A new school is coming to Fernie this fall. On May 25, the Conseil Scolaire Francophone (CSF), B.C.'s francophone school board, voted unanimously to open a K-2 school in September. The as of yet unnamed school will operate out of the Max Turyk building.
A few different groups of Elk Valley parents have been working towards a francophone school for the area on and off since 2000. The formation of the Association Francophone des Rocheuses du Sud (AFRoS), which translates to Francophone Association of the Southern Rockies, ramped up their efforts in 2012. The non-profit society already offers preschool programs to bring French-speaking families together, and led the way in making the dream a reality.
Heather Kerr from AFRoS is happy to see all of their hard work has paid off. “It was an exciting process not only to see our registration numbers grow by more than 50 per cent in the last three months as the idea of a francophone school in Fernie became more tangible and widespread, but also to receive unanimous support from Fernie City Council, backing from our MLA Bill Bennett, and to have CSF trustees vote unanimously in favour of opening a school here in September 2013,” she said. “For the parents involved with this September's K-2 class, many of whom were part of the 2009 application for a school, there is an added feeling of redemption and satisfaction.”
There are 15 students registered for the coming year’s K-2 class, but Heather is confident there will be more and more as the school grows.
“As part of our application to the CSF for our school, we actually collected registration forms for children not yet old enough for school but whose parents were willing to commit their child attending such a school,” explained Kerr. “We have forms for students up until kindergarten 2018-2019, and based on these numbers we will have 37 students in five years time.”
She added, “This takes into account only the families that are here presently, and census data shows that Fernie is growing, which bodes well for the francophone school's enrolment.”
Kerr believes the school will be a welcome addition to Fernie’s French-speaking families. “A francophone school in Fernie is just one link in the chain of French language and culture in our area, which includes the existing Late Immersion at IDES, preschool programming offered by Creative Minds and AFRoS, the French-language section of the Fernie Library, and courses offered by College of the Rockies.”
She went on to say, “The tangible presence of a francophone school will probably increase the conversation around bilingualism, multiculturalism, and how our area is evolving. This conversation can sometimes be heated, but can lead to greater understanding and openness, especially because children have a way of breaking down barriers. This sort of school gives francophones from the South Country all the way up the Elk Valley a voice, and helps the wider community see what makes the very diverse set of French speakers in our area tick.”
There are several different requirements for a child to be eligible to attend a francophone school. The CSF has recently changed their admission criteria to accommodate children and families who learned their French through means other than in the home as a first language. For all of the requirements, go to csf.bc.ca.