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NewsTop Stories FacebookXLinkedinCopy URL Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald Principal Dwayne Gareau spoke to his part of the tour at the Ecole St. Mary High School Open House on Thursday. Ecole St. Mary High School hosted their annual Open House on Wednesday and Thursday evening. The Open House offered a chance to get school tours from administration and to hear from Principal Dwayne Gareau while learning what the school has to offer. After his speech, Gareau and Vice Principals Jason Bourdon and Lydia McLeod conducted tours. Gareau said that the Open House received great response on both nights. “(We had) a very good turnout yesterday,” Gareau said on Thursday. “This is day two tonight and looks like it’s going to be another great turnout.” Gareau said the tour gave staff members a chance to explain how the school is evolving. “We always like to continue to evolve with what the needs are of our students as well as what we’re hearing from the teachers and stuff,” he explained. “(It’s) just a few more options in terms of a little bit of ownership in their Grade 9 years, so it’s exciting times.” He said that in Practical and Applied Arts (PAA) students will have more of an opportunity to select their classes. “Next year with our Grade 9s, we’re giving them a little bit more opportunity to choose their PAA classes. Middle years curriculums in Grade 9 are very similar across the province, but there is some flexibility for choices in some areas and so we do have some opportunity for them to choose some of their PAA options,” Gareau said. This will include options in a number of categories for students in PAA, “Whether that be the construction and carpentry, some photography stuff, some food studies, some 3D digital stuff, and some sewing and beading, they’re going to get an opportunity to kind of create their own package of the PAA this next school year,” Gareau said. He explained that it is about choice and also the ability to find what students are passionate about. “(It’s) a little bit more choice and a little bit more time within their choices so that they get a little bit more time in things that maybe they’re passionate about or think they’re passionate about,” he said. Gareau explained that when students take something out of interest it is easy for them to find a new passion. He added that the school introduced some high performance physical education programs and those are well received The physical education option is called Marauder Enhanced Training (MET) and Gareau said the response to the new athletic options has been quite positive. “It’s been very beneficial,” Gareau said. “I know the students have been very receptive. The families have appreciated it. The numbers continue to be strong, continue to offer it at no charge to our families as well, which is a very nice perk.” The hockey high performance program lead by teacher Tyson Dallman was added a few years ago and has been received positively. “I know adding that hockey program has been very beneficial for those that play hockey. It’s been doing extremely well,” he explained. Along with the tours on Wednesday and Thursday they have also done some small group tours and Gareau said all of the tour options have been positively received. “There’s been some tours already with families just wanting some small group tours. All of our Grade 8s from our school division have been in to see the building, so it’s a fun time of year because there’s lots of energy,” Gareau said. He said the excitement and energy comes from moving schools being on students’ horizons. “They’re in that transition stage of moving schools and being excited at what that is,” he said. “Obviously, there’s some anxiousness as well and that’s why we do these tours, to just lower that level of potential anxiousness and make it more excitement than nerves.” He said that people can still contact the school for tours if they couldn’t attend this week. He said that staff understand that the days of the Open House might not be the best for students and families. “Sometimes they might even come on an open house and then they’re like, oh, you know what, I just want to come one more time or ask a few more questions and stuff, so we welcome those opportunities,” Gareau said. michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca -Advertisement-