BACKING ALLEY ART
NATIONAL RECORD FOR SENIOR
TODAY’S WEATHER
Have you taken a walk on the artistic side of downtown?
Bill Falconer is 95 and still fleet of foot
Sun and clouds High 20 C Low 11 C
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A13
KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK TUESDAY
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SEPTEMBER 8, 2015 | Volume 28 No. 108
Back in class in Kamloops
Education
YOU NEED TO KNOW • The school year begins today at 10:30 a.m. for all but kindergarten students, who will be brought into the classroom in a phased manner during the first several days. • All elementary schools will dismiss students at noon today. • Secondary schools in Kamloops and Brocklehurst middle school will dismiss students at 3 p.m. today. • At Brocklehurst middle school, Grade 7 and leadership students are to attend tomorrow at 10:30 a.m., with all other students arriving tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. • Today, buses will begin their runs two hours later than normal to accommodate the 10:30 a.m. start and return students two hours earlier than normal — except for the middle school and secondary schools, which will see students picked up at the normal 3 p.m. dismissal time. • Each school website has specific information. • Go online to sd73.bc.ca to find specific websites.
THE 2015-2016 SCHOOL YEAR BEGINS TODAY DALE BASS
STAFF REPORTER
dale@kamloopsthisweek.com
ANDREA KLASSEN/KTW First-year Thompson Rivers University student Michael Jefferey plans to spend his four-year post-secondary stint living in a yurt he built on the Tk’emlups Indian band reserve.
WELCOME TO YURTIVERSITY
ANDREA KLASSEN
STAFF REPORTER
andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
M
ost student accommodations in Kamloops don’t come with views like Michael Jeffery’s. From his front steps, the first-year Thompson Rivers University student looks out over a rolling field and a view of the South Thompson River obstructed only by a single, friendly horse named Dancer, who sometimes wanders over to
• Better Construction • Juicier • Flare-Ups eliminated • Commercial grade steel parts • Patented infrared system
nibble on the corner of Jeffrey’s deck. Jeffery’s living quarters are even more unusual. Rather than rent an apartment or move into a dorm, he plans to spend the next four years living in a self-built yurt on the Tk’emlups Indian Band reserve. “I did the math and the amount of money I’m going to save while going to school for four years for my degree is a lot,” Jefferey said. “So, financially, it made a lot of sense.” Much of the 444 square-foot yurt was already built before
Jeffrey loaded up his truck in Calgary, en route to Kamloops. In a woodworking shop in Calgary, he built the expanding walls, roof joists and a ring at the top of the roof that will hold a skylight. That left only the yurt’s base to build on-site, which took about a week with some help from family. The round-walled structure was then covered in canvas. Other upgrades — including the skylight and glass doors — are still in the works.
On Sept. 3, 2014 — just days before schools were supposed to be back into session — Premier Christy Clark urged the striking teachers’ union to end its picketing and get back into the classroom. Things are different this year. “It’s absolutely better,” Kamloops-Thompson school district superintendent Karl deBruijn said. “People are filtering back. The principals and vice-principals have been back for a while, the clerical and secretarial staff are back and there’s just a nice buzz, a nice atmosphere. “There’s a feeling of optimism, a different tone today. We’re much better than we were a year ago.” DeBruijn said that even 38 years into his educational career, he’s excited about the coming school year, one that will see new curriculum rolling out. “We’ll be going full tilt on the BCEd plan,” he said of the province’s strategy that brings together redesigned curriculum and graduation requirements to meet the needs of today’s student. DeBruijn said he’s looking forward to getting the new curriculum out for parents to see and understand as it is implemented. That’s part of the rebuilding job educators face, he said, as they work to restore confidence that took a hit during the six months of job action and strike that hit the province last year. DeBruijn is confident the district is up to the task of informing parents, answering questions and working together to meet educational goals. There are, however, still some hurdles.
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