Metchosin Technical Centre is hosting an open house this weekend, as it prepares for changes to School District 62B次元官网网址檚 alternative education landscape.

Students choose to attend the tech school, typically because they are interested in the trades and are attracted to the real hands-on, project-based learning offered there.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 open, they allow lots of different things,B次元官网网址� Grade 9 student Jake Clark said. B次元官网网址淵ou can fall through the cracks if you go to the bigger schools if you donB次元官网网址檛 exactly fit in.B次元官网网址�

Clark hopes to become either an electrician or a welder, so the tech school seemed like an obvious choice. He said he likes the smaller classes, the camaraderie and the physicality of the courses.

Clark said he doesnB次元官网网址檛 know how students in regular classes do it.

B次元官网网址淭errible. I donB次元官网网址檛 know if I could even go through that, IB次元官网网址檓 so used to this now.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚t was designed to re-engage kids in activities at school. Because by Grade 9, end of Grade 8, boys in particular, school becomes pretty unimportant in the scheme of things,B次元官网网址� vice principal Keith Boggs said. B次元官网网址淭he transition between Grade 9 and 10 is pretty difficult.B次元官网网址�

Attendance rates are B次元官网网址減henomenalB次元官网网址�, Boggs said, and the school is typically on par with or above provincial averages for testing, despite about 60 per cent of its students having some sort of special learning designation.

The school has smaller class sizes and puts an emphasis on learning outside of the classroom, with lots of field trips around the community, including a year-end camping trip.

There is an emphasis on health at the school too, with physical education classes every day and no junk food allowed on school property. Fruit and veggies are provided to students at no cost as an alternative.

B次元官网网址淥nce (students) come they donB次元官网网址檛 want to leave,B次元官网网址� Boggs said.

Starting this September, the tech school is going back to being exclusively Grade 9 and 10, after having Grade 11 and 12 students for the past few years.

The move is a part of School District 62B次元官网网址檚 consolidation of its alternative schooling programs, which includes the relocation of Pacific secondary school programs to the West Shore Learning Centre Annex in Colwood.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e trying to get out of lease agreements, itB次元官网网址檚 an ongoing pressure to the operating budget and moneyB次元官网网址檚 tight,B次元官网网址� SD62 superintendent Jim Cambridge said.

The Annex will be home for students in the Grade 8 to 10 range, along with the tech school, and the WestShore Centre campus on Goldstream Ave. in Langford will be for students in grades 11 and 12. Staffing levels will stay the same.

B次元官网网址淭his can be a challenge, but the whole school, all the different campuses, have come together to work on this,B次元官网网址� Bogg said. B次元官网网址淚nstead of looking at it as a challenge, weB次元官网网址檙e looking at this as a brighter future.B次元官网网址�

Part of that bright future is hoped to be synchronizing school timetables so students are able to take courses at the various schools, even if they attend another one.

Metchosin Technical Centre day, on Saturday, May 24, will give the public a chance to drop by, see what students at the school are engaged with and have a look around the facility.

The day will include a bottle drive, bake sale, garage sale and barbecue. Money raised goes towards school programs, such as the camping trips.