8 — Sunday, January 8, 1989 - West Vancouver Villager SCHOOL NEWS Parents purchase out-of-school care facility FINDING BEFORE and after-school care for children of - single-parent families or families with two working parents is a growing problem — but one that has been solved at Ridgeview School in Ambleside. Parents worked hard over the holidays to get three second-hand trailers they purchased in shape so | that Ridgeview Out-of-School Care could move in at the beginning of January. The out-of-school child-care service, which had been leasing a room within Ridgeview School for the past four years, grew from an enrolment’ of four children to about 90. children from 67 dif- ferent families. At the same time, increased enrolment at the school resulted in a space shortage, forcing the out- of-school program to move its headquarters. “It’s funny, but there may be Diplomas WEST VANCOUVER Secondary School offers. the International Baccalaureate Program to motivated students who have demonstrated academic proficiency in various curricular areas. The International Baccalaureate has expanded from such original international schools as the United World Colleges of the Atlantic in Wales and of the Pacific in British Columbia (Pearson College) to in- clude public and independent schools in many parts of the world. Today, more than 200 schools in .North America offer the Interna- tional Baccalaureate (IB) program. Many colleges and_ universities recognize the IB program for ad- mission, advanced placement or course credit. __ The educational sophistication , that students develop through ex- “perience in an IB program will serve them well at institutions that attract serious students. Students enrolled in the full In- ternational Baccalaureate Diploma must. take’ six. courses in their Grade 1 and Grade 12 years. . These courses .include. English, more kids going to this school because of the out-of-school care that has been offered there,” commented Gerry Harrington, chairman of the Ambleside Childcare Facilities Society of parents that formed to find a solu- tion for the homeless care facility. According to Harrington, among the parents whose kids use the out-of-school care are a couple from Vancouver who work in West Vancouver, nine North Vancouver families, and single parents from Lions Bay, Squamish and Bowen Island. offered French (or a second’ !anguage), Social Science, - Exnerimental Science, Mathematics, and a sixth subject either from one of the sub- ject areas mentioned, or one from another elective offered in the school. In addition to these six subjects, the Diploma Candidate must com- plete: ethe Theory of Knowledge course which investigates scientific activity and the nature of scientific proof, fundamenial concepts of the social sciences, the nature of values, and the question of truth; *an extended essay of approx- imately 4,000 words, based on a research topic; and, ® extra-curricular creative, aesthetic, or social service. Students may also take individ- ual IB courses for IB Certificates. For students considering the IB Diploma or individual Certificates, West Vancouver Secondary School offers enriched courses in Grade 10. This year there are 79 students enrolled at the Grade 11 level and 43 students registered at the Grade 12 level. He notes it’s also a function of the increasing numbers of families in which both parents have to work to stay in West Vancouver. “Ambleside is one of the few areas where young families can buy into West Vancouver,’’ says Harrington. Having on-site, out-of-school care for the children is not only good for the parents, but it means that the kids can use schoo! facili- ties, such as the library or com- puter, and take part in after-school activities such as drama or karate. But this care is not within the venue of the actual school system. “They can’t fund it or recognize it, but they can rent us space if they have room,”’ says Harrington. SEE PHOTO PAGE 1 Nearly one-third of the school population of 358 students is enrolled in the out-of-school pro- gram. The three trailers purchased by the parents’ group are situated on the school grounds, on a site leased from the school. Jose Hart will continue to operate the facility. The trailers were purchased with the help of a $12,500 grant from the Vancouver Foundation and numerous other people and organizations who made dona- tions. Phote submitted WEST VANCOUVER Secondary is now home to what is being called one of the best-designed computer fabs in the province. Bob Young, maintenance supervisor for the district, was responsible for and building the labs, which have been toured and touted | by school administrators througheat organizing the Lower Mainland. ‘WEST VANCOUVER SECONDARY Grade 12 students win first place in debate IT ‘WAS with surprise that West Vancouver Secondary School Grade 12 students Rouzbeh Pirouz and Phil Howard stepped forward to’ receive their first place trophy at last .month’s International Bac- calaureate Debate at Burnaby South Secondary School. Although both © students are seasoned debaters, neither thought himself sufficiently Prepared to win. “Admittedly, we had done our research, but the topic itself left us somewhat uninspired,” Howard said. ’ Whether or not immigrants to Canada should be forced to live in areas where their skills were need- ed was the question for debate. For. Pirouz, having a prepared speech was comforting but of little value when dealing with the. op- position’s specific points. At. one point, he recalls, he in- terrupted the affirmative speaker who was arguing the benefits of government assistance in settling immigrants in parts of the country where jobs could be guaranteed. Speech cast asunder, fist hitting his desk, he rose and loudly asked, “Does the Honorable Member not believe that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees every person in. Canada freedom of movement, and is this freedom not fundamental to our society's basic values?’’ According to Pirouz, he thus at- tracted the judges’. attention in a sudden, captivating way; and then distracted his opponent at a key moment in her speech, confusing her or at least: detracting from whatever her point was. Later Pirouz. had to turn around and defend the resolution. Faced with similar references to Canada’s Constitution as he had earlier used, he again interrupted his opponent's speech demanding to know if ‘‘life, liberty, and secu- rity” meant having the freedom to starve in urban ghettos where im- migrants cluster with little hope of meaningful employment. Although he says he worries about being too emotional, Pirouz believes his constant outrage, either in the form of questions or heckling, is effective. In marked contrast, Howard scans his carefully worded speech just prior to standing, clears his throat, lays the file cards aside and begins. His mellifluous voice commands attention and he speaks directly to the judges, imploring them to ac- cept his calm, reasoned argument. With documentation never far away, Howard tries to give a speech that conveys a_ steady assurance of the correctness of his position. 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