Edward Milne Community School (EMCS)

School Overview

School Identity and Context

Who We Are:

Edward Milne Community School (EMCS) is a unique community-focused learning environment located in beautiful Sooke, BC on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. EMCS is one of four high schools and the only community school in School District 62 (Sooke), serving a population of approximately 725 students.

Our students come from:

Sooke
East Sooke
Otter Point
Jordan River
Shirley
Port Renfrew

As a community school, EMCS is strongly connected with many talented locals, bringing arts and music, sports, and cultural events into the building. This community feel not only enriches the area with a wide range of resources, but it also provides students at EMCS with multiple opportunities.

Where We Are:

EMCS is geographically distanced from the Western Communities of Langford, Colwood, and Metchosin, and perfectly situated in a rural, west coast environment close to forests, the Sooke Basin, and picturesque exposed beaches. This has brought with it a deep connection to nature and the local environment.

EMCS has a strong culture of inclusiveness and are proud of our connections with our local First Nations:

T’Sou-ke Nation, immediately adjacent to the school
Nuu-chah-nulth Pacheedaht Nation, located near Port Renfrew
Beecher Bay, Scia’new Nation

The school builds on a unique connection to the people and land, which enhances the classroom learning through programming including:

Eco Academy
Environmental Studies
Sustainability
Marine Biology
Culinary Arts
Metal TASK trades program
Culinary teaching garden

What We Are:

As a community school, EMCS is a hub for the greater community of Sooke and fosters a culture of connecting, engaging and belonging. EMCS has many features including:

a 350-seat theatre for our performing arts and community events
an exceptional culinary arts program and full-service cafeteria
an open concept common area featuring a complete grey whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling
an extensive outdoor green space with working garden and sheltered cooking area

Both academics and trades programs are a strong focus at EMCS. Several of our students are attending post-secondary institutions with substantial financial support from local bursaries and scholarships.

Our Learners

What do we know about our learners?

The students at Edward Milne Community School come from a wide range of backgrounds and geographical areas.

50.3% identify as male
49.7% identify as female
16.9% are Indigenous (status-off reserve, status-on reserve, non-status, Metis)
8.1% are International students
11.0% are Early French Immersion learners
1.3% are English Language learners
3.5% are English as a Second Dialect learners
22.2% are involved with Inclusion Services

Far-Spread Geography:

Even though students who live as far away as Port Renfrew travel approximately 150km each day for their schooling and 70% of our students are registered bus riders, EMCS has an attendance rate of 90-95%. With a graduation rate in 2020-2021 of 90.1% (an 8.8% increase over the last 3 years), our students have continued to demonstration success and high achievement.

Many of our students come from smaller communities, some of which are quite rural, demonstrating a positive drive and resiliency. Our students engage with the school and staff, and see the school as an integral part of the community.

Pride in Community:

It is clear that students at EMCS have a great deal of pride in their school and greater community. With multiple community members having previously graduated from EMCS, families are strongly connected to the school and surrounding areas. The growing community of Sooke actively supports one another and takes significant interest in both school and community events.

Any challenges associated with remote living and commuting distances are balanced by Sooke's natural beauty and the resilience of the individual's community members.

What evidence supports what we know about our learners?

Our Student Voice

Making Connections:

Positive student-adult connections are paramount at EMCS. As a staff, we strive to ensure that all students feel welcome and appreciated in our building. This increased level of connection mirrors positive student engagement and academic success. Data from our Student Engagement Surveys indicate that positive student-adult connections allow individuals to feel safe and confident, and in a time of need, know that they can seek out an adult for support. In 2021, 62% of our students (provincial average) felt the adults in the building cared about them, leading to 70% (above provincial average) feeling welcome, and 76% (above provincial average) feeling safe in the building.

EMCS is a smaller secondary school, allowing staff an opportunity to connect with multiple students and create solid connections with them, as they will often see the same students in their classes throughout a student's school years. These relationships continue to strengthen the local community, a positive tradition that is already built into our school culture.

Focus and Planning

What focus(es) emerge as goals to pursue?

Educational Technology

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Intellectual Development

Social Emotional Learning

School Goal 1

To foster an inclusive educational environment defined within our Na’Tsa’Maht Education Agreement, “One Mind” and “One Spirit”. Within the strategic plan, we have, and will continue to create a culture of belonging with inclusive and collaborative practices and community engagement. Regardless of cultural, linguistic or other diverse backgrounds, staff, students, and guests should feel welcome, respected, and all have a sense of belonging.

We will continue to develop and expand a culture of wellness through strengthening connections with Beecher Bay, Scia'new Nation, T’Sou-ke Nation, and Nuu-chah-nulth Pacheedaht Nation to the west. Together with the Nations, we will work towards understanding and simplifying the complexities that affect student engagement and achievement. Through open communication, we will continue to work collaboratively with our local T'Sou-ke Nation to enrich student learning and appreciation for our local history, cultures and peoples.

Strategic Plan Goal

Engagement

Strategic Plan Engagement Objectives

Further the goals of the Na'tsa'maht agreement following the objectives of 'One Mind' and 'One Spirit'.

Action Plan

Staff and students developed, expanded, and implemented respectful and inclusive communication through the addition of Indigenous welcomes and phrases within our school and in our classrooms. We will continue to use “First Voices” to learn new Indigenous languages and will share these phrases throughout our school with our Modern Languages Club and leadership students.

With our staff Equity team and student leadership program, we will continue to increase school awareness and understanding of Indigenous histories as we move on the path of “Truth and Reconciliation”.

Cultural diversity will be celebrated during various special event dates throughout the school year. These events include:

School-wide Walk for Wenjack to recognize the trauma associated with residential schools
Red Dress Honouring to recognize Missing and Murdered Indigenous peoples
National Indigenous Day to celebrate diversity, culture and history

School Goal 2

Focus on socio-emotional development & mental health support:

We acknowledge that, primarily due to the pandemic disruption in schooling over the last 3 years, many of our students returned during the 2022-2023 school year with challenges in learning, waning socio-emotional skills, a lost sense of belonging, and mental health challenges (including anxiety and technology addiction).

Background:

Our students, since the 2019-2020 school year, have had to navigate 4 different learning models, with no previous experience in three of them, and all of which with almost extreme social issues accompanying them.

Semester/Fully Online:

The student started off the 2019 school years in a semester system, moving to fully on-line after the 2020 Spring Break. Our students were unable to see peers, to play sports, to take music lessons, or even see extended family.

"Octa" System:

The 2020-2021 school year had them working in an Octa system, during which they were unable to socialize across cohorts, still couldn’t socialize normally outside of school, and were limited to only coming to school in the morning or in the afternoon.

Quarter System:

The system shifted to the Quarter system for the 2021-2022 school year. Even though this system had a degree of normalcy, during that time period, there was even more disruption with absences taken due to pandemic/health issues.

The Results:

As a result of the flux in educational systems, our students were unable to build routines, get into a "flow," and get comfortable with “the way that it’s going to be.” Anxiety levels spiked because of all of these educational/intellectual, social, and emotional factors that were brought about by change and uncertainty.

When our students were limited to on-line schooling in 2020 and the Octa system in 2020-2021, they were left with a lot of time that they needed to fill on their own, with very little in terms of healthy outlets. They were forced into a reliance on technology for their education. This use of educational technology exacerbated a pre-existing issue with technology addiction. Technology also became an even-stronger means of socializing, without the in-person, face-to-face possibilities. Students who were unable to regulate became even more addicted. When we moved back to an all-day, Quarter system, we found that many of our students had lost the skills for interpersonal connection, and were still heavily focused on/addicted to technology.

At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, EMCS staff decided to implement the "No Phones in Class" philosophy, in order to both help combat the technology addition (and the accompanying mental health issues) and increase student engagement within the classroom. Unless otherwise communicated and approved by the teacher, who may decide to use devices for educational purposes, devices were kept in bag/backpacks/jackets. With very clear, school-wide expectations stated at the beginning of the school year, and refresh throughout the year, classroom engagement increased, as did the level of discussions and interactions with the class. Students were involved with their education to a greater extent, and there were less behaviour issues that were associated with technology over-usage.

Strategic Plan Goal

Learning

Strategic Plan Learning Objectives

Provide opportunites for learners to develop critical and creative thinking skills.

Action Plan

In order to develop an Action Plan for our School Goal #2, we need to break it down into its components, even though each component shares similar Action Plan attributes.

#1:Educational Model(s)

We understand that one of the issues leading to challenges in learning, socio-emotional and mental health issues is continuity and design of the educational model. We believe, and have the student and teacher input to back the assumption, that the Quarter system has been beneficial to student engagement and success. In order to collect longitudinal data to support that conclusion, we looked at attendance (91.1% attendance rate), course completion (95% course completion rate), and success rates (grades). These were gathered from MyEdBC, and the Student Success dashboard.

Over the last 3 school years, feedback that we’ve received is that some of our students’ success has been directly related to the move to online/hybrid schooling, as they are more adept to that system of learning, or it allows them to work/manage their time more appropriately. To accommodate this style of learning, we are excited to be host to a "learning hub" at EMCM for the 2023-2024 school year, which incorporates a hybrid system of learning within our school.

We believe that, in giving our students more of a choice and control over the style of learning, we will continue to increase student success rates, rather than forcing them into a system that doesn’t suit their current needs or lifestyle.

After a great deal of research, and input for all stakeholders, EMCS will be moving to a "quad-mester" learning model for the 2023-2024 school year. This model takes all of the positives that we have seen from the two-classes per day, quarter model, and blend it with the semester model, with 4 classes for half the year. We are excited to see the continued high level of engagement and focus that the quarter model brings, along with the increased academic vigour of the semester system.

#2: Resources

With an increase in mental health issues, including technology addiction, over the last 3 years, we need to bring in more resources for the students to access. Because transportation is a barrier for most of our students, we will need to bring these resources in-house.

We are currently looking at resources for our staff in order to better understand and assist our students.

#3: Relationship with Middle School

In order to (re)engage our students, we are going to focus on building community connections with our incoming students from Journey Middle School. We feel that this is important in bridging gaps, decreasing anxiety that accompanies going to secondary school, and building/developing a set of expectations that they will already understand on Day 1 of being a student at EMCS.

Currently, there is not a strong relationship between the middle and secondary school. We are planning on more partnership activities next year, bringing Journey students to EMCS, and taking EMCS students to Journey.

How can the district support your goals?

Na’tsa’maht Indigenous Education

Safe & Healthy Schools

Pathways and Choice

Professional Development and Training

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Reflect, Adjust, Celebrate

Indicators of progress

Indicators of progress connected to Goal 1

Indicators of progress connected to Goal 2

How will we communicate and celebrate our progress?

Progress and Evidence to date

Goal 1:

Using results from our 2022-2023 Student Equity Survey and staff feedback, EMCS demonstrates that we continue to foster an inclusive learning environment for all of our students. Our connection with local Nations though the Na'tsa'maht agreement builds community and strengthens our students understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing. When asked, 78% of our students recognized that Territorial Acknowledgements were heard "sometimes" and "always" in classes or during meetings and assemblies. In addition, 75% of our students mentioned that Elders attended their classes, "sometimes' or "always" throughout the year. In addition to local Elder connections, our Staff Equity Team continues to create awareness of Indigenous ways of learning through revamping teacher resources to support INa'tsa'maht curriculum. 80% of students mentioned that they "sometimes" or "always" knew the author, artist or source of Indigenous education materials used in class.

Our Student Equity Survey also indicated that 65% of our students feel that racist comments were never or rarely heard in our school. Continued focus in these areas through education, indicating the importance of diversity and inclusion in our school is paramount. Students generally feel comfortable working with others with 67% willing to collaborate with other students, and 60% open to hearing stories and ideas from others. The formation of a student lead Racial Equity group this year, has helped increase awareness and understanding of racial inequities felt by our BIPOC students.

As we continue to work towards a safe and positive learning environment, we will encourage school initiatives and activities focused upon respect, inclusion, and cultural diversity.

Goal 2:

Based on the results from the 2021-2022 Student Learning Survey, there are unmet student needs in learning how to care for their own mental health, which will be a point of focus for subsequent school years. A silver-lining is that only 3% of respondents said that school makes them feel stressed out or anxious, compared to 13% in 2020-2021.

Student also feel more adequately supported by adults in the building, with the Positive Response Rate increasing from 53% in 2020-2021 to 62% in 2021-2022.

Students obviously feel connected to adults in the building, which will be beneficial when increasing resources and support for mental health initiatives.

Barrier-Free Food Security Initiative:

One initiative that was introduced at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year has proven itself to be so invaluable on many fronts! EMCS partnered with Set The Table (to be rebranded as Flourish) to bring barrier-free food to our students. Through this partnership (which also includes Sooke Food Bank, Food Rescue Victoria, Mustard Seed, Food Share Network, Red Barn Markets, and Farm to School BC), we were able to provide 40 free breakfast for students, and one "No Cost" menu option from our cafeteria every day (30 meals).

This initiative has gone a long way is serving our students by reducing food cost barriers (and associated stigma), and providing them with healthy food options. It has had a tremendous impact on the physical and mental health of our students.