From SD34. A new direction in education will be launched with a school of science and business at Rick Hansen Secondary in the fall of 2015.
At the board meeting, Rick Hansen Principal Dave de Wit described the plan for launching the new science and business programs, with initial start-up in September 2015. The new approach is two-fold.
First, the emphasis of the programs will be toward the goal of professional careers in business, science and medicine as well as preparing students for success in university studies.
Second, the daily approach to learning will be transformed. Principal de Wit noted that this will increasingly support post-secondary and professional career aspirations of students.
To achieve those, the new approach of daily learning experiences at the school will be from a very different angle.
This new way of classroom learning will be more reflective of life in the work world, and is centered around what educators call “problem based learning”. The ‘schools within a school’ combined with this type of learning will be a first in BC.
Beginning in September, grade 9 students will have a full immersion experience in the program.
Throughout the 2016-2018 years, as the (2015-16) grade 9 students’ progress, the entire cohort of students will be immersed in the full spectrum of science and business programming.
Students from within the Rick Hansen Secondary catchment will be given first option to enroll, but enrollment will not be exclusively limited to catchment students.
The Board gave unanimous support to the revisioned school.