review!

Comp Civ 11/12, 2019-2020 Drama 10, Drama 12 Musical Theatre This review may be biased, as I absolutely love Mr. Bradshaw from my experiences with him in Drama and Musical Theatre. He is very kind, funny, and a wonderfully supportive teacher who truly wants his students to succeed. In his Comp Civ class, units were structured around presentations. You make a presentation or project, present it/present on it, and design a 5-question quiz around your presentation, which the class will take. You will mark them, and give them back to Mr. Bradshaw. The last question will be a deeper-thinking question. You will take quizzes on everyone else’s presentations, and these, as well as your presentation mark, will make up your mark for most units. He has an excellently designed bonus-mark system which he uses in all his classes, so there is opportunity to recover if you make mistakes on a presentation quiz. There’s a significant amount of in-class research, a few mini-presentations (30 seconds to a minute), and at least one essay, in which he will walk you through the essay-writing process. Even if you have no interest in ancient civilizations, the world around you, or any culture anywhere, this class may be worth it for you simple for the essay structure. His essay lessons are better than those of any English class I’ve been in, and for any analytical thinkers or natural writers, the essay structure he provides will simply make sense to you. It confirms everything about how to communicate ideas to human people you already know, and all the sort-of-structure you’ve been sneaking into your essays all along. The class is wonderfully thought-provoking. It asks some lovely deep questions, fosters critical thinking, expands your worldview, and improves your understanding of How The World Works in a fun and witty way. The class atmosphere is fun and warm, and if you’re typically uncomfortable speaking in front of groups, the welcoming environment will provide a venue for you to have an excellent time while nerding out over ancient cultures. You can both have fun with your assignments and learn the material to an extent that affords you full marks. After taking this class, I strongly recommended his in-timetable speech and debate to a friend, who loved it just as much as I loved Comp Civ. Mr. Bradshaw’s academic classes are both wonderfully thought-provoking and good fun, and I can’t recommend his Comparative Cultures/Civilizations class strongly enough.

Be the first to leave a review!

Be the first to leave a review!

Displaying teachers 1 - 12 of 81 in total
d