With the recent endorsement of the Aboriginal Choice School by the board of Trustees, I feel compelled to provide insight into what is currently happening at Carney Hill community school.
It had long been recognized that things weren't working at the school and there was a drastic need to do things differently, significantly different.
During the past three years, the school has been operating under the leadership philosophy of "stretch and catch". The staff was given permission to do things differently with a safety net, and a significant difference has been seen.
The staff at Carney Hill has worked tirelessly to improve the success of the students attending Carney Hill. One of our local Aboriginal leaders shared that, "if all schools were doing what Carney Hill was doing, we wouldn't need an Aboriginal school" - what a wonderful compliment.
At Carney Hill, a strong sense of community has been created, the individual learning needs of students are being met, the school's reputation has been changed, staff want to stay, educators want to come, the learning gap is being closed, and the students are having fun. It is a school where the notion of "thinking outside the box" has been embraced and proven to work.
With a strong administrative team and talented staff, there is now the opportunity to build on what has become a solid foundation. The Aboriginal Choice school has the potential to become a model for sustainable change and a vehicle for increasing student success - because this is what Carney Hill has become.
Liza Arnold
Counsellor
Carney Hill Community School
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