By Greg Fry

SD73 moving rural Grade 7s to secondary schools in Chase and Barriere

Apr 24, 2018 | 9:13 AM

KAMLOOPS — A big change is coming this fall for some students in Barriere and Chase.

On Monday night, the School District 73 Board of Education approved moving Grade 7s in Chase and Barriere to secondary schools starting in September 2018.

The board made the decision to proceed with the change in Barriere and Chase but not in Clearwater, where the district says “many people were opposed.” 

The change follows an extensive period of consultation with parents in each community, which included face-to-face feedback and the chance to weigh in online.

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Last month, SD73 Superintendent Alison Sidow told CFJC Today that the change was prompted by a number of people in all three communities who were interested in exploring a slightly different education model for Grade 7 students.

“And one way to do that is by moving Grade Sevens up to the high school where we have a lot of room and access to specialty facilities such as shops and home economics rooms,” she said. “To provide the Sevens and the Eights with the opportunity to learn together and learn in a more problem based way. There’s just an opportunity there for us to use the facilities and to provide a rich learning experience.”

The district says the move could also benefit Grade 7 students by providing them with earlier access to academic programs and academic counselling not available in elementary schools and note it will also help alleviate space pressure in the elementary schools.