Chippewa students tell ARC they are not prepared to stand idly by.
Student, parents and teachers at Chippewa all had an opportunity to plead their case to the Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) in order to prevent the landscape of the school form changing.
The current proposal set out by the ARC suggests that the Near North District School Board consider the relocation of students from Chippewa Secondary School to Widdifield Secondary School and West Ferris Secondary School at the end of the 2008-2009 school year.
Keeping in mind that emotional attachments to the institution do not make good points to save the school, each presenter turned their attention to making a business arguments based on Chippewa’s Triple ‘A’ (academics, athletics and arts) focus, numbers and outcomes.
Parent Al Stinson told the group that all four of his children have attended Chippewa and when the final decision is made it will not impact his family as his children will all have graduated, however, he felt it was his civic duty to come forward a talk about the solid 12 years he has had with the school.
“There is a critical mass that works here,” he told the ARC.
“Don’t break it.”
Concerned parent and alumnus Floyd Pelkey echoed Stinson’s sentiments urging the ARC to make their recommendations quicker than the prescribed deadline warning the group that he is already considering sending his child to another school in order to avoid the certain rivalries that will exist.
“They are not coming here for one year then go somewhere else,” he states.
“You can’t make them Raiders then Wildcats!”
Current students Kirstin Ten Eyck and Emily Morin made a compelling case pointing out that it is only fair that future students be afforded the same excellent education that they have had.
The public will have three more opportunities to state their case to the ARC before any recommendations are made to Near North District Board members.
Below is the full presentation made by students Kirstin Ten Eyck and Emily Morin.
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For the past fifty years, students have prided themselves as being members of the Raider family. Chippewa Secondary School is a building filled with history, accomplishments and the key to our future. Every day the lives of the students are affected by the lessons they learn, both from textbooks and personal interactions. One of the earliest lessons we learn as youths is that life is not fair and important decisions that impact our lives are not always in our hands. Being mature teenagers, Kirstin and I realize how the proposal to close Chippewa as a secondary school would save the school board some much needed money; however we are not prepared to stand idly by. We believe that there are other solutions which seem more reasonable than the closure of Chippewa, a school with fifty years of tradition.
There are several reasons for why maintaining Chippewa as a secondary school would be a logical step for the school board. Rather than touch on all of these points, I’d much rather talk about those that affect me as a student most personally. These past 4 years I’ve done my best to become involved with student activities here at Chippewa. I am the vice-president of SAC, I’ve played volleyball for 4 years, and I’ve joined different clubs, such as Raider Aid. If Chippewa were to close, students would go to either Widdifield or West Ferris, creating two super schools with large student populations. Student involvement opportunities will decrease by 33% and students such as me may not have the chance to explore their leadership potential.
The competition for these leadership roles and athletic positions will potentially intensify the conflict between former rivals. All three schools involved in this proposal have incredible school spirit and pride, which will make combining them a challenge. Students may turn to fighting and bullying as an outlet for their frustrations, such as degrading former Raiders who are now Wildcats or Trojans, because as we all know, once a Raider always a Raider.
Even with the current student population, Chippewa has the best shop facilities of any high school in the area and it is already difficult to get into specialized classes like auto shop, sewing and foods. Only so many sections can be run per semester, meaning that these classes will become oversubscribed and many students will miss the opportunity to take them. Furthermore, it would be a loss to the skilled trades industry for students to not develop their proficiency while using the best possible equipment.
Despite all the reasons Chippewa should be kept open as a secondary school, there are still issues that must be sorted out, such as the school board supporting too many schools with too few students, and having to compete with the newly constructed French schools.
It is true that we must support the French immersion program for the elementary students of North Bay. Il faut appuyer et protéger le programme d’immersion au niveau élémentaire et secondaire. Les étudiants du niveau élémentaire, qui CHOISISSENT d’étudier en français, fréquentent des écoles qui ne sont pas adéquates. Les édifices ont besoin de réparation. Où sont les gymnases pour les étudiants de Pinewood et de Laurentian? Il n’y a pas d’espaces dans ces écoles. The current facilities housing these kids are not adequate and this must be addressed immediately.
That being said, both Kirstin and I have been a part of the French immersion program since the beginning of our educations. The sad states of schools like Laurentian and Pinewood does not depict an inviting program for parents enrolling their children for the first time. The school board should sell those buildings and find an appropriate building for a JK- grade 6 school for French immersion students. Chippewa Secondary School is a building designed with adolescents in mind and is not suitable to be used as an elementary school. The school board would then save the funds that would have been spent on modifying Chippewa so that it is safe for young children, and profit from the sales of the former elementary schools.
The Near North District School Board could then adopt an education model that is popular in the western provinces and in the United States: incorporating grades 7 and 8 into the secondary schools. W.J. Fricker students would attend Widdifield, Silver Birches students would move in West Ferris and Pinewood and Centennial seniors would go to Chippewa. The junior students would greatly benefit from their new learning environments, as they would now have access to better shops, libraries and gym facilities.
Chippewa Secondary School has built its reputation on being one of the best schools in the North. We have a nationally ranked music program, excellent academics and a presence at NOSSA and OFSAA every year. With a newly constructed dance studio and great drama program, Chippewa is continuing to thrive in the fine arts. Hopefully this presentation has shed some light on Chippewa’s successes and that your advice to the trustees will take these accomplishments into account. Both elementary and secondary students could benefit from the grade 7-12 education model and Chippewa could continue its strong Triple A tradition of athletics, academics and arts. Thank you for your time.
