Robert Land Academy
Robert Land Academy (RLA) is Canada's only non-university level private military academy. Located in the township of West Lincoln on the north shores of the Welland River five kilometres west of the hamlet of Wellandport, the Academy began to accept students in 1978.
| Robert Land Academy | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| |
Wellandport , Ontario Canada | |
| Information | |
| School type | Private Boarding School Boys Only Military School |
| Motto | Deus et Patria (Latin) (God and Country) |
| Established | 1978 |
| Founder | G. Scott Bowman |
| Oversight | Board of Governors |
| Headmaster | Kevin Wendling |
| Faculty | 55 |
| Grades | 6-12 |
| Number of students | 75-125(different in every semester) |
| Average class size | 17 students |
| Campus | 168 acres |
| Nickname | Loyalists |
| Tuition | C$52,000 [1] |
| Website | robertlandacademy.com |
The Academy is an all-boys institution. On average, a total of 160 students between Grade 6 (last year of elementary school) and Grade 12 (last year of high school) are enrolled at the Academy during any one school year.
All students enrolled at the Academy live in military-style dormitories located on-campus throughout the school year. The barracks are normally named in tribute to famous military figures in pre-Confederation Canadian history, such as Major-General Isaac Brock (leader of British forces at the Battle of Queenston Heights during the War of 1812), Major John Butler (leader of the irregular militia regiment named after him, Butler's Rangers, formed for service in the American Revolutionary War), and Joseph Brant (1743–1807) who was a Mohawk military and political leader who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution.
Namesake
The school itself is named after Robert Land, a United Empire Loyalist originally from New York who migrated into what later became Upper Canada with his family in the mid-1780s, in the wake of the American Revolutionary War. Land is often seen as one of the first inhabitants of modern-day Hamilton, Ontario.
Purpose
According to the Academy's website, the military theme allows for the reinforcement of the importance of organization, teamwork, discipline and personal responsibility. Students admitted to the Academy are chosen for their potential for success. Students admitted to the Academy mostly do not fit in public school system because of Academic, Behaviour, attitude and other problems. Other students have been diagnosed with various learning disorders, including Autism, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and various forms of learning disability. The Academy asserts that each year 100% of its graduating class who apply to university or college are accepted.[2] It also states that 95% of all students experience a dramatic improvement in their academic performance and success within their first semester of enrollment.
Affiliations with the Canadian Armed Forces
The Academy sponsors a closed cadet corps of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets, #2968 Robert Land Academy Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps, which is also affiliated with The Lincoln and Welland Regiment (the Niagara Region's local Canadian Forces army reserve infantry unit) and The Royal Canadian Regiment (one of the Canadian Forces' three Regular Force infantry regiments). Membership in #2968 RCACC was mandatory for grade 9 students of the 08/09 year.
Rank structure within the academy
Student ranks
All students, on first being accepted at the Academy, hold the rank of Recruit. The first phase of non-academic training at the Academy for new students, normally lasting a month's period, is always referred to as the "Recruit Period" and they will dress in a tan beret to signify their recruit status, Upon passing Recruit Period, by showing a standard of organizational skills with good behaviour, the student is promoted to Cadet and given the right to wear the blue beret with the academy's cap badge. A student who makes serious mistakes may be placed on charge, meaning he stays the rank of recruit for period of time and whatever rank this student was is suspended. The student has to wear an orange beret or tan beret until being reinstated back to the rank cadet or higher.
After being promoted to the rank of Cadet, students at the Academy, on proving their ability to demonstrate rudimentary leadership and organizational skills, may be promoted to the rank of Barman, which is normally marked by a silver bar similar to the insignia of a United States Army lieutenant.
On reaching Barman rank and getting a position within the academy, the student may then advance in either one of two ways:
- If the student demonstrates equivalent leadership skills, he can then be promoted to the rank of Double Barman (marked with two silver bars similar to the insignia of a U.S. Army captain). Students in grade 5 to 10 must obtain the rank of Leading barman followed by Master Barman before they may be promoted higher.
- If the student shows exceptional leadership skills, he can then be promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal (the equivalent of the same rank in the British Army). From there, promotions can proceed through the ranks of Corporal, Master Corporal, Sergeant and finally Warrant Officer (paralleling the rank structure of the modern Canadian Forces).
The senior ranking student on campus during a school year is acknowledged as '"Head Boy"', and normally wears the rank of Sergeant or Warrant Officer. The other two senior student positions are '"Parade Sergeant Major"' and '"Aide-de-Camp"', both of which may wear either the rank of Sergeant or Warrant Officer, together they are referred to as "Top 3" at the academy.
Staff ranks
Staff members at the Academy are organized into three general categories:
- Academy officers
- Academy staff non-commissioned officers(NCOs)
- Academy civilian staff
Academy officers normally wear the officer rank insignia which existed in the Canadian Army prior to 1968 ("pips" and crowns). Teachers wear either a second lieutenant's one "pip" or a lieutenant's two "pip" stars, company commanders wear a captain's three "pip" stars and the Headmaster wears a lieutenant colonel's crown and one "pip".
Academy staff non-commissioned officers are normally composed of the Academy Sergeant-Major (ASM) and his immediate subordinates, the Company Sergeants-Major (CSM). The ASM and the CSMs handle all daily drill and other military-theme classes at the Academy.
Academy civilian staff (including the staff running the Academy kitchen, the groundskeepers and the administrative staff) do not wear military-style uniforms and do not hold an Academy rank.