One-hundred-and-thirty-nine international students are seeing a little more of Squamish and fewer classroom walls.
The community plays host to youth from 26 countries around the world throughout the school year. They stay with families in town and attend local schools, the Sea to Sky School District’s assistant superintendent Jody Langlois said.
The ongoing B.C. teachers’ dispute with the provincial government has put a little twist into the International Education Program’s schedule. While the course normally includes orientation days and cultural activities, this year those events have been frontloaded into the program, Langlois said.
The international student agencies were warned of the possibility that picket lines would be in front of B.C. schools this September. None of the students or parents declined a spot upon hearing the news, Langlois said.
“We are using our principals and vice principals, and staff that work for the International Education Program department to host the days,” she said, noting the program is not stepping onto school sites, nor are Canadian Union of Public Employees involved. “We are not hiring out for anybody.”
So far the weather has cooperated and the students have visited sites, such as the Sea to Sky Gondola. On their first day in school, the youth participated in a scavenger hunt in downtown that aimed to get them familiar with the community, Langlois said. Officials are working on scheduling for next month. They are confident they will be able to fill the time if the strike continues.
The strike may add bills onto the program’s tab, Langlois acknowledged. However, financial analysis has not yet been completed, she said, adding many of the outings are expenses that would be incurred throughout a normal year.
The school district’s International Education Program is growing. Last year its headcount sat at 213 students. This year, officials are forecasting it will hit 231 students.
“The group of students that we have is such a lovely group of students,” Langlois said.
