Jennifer Fitzgerald’s four children have all been exposed to a French Immersion education since their move to the West Vancouver area 13 years ago. While three have completed elementary school and are continuing their education at Sentinel, her youngest child continues to attend École Pauline Johnson.

Her decision was an easy one, as the school is the closest to the family residence.

“When we bought this house, we wanted the kids to walk to school and we were able register our eldest son right away.”

When the family went on a trip to France, Fitzgerald was pleased to watch them communicating with locals effortlessly.

“It was fantastic seeing how the kids were able to switch it up in a market,” says Fitzgerald, who speaks limited French, along with her husband. “I think [French Immersion education] helps you think differently – the best is that they can tell a joke in French and that they’ve got more choices than I had, because I left the language behind in high school.”

Homework hasn’t been a problem for the family, as the school doesn’t send home anything her children don’t understand already. “We didn’t have to help much with the homework, and anything we did need to get involved in was fairly manageable.”

“It’s been terrific – it has honestly worked out very well.”