ATHABASCA — Student numbers are up, trips are being planned, events are taking place and Aspen View Public Schools trustees are looking forward to an amazing school year.
Board chair Candy Nikipelo says she is proud of the school division and how the COVID-19 pandemic was handled, and is now looking forward to newer, less stressful school events like the return of school trips and large group activities.
An increase of more than five per cent in enrolment across the division this year, came as a welcome shock, she said.
“Almost since I've become a trustee, that's the first time that we've had a significant increase and that is significant,” she said in an Oct. 21 interview. “(Administration) want to do some just some data analysis just to see who these students are and where they've come from, but it's great.”
The numbers are up overall, even if not quite where they need to be for the Little School that Could, Rochester.
“Of course, we would want the school to be up, but they did a lot of work. They did what we tasked them with so, you can't take that away from them,” she said. "Obviously, we felt that was positive enough just to toe the line and we'll revisit it next year; just kind of go year by year and just see where we're at.”
The school attracted more students than predicted but still has small numbers across three consecutive grades.
And even though COVID-19 still persists there are no more masks or physical distancing mandates.
“I think everybody within the school division is walking around with smiles on their faces because everything is semi back to normal," said Nikipelo. “I think we're going to have a normal year here.”
A normal year of schools competing in sports and other activities against each other; a normal year of school dances, graduation ceremonies, and school trips.
“The only trip approved is EPC (Edwin Parr Composite) going to Costa Rica in the spring,” she said. “I know Boyle (School) is planning a trip down east in 2024 but that’s it, for now.”
Volunteers are also back in the schools, with in-school meetings, school councils and programs like the recent Flying High at Landing Trail Intermediate School going off without a hitch.
“What a good tradition to bring back and keep going again for so many years,” she said.
Even cold and flu season won’t damper spirits, hopefully.
“There's been lots of colds and there's been some flus; the schools are not without some sickness and probably COVID here and there, but I think people are optimistic and less cautious than they were,” she said. "I think having masks being lifted kind of improves mood all around as well (and) hopefully that is all a memory for us, and we don't have to revisit that.”
Looking to the 2023-2024 school year, there will be a new curriculum roll-out.
“Curriculum roll-out, that's a very important part of our year,” said Nikipelo. “We're confident our leads that we have are preparing and helping our teachers along. It's a process … but keep mentoring and encouraging our teachers, keep getting the resources.”
She’s also thankful Adriana LaGrange remained Minister of Education in the new cabinet named Oct. 21 by Premier Danielle Smith.
“We have a really good relationship with Adriana,” she said. “We had that private meeting with her a couple of weeks ago and her being a former school trustee, she still gets what the struggles are in school divisions. You would hate for somebody to be in that position who doesn't have a school division background because that would be difficult to find some common ground so, I'm satisfied that she's still in there."
She is also keeping her eye on the learning loss-gap. Students, especially in the lower grades, who by virtue of having their early years of school online may be behind where they should be.
“Another focus of the school division this year is still working on closing the learning loss-gap. The effects of COVID are lingering, and student learning loss is big, and we want to keep closing that off,” she said. "Lots of work on literacy and numeracy, that all continues and hopefully, by the end of the year, people will say, ‘What learning gap?’”
