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 Integrity. Fellowship. Holiness. Not only are OLSWA students presented with a challenging Academic curriculum, but they are called higher day by day simply by participating in Student Life. Whether you find yourself studying in your room, playing hockey with friends, having an intense post-class lunch discussion with a professor, sweeping the halls or praying in the Adoration Chapel, you will discover that Truth, integrity and faith go much further than the classroom. Come experience the life that OLSWA offers!
Residence Life
Students at the Academy live in small men's and women's households. The households are designed to foster genuine Christian friendship and growth, and the furthering of a sacramental prayer life. Residence life is more than merely living in a "dorm." It is a place where real human development is expected to take place, a place to study, and a place to relax. View the photo gallery on our Residences page.
As a general rule, all incoming first-year student live on campus (exceptions can be made for mature students and local students). The residences are nearby houses, with 6-16 students living in each. Each residence is named for and placed under the patronage of a particular saint, and each house takes on a new personality with each new group of students.
The student life program is supervised by the Dean of Students, and each residence has upper-year student Residence Assistants (RAs) and Proctors to help foster a Christian community life. There are periodic household nights, to both bring the household together and keep things running smoothly.
As students’ households are their homes, they participate in the upkeep of the house with assigned chores. Participation in regular chores at the houses and also at the other school buildings not only helps keep room and board low and preserve the facilities, but it also encourages the students to learn charity through service and the holiness of everyday tasks.
Meals
 The Academy meal plan covers 19 meals a week, usually eaten in common in the basement of St. Hedwig Church (due to the demands of space). Meals are usually simple and informal, though the weekly Monday night Academy dinner brings together both faculty and students for a larger school-wide meal. Solemnities and special celebrations are anticipated events of the year – whether it be the Epiphany Formal or St. Joseph’s Day, such events serve as reminders that life is worth celebrating. Spiritual Life
From daily Mass to Spiritual Direction and Confession to prayer before sports and outings, students are constantly reminded to bring all things back to Christ. OLSWA life is designed to be conducive to growth in holiness, and to discernment of one’s state in life. For more information visit our Faith Formation page. Recreation
What do OLSWA students do when they are not absorbed in their studies? From sports nights to trips to the city, dances and parties to pilgrimages and community service, students find that they have a wide range of options on how to spend their free time.
 Field trips are organized, such as annual religious pilgrimages, or skate days on the Ottawa canal. Closer to home, the small-town/rural setting of Barry’s Bay provides an ideal environment for outdoor activities. Volleyball, soccer and ultimate Frisbee are favourites among the students, and as the weather gets colder many students participate in gym sports and then hockey on Friday nights. Many of the students participate in the annual drama production, spearheaded by the Don Bosco Drama Club. Productions have ranged from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and The Tempest to Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons and, more recently, the musical Oliver!.For those passionate about music, many opportunities present themselves in our expanded music program. Both experienced and more inexperienced students have found themselves in beautiful Churches and Cathedrals, backed up by professional orchestras, performing Mozart’s Requiem or Handel’s Messiah. Less formally, students are often heard singing at Sunday Mass, playing jazz on the school pianos or having informal jam sessions amongst themselves.
 Aside from the annual play and choral performances, favourite traditions include the freshmen orientation weekend, the costume party, the week-long Advent Angels (i.e. Secret Santas), the Epiphany Formal, swing dances, hikes and bonfires. Of course, some events vary as much as the student body – from a barefoot winter race (aka the “Penguin Run”) and pro-life pool or volleyball tournaments, to Irish ceili dances and 80s parties, there is no shortage of variety. Clubs are also added as the student body grows – favourites here have included the Paul Sanders and Janine Lieu Pro-Life Club, the Weavers Writing Guild, the Art Club, and the Cupertino Catechism Club. In the midst of such activities, students are always encouraged to participate in some form of community service, such as visits to the local nursing home.
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Something new has been heard in the halls of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy over these past few weeks: show tunes. The Academy’s Don Bosco Drama Club, which has performed an impressive list of productions since it was formed in 2003, presented its first musical, the Tony Award-winning hit Oliver! last weekend. It featured musical classics such as "Food, Glorious Food," "Where is Love?" "Consider Yourself," “Who Will Buy?” and "As Long As He Needs Me." Lionel Bart’s ever-popular Oliver! has become one of the most popular and longest running musicals of all time. The musical continued its popularity in the auditorium of Madawaska Valley District High School as the Don Bosco Drama Club gave three gripping performances of Oliver! to a delighted audience. .jpg)
