“Our school is dedicated to working with students no matter how hard they can be to work with.”
That was how Reece Hunka, a student at Bonnyville Outreach School (BOS), described their school to the Northern Lights Public Schools (NLPS) board of trustees during their regular meeting on Wednesday, March 6.
“Where other schools simply expel these students, outreach sees our potential and the teachers dedicate their time to ensure our success,” Hunka added.
NLPS offers outreach schools in Bonnyville, Cold Lake, Fishing Lake, and Lac La Biche.
These schools focus on meeting the needs of students that might not excel in a typical school setting.
“We’re working with the ones that just would benefit from the extra time and attention,” explained Rachel Browatcke, teacher at BOS.
For some students who attend BOS, they may have experienced what’s classified as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), which can impact the way they learn.
There are 10 areas of ACE, ranging from personal, such as physical, verbal, and sexual abuse, to some relating to family members, including a parent who’s an alcoholic and having a family member in jail. Each experience is counted by a score of one.
“Generally this matters to us because in a regular school, not an alternative school, you would have a score between one and two and you would see a lot of zeroes... In our school, we have (an average) between four and five,” detailed Browatcke.
Due to some having a higher ACE score, outreach schools work with students a regular teacher in a traditional classroom wouldn’t have the time to meet their needs.
“We’re basically focusing on how we can meet these students where they’re at, and not all students come to us with a four or five. Some of them are pregnant, there’s many reasons. Some have jobs, they need to support themselves and they still want their education. It’s a huge balance of both, but we’re still taking care of the 20 per cent that would take a lot of the teacher’s time, which is a huge benefit for our system,” Browatcke explained.
Before attending BOS, Jordyn Scott struggled in her classes and was bullied.
“Once I came to BOS, I was able to work at my own pace, got the one-on-one help I needed, and graduate early. Since being at BOS, I feel much more accepted and I haven’t been bullied. BOS isn’t an off-campus school, it’s an outreach school helping those who can’t help themselves and making those deemed unsuccessful successful,” she expressed.
In an attempt to rebrand the school, faculty and students use the phrase ‘like a BOS.’
Elliott Bessey, principal at BOS, said “It’s just to make them proud. That this is where you came from, and it’s nothing to look down on. It’s where you finish your education, we care about you, and you’re treated like any other kid would be in any other school in the division.”
NLPS board chair Arlene Hrynyk agreed.
“In my ideal world, if these had existed in my day, I would have been an outreach student because you learn at your own pace. It would have met my need better, so I admire what you’re doing.”
