Killarney Guide

BY KIM LANGEN

Following a very long spell of upheaval and pandemic stress, the return to school for students has gone exceptionally well.

“This week is going great,” said Terry Beazley, principal of Killarney School, on Thursday morning. “School is way better with kids in it. Part of the reason it’s going well is the staggered start. We tried this last year, and it worked brilliantly. People immediately saw all kinds of advantages. There are so many good things about it.”

On Wednesday, Grade 1 to 8 students with last names beginning with A to H came in for their first day back, while on Thursday it was the turn for those beginning from I to Z. 

“It was less frantic, and less stressful,” said Beazley. “The atmosphere was more relaxed and chill, and it’s a better way to transition into the new school year. There are a lot of things to manage on that first day, along with the jitters that come from the first day of school. Teachers get to meet their students, and get to know them more closely with a staggered entry. And on Friday everyone joins in together.”

And the huge news for students and staff is that they are now all back together in the school as a body, and not dispersed to locations such as the Shamrock Centre.

“COVID-19 is still a big factor,” said Beazley. “There will be masks this year for everyone, from K to 12, when they are indoors. That’s the price we pay to have all the kids in this one building at the same time. Outdoors they can take their masks off.”

And he was extremely pleased to recognize some special faces this week.

“I’ve seen two or three faces so far that I didn’t see last year,” he said. “Some kids are back, including some that we lost track of. And there are not as many doing home schooling. There are less kids staying at home. In all I am seeing around 20 new faces at school this year, including new students, mostly concentrated in the K-4 years. They have come from all over Manitoba. It’s a mixed bag; they are here for a variety of reasons.”

Some people who are gone this year, include a few retired teachers, he added.

“Long-time kindergarten teacher Sandy Witherspoon has retired, and also Margot Forsythe, an early years teacher for many years, and Jim Bartley, a middle years teacher,” said Beazley. 

New hires include Grade 1 teacher Taylor Nahachewsky, Grade 1/2 split class teacher Kaitlyn Hintz, and Dylan Martens, who will teach Biology and Chemistry for Grade 11 and 12.

New social worker for the school is Courtney Ganske, while Giselle Beaupre and Barb McKellar will share French class, and Brent Campbell is taking the lead as band teacher.

And then there is an icing-related surpise, which has attracted both student genders equally. 

“A new course we have this year is Grade 12 Psychology,” said Beazley. “And Home Economics is back, but it is now known as Human Ecology. We have a new foods course, based around cake decorating, and 20 kids have signed up for it. It will include grades 10, 11, and 12. Alison McGill is teaching it; she had the idea last year. And it just took off.”

 Another hot choice is the school’s Sustainable Wilderness course, he said.

“It’s an outdoor education course, and we’ve had it the last few years at the school,” said Beazley. “It’s extremely popular, and 32 kids have signed up for it. There are not many programs like it in the area. The whole idea of wilderness education has always been popular with the kids. It includes camping, canoeing, hiking, fire building, and survival skills. Kendall Campbell-Jonsson, who also teaches high school P.E., is teaching it, and has done it for a few years.”

As COVID-19 continues to affect everyday life, Beazley says he is still optimistic about the year ahead for the school and the staff.

“There’s no question that staff here have adjusted, after so long with COVID,” he said. “This year will feel like a more normal year in many ways.”

BACK TO THE BOOKS – Masked students, with last names from A to H, were hopping off the buses on Wednesday morning at Killarney School, ready for another year of learning. It was another staggered start at the school this year, which the principal says works brilliantly.

VERY FIRST DAY – Five-year-old Emily Nichol runs off the bus on her very first day of school to greet her mom waiting on the sidewalk. Kindergarten students will attend Killarney School every second day for the first two weeks, and then they’ll be at it full time!

JAY STRUTH/KILLARNEY GUIDE