Revelstoke Grizzlies win two out of three in three-game weekend homestand — 16
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Weds., September 24, 2014 www.revelstoketimesreview.com Vol. 117, No. 39
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TIMESReview
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Students arrive at Begbie View Elementary after a three-week delay to the start of the school year.
Alex Cooper/Revelstoke Times Review
Return to school met with range of positive emotions Alex Cooper
editor@revelstoketimesreview.com
Joy, excitement, happiness, relief — those were among the many emotions shown when schools finally opened on Monday. The usual excitement that comes with back to school was heightened on Monday after it was delayed three weeks by the teachers strike. And the return to the classrooms was welcomed by students, parents and staff alike. At Begbie View Elementary, a “Welcome back to school” banner graced the doorway and out back kids and parents gathered for the traditional first day mug-and-muffin. For elementary school students, the feeling was one of relief at getting out of the house, away from their nagging parents and having some structure back in their life after more than three months of summer vacation. “I’m a little happy because we were bored of doing the same thing all the time,” said Odin Woods, a grade
six students at Begbie View Elementary. Xander Widger, another grade six student at BVE, said he’d been spending his time doing mathletics online, going to gymnastics and “playing Minecraft on the XBox.” He missed being in school and was happy to go back. His mother Sam Irman was happy to see him go back too. “I have two kids that are eight years apart and they’ve done nothing but fight,” she said with a laugh. “I’m ready for them to go back to school.” Over at Revelstoke Secondary School students slowly trickled in and lined up to get their course schedules in the main foyer. “We’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” said principal Greg Kenyon. “We’re excited to see everyone back.” Students were also happy to be back and end a long summer of restlessness. “I really want to get back to school because grade 11 is a big year,” said Marie Busch. “I don’t want to miss school. I’ve been antsy to get back.”
*** The news of a deal between the province and the BC Teachers Federation took everyone by surprise when it was announced early last Tuesday morning. It was ratified by teachers on Thursday. 86 per cent of teachers who voted opted in favour of the six year agreement reached early Tuesday morning between the BCTF and government negotiators. 31,741 out of about 41,000 teachers cast votes. The six-year, retroactive agreement is the longest ever negotiated. It includes a 7.25 per cent salary increase and improvements in extended health benefits. The agreement also provides for an education fund that will average $80 million per year over the course of the agreement. The fund will be used to hire specialist teachers in order to address class size and composition issues. Another $105 million will be dispersed by the union to settle hundreds of grievances resulting from the strip-
ping of class size and composition from the teachers’ contract in 2002. “I’m happy with this deal,” said Iker. Iker said the turnout for the vote was higher than the union’s last two ratification votes. Education Minister Peter Fassbender congratulated teachers on the settlement, which ends a bitter strike that shut schools for two weeks in June and another three weeks this fall. “We can now focus on the path forward,” Fassbender said. “This longterm agreement is an historic opportunity to work together for students – to enhance their education experience and to support their achievements.” *** The vote to end the strike came a day after a Revelstoke school board meeting where the president of the local teachers association voiced her displeasure with the lack of support shown from trustees towards striking teachers. Revelstoke teachers won’t be going back to school happy, said Jennifer Wolney, the president of the Rev-
elstoke Teachers Association. Notably, they were dissapointed in the very neutral letter the trustees sent out to the province and union officials following the July 9 board meeting during which many teachers spoke up about their situation and how the strike, and their treatment by the government made them feel. “Teachers tomorrow will vote, and as they cast their ballot to vote, they’re going to be thinking about the past. That past for some of them could be years ago, it could be last year, or it could be the board meeting of July 9,” said Wolney during last Wednesday’s school board meeting. She talked about teachers who struggle with large classes, or split classes, or classes with many special needs students. She said teachers work before school, during recess, at lunch and after school to help students. They’ve lost their “joie de vivre,” she said, and their willingness to vol-
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