Editor:
Re: Ladysmith Secondary School principal Dave Street’s letter in the March 4 paper
Thank you, principal Street for enlightening me about the advantages of enrolling my daughter in high school when she is just 11 years old. Why wouldn’t I take advantage of having her work with teacher specialists in all of the core disciplines, use technology, volunteer in the community, participate in athletics and create relationships? I’m not a professional educator and thought she was doing that in elementary school, so thanks again for enlightening me.
Thinking back to my high school years, I imagine a host of other opportunities that await her exploration in high school:
• experiment on the edge of school property between classes
• experiment at high school dances
• open her eyes earlier to adolescence fashion
• hear great stories about the weekend parties
• explore new areas outside town with buddies that already have their driver’s licence
Now, that’s an environment I can imagine for my Grade 7 child!
I agree with Principal Street that we’re lucky to have such a great high school and I appreciate his enthusiasm, but I’m not ready for my daughter to be part of the experiment of introducing Grade 7s. Other than rural or isolated communities (one- or two-room schools), no one has been able to give me examples of other districts in B.C. that place Grade 7s with senior high school kids.
Let’s not sell this as an opportunity when SD68 chose to ignore community needs and is just avoiding upgrading space for elementary kids at the long-neglected south end of their district.
Grant Dovey
Ladysmith parent
