It was a year for celebration at the Rainy River District School Board.
It includes a record number of students graduating with high school diplomas through the alternative education program.
The program is jointly run by the Rainy River District School Board and the United Native Friendship Centre.
The Board’s Education Director, Heather Campbell, says with 35 graduates this year, the program has seen incredible success every year.
“This was one of the bigger classes, and certainly, we outpaced the other programs across the province,” says Campbell.
“That really just speaks to the dedication of the staff that work within that program and the strength of the partnership with Sheila McMahon and her staff at the United Native Friendship Centre.”
The board also saw 68 students cross the stage, completing the Specialist High Skills Major program.
The program allows high school students in Ontario to earn industry certificates and their high school diploma at the same time.
Campbell says interest locally is outpacing other boards.
“Proportionately, we have more students in specialist high skills major than other school boards across the province. And again, that speaks to the dedication of staff and the real promotion of those additional skills to get that red seal on their diploma.”
Another key milestone was reached at Northern Lakes K-12 Schools with its Outers Program now in its 60th year.
“That outdoor education program in Atikokan is really a celebration, and it’s not done solely by the school. It is a community effort,” says Campbell.
There were also milestones in the classroom with a focus on improving student literacy and math skills.
“In October, we started with our mass fact fluency data, with 6% of our students showing in grades one to eight showing proficiency. By the end, we had 66 % of our students showing proficiency and then even more students showing significant improvement, which is higher than proficiency.”
The school board is still busy on the capital side, with completion nearing on the new Rainy River K-12 school and plans in place for a modular build to replace the elementary school in Nestor Falls.
The board is also wrapping up the first phase of improvements at Fort Frances High School.
