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Debate greets Whistler Secondary staff’s support of a semester system

The conclusion by Whistler Secondary staff that the school needs to switch from the quarter system to the semester system has generated heated debate in the community.

The conclusion by Whistler Secondary staff that the school needs to switch from the quarter system to the semester system has generated heated debate in the community.

Many of the parents of youths who take advantage of the elite sport program at the school support the current quarter system as it allows the athletes to leave school to compete and make up schooling later.

Under the quarter system students take two courses for about two and half months at a time. The year is broken into four quarters, offering four entry points for the year.

In the semester system more courses are taken each day over a longer period of time. The year is broken into two equal parts, each about 15-weeks long.

It would be almost impossible for youths competing nationally and internationally to keep up with their schoolwork on the semester system.

"If the school is run on the semester system without special provision being made, how will the students in the athletic program, the work experience program, children with special needs be accommodated," said Stephanie Sloan who was to make a plea to the Howe Sound School Board to keep the quarter system in place Wednesday night at the high school.

In her presentation Sloan said Rossland athletes often take an extra year or two to graduate and Vancouver athletes often move to Whistler to take advantage of the quarter system.

She also points to 55 families, which she said have moved to Whistler specifically to take advantage of the programs at the high school.

"This has represented $275,000 in revenue for the school district," said Sloan, who feels more community consultation is needed on the subject.

"If we do not have a delivery system to accommodate these athletes there is a real potential to loose them and severely retard future growth."

Parent Peter Browne echoed Sloan’s sentiments.

"If you take away that growth factor that the community has – these kids coming in from all over – and take that out of the equation you basically have a declining population because of other factors such as affordability and so on," said Browne.

He believes the quarter system allows Whistler to offer something no other school does.

"It has allowed Whistler to show off its uniqueness," said Browne.

"We are a mountain town and there are a lot of students who are engaged heavily in outdoor activities like skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking. There have even been a couple of golfers who have gone through.

"It has allowed these people to come into the community and pursue their outside activities as well as maintaining a high academic standard.

"By bringing in the semester system I think some of that flexibility will be lost, although we are hopeful the school will come up with a solution to it."

The school board meeting on Wednesday night was to hear from several parents on the proposed semester system.

Board chair Amy Shoup is encouraging other parents who could not get to the meeting to fax the board at 1-604-892-1038, attend the next meeting on May 28, or e-mail the board through Web page links at www.sd48.bc.ca .

"The decision has not been made," said Shoup.

"The board will consider all the information that is given to us.

"We are responsible for the education of every student at Whistler Secondary and while we recognize the unique needs of elite level athletes we have other things in place that will help them meet their educational goals."

The board will make the final decision on whether Whistler Secondary will switch to a semester system.

Whistler Secondary Principal Ken Davies was also to make a presentation to the board on Wednesday night, outlining why the staff believed a change was needed.

Several factors have played a role according to a letter sent home to parents this week.

In the letter Davies informs parents that the Timetable Review Committee, which is comprised of parents, teachers, and students, has looked into the topic for over a year and a half.

As part of their investigation a survey was completed by all students in Grades 9 through 12, their parents, and staff.

All staff completed the survey and 67 per cent were in favour of keeping the quarter system at that time.

Only 68 parents returned the survey. Of those, 52 per cent were in favour of keeping the quarter system, Most students filled it out and 85 per cent were in favour of the quarter system.

These results and other investigations led the committee to recommend using a hybrid system where Math and Sciences, two subjects which are challenging for most students in the quarter system, be offered over a longer period.

However, points out Davies in the letter, since that time there have been two significant developments.

The Ministry of Education first announced then rescinded a plan to cancel Provincial Grade 12 Examination periods for November and April. Cancelling these exams would seriously hinder students on the quarter system from meeting their graduation requirements.

However, according to ministry spokesperson Christine Askew: "They are being offered for 2003/2004 year and I don’t believe the situation will change."

But the uncertainty of the exam question has, "created an uneasiness for our students’ future in the quarter system," states the letter.

Also, budgetary concerns have led the school district to propose 20 days be cut from the school calendar as a cost saving measure.

The cut would mean adding 34 minutes to each day and "would be problematic to completing any curriculum in the timetable, but would exacerbate the issues facing Math and Science courses," states the letter.

An emergency staff meeting was held in light of these developments and it was decided, "by a majority of staff that for the educational well being of all, students and staff, a change was needed," states the letter.

The semester system was proposed.

However, options are being looked at to keep some of the flexibility in the system.

The COOL School (electronic learning delivery) program could be used so that students could attend school for the first semester then start the second semester using COOL school then come back to class and rejoin it.

Many parents are in favour of the switch to a semester system.

"In discussions at home we felt that if (our son) was given more time on certain things that are a little more difficult to grasp he would be able to do better," said parent Paul O’Mara.

"And probably that is the biggest driving factor for us."

O’Mara said his son and sons of his friends use tutors, though all the boys are "bright enough" because of the challenge in the current quarter system.

"There is nothing wrong with creating a really good aggressive competitive system," said O’Mara.

"But I am not quite sure at this level if it is the way to go because what we want to do is get a good base across a broad spectrum of students.

"These kids are not dummies they are regular kids.

"What I am little bit worried about in the quarter system is that that system would tend to leave behind not just the marginal kids but the kids who are just above marginal."

Carol Bayliss is one of the parents who has dutifully filled in the timetable surveys for the school and was all set to embrace some sort of hybrid system.

"We were assured that the quarter system was going to be maintained but to solve some of the problems of the quarter system they were going to have some of the courses run over two quarters," she said.

"That certainly satisfied myself and my husband.

"We have been quite concerned about the disadvantages of the quarter system because 2 1/2 months is a very short time to address some of the subjects like the Math and the Science and also French."

She is hopeful that if a change in timetable is coming to Whistler that all options be looked at, including a trimester system.