Latest news with #OptionsHighSchool
CTV News
5 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Montreal high school students do thousands of chin-ups
It was a great feat for students at Options and Venture high schools in Montreal: 20,000 chin-ups together.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Montreal high school students do thousands of chin-ups to inspire, uplift each other
It was a great feat for students at Options and Venture high schools in Montreal: 20,000 chin-ups together. (Christine Long/CTV News) It was a great feat for students at Options and Venture high schools in Montreal: 20,000 chin-ups together. Their motto: 'All go, no quit,' could he heard echoing from the gym, where they've been doing chin-ups for weeks, taking turns on the bar with classmates and new friends. 'It feels good. It's like a sense of community, not doing it by yourself,' said Ryan Baki, an Options student. 'There are other people helping you, cheering you on.' It's a leadership class project challenge dedicated to the students' families, with each classmate writing a letter to the person they are thinking of as they pull their body weight up. 'I'm doing chin-ups for a family member who's struggling with addiction, and I hope this encourages them to keep their chin up during their hardest battles,' said Olivia Clark–Gauthier, a Grade 10 student. 'I'm doing this for my mother,' adds Marley Angutiqjuaq, a Grade 9 student. 'She's dealing with a lot right now. Depression, divorce and grief.' The message is 'stay strong,' according to event co-organizer and teacher Jason Gannon. 'Do not give up, to not have their head down just because they might be down right now, but to keep that chin up,' he said. Every year, the leadership project tests students' resilience in meaningful ways. 'To challenge themselves in ways that they probably wouldn't have even thought of had they not come here and been put through rigorous academic and physical challenges,' explained teacher and co-organizer James Bray. The aim of the activity is to teach and inspire mutual greatness. One of the students, Olive Justicia-Acosta, says she went from not being able to do one pull-up to being 'the chin-up champ.' She just got accepted into Dawson College. 'In the future, I won't be as hesitant to take on difficult challenges,' said Justicia-Acosta. It's a powerful feeling for teenagers who are making their way forward in school and life. 'Their energy, their emotions, their empathy has an outlet, and they're proud to tell that person that they're thinking about, about what they've done in honour of them,' said Gannon.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
1 exam, 50% of final grade. Students say Quebec must follow rest of Canada and change 'unfair' system
As students across the province get ready to write their ministerial exams, the pressure is high – and so are the stakes. Luca Di Fiore, a Grade 11 student, says the final exam feels like a judgment. "It seems unfair almost after everything you do throughout the entire year," he said. "To hear that one test that you do at the end of the year, irrespective of everything you've accomplished throughout the entire year, could just change everything for you [is unfortunate]." Quebec is the only province in Canada where some final exams account for 50 per cent of high school students' final grades. Some teachers and students have been pushing for change and wish to be heard. The province has standardized Grade 10 and 11 exams in French, English, mathematics, history and science – all worth between 25 and 35 per cent of final grades. But some, including history of Quebec and Canada and basic French as a second language, count for 50 per cent. Other Canadian provinces also administer standardized exams, but none are weighted as heavily. Quebec wasn't always the only province placing such emphasis on these exams. Alberta brought its equivalent – Diploma Exams – down to 30 per cent 10 years ago. Di Fiore explained that if students are unable to retain everything they learned during the year, it can make all their hard work feel "pointless" when it all comes down to just three hours. His classmate, Mia Beauchamp, shared that a poor exam result has the power to bring down her mood and her confidence and makes her doubt whether she'll pass the year. "I think it's very stressful because we can't remember it all. Teachers aren't expected to remember it all, why are we?" she asked. She believes the exam's weight should be reduced. Di Fiore proposed replacing the ministerial exam with monthly standardized tests from the ministry. Although he acknowledged the value in maintaining test uniformity to ensure consistent teaching across the province, he emphasized the need to discuss lowering the exam's weight.'Not the way the real world works' Paul Berry, a Grade 10 and 11 mathematics and history teacher at Options High School, is also advocating for a reduction in the final exam's weight. While he sees their importance, he argued they shouldn't hold the level of prominence currently given to them. "[The government treats] these exams like they're sacred texts and like they're the be-all and end-all," he said, adding that the experience is very heavy for many students. "There's nothing really in life where you're going to be facing that type of situation … It's just not the way the real world works." Berry and his colleagues work with many students who struggle with mental health and learning disabilities. He expressed concern over whether these students can effectively demonstrate their knowledge under such pressure. "For the most vulnerable students, it's really them who get hit the hardest," he said. Berry also views the situation as a sign of distrust in teachers, who spend their entire year with their students. "It shows a real lack of appreciation for the work that we do and a lack of concern for the real-life consequences that some of these students will face if they're not able to meet what the government considers to be the standard," he said. Current model limits teachers, some teachers say Michael Wadden, a Grade 10 and 11 history teacher at a high school in Montreal's West Island, remarked that it often feels like teachers are "teaching to an exam." He wishes he had more freedom to engage students through alternative methods – like a mock parliament, debates, analysis and reflection – but says those activities risk cutting into exam preparation time. Wadden argued that the current model limits students' ability to reflect, express their opinions and take a stance – skills he says all teachers would love to encourage them to develop, especially in a course that teaches Canadian and Quebec history. Around this time of year, he starts to see more absenteeism as students realize much of the classroom time will be dedicated to reviewing material they feel they can study on their own. Wadden also pointed out that some of his students are grappling with trauma and issues at home. "To have everything so dependent on one day and three hours is just not fair to these kids," he said. Wadden's colleague, Esther Ste-Marie, a Grade 7 social studies teacher, noted that even though her students don't yet write ministerial exams, teachers are already working hard to prepare them for Grade 10. Still, this year, she's trying something new: prioritizing a project-based approach and critical thinking. "It's been working well, but I still have at the back of my head … my students. They still need to be able to do a formal test because in Grade 10, they'll have to do it like everybody else," she said. Ste-Marie pointed out that this reality ties teachers to the responsibility of preparing students for ministerial exams. "The ministry is asking us to create those students ready for the 21st century skills to make them lifelong learners, to make them critical thinkers, but yet they're limiting us," she said. "We want them to think outside the box, but we're not allowing them to think outside the box." Jason Schilling, the president of the Alberta Teachers' Association, explained that the province's decision to make final exams worth 30 per cent instead of 50 significantly relieved pressure on students. "It also allowed me as a teacher to assess my students in a variety of different ways that would show what the students know more than necessarily sitting down and doing their reading comprehension in a written test in such a high stakes kind of moment," he said. "When it's not weighted as much or if it's not weighted at all, it does allow you flexibility to be more creative." Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville stated last week that he is not considering any changes. "Fifty per cent to ensure equality, to ensure that we can compare results from one school to the next, from one region to the next," he told reporters. But Di Fiore, while understanding Drainville's perspective, disagrees. "If we're talking about equality, if everybody's at 30 [per cent], that's still equality, right?" asked Di Fiore. "And why are students getting pressure put on them if the thing that we're attempting to evaluate with these [exams] is the school systems?" Di Fiore believes those affected by the current system deserve a voice in the decision. "If you're a doctor, you talk to your patient about what they're feeling," he said. "I think everybody should be involved in that conversation so we can get all perspectives." WATCH | Learn more about Quebec's plan to ban cellphones in schools:
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Bellingham family sues school district after girl says harassment was ignored for weeks
A Whatcom County family is suing the Bellingham School District, alleging it failed to protect their daughter from repeated sexual harassment and failed to follow federal and state laws when the incidents were reported, according to a complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Seattle. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a high school student identified only by her initials, S.S.M., who was 15 years old and attending Options High School during the 2022-2023 school year. The complaint alleges that another student, referred to as J.F., began harassing and assaulting her early in the school year, and that school officials did little to intervene. According to the filing, J.F. sent disturbing sexual messages to the girl, including comments about violent sexual fantasies and cutting into dead bodies. When she asked him to stop contacting her, he allegedly cornered her during class the same day, pulling her hoodie over her head and physically restraining her at her desk. The complaint says he straddled a chair behind her and came so close that she could feel his breath on her skin and hair. The family reported the incident to Assistant Principal Kevin Terpstra on Oct. 4, 2022. The district, at that point, had what the lawsuit calls 'actual knowledge' of the harassment. However, instead of initiating a formal investigation, the school required both students to sign a no-contact agreement, which also barred the girl from discussing the incident with peers — a restriction the lawsuit claims denied her emotional support. Under Washington law, school officials are required to notify a designated coordinator when harassment may include discrimination or sexual harassment, and then inform the student of her rights to file a Title IX complaint. The lawsuit alleges none of that happened. Within days of signing the no-contact order, J.F. allegedly violated it multiple times — following S.S.M. after school, confronting her in the cafeteria, and entering her classroom uninvited. Each time, the family says, they notified school staff. Terpstra, according to the suit, repeatedly dismissed her concerns or minimized the violations. The student was so frightened, the complaint says, that she began carrying pepper spray. But Principal Katie Jones confiscated it, even though it was legal and not prohibited by district policy. When confronted, Jones reportedly threatened to call the police if the student refused to hand it over. The girl eventually withdrew from Options High School on Nov. 1, 2022, after what the lawsuit describes as a month of repeated harassment, safety plan violations, and administrative inaction. She lost academic credit and was later diagnosed with PTSD due to the ongoing trauma. It wasn't until a meeting on Oct. 25 — more than three weeks after the initial report — that the district's Title IX coordinator became involved. The family says they were not told about their right to file a formal Title IX complaint until Nov. 17, and that even the coordinator admitted she was unfamiliar with Title IX procedures. Two investigations were finally launched by the district — one into sexual harassment under District Policy 3205 and another into nondiscrimination under Policy 3210. A January 2023 report from the superintendent's office confirmed the harassment was 'severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive,' and that the district's outdated policies failed to protect the student. The district admitted its sexual harassment procedures had been out of compliance with Washington law for approximately seven years and that it had not conducted a Title IX investigation in at least five years. Still, the superintendent concluded that S.S.M.'s individual rights under Title IX were not violated. The family appealed both investigations. In a March 2024 decision, the Discipline Appeal Council agreed that several specific incidents constituted sexual harassment and called the harassment 'traumatic and unacceptable.' The lawsuit accuses the district of violating Title IX and acting negligently in its duty to protect students. It seeks damages, attorney's fees, and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court. When reached for a statement, the Bellingham School District said: We aren't able to share any information due to student privacy laws and the pending litigation. We recognize, in some cases, it would be helpful to share more context and information; however, we are constrained by our legal and ethical responsibility under FERPA. All students deserve to attend schools that are safe and welcoming. We take seriously our duty to protect and care for all students, and we are committed to standing with victims and survivors of any type of harassment. All staff receive annual Title IX training, which includes how to respond to concerns related to sexual harassment. We continue to reflect on, examine and improve our practices, staff training, and policies related to Title IX laws and expectations. We have invested heavily in doing proactive work in service of students. We honor confidentiality as well as a fair and neutral process moving forward. Please see this Q and A for more information about student privacy.
