Nelson school grapples with big city problems
Too many of school’s students are homeless and hungry NELSON — There was a time when many of the issues afflicting residents here would more likely have been expected in the socially troubled parts of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. But all the big city problems can now be found in this picturesque small city in the […]
Readers give generously to tackle youth hunger
Vancouver lawyer Jack Kowarsky knows what it’s like to be hungry and deprived. So, he’s given $650,000 to Adopt-A-School since 2014. It is not unusual for teachers to describe children coming to school hungry, with holes in their shoes or shoes held together with duct tape, or to find they don’t have proper beds and […]
Non-verbal kids can ‘sing their hearts out’
“They have difficulty with words, but when we bring in a music therapist, they sing their hearts out. It’s a form of communication for them.” There is no lack of determination to make life easier for some students attending Burnaby Central Secondary. It’s the money that’s missing. For instance, the extra curricula music therapy […]
Principal reports a rise in desperation among students
Too many families cannot afford food, housing At one time education was only about equipping students with the knowledge needed to face the world as adults. That was a long time ago, says Jane Arbuckle, principal of Caledonia Secondary school, the only high school in this northern B.C. community. Now before teaching math and […]
Tight-knit village takes care of its own, but needs a bit of help
Similar to many other rural B.C. communities, families are migrating here in the hopes of finding some relief from the high cost of living — particularly the price of rent. “We do have some new families coming into the area because they believe it is cheaper here,” said Misty Terpstra, principal of Salmo Elementary, which […]
Needs are extreme at several Surrey schools
Students’ needs are extreme in Surrey, where classrooms are growing rapidly. It was a cold morning in Surrey, the temperature a few degrees above freezing. But out in the playground, waiting for Prince Charles Elementary to open its doors, were some children braving the weather in only t-shirts. They were conspicuous among those wearing […]
East Van school sees dramatic jump in students seeking food, clothing
Teacher covering some expenses out of her own pocket. A year ago, as many as 40 students a day in need of food could be found visiting a small office in East Vancouver’s Killarney Secondary set aside for Bonnie Wendt, the school’s Indigenous education enhancement worker. Now she is trying to cope with up […]
Breakfast program cancelled in face of growing demand, lack of funding
Isolated Crawford Bay school faces challenges with resiliency. It’s unlikely that most British Columbians could point a finger at this tiny village of 350 residents on a map. It sits in beautiful isolation among the Purcell mountains on Highway 3A. An hour’s drive south is Creston and the Idaho border, and an hour’s drive east […]
Schools in remote towns face additional support challenges
Added burden to some families who don’t have their own vehicles or who find the cost of gas for a round trip of 140 kilometres to a supermarket difficult to afford. The elementary school in the hamlet of Hixon has provided 102 years of community service to families in this rural part of the […]
Wealthy neighbourhoods don’t protect schoolkids from poverty
This year’s campaign has received 204 applications — mostly from schools — seeking financial help so they can care for impoverished children arriving at school hungry or without proper winter clothes or in need of other necessities. Inglewood Alternative Secondary might be sitting in the heart of one of the wealthiest enclaves in B.C. — […]