A successful first foray into the world of surveys has led to another search for ideas.
This time, Wolf Creek Public Schools (WCPS) used their contract with Thoughtexchange to find out the ideas and thinking of students in Grades 9 and 12 across the division.
WCPS superintendent Jayson Lovell explained that in engaging with these students, it was hoped administration and trustees would learn more about the experiences of the students, what they believe is being done right, what challenges the students face daily and what students feel is important for their future.
“Overall, 734 students shared 2,222 thoughts via the survey and assigned 55,820 stars to the thoughts they liked,” he said in an email.
“As a result, Wolf Creek staff including principals, the Board of Education and the superintendent have already started to consider ways to improve our schools heading into the new school year.”
For the Grade 9 students, their thoughts showed the atmosphere in their schools and among the school community as a whole is very strong. Comments stated the students believe the support received is great with staff going that extra mile to care for them through various programs and extra-curricular activities.
The main improvement those students wished to see was more option classes that target skill development which can be easily translated into the work environment or toward post-secondary education.
As for the graduating Grade 12 students, an appreciation for the teachers and other staff over the years was among the top positive thoughts expressed. However, those students did express the need for continued support across the division for items such as the diploma exam prep program would be among items that could be improved or expanded.
Lovell added that ongoing support from trustees has helped build a strong student voice in WCPS and that the division will continue to ensure it honours the students perspectives, hopes and dreams.
Conference funding
At its meeting on June 15, WCPS trustees approved $2,000 to support the operation of a junior high leadership conference at Ponoka Secondary Campus (PSC) this November.
Lovell said that WCPS and the school are excited to play host to more than 400 junior high students from around Alberta and commended Karen David at PSC and the rest of the staff for creating this great opportunity.
“We understand investing in our students to become strong leaders (at this conference) will pave the way for future contributions to our communities and society in general,” he said.