In a few years, the 2013-'14 school year might well be remembered as one in which Squamish-area parents and the Sea to Sky School District embraced change in a big way.
Last spring, the district a new five-year strategic plan. Beginning last fall, educators were expected to begin implementing the plan, Pathways to Learning. The plan - which moves the district away from top-down, teacher-centered learning toward a more student-centred, collaborative and project-based model -represents more the continuation of a trend than a revolution. Nonetheless, the cutting-edge plan and its implementation is being closely watched by other public educators in B.C.
An even more obvious series of changes has been ongoing for several months. In rapid succession - and largely driven by parent demand - trustees have approved a move that will see all Squamish Grade 7s attend Don Ross Secondary School next fall, the launch of early French immersion at two elementary schools and the creation of two, and soon perhaps three, sports academies.
The latter includes a first-of-its-kind-in-B.C. cycling academy at Howe Sound Secondary School, headed up by Team B.C. coach Mike Charuk. To a degree, the cycling academy, a hockey academy, and perhaps a future soccer academy are being undertaken largely out of necessity - the district was facing a growing exodus of secondary-school students to academies elsewhere, especially West Vancouver. Nonetheless, it's an ambitious move that gives families more options and reduces the need to seek them out elsewhere.
There's little doubt that so much change all at once will result in a fair bit of shuffling around this fall. One can only hope student achievement doesn't suffer. While those things are difficult to measure, one of the only somewhat objective gauges - the Fraser Institute rankings, much despised by educators for providing a one-dimensional picture that's skewed in favour of private schools - shows HSSS having risen from the 27th percentile (191st out of 260 schools) to the 59th (117th of 284) in the most recent rankings. The district's overall graduation rate held steady for 2012-'13, while its Aboriginal grad rate having jumped from 35.4 per cent five years to 72.8 per cent last year -the biggest jump in the province.
In this context, keeping one's eyes on the prize means staying focused on those sorts of numbers, ensuring that our schools help build not just good athletes, but educated and well-rounded people.
- David Burke
