Students and parents are continuing to fight to keep a Montessori-style school program at Vernon’s Clarence Fulton Secondary School alive.
The Awaken Inquiry and Adventure Okanagan (AIAO) program is in jeopardy of being discontinued. Fulton principal Mike Edgar informed parents on Jan. 11 that the program will be shut down for the 2024/25 school year due to a decline in student registrations over the last three years.
Parents, who value the nature-based learning opportunities and accommodation of students with diverse needs that the program provides, pushed back on the decision with a petition that has received more than 1,100 signatures since Jan. 16. In response, the Vernon School District told parents that a minimum of 40 students would need to be enrolled in the program by Feb. 22 for it to stay open for another year.
At least 25 students, parents, supporters and past students of the program made an emotional appeal to the Vernon School Board on Feb. 7, to allow the “life-changing” program to carry on, according to a statement to The Morning Star by a parent and community advocate.
One student at the meeting explained the importance of having a learning environment where she felt safe, especially when she had experienced derision from fellow students in the halls of a more typical regular school environment.
Past student Bowen O’Brien spoke about how the program had given him the courage to pursue a career in filmmaking and the chance to make life-altering connections with Disney filmmakers, while learning to speak in public with confidence.
One school board member asked probing questions about the decline in enrolment in the program during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether more could be done to educate Grade 6 and 7 students about the opportunities available to them in the program.
Transportation and the less centralized location of the program at Fulton were highlighted as challenges at the meeting. The current name of the program was also discussed with one meeting participant saying it is harder to remember than the previous name, Vernon Community School.
At the meeting, Edgar highlighted the work done by AIAO teachers and emphasized his support for the program. However, he also highlighted the difficulty of meeting staff needs.
Vernon School District director of instruction Luke Friesen spoke against continuing the program due to the current low enrolment numbers (22 students are enrolled, plus six new applicants). Having two full-time teachers serving fewer than 40 students was not economical for the school district, he said.
As the community advocate notes, the AIAO program is for students in Grades 7-12, though students may enter or leave earlier. The multi-grade structure allows older students to mentor younger ones and enhances the sense of community in the classroom, she said.
Students in the program meet daily to plan their own learning experiences, which involve meeting with local experts such as foresters, biologists, fire ecologists, heavy-duty mechanics, writers and others.
During an information meeting on the AIAO program on Jan. 29, four past students and a number of current students spoke about how the frequent presentations and reflections on their learning and life goals in the program had inspired them to investigate career connections, become more confident and respectful of others, and gain confidence in public speaking. Some said the program “had changed the course of their lives and was the reason they didn’t want to miss a day of school.”
While the current deadline to submit applications to the program is Feb. 22, interested parents and students are encouraged to reach out to program directors by email at aiao@sd22learns.ca as soon as possible to schedule a visit.
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