Online public school option sticking around
By LAUREN THOMSON Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on June 30, 2021.
Early Learning Program teacher Sarah McIntyre teaching from the Hub Virtual School this past year.--SUBMITTED PHOTOThe Hub Virtual School, developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, now has a permanent place as an educational institution in the Medicine Hat Public School District.
Warren Buckler, the newly appointed principal of the Hub Virtual School, previously worked as a vice principal at Roy Wilson Learning Centre for two years and at Medicine Hat High School for 12 years prior to that as a counsellor and a vice principal.
“So initially we were started as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic to try and meet the needs of students and families based on their risk tolerance,” Buckler said. “What we found is we were really meeting a need for our students.
“The online instruction we were able to offer, people responded really, really well to it, and we were able to offer a quality program for kids that looks very much different from the emergency e-learning students have done in the past. Our students had explicit, rigorous instruction in all of the core subject areas from a teacher every single day.”
Buckler says students enrolled in the Hub Virtual School will cover the entirety of the curriculum in the program of studies. He explained that a junior high student, for example, would meet for an hour each day with each of their core subject teachers; social studies, math, language arts and science.
“So it was live instruction, as close as we could possibly get to in-person learning,” Buckler said. “But from the comfort of your own home.”
For the upcoming 2021-2022 school year, the Hub Virtual School will be made into a permanent educational institution. Buckler says they are excited to increase programming this year and begin to develop more options classes.
They will also be able to allow any student in Alberta to enrol, something they weren’t able to do during the first year of operation.
“We’re going to be able to offer live virtual instruction to anyone with an Alberta address, from Kindergarten to Grade 9,” Buckler said.
Buckler addressed concerns parents might have with online schooling.
“Traditionally the biggest concern that parents have for their children is the ability to socialize and to get that opportunity to interact with their peers … For next year we are looking to have clubs and online play groups for kids and give kids the opportunity to socialize.”
Bucklers says they hope to be able to start up school clubs and online meetings as well.
“We’re going to have some opportunities for optional in-person learning activities like field trips or tutorial sessions, and any student that’s with us is still going to have the opportunity to participate in school athletics by trying out for the team in their area. We aren’t excluding any of those extra curricular activities for kids.”
Buckler says the feedback from students and families this year was positive.
“It really worked for a lot of our families,” Buckler said. “We definitely found a niche in the community and we’re hoping to expand that to all of our families.”
You can find more information and a registration form on the MHPSD website by locating the Hub Virtual School in the list of Medicine Hat Public Schools.
