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By Caden Fanshaw

SD 57

Changes ahead for Spruceland Traditional Elementary

Jun 28, 2022 | 6:33 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Changes may be coming sooner than later for Spruceland Traditional Elementary School in Prince George.

The School District 57 Board of Education has directed a Choice Management Committee to look at options for the school after it was discovered the traditional format is no longer meeting the needs of the community.

Feedback from parents and stakeholders revealed most people choose the school simply due to its convenience and not the traditional teaching model.

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According to data presented to Trustees 45% picked the choice school due to its location, while only 14% chose it because of the format, and 24% of respondents chose various other options.

Principal Shannon Daines said the traditional model of teaching is no longer truly delivered at the school either.

“We were starting to notice that there wasn’t very much that made Spruceland different,” said Principal Shannon Daines.

The first rendition of a traditional school in BC’s Northern Capital came in 1998 at Central Fort George which had 12 unique features different from those of other schools in the district.

That has since changed as the number of differences between Spruceland and others has shrunk with only one noticeable one, that being the blue school uniforms.

The school also boasts a large number of Indigenous students, in total for the 2021-22 school year 47% of the 286 students are Indigenous. A move away from the traditional format is seen as one in line with truth and reconciliation.

A new learning delivery model has not been finalized although a more arts-oriented community school has been identified as a possible option for the 2023-24 school year.