Lunch hour opening of CPHS library being viewed as a "partial victory" by students
Posted Feb 4, 2010 By Jeff Maguire
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Tweet ThisEMC News - Following intense pressure applied by students and parents the library at Carleton Place High School (CPHS), which had been virtually closed this school year, is now open during lunch hours.
What is being termed "a re-opening" by students, officially began with the start of the second semester at the school today (Thursday).
Some concerned young people see it as only a "partial victory" however.
Grade 12 student Katie-Marie McNeill, who helped spearhead the protests which led to the latest decision, says although she is pleased school officials have relented she would like to see a total reversal of what many students feel was an ill-conceived decision in the first place.
"I would like to see it open more (than just lunch hours). I would like it to be open the whole time - the way it used to be," McNeill said Friday afternoon. She is among many students at the school who hold the same opinion.
"We want to be able to use the library when we need to use it," she said in an earlier conversation with the EMC.
In December McNeill wrote a letter to the media making an impassioned plea for the school library, which she calls "one of our greatest resources", to be opened to "unfettered access".
She said school principal Andrea Davitt, who is in her first year at CPHS, originally told her that due to budget cuts by the parent Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) the school could no longer afford a librarian or even a teacher to supervise the library during regular school hours.
However, no doubt spurred in part by her father Joe, who was once a reporter/photographer at the former Almonte Gazette newspaper (now the Canadian/Gazette), the teenager embarked on her own investigation of the circumstances behind the near closure of the school library. At that point access was limited to what McNeill termed "scheduled class time visits."
The determined young lady called the school board in an effort to get to the bottom of the issue.
"According to a school board representative, whom I spoke to via telephone, he informed me that board budgeting affected money allotted for purchasing new materials for use in the library, not the staff that supervises it," McNeill said in her letter to this newspaper.
She says she was told staffing is part of the individual school's budget "based on a variety of things, largely (student) population." CPHS has approximately 800 students.
"This money for staffing is allotted by an in-house, staffing committee where the principal has a say where the money and resources should go," she observes in the letter.
"At this point the school blames the board and the board blames the school," a clearly exasperated McNeill told the EMC prior to the decision to partly re-open the facility.
BOARD LOBBIED
She certainly wasn't the only one to speak out about the situation. A number of students banded together and spoke to classmates, urging them to state their opinions about the library closure.
The overtures resulted in a flurry of letters of complaint to UCDSB - more than 170 in total.
McNeill's father Joe is just one of many concerned parents. He feels having a school library is a must.
"The library and the librarian are good avenues to information. A visit to the (school) library helps students pinpoint things they need," he told the EMC.
His daughter has undertaken an intensive personal campaign. She wrote the newspaper letters, a newspaper column and has also started a petition which, as of last week, was nearing 400 signatures. Although students are spearheading the drive and have signed the petition in large numbers, the document also contains the names of many parents and businesspeople from the community.
School principal Davitt spoke to the EMC at length Monday and was very courteous and forthright as she explained what will happen and what she hopes will occur.
"The library will be open for both junior and senior lunch hours beginning this week.
"I am also looking at rotating classes into the library to give students more access," she explains.
Davitt says funding issues go beyond the board and the school.
"The ministry (Ontario Ministry of Education) is very involved too."
She says although student and public feedback was a factor in the decision to re-open the library for intervals, there is more to it than that.
"Certainly I have heard the complaints and I will do my best to respond to them," the principal pledges.
She says a reduction in enrolment for the second semester, which begins this week, has actually been a positive factor in this case.
With fewer students a teacher has now been freed to take on library duties for both the junior and senior lunch hours. Davitt says the teacher in question is a qualified teacher-librarian.
On the down side she states declining enrolment is an issue across the province. She says other school libraries have also been impacted (reduced hours) by the resulting loss of funding to individual schools.
Students are concerned what they see as a serious problem could repeat itself if funding isn't satisfactory next year or in the long-term future.
McNeill, who hopes to study at Peterborough's Trent University beginning this fall, says she thinks that would be a shame.
The Grade 12 student feels the school library is an "important resource" and says the facility itself, while small in size, offers a quiet environment for students during spares as well as the obvious research opportunities the books themselves provide.
"I believe the library is too important to be closed so often," McNeill said last month.
The spunky student isn't the least bit hesitant to share her opinions about what may be behind the funding issues officials say led to the previous situation involving the CPHS library.
SYSTEM WASTE
She believes appointing a staff person to track absentees, one of the excuses she says she was given by authorities, is just one way the system wastes money.
"Administration will argue that absenteeism drops with this program (person) in place," she said in her December letter to the media.
"But if the cost is at the learning expense of those who are attending class (regularly) and who have been punished with the removal of access to the library, are these actions justified," she asks.
"It's time to stop wasting money on students who don't want to go to class, by hiring unnecessary staff and invoking unnecessary programs and to stop penalizing those who want an education," her letter states.
"I would like unbridled access to my school library please - if that's not too much to ask."
McNeill takes her argument farther however.
She points to courses she feels are unnecessary and should not be receiving funding from the school board at the expense of closing the library, a resource she feels is imperative now and for the future.
The well spoken young lady cites a hockey course, weight lifting course, girls-fit-life ("there are gym classes already," she states) and says she understands "a running course" is also being sought.
McNeill wonders about the "academic value" of the aforementioned courses.
"I think these are dumbed-down courses to let people who wouldn't normally pass (tougher courses) get through school."
She believes it is a numbers game where "the number of graduates and not the quality of education" is the actual objective of the system.
McNeill notes that while young people can learn about hockey, lift weights and concentrate on their fitness, all during school hours, other important courses no longer exist.
"There is no Grade 12 Canadian history course anymore," she observes.
"I think the funds exist - they are just going in the wrong direction."
Davitt counters, saying the issues involved are far more complex. She also disagrees with claims by McNeill and others that the courses cited are not important.
"I don't agree that they (courses) are dumbed down."
The principal defends the fitness, hockey and weight lifting courses noting that with obesity rates on the rise in Ontario and Canada, personal fitness is a concern for everyone, including the school system.
"Every course we offer has a curriculum supported by the ministry," she points out. "Every student is also required to take certain compulsory courses. For instance, everyone must pass a math, science and history course."
Davitt says a rising trend in education is to respond to demand. In some cases certain courses are not currently offered because "not enough students registered.
"We look at courses depending on how much interest there is," she explains, adding that a future senior history course remains a possibility.
In the computer age on-line courses are another increasing option and the CPHS principal is hopeful history courses, which she personally views as very important, will become part of an expanding on-line program.
Davitt says the library is just one of the issues educators face saying her job is "to look at the big picture."
As for the library issue she was anything but dismissive.
"I realize it is important. As principal I want to assure you I am listening and working to find solutions.
"I will always make every effort to keep the library open," Davitt concludes.
