34 - Wednesday, May 13, 1992 - North Shore News

mss economic climate dictates that job
m™ use every available means to let
employers know they are in the job
. The same goes for students looking
for summer work.

Every year the North Shore News gives
students the opportunity to let employers
jow what they have to offer through our
employment ads. It’s free, so call or -
to Classifieds and get to work!

FREE
STUDENT
EMPLOYMENT
4 ADS... :
3 lines maximum,
once a week,

up to age 18,
offer ends July 15..

<n ae aT oN,
train, Diep seem 986 6222

STAY IN SCHOOL ¢

So you're thinking about
dropping out. School’s a bore,
your grades aren't so good and
you don’t see the point of math
and science classes anyway.

Before you make your
decision, take a minute to
look at three reasons why
staying in school is a good
idea:
® You'll earn more money.

On average, high school
grads earn $55 per week’
more than dropouts. __
Think about it — if you
work 50 weeks a year for
the next 30 years, that’s a
whopping $165,000 more
in earnings!

IDENTIFYING WHY studenis drop out of school —

Stay In Schoo! funding.

=

© You'll have the training it
takes to apply for most of
the higher-paying jobs.
Statistics show that more
than 60 per cent of all
new jobs created between
now and the year 2000
will require a minimum of
a high school diploma —
and half of those will call
for 17 or more years of ©
training.
You'll have a better
chance of staying off the
unemployment line.
Dropouts tend to be .
unemployed almost twice
as often as high school .

va

and finding ways sto
stop it from happening — is the focus of what the North Vancouver
School District is doing with their share of the federal government's.

he or she is half way through we
Grade 10, so the results of their
efforts will not be known for

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-nor th shore

GUNDAY « WZONESDAY - FRIDAY

CLASSIFIEDS

986-6222

1139 Lonsdale Avenue
Nori Vancouver, B.C.

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Through the multiplicity of
reasons that students have for
leaving school prematurely,
there seems fo be one unifying
fesling among them, said Jay
Merilees, area counsellor for
Schoo! District 44’s secondary
schools and chairman of the
district’s Stay In Schoo! cornmit-
tee.

“They perceive that no one in
the school car

Lack of success — for a variety

of reasons — starts the ball roil-
ing for students at risk.
“Lack of success in school

breeas lack of interest.” he said,

explaining how one problem
can snowball into the desire to

leave schoo! before graduation.

With Stay In Schoo! funds,
North Vancouver has created

44

two half-time positions at Carson
Graham Secondary and
Sutherland Secondary schools.
The primary responsibility of
these positions is one of ad-

- vocacy for 15 Grade 8 students

in each school who have been
determined to be at risk of
dropping out.

This advocacy manifests itself
in the form of attention as soon
as they start having problems
with any of their courses. The in-
tention is to negate the feeling
that “nobody cares,” as weil as
avoiding the lack-of-success
syndrome by giving them extra
help with their studies.

As well, these students have
had special attention to help
them with the process of moving
from elementary schcol to sec-
ondary school — a big step for
any student,

Merilees pointed out that a
student who is at risk in Grade 8
may not actually drop out until

some time yet.
“We think we'll be able to”
keep these kids.”

Since the Stay in School pro-: :

gram Is expected to continue
for a few years, Meriiees said
that they hope te initiate other.
programs that will fink younger
studanis to the business com-.

” munity, offer mentors for stu- :

dents, and create community
partners in education... .
“We cannot afford to allow
upwards of 25 to 30% of our
people to leave school.” .
He agreed with the logic that
fells students that subjects like
algebra won't help them in the
future, but he said what many
students don't realize is that high
school subjects — including ~
algebra — teach important life
skills that they will need, like
communications and adapt-

ability, as well as critical thinking :

and decision making.

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