North Van students rally to save hands-on learning program

This story has been amended since first posting to correct an earlier version that stated PLP is for grades 8 to 10 when in fact the program is for grades 8 through 12.

Students enrolled in a unique high school program they say has reignited their love of learning are banding together to try to save their program.

The Performance Learning Program, run out of Seycove Secondary in the North Vancouver School District, offers a multi-disciplinary program which teaches primarily through student projects, as well as through field trips and real-world interviews.

The program for grades 8 to 12 has been run for about a decade at Seycove.

Amelia Beatch, 15, said after she got bored with Grade 8 in a regular high school program, the specialized program at Seycove offered something to stretch and challenge her.

“You can take a lot of what you like to do and put it into your work,” she said, adding students are also enthused about way digital technology is used to present their projects.

Some parents say the program has allowed teens with dyslexia and other learning challenges to excel at school again.

But recently, the Grade 9 students in the program and their parents were told an unexpected drop in enrolment numbers for next year means the school will have to cancel the Performance Learning Program for Grade 10 students for 2019-2020.

That news, delivered about 10 days ago, left families “pretty devastated,” said Michelle Beatch, Amelia’s mother.

Besides losing the Grade 10 year, parents fear cancelling the program for one class could have a snowball effect on enrolment in other grades, as families question how long the program might continue.

Now, they’re appealing to the school district to give the program another chance. And they’re hoping to raise enough interest among other students to boost enrolment enough to save it.

As a younger child, her daughter Amelia loved learning, said Michelle. It wasn’t until she got to high school that her mother saw that interest wane. It wasn’t that Amelia’s grades were suffering, but her interest in school was. “We felt like we were losing our bright, studious daughter,” said Beatch.

When she discovered the PLP program, something clicked, said Amelia.

For one recent project, for instance, Amelia said students built a Rube Goldberg machine that acted as a metaphor for revolution.

Lucy Whitmore is another student trying to save the program.

“We pack so much into one day,” she said, adding the large projects that are the backbone of the program can be daunting but also challenging and rewarding to work on. “It’s really for hands-on learners,” she said. “I was really disappointed when they came out and said it would be cancelled.”

Now Whitmore and Beatch are among a group of students spreading the word about the program in the hopes of saving it for their year.

Deneka Michaud, spokeswoman for the North Vancouver School District, said at this point the decision is all about enrolment. Typically, the minimum number of students needed to run a secondary class is 20, she said, to make sure there’s a match between staff and courses. That’s something that happens regularly all over the school district, she added.

While the Grade 10 PLP program could run with 17 students, currently there are just 13 registered. Numbers for grades 11 and 12 are also down to just 17 students each.

Meanwhile, families are asking for more time and support from the school district to drum up enrolment.

Amelia Beatch said she believes the school district is taking notice of their efforts.

“We’ve told as many people as we possibly could,” she said. “I’m hanging on because I think it’s a good cause.”