The first day back to school has brought some much-needed routine and a sense of the new normal to the community in the wake of the wildfire, something students, parents and teachers alike need following the chaotic and difficult summer passed by many.
The principal of École McTavish Junior High School, Scott Barr, said Tuesday morning he was excited to see so many smiling faces back in his halls.
“I’m always excited on the first day of school, I think if you’re not excited you’re not in the right profession, so it’s nice to have that and also to see the kids get back to a new normal, that’s what we keep saying and it’s really good to have them get back to a routine,” he said, adding it’s good for the teachers and staff as well.
“We got all our students out safely, we want to bring them back in safely so that’s what we’re doing today,” said Barr.
He said he knows this is going to be a challenging year but he said it’s one his teachers are ready for with mental health training.
“We’re kind of that first responder now into the situation of mental health and we’re proud to offer that to the kids and today is that first step into that new normal and to be comfortable and get a new memory rather than the one they had from May 3rd, which was leaving this building, with all our staff helping them, but still a pretty scary day,” he said. “So today is about that refresh and renew and get some new memories.”
Already the halls of the school are filled with new artwork and evidence of the hard work and many hours teachers have dedicated in the weeks ahead of September 6th to preparing their classrooms and the overall school environment to welcome students back and to make them feel safe.
The teachers at both the public and Catholic school boards have received additional training to help them identify when a student needs professional help and to refer them to the help they need, whether their need for mental health supports is related to the wildfire or to anything else going on in their lives.
Barr said his full counselling support staff complement was on hand on Tuesday alongside additional supports from Alberta Health Services. He said he had no difficulty filling any of the positions on his staff and that no teachers or staff left before the start of this school year that hadn’t already given notice they would vacate their positions prior to the wildfire.
He said he had anticipated 10 per cent fewer students enrolling according to estimates from the Red Cross and RMWB but, while he still has to do a final tally, said he estimates enrollment is actually on par with the 2015-2016 year.
Provincial support for the schools in Fort McMurray is expected to continue through the school year and into the years to come as recovery continues in the community.
Education Minister David Eggen spent the day in Fort McMurray visiting students on their first day back to classes, encouraging them to embrace the new normal and to take some comfort in the return to routine and the fact the start of school marks a major milestone for the community.
“People want routine, children are continuing through their developmental stages regardless of what happens around them,” he said.
While he didn’t know the exact figures he said there have been financial contributions from the provincial government specific to the start of school for purchasing supplies and helping relocate the four closed schools from Abasand and Beacon Hill into other schools in the community.
Eggen said rehabilitation work is under way at those schools and it will be up to the individual school boards to decide when the buildings will reopen.
“Certainly recovery work is taking place at each of the four schools. They are standing, they will be used. It’s amazing, really, how we managed to keep these public buildings. So, it’s up to the school boards how they want to use the (resources). We do have some extra spaces in other schools to make accommodations so that’s kind of neat, too,” he said, adding the combined École McTavish and École Boréale schools made for a positive atmosphere.
He said provincial support for the schools won’t end with this school year, saying the schools are a hub for their neighbourhoods and will be propped up by the provincial government with the routine and new normal they provide a cornerstone of Fort McMurray’s recovery.
