New program in Canada helps immigrant students get a head start

Diego Garcia got butterflies in his stomach whenever he thought about his first day of school in Canada. Last week, the Colombian teenager’s fears were allayed when he walked into Toronto’s Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute and was greeted by his soon–to–be teachers, settlement workers and fellow students—and most importantly, surrounded by other new immigrants like him. The welcome came courtesy of Newcomer Orientation Week, a pilot program created to help newly arrived immigrant youth get a head start in high school. Read about the transitional program at thestar.com.