. Paoonenya 8 - Friday, April 21, 1989 - North Shore News West Vancouver middie school addresses needs of adolescents CHILDREN in grades seven to nine have special needs in school. Contributing Writer Iris McEwan, vice-principal of Hillside Middle School in West Vancouver, says the youngsters in this age group have quite different requirements than younger or older children and the school is trying to address these needs. ETE ee ‘Parents like the idea of not mixing their pre-adolescent children with Grade 12 kids... They like not having their children enter into the fast lane too soon.’’ -—West Vancouver school superintendent Bill May Hillside, which was a secondary school serving grades eight to 12, was set aside as a middie school last year and now serves grades seven to nine. So far, only 16 mid- dle schools have been established in the province, McEwan says educators have coined a new word to describe children aged 12 to 14. ‘‘We call them transescent rather than ado- lescent," she said. Children io this ‘‘crucial’’ period, said McEwan, have a very short attention span and need to “Kids this age are crazy for about two years,”’ she said, ‘‘then they calm down somewhat.”’ But McEwan adds: ‘‘This is not a new problem. People in the States have long recognized this as a very special age.’” American middle schools go from grades six to eight, she said, while we use the same range as our old junior high schools — seven to nine. | McEwan said Hillside has divid- ed the day into seven 45-minute periods because ‘‘research has shown that 44 minutes is the ideal time-span to catch and hold a pupil’s attention at that age.’’ So Hillside’s timetable was adjusted to allow for shorter class periods. She said the school tries to en- sure students only have four to five teachers so the pupils can more easily identify with a significant adult. “*At that age they are developing a self-concept,” she said, ‘‘and need a role model. Up until now, we haven't accommodated their needs in an educational program.”’ West Vancouver school superin- tendent Bill May said declining secondary school enrolment was the catalyst that prompted the district to try the middle school idea. He said the district was faced with closing Hillside altogether, and lumping all the grades into West Vancouver and Sentinel sec- ondary schools or trying something innovative. As a result, Hillside absorbed most of the grade seven to nine students, while West Vancouver was turned into a senior secondary covering grades 9 to 12 this year, and 10 to 12 next year. Sentinel, which used to have grades eight to 12, now takes some grade sevens. Before the change, with the senior grades spread over Hillside, Sentinel and West Vancouver sec- ondary schools, the district was “subsidizing marginally enrolled classes of 12 to 14 students to keep bs able to offer a full range of electives.”’ The district will save money if classes are full. ‘‘Consolidation will save money over time because of the economy of scale,’’ May said. According to May, ‘‘Parents like the idea of not mixing their pre- adolescent and adolescent children with Grade 12 kids.’? May said parents with daughters appreciate noi having older Grade 12 students attend school dances. “‘They like the fast lane too soon.”” The district will be watching the school closely over the next while to determine how well it is work- ing. “The middle school idea is mainly an American concept and more popular in the United States than here,’’ May said. Hillside sponsored a symposium for educators on middle schools and cooperative learning April 7 and 8. 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