French (Canada) 
History
A personal experience. A private school history.
Working as an educator in the public sector, I found that devoting time to after-school tutorials was a most positive and enriching experience for my students. I was consistently impressed at what students were able to learn and accomplish in a few short tutoring sessions, in comparison to the hours spent trying to master the same material in the classroom. This led me to consider a practical application of the tutorial model in a classroom setting and resulted in the 1978 establishment of a unique tutorial service: the Westmount Learning Centre; and ultimately, to the founding of Kells Academy.
From those humble beginnings, Kells has evolved into a full-fledged international Elementary and High School that is recognized as one of the premier independent schools in Montreal. Building on the founding principle of Kells Academy that each child has a unique personality and different talents, we have built a successful school based on a personal and individualized approach to pedagogy as compared to traditional teaching methods. Read More
This model proved to be very successful for Kells Academy and the school flourished both in size and reputation. The increasing number of students with their different interests led us to think innovatively about broadening the purely academic syllabus to include an array of wide-ranging activities like advanced computer skills, sports, extra-curricular activities and various community service projects in our curriculum.
To accommodate these growing needs, in 1990, Kells Academy acquired its own building in NDG at the corner of De Maisonneuve Boulevard West and Park Row West. Further expansion took place with the acquisition of the Hydro Quebec building in 2004 that was situated on Cavendish Boulevard at the corner of De Maisonneuve, where the Elementary School soon relocated. Read More
Lack of space continued to be an issue as student enrollment rose and we saw an increasing number of foreign students from all over the world including South America, China, Vietnam, Syria, Korea, and Turkey. When the property attached to the Elementary School became available, we immediately purchased, rebuilt and separated Grades 7 and 8 to create the Kells Middle School and residential accommodation for our foreign students. The doors to the new building opened in 2017.
We also consider ourselves as leaders in the field of digital technology which plays a major role in both the academic and Flex (extra-curricular) programs at Kells Academy. Apart from using computers as a pedagogical tool that aids learning, students can also explore courses that interest them - from coding to robotics.
As the school has expanded and flourished, our students have also competed very successfully in various inter-school, national, and international events, ranging from Math and Science to Debating and Sports. In 2024, students from grades 9-11 wrote the Pascal, Cayley, and Fermat Contests administered by the University of Waterloo. One of our six-member Kells teams placed first among 11 teams from Montreal; they were also the only team to achieve a perfect score in the Relay event. One of our students was awarded the medal for School Math Champion by the University of Waterloo. In the Euclid Math Contest; each member of the Kells team was awarded a Certificate of Participation and one student received a Certificate of Distinction and a medal, placing him in the top 25% of participants. In the Pythagoras, Newton, and Lagrange contests, nine of our students were shortlisted for the Honour Roll. At the Hydro-Quebec Science Fair Regional Finals, thirteen students from Kells were selected to present their work. Our students were recognized by the judges, with several earning the highest distinction. Kells students took home a Bronze Medal in the senior division, the McGill University Faculty of Science Award, the McGill University Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Award, and the McGill University Civil Engineering and Mining Materials Engineering awards. Thrilled and proud of their achievements, we are confident that Kells will continue to reach greater heights in the coming years.
The growth of Kells Academy from a small learning center to a full-fledged international school has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that our method of teaching works for all learners. We are proud to say that today Kells Academy has the structural model of a school that is aligned to the requirements of the new era. We strongly believe that this will take us to the next level in fulfilling our mission to focus on the specific needs of each student and providing the best environment for their academic, social and psychological development.
