That was the best time of the school day and I did it when it was gravel, it was our social hour with our friends as we did not get home till almost 5pm, leaving at 7:45 to start at 8:50am.
Sally Mole I have to beg to differ from Councillor Thicke's opinion, and would ask how many years her three children, or for that matter, our current trustee's children, (both from Tofino) spent in the USS school system, if any. Having raised and schooled my three boys on the coast, through WES, UES and USS, the conversation constantly arising was around high school offering limited academic, elective and sporting options, not around the bus ride. I still think our school board could do a better job on this, as far as offerings go, but do think we aren't doing badly at all overall. To have two high schools would be to split the little we do have to the detriment of our kids. None of us want this. So many people I've talked to on this have stated the bus ride is NOT the issue, many of us, myself included, spent much time riding the bus to and from school.....
I have often wondered about the possibility of placing a new school ( if one had to be built ) halfway between the two villages. Might be a bit of a long shot, but there could be many benefits and opportunities. While all high schools struggle to keep class sizes reasonable and offer as many courses as possible, the reality is that the fewer the number of students the less likely it is that there will be many options re course offerings with a focus being on the basics that students need to graduate. It is pretty obvious that not all kids want to, are able to, or need to go to university. However all students want to be able to leave the public school system with a skillset that will prepare them for entering the next phase of their lives, whenever that be further education or entering the workforce. Having a new high school near Grice Bay, Long beach and the golf course might provide opportunity to add to the core curriculum by developing ( or building on existing) kayaking courses, surfing , golf , environmental studies , FN culture and possibly courses designed to feed into the myriad of jobs associated with the obvious growth in the tourism industry.
That was the best time of the school day and I did it when it was gravel, it was our social hour with our friends as we did not get home till almost 5pm, leaving at 7:45 to start at 8:50am.
ReplyDeleteSome kids would fart on the bus. Shorty Craig hated that. So did Jack Bruce.
ReplyDeleteSally Mole
ReplyDeleteI have to beg to differ from Councillor Thicke's opinion, and would ask how many years her three children, or for that matter, our current trustee's children, (both from Tofino) spent in the USS school system, if any. Having raised and schooled my three boys on the coast, through WES, UES and USS, the conversation constantly arising was around high school offering limited academic, elective and sporting options, not around the bus ride. I still think our school board could do a better job on this, as far as offerings go, but do think we aren't doing badly at all overall. To have two high schools would be to split the little we do have to the detriment of our kids. None of us want this. So many people I've talked to on this have stated the bus ride is NOT the issue, many of us, myself included, spent much time riding the bus to and from school.....
I have often wondered about the possibility of placing a new school ( if one had to be built ) halfway between the two villages. Might be a bit of a long shot, but there could be many benefits and opportunities. While all high schools struggle to keep class sizes reasonable and offer as many courses as possible, the reality is that the fewer the number of students the less likely it is that there will be many options re course offerings with a focus being on the basics that students need to graduate. It is pretty obvious that not all kids want to, are able to, or need to go to university. However all students want to be able to leave the public school system with a skillset that will prepare them for entering the next phase of their lives, whenever that be further education or entering the workforce. Having a new high school near Grice Bay, Long beach and the golf course might provide opportunity to add to the core curriculum by developing ( or building on existing) kayaking courses, surfing , golf , environmental studies , FN culture and possibly courses designed to feed into the myriad of jobs associated with the obvious growth in the tourism industry.
ReplyDelete