Parents and residents of Fort Assiniboine have found themselves at odds with Pembina Hills Regional Division No. 7 over the proposed closure of the senior high school program at the school.
The move would effectively eliminate grades 10, 11 and 12 from the curriculum. Students would be transported to Barrhead Composite High School.
Needless to say, it has Fort Assiniboine desperately trying to avoid the situation. Rightfully so, too. According to the school council chairman, Peter Keulken, the parents, students and the community as a whole has poured a lot of time and effort into making the school what it is.
It’s a total shame for any school to lose something like this.
The facts are clear, and there aren’t enough students to justify continuing the senior high school program. But are numbers all that really matter? Keulken doesn’t think so. In fact, any board that overlooks the contributions of the school community and takes only into account the bottom line needs to step back and take another look.
The past two years for Fort Assiniboine School has been filled with ideas of how to rectify the problem. The final idea, as presented to PHRD at its last meeting, was to cancel the program for a three-year period, and then take another look to see if things have changed.
It was nice to see that trustees were sympathetic toward the school council, and they understand that parents would and should be upset. And they made the right decision to put together a timeline to see if there are any other available options.
Anyone who has ever attended a small school in a small community can attest to the kind of education and the level of interaction between staff and students. Teachers are better able to get to know their students, who aren’t just thought of as another face. Teachers in these kinds of school tend to care more about their students, because they get to know them on a personal level. A student isn’t just someone who fills a seat.
In a town like Fort Assiniboine, where most everyone knows everyone, losing the senior high school program would prove devastating. Something definitely needs to be done, and it needs to be done fast, because the fate of the program will be final come March 16.
Keulken delivered an emotional and heartfelt speech to the trustees of PHRD. It is evident in his tone that the school council has put a lot of work into finding a solution. Through this process, he told trustees that the community of Fort Assiniboine has lost all trust in the school board, and that the council felt from the very beginning that the program would be axed regardless of what was done.
That’s a tough pill to swallow. Teamwork must take place in order to arrive at a resolution that works for everyone. Far too often, schools are being shut down and programs like the senior high program are getting the short end of the stick. And, it’s all in the name of the bottom line.
When you factor students into the equation, you can’t put a price tag on the advantage of learning in an environment like the one created at Fort Assiniboine School.
