Education Minister Mike Bernier got a crash course in digital modelling, was serenaded by a concert choir and took part in a breakneck conversational Spanish class at Argyle secondary Tuesday morning – while dodging buckets in the hallways catching leaks from the school’s roof.
Approval of a request for a replacement school for Argyle is at the top of the North Vancouver School District’s wish list – something Bernier was to discuss with trustees on Tuesday.
But there was no immediate announcement as the minister – accompanied by board of education chair Cyndi Gerlach, trustee Franci Stratton, and North Shore MLAs Jane Thornthwaite and Ralph Sultan – was led on a whirlwind tour of the aging school.
Bernier’s visit to Argyle and to Mountainside secondary in North Vancouver this week is part of a province-wide tour by the Bernier that’s taken him out his Victoria office and into classrooms for an up-close look at B.C.’s education system as the new curriculum is rolled out.
“I thought it was important to get out and see that,” said Bernier. “Every region’s different. Every region has different success stories and different challenges.”
On the North Vancouver tour Tuesday, the successes showcased were clearly what’s going on inside the classrooms.
Students at Argyle’s digital media academy were happy to demonstrate projects to Bernier ranging from professional website construction to an animation program that uses computer models to simulate architectural interiors.
Jay Bulbrook, a lead animator from Electronic Arts Sports, has been working with the digital media program for the past seven years and has hired graduates. “This is a completely sustainable career,” he told Bernier.
Bernier said that message echoes what government leaders frequently hear from the tech sector: “The biggest thing we’re hearing is we need more staff,” he said.
Murray Bulger, who teaches the program, said the program isn’t just about technical skills. It’s also about learning to think in innovative ways, he said.
Bernier was treated to an impromptu concert by the senior concert choir taught by Francis Roberts, before also doing a walk-through of the metal work and woodworking shops.
The woodwork shop is home to a pilot program in North Vancouver called skills exploration, said principal Elizabeth Bell. That’s a program where students get a taste of a number of trades in one class, said Bell – from carpentry to plumbing and electrical work. Now in its second year, it’s a popular class, she added.
Bernier also sat in on a fast-paced Grade 10 Spanish class taught by Steve Bruno, who has introduced a teaching method that incorporates storytelling into the class, said Bell. Since it was introduced, “the language ability of the students has skyrocketed,” said Bell.
But the physical challenges faced by Argyle staff and approximately 1,450 students in the aging building were never far from the surface during Bernier’s tour. In one hallway, large recycling tubs had been placed to catch drips from the roof leaks. “We’ve been running around putting buckets out,” Bell told Bernier prior to the tour. Last week, during the cold snap,
“People were teaching in parkas and gloves,” she said. “When it gets cold here, it gets cold. It’s our reality.”
Superintendent John Lewis also reminded Bernier that the school was built “fast and cheap” in 1961 out of unreinforced concrete blocks and represents a significant earthquake risk.
The school district is currently waiting for Bernier’s approval to build a $51.5-million replacement school for Argyle – $13.7 million more than an already approved seismic upgrade of the school.
Bernier said that project was to be discussed with trustees in a closed-door session Tuesday afternoon but made no promises. “It’s coming across my desk with all the other capital plans with the different school districts around the province,” he said.
