one on Rokko Island. In January 1995, the Great Hanshin earthquake devastated Kobe. Nearly 3,500 people sought shelter in school facilities. The Early Learning and Activities Center (ELAC) opened in January 2008 on what was once the location of the Norwegian School. Over 200 alumni returned to their alma mater for the centennial anniversary celebrations in 2013. Curriculum Canadian Academy's more than 85 faculty members from around the world teach a college preparatory program in English. The school began by incorporating the IB Diploma Programme. Later, the school implemented the International Baccalaureate Organization's Primary Years Program (PYP), and Middle Years Program (MYP). The school became an IB World School in 2011. In addition to academics, the school offers extra-curricular activities for all ages. The school is a founding member of the Asia Pacific Activities Conference (APAC) for annual athletic tournaments and performing arts festivals among twelve international schools in the Asia-Pacific region. Facilities The modern 9-acre campus, which opened in 1990, includes the main building, Gloucester House dormitory, and Early Learning and Activities Center (ELAC), opened in January 2008. Fully equipped classrooms are all networked to the internet and have computers. The Herbert Norman Library and Media Center houses more than 42,000 volumes and is supplemented by a library in ELAC. Other facilities include a cafeteria with seating for 300 students, the main building Theater with seating for almost 400 people, and the P&G Black Box theater. Athletic facilities include two gymnasiums, a fitness center, two tennis courts, artificially turfed playing fields including a full-size soccer pitch, and two elementary school playgrounds. Prior to its move to Rokko Island in 1990, the school overlooked Kobe for many decades in Nagamine Heights, a residential area located below Mt. Maya and Mt. Rokko. Student body At the beginning of the 2017–2018 school year, there were 641 students (Pre-K- 5: 280; Middle School: 141; and High School: 220 (includes approximately 15 boarding students). The student body is made up of as many as 40 different nationalities with about 18% North American, 8% European, 56% Asian (including 25% Japanese) and 18% representing the rest of the world. Canadian Academy is the third-largest expatriate international school in Japan and the largest in the Kobe/Osaka/Kyoto area. The school enrolls many students from the Rokko Island area as well as surrounding communities. Alumni Close to 3,000 students have graduated from Canadian Academy since its founding in 1913.