Ecole Alexandre Taché classrooms are filled to capacity and Principal Marcel Ouellette wants a new school for his 140 junior and senior high school students.
"In just two years our school enrolment grew from 80 kids to 140. My wish would be for a school, any school, but my real wish would be for a brand new school of our own," Ouellette said.
Ouellette's wishing came about in part because of Premier Alison Redford's campaign promise last weekend to put $107 million back into school funding. The principal wonders if the North Central Alberta Francophone Authority will be remembered when the cash is doled out.
"We are the forgotten school board and that's partly because we serve such a large area of the province," he said.
The Greater North Central Francophone Education Region is responsible for 2,500 students registered in 14 schools located from Wainwright to Fort McMurray to Jasper. Two of those francophone schools are located in St. Albert: Ecole La Mission and Alexandre Taché. The schools do not offer an immersion program; their students already speak French.
Alexandre Taché opened in January, 2010 and is located in the west wing of Covenant Youville Home where, Ouellette said, students put up with more congestion and fewer amenities and options than most of their peers in other school systems.
Inside this 50-year-old nursing home the classrooms have supporting pillars. In crowded classrooms the desks must be arranged around pillars and students must crane their necks occasionally to see the teacher.
Every day these 12- to 18-year-old students share their building with the 80- to 90-year-olds who live upstairs and down the hall. The school is separated from the residents by a one-way emergency exit door and no residents live on the same floor.
Behind the door, Youville staff can be seen pushing carts and trolleys. If they cared to pay attention, the Youville workers might see teachers or students scurrying down the hallway, in what used to be the passageway to the kitchen before the nursing home was renovated.
"The Youville staff are very welcoming and receptive, but there is limited interaction with the seniors. There have been some arts and crafts projects, but many of the Youville residents are frail and not well. Sometimes even a few students are loud and too intimidating for the seniors," Ouellette said.
Double double
Alexandre Taché students share lockers. Their library doubles as a classroom. At times, their lunchroom is a cooking classroom. Their gymnasium is located across the street in either St. Albert Catholic High School or Vincent J. Maloney Catholic Junior High. Students registered in shop classes must climb on a bus and go to Richard Fowler Junior High School.
Approximately half of the students live in St. Albert but others are bused from Morinville, Legal, Redwater and Edmonton. The school also has a high percentage of students who are new immigrants.
"For many of them, their first language is their native language, but the first educational language where they attended their first school, was French. They have a right to French education, but it is not the same as the French in Canada," Ouellette said.
As well, 20 per cent of the students have special needs, including two who have educational assistants.
The school must fit its schedule to those of the partner schools such as V.J. Maloney, where there is limited gymnasium sharing time.
"Our school must use the VJM gymnasium during their lunch hour, because they have it booked for every block," Ouellette said, adding that his students are unwilling to go to St. Albert High for option classes, intramural games or even to toss a football in the school yard during breaks.
"They say to me, 'It's not my school, I don't know anyone'. They want the big school experience. They want to be on a sports team, and because of that we lose students. We will lose our French students if we do not have a school," Ouellette said.
