Fighting the fight RRHS works on improving enrollment

Ken Johnston

While Best Start has been in the headlines as a possible solution for keeping the schools in Rainy River viable, other work has been going on to try and bolster enrollment at the local high school.
RRHS Principal Bob McGreevy said that the school council realized that they needed to do more than worry about the transportation issues that have seen kids from the Stratton area bused to Fort Frances. While that process will end in June of 2007, the council and staff at the school has been working on making the school even more inviting than it already is.
“We go out and make presentations and provide general information to kids attending school in the Stratton area,” explained McGreevy. That information includes examples of why RRHS is a good option. “Smaller class sizes, easy access to sports teams and groups and coop sports opportunities.”
As for programming gaps between Fort Frances High School and RRHS, McGreevy said the only real difference is that locally there is no music program offered. They are also narrowing with the improvements in technology. “We are starting to get there using video conference courses.” That means students from RRHS and Atikokan and FFHS can all take course offered at each other’s schools via the internet. However, McGreevy said that since the day is limited to four periods, those choices are also framed by those time constraints. But work on internet based courses that could be taken at any time is in progress.
He also noted that grades nine and ten are pretty much the same at all three schools as the curriculum is mandated.
Other efforts to boost the enrollment, which at one time topped 200 and is now at about 129, include bringing kids in from outlying elementary schools for functions at the local school so they can see first hand what the school has to offer.
McGreevy said they have been losing a few kids every year for the past several years. “Without an industry here we are seeing a trickle-down effect. There just aren’t the kids out there.”
McGreevy said that the Best Start program may see the Grade 7/8 kids from Riverview move over to the high school. “It is a way we can make the building cost effective.” The move is something they have been looking at for some time.
But the end action on Best Start will depend on the public. A meeting is being held this Thursday, Dec. 1/05 at Riverview School to solicit public input on how the program should be located and run in the community.