ATHABASCA – Student engagement and rural sustainability continue to be two major focuses for Aspen View Public Schools, and according to board chair Candy Nikipelo, they’re hoping Athabasca County can help.
Nikipelo was joined by AVPS superintendent Constantine Kastrinos and vice-chair Anne Karczmarczyk for a long Feb. 11 presentation to the county which included up to date enrolment numbers, and an ask for positive ways students can get involved in their home communities as they grow older.
“This year, we’re focusing on trying to give students positive opportunities within communities to do things that are public facing, but also positive,” said Kastrinos.
“As students get older, there’s criticisms about how they behave in the community, how they present themselves, so we’re wondering if there are opportunities for students to volunteer or extend themselves.”
Councillors were receptive to the idea, pointing out areas in their own divisions — from seniors homes to school mentorships — where high school students could make a positive difference.
“A lot of children are taking those gap years and so on, but even the opportunity to be able work with children, coaching volleyball or those types of things, would be good,” said Coun. Kelly Chamzuk.
Kastrinos encouraged councillors to reach out to him as they became aware of opportunities so he could work to connect principals or students with the community as needed.
“A goal for our board is to make sure that when people think about Aspen View students, they don’t think about troublemakers, they think about kids that are out there doing some positive things,” he said.
A return to the past
As part of AVPS’s yearly presentation, the board brings a variety of stats for councillors, including how many students are at each school, to showcase the relative health of the division, as well as the sustainability for the region.
While enrolment fell across the division — Aspen View had 2,585 students this year, down from the 2,625 it had in the 2023-2024 school year — much of the loss came from a larger graduating class at Edwin Parr Composite and a smaller-than-expected class at Whispering Hills Primary, both located in Athabasca.
The Grassland School had the sharpest jump, rising 50 per cent from 50 students to 75, thanks to “the vibe” in the school, as well as community outreach from its principal, Larry Irla.
“(He’s) done a really good job reaching out into the peripheral communities to try and draw some of these students or historical families back that used to be in; that could be the White Russian community or others,” said Nikipelo.
Alongside student numbers was an update on the staffing situation; while AVPS has struggled to keep a full complement of teachers and is always looking to recruit, Kastrinos said the teacher to support staff ratio is something to be envious of.
“I’d been at Grand Yellowhead before, so it’s a rural division but not to the same extent as we are here, and our ratios in terms of support staff to students is rare,” he said.
“You wouldn’t see 13 educational assistants in a school with 16 staff, you would see more like four or five.”
The higher ratio is a direct benefit for students who benefit from the increased one-on-one time with an adult.
“It’s a priority; we want to keep that here. It’s always a challenge each year with our location and our budget, but it’s something that is a positive.”
