How it All Began

In 2002 a handful of parents started talking about the need for an independent school in Nanaimo. Some had attended independent schools themselves and wanted to give their children the same opportunity. Others were looking for an alternative to the public system.

Early in 2003 these founding directors began gathering support and the necessary approvals for a new school. They leased two acres of land on Portsmouth Road, built a 6,500-square-foot classroom building with modular components, and fenced in the property’s playground and grassy field.

Aspengrove’s doors opened to 42 students for the very first day of school September 8, 2003. Enrollment more than doubled in the Aspengrove’s second year. Families in the community had found what they were looking for: high academic standards, small class sizes and individual attention.

Why the Name “Aspengrove?”

The aspen is one of the world’s strongest trees. It’s one of the first to reestablish after wildfires and other major disasters. Why? Each tree has an extensive root structure whose nutrients come from its parent tree’s root system. This allows the saplings to grow very quickly and to grow apart from the parent tree yet stay connected at the root.

Aspengrove provides those same strong, nurturing roots to its students. The school has created an interconnected system of families, teachers, students and community who work together so that students achieve their full potential.